Information management and control system

• US 20030179132A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard Cole, Robert Loh, William Klepczynski
• Original Assignee: Richard Cole, Robert Loh, William Klepczynski
• Inventors: Cole, Richard, Loh, Robert, Klepczynski, William
• Granted Patent: US 6,999,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/02 Details of the space or ground control segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/08 providing integrity information, e.g. health of satellites or quality of ephemeris data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/20 Integrity monitoring, fault detection or fault isolation of space segment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A system 10 which is adapted to receive global positioning signals 14 from a satellite assembly 12 and which determines, displays, and selectively disseminates that error associated with the received signals to selected users at selected locations and at selected times. The system 10 also provides several other applications, including but not limited to the acquisition and selectively display of selective weather information, physical attributes of a facility, such as an airport, time distribution, collection and dissemination of user information as well as allowing one to simulate the performance of a global positioning acquisition and dissemination system. Such a simulation allows a user to dynamically specify the location and movement of signal generating satellites, the location of the various ground or reception stations, and to display certain other attributes or desired system characteristics. The simulation efficiently recognizes monitored ionospheric ground points which are used to allow for a more accurate overall simulation that can be delivered to selected users at selected locations and at selected times.

Claims

1. ) A system for receiving certain positional and other information from selected users, selected locations, and at selected times, having a certain error, for determining the amount of the certain error, and for selectively disseminating the determined amount of the certain error to the selected users at the selected locations at the selected time.

2. ) The system of claim 1 wherein said positional information generated by a satellite assembly of all constellations such as GPS, Glomas, Galileo, and augmentation satellites.

3. ) The system of claim 1 wherein said system includes a first certified receiver and many non-certified receivers and wherein said amount of said certain error is determined by use of comparison between the certified, non-certified receivers, and surveyed locations.

4. ) The system of claim 3, wherein said first certified receiver receives said positional information and wherein said other receivers receive said positional information and wherein said first and said second receivers each generate a signal based upon said respectively received positional information and wherein said amount of said error is substantially equal to the comparisons between the signal which is generated by said first receiver, the signal which is generated by said other receivers, and the surveyed location.

5. ) The system of claim 3 wherein said first receiver comprises a certified global positioning receiver.

6. ) The system of claim 1 further comprising an assembly which receives information concerning the physical attributes of certain facilities.

7. ) The system of claim 1 wherein said certain facilities comprise satellites, communication systems, airports, train stations, but stations, ferry terminals, and other congregations of transportation systems.

8. ) The system of claim 1 further comprising a weather information assembly which selectively acquires and provides information about the weather occurring at a certain location, and disseminates selected information to other users at selected locations and at selected times.

9. ) The system claim 1 further comprising a spectrum analysis assembly which analyzes the frequency spectrum of said received signals, predicts interference affects on said received signals, and disseminates selected interference signals to selected users at selected locations and at selected times.

10. ) The system of claim 1 further comprising a service volume simulation assembly, that can selectively disseminate service volume simulation information to selected users at selected location and at selected times.

11. ) The system of claim 1 further comprising an airport, train station, bus station, ferry terminal, and all other congregations of transport systems.

12. ) The system of claim 1 further comprising a time distribution system, that is used to precisely deliver and disseminate information and data to selected users, at selected locations at selected times.

13. ) A system which receives global satellite information including GPS, Glonas, Galilieo, GEOs, etc. and which provides several applications based upon the received global satellite information, each of said applications operatively residing within similar, but unique computer systems to reduce software development and integration costs and to maintain flexibility for customers.

14. ) The system of claim 13 wherein a first of said applications comprises an error detection application.

15. ) The system of claim 14 wherein a second of said applications comprises a time distribution application.

16. ) The system of claim 15 wherein a third of said applications comprises a spectrum analysis application.

17. ) The system of claim 16 wherein a fourth of said applications comprises a weather information application.

18. ) The system of claim 17 wherein a fifth of said applications comprises a service volume simulation application.

19. ) The system of claim 17 wherein a fifth of said applications comprises an airport, bus station, train station, ferry terminals and other transportation hub information applications.

20. ) The system of claim 19 wherein a sixth of said applications comprises an aircraft landing and other simulation that can be used for training and to familiarize users with unknown locations.

21. ) The system of claim 20 wherein a seventh of said applications comprises a public data/information collection and dissemination application that collects and disseminates data at the selected locations, selected users, and selected times.

22. ) An assembly for simulating the operation of a global positioning information acquisition and dissemination system to/from selected users at selected locations and selected times, including several selectively movable and un-movable satellites and several ground reception stations, said assembly including a controller which operates under stored program control and which receives the position of said selected ground reception stations and said selectively movable and other satellites and which utilizes said received information selectively to simulate the operation of said system in real time for selected users at selected locations and at selected times.

23. ) A method comprising the steps of receiving selected information;

determining the amount of error associated with the received selected information; and

displaying the amount of said determined selected error so that aircraft, vehicles, trains boats and other transportation systems can be controlled when necessary at the selected locations and at selected times.

24. ) The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of selectively disseminating the amount of said determined error and other information to selected users at selected locations at selected times.

25. ) A method for determining the identify of available ionospheric grid points, said method comprising the steps of selecting ionospheric pierce points;

creating cells by use of said selected ionspheric pierce points;

recognizing the corners of each of said created selected cells;

discarding certain of said cells, thereby forming a residual group of selected and required cells; and

identifying said available ionspheric grid points by use of said residual group of cells and then disseminating the information to selected users at selected locations and at selected times.

26. ) The method of claim 25 wherein an available ionspheric error is calculated for every user in the system and is the broadcast to the appropriate users at the selected times.