DEVICE FOR INPUTTING RTK CORRECTION DATA TO A GPS

• US 20160061958A1
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glacial Ridge Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Glacial Ridge Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Cihlar, Joseph A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,945,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• 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 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A communications system includes a GPS receiver that receives GPS position data and GPS correction data, a mobile device having a first transceiver and an adapter coupled to the GPS receiver and having a second transceiver and a voltage regulator. The mobile device accesses RTK correction data over a cellular network using a current GPS position and processes the RTK correction data. The second transceiver of the adapter receives the RTK correction data over a wireless signal sent by the first transceiver of the mobile device. The adapter converts the RTK correction data so that the RTK correction data is receivable by a serial port on the GPS receiver that the adapter is coupled and the voltage regulator derives power from the GPS receiver to power the adapter.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a GPS receiver that receives GPS position data and GPS correction data;

a mobile device including a first transceiver, wherein the mobile device accesses RTK correction data over a cellular network using a current GPS position and processes the RTK correction data; and

an adapter coupled to the GPS receiver and including a second transceiver that receives the RTK correction data over a wireless signal sent by the first transceiver of the mobile device and a voltage regulator, wherein the adapter converts the RTK correction data so that the RTK correction data is receivable by a serial port on the GPS receiver that the adapter is coupled and wherein the voltage regulator derives power from the GPS receiver to power the adapter.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the adapter further receives the current GPS position from the GPS receiver and sends the current GPS position to the mobile device with the second transceiver so that proper RTK correction data is accessed.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the current GPS position is sourced by the mobile device.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the current GPS position is manually input into the mobile device by a user.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver and the second transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the adapter comprises an electrical connector that couples to the GPS receiver and is encapsulated by a waterproof thermoset resin.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the second transceiver converts the RTK correction data to TTL data.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the adapter further comprises an R232 transceiver that directly interfaces with the GPS receiver and converts the TTL data to an R232 signal.

9. A method of inputting RTK correction data to a GPS receiver, the method comprising:

receiving RTK correction data, by a Bluetooth transceiver in an adapter, from a mobile device over a Bluetooth signal; and

converting the RTK correction data to an RS232 signal, by a RS232 line driver in the adapter, so as to be received by a serial port on the GPS receiver.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising powering the Bluetooth transceiver and the RS232 line driver in the adapter using a voltage regulator that derives power from the GPS receiver.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising accessing RTK correction data over a cellular network, by the mobile device, using a current GPS position.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the current GPS position, by the adapter, from the GPS receiver and sending, by the adapter, the current GPS position to the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the current GPS position from a user manually entering the current GPS position into the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising powering the Bluetooth receiver and the RS232 line driver in the adapter using a voltage regulator located in the adapter that derives power from the GPS receiver.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising converting RTK correction data received by the Bluetooth transceiver in the adapter into TTL data.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising converting the TTL data to an RS232 signal, by the RS232 line driver, to be received by the GPS receiver.

17. A communications system comprising:

a GPS receiver;

a mobile device that accesses RTK correction data over a cellular network and processes the RTK correction data, the mobile device including a mobile device transceiver that sends and receives data signals;

an adapter including a voltage regulator, a wireless transceiver in communication with the mobile device transceiver, and a RS232 transceiver in communication with the GPS receiver;

wherein the voltage regulator derives power from the GPS receiver for operating the wireless transceiver;

wherein the wireless transceiver receives a data signal from the mobile device having RTK correction data; and

wherein the RS232 transceiver converts the data signal received by the wireless transceiver to a RS232 data signal so as to communicate the RTK correction data to the GPS receiver.

18. The communications system of claim 17, wherein the adapter further receives the current GPS position from the GPS receiver and sends the current GPS position to the mobile device with the wireless transceiver so that proper RTK correction data is accessed.

19. The communications system of claim 17, wherein the current GPS position is sourced by the mobile device.

20. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the current GPS position is manually input into the mobile device by a user.