Global positioning system recorder and method government rights

• US 5,852,790 A
• Filed: 04/22/1996
• Issued: 12/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Savannah River Company
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Savannah River Company
• Inventors: Hayes, David W., Reeves, George E., Hofstetter, Kenneth J., Eakle, Robert F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US08/635,476
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 701/24, 701/29, 701/35, 701/115, 701/213-216, 701/200, 701/226, 340/988, 340/996, 342/357, 342/352, 342/457, 73/178 R, 455/12.1
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain

Abstract

A global positioning system recorder (GPSR) is disclosed in which operational parameters and recorded positional data are stored on a transferable memory element. Through this transferrable memory element, the user of the GPSR need have no knowledge of GPSR devices other than that the memory element needs to be inserted into the memory element slot and the GPSR must be activated. The use of the data element also allows for minimal downtime of the GPSR and the ability to reprogram the GPSR and download data therefrom, without having to physically attach it to another computer.

Claims

1. A method of recording the global position of an object, comprising the steps of:

providing an object with a global positioning system recorder having;

GPS circuitry, control circuitry including programming, an antenna, and a memory element slot;

placing operational parameters for said recorder on a memory element;

placing said memory element into said memory element slot;

providing power to said recorder;

automatically reading said operational parameters from said memory element using said recorder, said automatic reading step controlled by said programming and performed after said providing power step;

automatically determining the position of said object with said GPS circuitry by use of a signal emitted from GPS satellites and received by said antenna; and

automatically writing said position of said object on said memory element in the form of at least one data file in accordance with said operational parameters using said control circuitry, said automatic writing step controlled by said programming and performed after said automatic reading step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of placing operational parameters on said memory element includes setting a recording interval.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of placing operational parameters on said memory element is carried out at a remote location independent from said recorder.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of removing said memory element from said slot and taking it to a remote location independent from said recorder to have said at least one data file downloaded from said memory element.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether the GPS position determined is valid.

6. The method of recording the global position of an object as recited in claim 1, wherein said automatic writing step further comprises the step of filtering out an unwanted portion of said signal from said GPS satellites.

7. A global positioning system recorder, comprising:

a housing;

an antenna external of said housing and for receiving signals from a plurality of navigation satellites;

GPS circuitry inside said housing, said GPS circuitry electronically connected to said antenna, said GPS circuitry using said satellite signals to determine the position of said recorder;

a memory element slot positioned in said housing such that a memory element, containing operational parameters for said recorder, can be inserted or removed from said slot without opening said housing;

control circuitry inside said housing, said control circuitry interfacing said GPS circuitry with said memory element slot such that operational data can be read from said memory element and position data can be written to said memory element, said control circuitry including programming that upon providing said GPS and said control circuitry with power, said programming causes said recorder to automatically read said operational parameters from said memory element and then write position data to said memory element; and

means for providing said GPS and said control circuitry with power.

8. The recorder according to claim 7, wherein said operational parameters includes a recording interval.

9. The recorder according to claim 8, wherein operational parameters are written to said memory element at a remote location and said position data is downloaded from said memory element at said remote location.

10. The recorder according to claim 9, wherein after said GPS circuitry determines the position of said recorder, said control circuitry causes said position data to be written to said memory element according to said operational parameters.

11. The recorder according to claim 7, wherein said programming for automatically reading comprises:

programming for repeatedly attempting to contact the GPS satellites with which the GPS recorder was last in contact, said programming stopping said attempts if after a predetermined amount of time said attempts are unsuccessful, said program also contacting at least three GPS satellites upon stopping said attempts and using data from at least said three satellites to determine the position of the GPS recorder;

programming for determining whether the position determined by said GPS recorder is valid.

12. The global positioning system recorder as recited in claim 7, wherein said control circuitry further comprises a filter to remove an unwanted portion of said satellite signals, whereby said recorder only utilizes a wanted portion of said satellite signals.

13. A method of obtaining and using GPS data, comprising the steps of:

providing a GPS receiver with a data recorder having a transferable memory element;

said GPS receiver receiving data from GPS satellites;

said GPS receiver using said GPS data to form a single GPS data string representing various GPS parameters;

said GPS receiver filtering out unwanted GPS data from said GPS data string and writing wanted GPS data from said GPS data string to said transferable memory element in the form of a data file;

removing said transferable memory element from said data recorder;

placing said transferable memory element in contact with a computer work-station independent of said GPS receiver;

reading said data file from said transferable memory element into said computer work-station; and

manipulating said wanted GPS data saved in said read data file.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

said wanted GPS data is in binary form; and

said step of manipulating said wanted GPS data includes converting said binary form data into ASCII form data.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said step of manipulating said wanted GPS data further comprises using said ASCII form data with a third-party data manipulating program.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said third-party data manipulating program comprises a spreadsheet program.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said third-party data manipulating program comprises a mapping program.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of adjusting the interval at which said GPS receiver filters out said unwanted GPS data from said GPS data string and writes said wanted GPS data from said GPS data string to said transferable memory element.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said transferable memory element has written thereon said interval at which said GPS receiver filters out said unwanted GPS data from said GPS data string and writes said wanted GPS data from said GPS data string to said transferrable memory element.

20. The method according to claim 13 further comprising the step of changing which GPS data from said GPS data string is filtered out and which GPS data from said GPS data string is written to said transferrable memory element.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said step of changing which GPS data is filtered out from said GPS data string and which GPS data from said GPS data string is written to said transferrable memory element comprises:

a technician selecting which GPS data items transmitted by GPS satellites the technician needs to have written to said transferrable memory element; and

determining the position of said selected GPS data items in said GPS data string;

writing the positions and of said selected GPS data items to said transferrable memory element; and

wherein said filtering step comprises writing the GPS data found at said positions within said GPS data string to said transferable memory element.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said step of determining the position of said selected GPS data items in said GPS data string further comprises said technician looking it up in a manual.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein said step of determining the position of said selected GPS data items in said GPS data string further comprises said work-station having them programmed therein.

24. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of looking for a character in said GPS data string that indicates that the GPS data string being received by said GPS includes the technician selected GPS data items.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said step of looking for a character comprises looking for the value of the third character in said GPS data string.

26. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of writing to said transferable memory element the interval at which said GPS receiver is to receive GPS data strings from said GPS satellites.