William J Bencze

US Patent:

7372400, May 13, 2008

Filed:

Nov 7, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/268317

Inventors:

Clark E. Cohen - Washington DC, US
Robert W. Brumley - Narberth PA, US
Mark L. Psiaki - Brooktondale NY, US
Gregory M. Gutt - Brambleton VA, US
William J. Bencze - El Granada CA, US
Brent M. Ledvina - Austin TX, US
Barton G. Ferrell - Troy IL, US
David A. Whelan - Newport Coast CA, US

Assignee:

The Boeing Company - Chicago IL

International Classification:

G01S 1/00

US Classification:

34235701, 34235706, 34235716, 701213

Abstract:

A navigation system provides a significant level of protection against all forms of interference or jamming to GPS in a cost-effective way. The system employs a network of ground reference stations and Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites in conjunction with GPS. A common-view ranging geometry to a GPS satellite is established that links a reference station and a user. A second common-view geometry to a LEO satellite between the same reference station and user pair is also established. The ground stations synthesize real-time aiding signals by making carrier phase measurements of GPS the LEO satellite signals. This aiding information is transmitted via the LEO satellites to the user receiver at high power to penetrate ambient jamming. The user receiver locks onto the carrier phase of the LEO satellite, demodulates the aiding information, then applies the carrier phase measurements and the aiding information to enable extended coherent measurements of the GPS signals. The system thereby recovers the GPS signals that would otherwise be lost to the jamming.

US Patent:

7978130, Jul 12, 2011

Filed:

May 1, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/434026

Inventors:

Clark E. Cohen - Washington DC, US
Todd E. Humphreys - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Brent M. Ledvina - San Francisco CA, US
William J. Bencze - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Mark L. Psiaki - Brooktondale NY, US
Bryan T. Galusha - Oakland CA, US

Assignee:

Coherent Navigation, Inc. - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

G01S 19/18
G01S 19/25
G01S 19/33

US Classification:

34235756, 34235764, 34235769, 34235773, 34235775

Abstract:

A practical method for adding new high-performance, tightly integrated Nav-Com capability to any Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user equipment requires no hardware modifications to the existing user equipment. In one example, the iGPS concept is applied to a Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR) and combines Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, such as Iridium, with GPS or other GNSS systems to significantly improve the accuracy, integrity, and availability of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and to enable new communication enhancements made available by the synthesis of precisely coupled navigation and communication modes. To achieve time synchronization stability between the existing DAGR and a plug-in iGPS enhancement module, a special-purpose wideband reference signal is generated by the iGPS module and coupled to the DAGR via the existing antenna port.

US Patent:

20110068973, Mar 24, 2011

Filed:

Sep 23, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/889242

Inventors:

Todd E. Humphreys - Austin TX, US
Brent M. Ledvina - San Francisco CA, US
William J. Bencze - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Bryan T. Galusha - San Francisco CA, US
Clark E. Cohen - Washington DC, US

Assignee:

COHERENT NAVIGATION, INC. - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

G01S 19/47
G01S 19/38
G01S 19/46

US Classification:

3423573, 34235721, 34235729

Abstract:

A method for upgrading GNSS equipment to improve position, velocity and time (PVT) accuracy, increase PVT robustness in weak-signal or jammed environments and protect against counterfeit GNSS signals (spoofing). A GNSS Assimilator couples to an RF input of existing GNSS equipment, e.g., a GPS receiver, and extracts navigation and timing information from available RF signals, including non-GNSS signals, or direct baseband aiding, e.g., from an inertial navigation system, frequency reference, or GNSS user. The Assimilator fuses the diverse navigation and timing information to embed a PVT solution in synthesized GNSS signals provided to a GNSS receiver RF input. The code and carrier phases of the synthesized GNSS signals are aligned with those of actual GNSS signals to appear the same at the target receiver input. The Assimilator protects against spoofing by continuously scanning incoming GNSS signals for signs of spoofing, and mitigating spoofing effects in the synthesized GNSS signals.

US Patent:

20110102259, May 5, 2011

Filed:

Sep 23, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/889238

Inventors:

Brent M. Ledvina - San Francisco CA, US
Todd E. Humphreys - Austin TX, US
William J. Bencze - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Bryan T. Galusha - San Francisco CA, US
Clark E. Cohen - Washington DC, US

Assignee:

COHERENT NAVIGATION, INC. - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

G01S 19/21

US Classification:

34235759

Abstract:

A method of countering GNSS signal spoofing includes monitoring a plurality of GNSS signals received from a plurality of GNSS signal sources and comparing broadcast data to identify outlying data, which is excluded from generation of a navigation solution defined by the plurality of GNSS signals. The outlying data can be a vestigial signal from a code or carrier Doppler shift frequency. The method includes triggering a spoofing indicator upon identification of the outlying data or other phenomenon. The phenomenon can include a shift in a phase of a measured GNSS navigation data bit sequence or a profile phenomenon of a correlation function resulting from correlation of the incoming GNSS signals with a local signal replica. The profile phenomenon can be the presence of multiple sustained correlation peaks. A nullifying signal can be generated and superimposed over a compromised signal.

US Patent:

20110109506, May 12, 2011

Filed:

Sep 23, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/889247

Inventors:

Todd E. Humphreys - Austin TX, US
Brent M. Ledvina - San Francisco CA, US
William J. Bencze - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Bryan T. Galusha - San Francisco CA, US
Clark E. Cohen - Washington DC, US

Assignee:

COHERENT NAVIGATION, INC. - San Mateo CA

International Classification:

G01S 19/29

US Classification:

34235768

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for simulating radio-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals that are carrier-phase and code-phase aligned with ambient GNSS signals at a user-specified location in the vicinity of the simulator. Such phase alignment allows the synthesized signals to be made to appear substantially the same as the authentic signals to a target receiver, allowing the target receiver to transition seamlessly between authentic and simulated signals. The method is embodied in a device, a phase-coherent GNSS signal simulator, which can be implemented on a digital signal processor for embedded applications.

US Patent:

20220191644, Jun 16, 2022

Filed:

Dec 21, 2021

Appl. No.:

17/558334

Inventors:

- Cupertino CA, US
Robert W. Brumley - Menlo Park CA, US
Robert William Mayor - Half Moon Bay CA, US
William J. Bencze - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Alejandro J. Marquez - Sunnyvale CA, US
Xu Chen - San Jose CA, US
Indranil S. Sen - Cupertino CA, US
Mohit Narang - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

Apple Inc. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

H04W 4/02
B60R 25/24
G07C 9/29

Abstract:

Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.

US Patent:

20210396619, Dec 23, 2021

Filed:

Jan 29, 2021

Appl. No.:

17/163180

Inventors:

- Cupertino CA, US
William J. Bencze - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Kumar Gaurav Chhokra - San Mateo CA, US
Fatemeh Ghafoori - Santa Clara CA, US
Stephen P. Jackson - Cupertino CA, US
Cheng Jia - Cupertino CA, US
Yi-Wen Liao - San Jose CA, US
Glenn D. Macgougan - Cupertino CA, US
Isaac T. Miller - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Alexandru Popovici - Mountain View CA, US
Christina Selle - Los Altos CA, US
Aditya Narain Srivastava - Fremont CA, US
Richard Warren - Redwood City CA, US
Michael P. Dal Santo - Cupertino CA, US
Pejman Lotfali Kazemi - Cupertino CA, US

International Classification:

G01L 27/00
H04W 4/02
H04W 4/38
H04W 4/90

Abstract:

Described herein are techniques to enable a mobile device to perform multi-source estimation of an altitude for a location. A baseline altitude may be determined at ground level for a location and used to calibrate a barometric pressure sensor on the mobile device. The calibrated barometric pressure sensor can then estimate changes in altitude relative to ground level based on detected pressure differentials, allowing a relative altitude to ground to be determined. Baseline calibration for the barometric sensor calibration can be performed to determine an ambient ground-level barometric pressure.

US Patent:

20190297457, Sep 26, 2019

Filed:

Apr 1, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/371838

Inventors:

- Cupertino CA, US
Robert W. Brumley - Menlo Park CA, US
Robert William Mayor - Half Moon Bay CA, US
William J. Bencze - Half Moon Bay CA, US
Alejandro J. Marquez - Sunnyvale CA, US
Xu Chen - San Jose CA, US
Indranil S. Sen - Cupertino CA, US
Mohit Narang - Cupertino CA, US

Assignee:

Apple Inc. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

H04W 4/02
G07C 9/00
B60R 25/24

Abstract:

Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.