2472 results about "Positioning equipment" patented technology

An information service provides search and notifications to inform when certain people (e.g., friends, family, business contacts, etc.) are nearby so as to facilitate communications with those people. Users may define lists of people whose locations may be tracked by positioning equipment based on personal communications / computing devices carried by the people. The information service processes this people and place data to identify those of the listed people that are in the user's vicinity, and provide notifications and user-initiated search results informing the user such as via the user's personal communications / computing device.

A lithographic apparatus comprises a substrate table to hold a substrate, a reference structure and a measurement system to measure a position of the substrate table with respect to the reference structure. The measurement system comprises a first measurement system to measure a position of the substrate table with respect to an intermediate structure and a second measurement system to measure a position of the intermediate structure with respect to the reference structure. The intermediate structure may be connected or connectable to a drive mechanism to drive the substrate table. A distance between the substrate table and the intermediate structure, and a distance between the intermediate structure and the reference structure may be small which results in a highly accurate position measurement.

A system for facilitating handoff adapted for use with a telecommunications network. The system includes position equipment for determining the location of a mobile transceiver within a region containing a first cell and a second cell. A comparison circuit compares the location with a predetermined handoff area within the region and provides a control signal in response thereto. A handoff initiation circuit initiates handoff of the mobile transceiver between the first cell and the second cell in response to the control signal. In a specific embodiment, the handoff is a hard handoff. The position equipment includes Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment including a mobile unit GPS receiver and signal interface. The comparison circuit includes a positional database that stores latitudinal and longitudinal information corresponding to the predetermined handoff area. The comparison circuit also includes a Code Division Multiple Access selector. The selector begins tracking the position of the mobile transceiver when it is within a predetermined range of the predetermined handoff area. In a specific embodiment, the handoff initiation circuit includes a base station controller. The position equipment includes a base station positional detection system and a mobile unit positional detection system for determining the location of the mobile transceiver. The position database has map information depicting the coverage area of the first and second cells and the predetermined handoff area. The selector runs software for comparing the location to the map information and providing the control signal when the location is within the predetermined handoff area. The base station includes and implements instructions for completing hard handoff in response to the control signal.

An apparatus and method for automatically positioning a device. A sensor detects the position of a user. In response to signals from the sensor, a processor determines an ideal position for use of the device. Next, coordinates for movement of an arm supporting the device and for positioning of the device at an achievable position nearest to the ideal position are calculated, taking into account restraints, such as limitation on the sensors, actuators and motors that move the device, and nearby obstacles such as walls. The arm adjusts to move the device to the achievable position. The device is repositioned at intervals as the user moves. Once no user is detected, then the device is moved to a default position.

The present invention provides a system (method and apparatus) for creating photorealistic 3D models of environments and / or objects from a plurality of stereo images obtained from a mobile stereo camera and optional monocular cameras. The cameras may be handheld, mounted on a mobile platform, manipulator or a positioning device. The system automatically detects and tracks features in image sequences and self-references the stereo camera in 6 degrees of freedom by matching the features to a database to track the camera motion, while building the database simultaneously. A motion estimate may be also provided from external sensors and fused with the motion computed from the images. Individual stereo pairs are processed to compute dense 3D data representing the scene and are transformed, using the estimated camera motion, into a common reference and fused together. The resulting 3D data is represented as point clouds, surfaces, or volumes. The present invention also provides a system (method and apparatus) for enhancing 3D models of environments or objects by registering information from additional sensors to improve model fidelity or to augment it with supplementary information by using a light pattern projector. The present invention also provides a system (method and apparatus) for generating photo-realistic 3D models of underground environments such as tunnels, mines, voids and caves, including automatic registration of the 3D models with pre-existing underground maps.

A wireless communication system useful in locating users of mobile communication units (MUs) in emergency situations. In one embodiment, the system includes a plurality of aircraft-deployable, wireless position determining equipment (PDE) to generate position information from an emergency call request received from an MU, and a wireless mobile positioning center (MPC) on board an aircraft adapted to determine the location of the MU from the position information received from the PDE. In another embodiment, the PDE are adapted to transmit a message to elicit a response from the MU to acquire position information. In another embodiment, the PDE are adapted to receive periodic messages from the MU to acquire position information. In another embodiment, a mobile switching center (MSC) assists a GPS-capable MU in determining its location by providing it the information on the GPS satellites visible within the area covered by its base station and sector.

A method and apparatus for aligning the left and right image channels a two-image stereoscopic three-dimensional display is disclosed. A left and right alignment pattern may be shown on the left-eye and right-eye image screens, respectively, pre-computed for any given input imaging geometry. The operator (or alignment processor) then adjust the displays to converge the superimposed left-eye and right-eye test patterns by moving the display elements using display positioning equipment and / or software. This ensures that the stereoscopic three-dimensional display geometry matches the three-dimensional camera imaging geometry in order to produce a minimally-distorted visual depth perception of objects in space. Such precision alignment can be essential for efficient and safe telerobotic operation applications, as in the case of remote aerial refueling operations, for example.

The invention discloses an enhanced airport scene monitoring system, which comprises a passive scene monitoring module, an air space active detection module, a ground active detection module, a monitoring module and a guide module, wherein the passive scene monitoring module is used for acquiring positions of all airplanes and vehicles provided with required airborne / vehicle-mounted equipment; the air space active detection module is used for detecting positional information of the airplanes in air; the ground active detection module is arranged at an accident-prone position and is used for actively detecting the positions of the airplanes close to a key region; the monitoring module is used for receiving the information of each module and judging whether warning action is implemented; and the guide module acts under the control of the monitoring module. Through the monitoring system, the problem of limitation that the conventional passive scene monitoring system completely depends on the airborne / vehicle-mounted positioning equipment of a monitor object can be solved, the capability of the system of detecting a moving object provided with no airborne / vehicle-mounted equipment or with abnormally working equipment is enhanced, and the capacity of the system of quickly processing emergency safety accidents is enhanced.