Fugro has filed a patent for a method and apparatus to disseminate a timescale signal from a server site to a client site. The method involves running server and client Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) processes, generating precise orbits and clocks signals, and broadcasting them via a telecom network. The client site then generates a difference signal between the client clock signal and the timescale signal. GlobalData’s report on Fugro gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
According to GlobalData’s company profile on Fugro, marine seismic data acquisition was a key innovation area identified from patents. Fugro's grant share as of September 2023 was 45%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Method and apparatus for disseminating a timescale signal
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230305165A1) describes a method and system for disseminating a timescale signal from a server site to a client site. The method involves running multiple server Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) processes at different locations, each generating a server GNSS output raw-data signal based on received satellite signals. These signals are then received at the server site, where a precise orbits and clocks signal is generated, embedding the timescale signal. This precise orbits and clocks signal is broadcasted to the client site via a telecom network.
At the client site, a client GNSS process generates a client GNSS output raw-data signal based on a client clock signal and second satellite signals. A client Precise Point Positioning (PPP) process receives the client GNSS output raw-data signal and the precise orbits and clocks signal via the telecom network. It generates a difference signal between the client clock signal and the timescale signal.
The patent also describes the use of a more accurate precise clock signal, such as an atomic clock signal, in the server GNSS processes compared to the client clock signal. The client clock signal at the client site can be produced by a disciplined oscillator based on the difference signal as a feedback signal. The precise clock signal used in the server GNSS processes includes clock information of a GNSS receiver clock and/or satellite clocks.
The system for disseminating the timescale signal includes server GNSS receivers at the server site, a GNSS processor at the server site, and client setups at the client site. The server GNSS receivers generate server GNSS output raw-data signals based on received satellite signals. The GNSS processor receives these signals and generates a precise orbits and clocks signal embedding the timescale signal. The client setups include a client GNSS receiver, a client PPP processor, and a disciplined oscillator for generating the client clock signal.
The patent also describes the comparison of difference signals generated at different client sites and the use of globally distributed GNSS receivers in the server site.
Overall, this patent presents a method and system for disseminating a timescale signal from a server site to a client site using GNSS processes and precise orbits and clocks signals. The system aims to provide accurate and synchronized time information to client sites.
To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Fugro, buy the report here.
Data Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
