Systems and methods for improved atmospheric monitoring and GPS positioning utilizing GNSS tomographic refractivity

• US 10,545,243 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc. (Spire Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Spire Global, Inc.
• Inventors: MacDonald, Alexander E., Platzer, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malley, Sr., Daniel P
• Application Number:
  US15/808,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20190146092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/072 Ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/08 providing integrity information, e.g. health of satellites or quality of ephemeris data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view

Abstract

The disclosed technology relates to systems and methods for determining three-dimensional atmospheric and ionospheric density using refraction of electromagnetic waves. A method is provided for receiving, at a processing system, and from a plurality of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) stations, navigation data corresponding to computed positions of the plurality of GNSS stations. The method can further include determining, based at least in part on received navigation data and received GNSS transmitter information, ionosphere and atmosphere refractivity corresponding to intersections of two or more GNSS signals. The method can include calculating, based on the determined 3D density states, data fields of a model representing the three-3D density states. The method can include transmitting position adjustment data to calibrate a navigation position of at least one of the plurality of the GNSS stations based at least in part on the calculated data fields of the model.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processing system, and from a plurality of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) stations, navigation data corresponding to computed positions of the plurality of GNSS stations;

receiving, at the processing system, GNSS transmitter information comprising one or more of;

GNSS satellite positional information;

GNSS clock information; and

GNSS transmission frequency information;

determining, based at least in part on the received navigation data and the received GNSS transmitter information, ionosphere and atmosphere refractivity associated with navigation data, wherein the ionosphere and atmosphere refractivity N comprises density delay components for dry air, wet air, liquid, and ions respectively is represented by;

N≅

dry+wet+liquid+ion;

where;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of GNSS stations include one or more of:

a CubeSat, a mobile GPS receiver, a mobile computing device, a cell phone, a receiver of an airplane, and a smartphone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of GNSS stations comprise one or more local processors, and wherein the computed positions are determined by the corresponding local processors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the GNSS transmitter information is further received from one or more of:

one or more GNSS stations; and

a precise positioning service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation data and the GNSS transmitter information corresponds to four or more GNSS satellites, and wherein determining the 3D density states comprises determining intersection angles of the two or more GNSS signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the 3D density states comprises determining dynamic changes associated with the atmosphere and ionosphere.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the 3D density states comprises predicting future density states associated with the atmosphere and ionosphere.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3D representation of the three-3D density states is refined by feedback between one or more of the plurality of the GNSS stations and the processing system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the ionosphere and atmosphere refractivity comprises determining the 3D density states by minimizing a difference in least-squares between integrated refraction of density over one-dimensional rays to determine an optimal three-dimensional structure.