Providing GPS pseudo-ranges

• US 20070109185A1
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kracke, Doug, Stephen, Jim
• Application Number:
  US11/273,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109185A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.280
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

A vehicle location determination system and method includes a vehicle-mounted position determining system, including a computer for executing position determining software, and at least one aiding data source such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, an odometer, gyroscope, a short-range radio link or a map database. In response to a request by a position determining entity (PDE) or other requesting entity a response is provided, which may include a computed pseudo-range to one or more GPS satellites.

Claims

1. A vehicle position location apparatus comprising:

an aiding data source; and

a computer configured to execute a stored software program to perform vehicle position estimation,

wherein a first output signal of the computer comprises at least one computed pseudo-range to a global positioning system (GPS) satellite.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hybrid navigation system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a GPS receiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the computed pseudo-range includes a correction for estimated radio frequency propagation delay along the path between the GPS receiver and the GPS satellite.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the aiding data source includes at least one of an odometer, an automatic breaking system, a gyroscope, a magnetic compass, an accelerometer, a terrestrial radio-location system, a short-distance radio link, or a map database.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a second output signal includes at least one measured GPS pseudo-range, and the first output signal is adjusted to have a same clock offset as determined from the measured pseudo-range.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a second output signal includes at least one measured GPS pseudo-range, and the second output signal is adjusted to have a same clock offset as determined from the computed pseudo-range.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, where a third output comprises at least one of vehicle heading, vehicle speed, geometrical dilution of precision;

position, velocity or azimuth error estimates;

Doppler shift, or pseudo-range rate.

9. A method of providing vehicle position determination information, the method comprising:

receiving aiding data;

computing a vehicle geographic location;

computing a pseudo-range between a global positioning system (GPS) satellite and the vehicle; and

providing the computed pseudo-range to a requesting system.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a GPS signal.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the requesting system comprises a position determination entity (PDE).

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the requesting system is a safety system associated with the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the safety system comprises a panic button.

14. A method of determining the position of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a request to perform position determination (PD);

sending a PD request message to a vehicle;

receiving a response message from the vehicle, the response message including a computed pseudo-range;

receiving and interpreting the response message;

computing the position of the vehicle from data contained in the response message, including the computed pseudo-range; and

responding to the request to perform PD.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the request to perform PD originates at a 911 call center or at a vehicle safety system.