METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BACKGROUND DECODING OF A SATELLITE NAVIGATION MESSAGE TO MAINTAIN INTEGRITY OF LONG TERM ORBIT INFORMATION IN A REMOTE RECEIVER

• US 20080106463A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Global Locate Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Riben, Matthew, Diggelen, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 8,212,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/254 relating to Doppler shift of satellite signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/27 creating, predicting or correcting ephemeris or almanac data within the receiver

Abstract

A method and apparatus for background decoding of a broadcast satellite-navigation message to maintain integrity of long-term-orbit information used in a Global-Navigation-Satellite System or other positioning system is described. The method may include processing the long-term-orbit information associated with at least one satellite to obtain a first position of a receiver; obtaining at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris transmitted from the at least one satellite; and processing, as a substitute for at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information, the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to obtain a second position of the receiver.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing long-term-orbit information associated with at least one satellite to obtain a first position of a receiver;

obtaining at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris transmitted from the at least one satellite; and

processing, as a substitute for at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information, the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to obtain a second position of the receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position comprises:

a plurality of transitional solutions of positions of the receiver;

wherein processing long-term-orbit information comprises;

processing the long-term-orbit information to obtain the plurality of transitional solutions; and

wherein obtaining at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris;

comprises obtaining a sufficient amount of the broadcast ephemeris to determine the second position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to determine a second position occurs after obtaining the first position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris from the at least one satellite comprises:

obtaining the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris from a broadcast-navigation message broadcast from the at least one satellite.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris from a broadcast-navigation message occurs at the receiver.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris occurs when a period of validity associated with the long-term-orbit information approaches expiration.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending from the receiver to a server the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris, wherein processing the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris to determine a second position is performed by the server.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

processing, at the server, the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris to determine the second position.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, as a function of the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris, at least a second portion of the long-term-orbit information is invalid;

excluding from the long-term-orbit information the at least a second portion thereof; and

supplementing the at least a second portion of the long-term-orbit information with fresh orbit information.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending from the receiver to a server the broadcast ephemeris, wherein processing the broadcast ephemeris to determine a second position is performed by the server.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending from the server to the receiver the fresh long-term-orbit information data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining broadcast ephemeris from the at least one satellite comprises:

receiving and decoding a broadcast-navigation message broadcast from the at least one satellite.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending the broadcast ephemeris from the receiver to the server, wherein processing the broadcast ephemeris to determine a second position is performed by the server;

excluding from the long-term-orbit information at least one portion of thereof after processing the broadcast ephemeris to determine the second position;

sending from the server to the positioning receiver fresh long-term-orbit information; and

supplementing at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information with fresh long-term-orbit information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position comprises at least one transitional position of the positioning receiver, and wherein the second position comprises at least one final position of the positioning receiver.

15. A receiver comprising:

memory operable to store executable instructions and long-term-orbit information associated with at least one satellite;

a processor operable to obtain from the memory the long-term-orbit information and the executable instructions, and to execute the executable instructions to;

process the long-term-orbit information to obtain a first position of the receiver;

obtain at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris transmitted from the at least one satellite; and

process, as a substitute for at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information, the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to obtain a second position of the receiver.

16. The receiver of claim 15, wherein the executable instructions to process at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris comprise:

executable instructions to process at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris when a period of validity associated with the long-term-orbit information approaches expiration.

17. The receiver of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operable to execute executable instructions to:

retire at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information after processing the broadcast ephemeris to determine the second position; and

replace at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information with fresh long-term-orbit information.

18. The receiver of claim 15, wherein the executable instructions to obtain broadcast ephemeris from at least one satellite comprises:

executable instructions to receive and decode a broadcast-navigation message broadcast from the at least one satellite.

19. The receiver of claim 15, wherein the first position comprises at least one transitional position of the positioning receiver, and wherein the second position comprises at least one final position of the receiver.

20. The receiver of claim 15, further comprising a transceiver operable to send from the receiver a request for the fresh long-term-orbit information;

and to receive at the receiver, in response to the request, the fresh long-term-orbit information.

21. A system comprising:

a receiver comprising;

a first memory operable to store executable instructions and long-term-orbit information associated with at least one satellite; and

a first processor operable to obtain from the first memory the long-term-orbit information and the executable instructions, and to execute the executable instructions to;

process the long-term-orbit information to obtain a first position of the receiver;

obtain at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris transmitted from the at least one satellite; and

process, as a substitute for at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information, the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to obtain a second position of the receiver; and

a server comprising;

a second memory operable to store executable instructions and the long-term-orbit information; and

a second processor operable to obtain from the second memory the executable instructions and operable to execute the executable instructions to;

provide to the receiver the long-term-orbit information.

22. A system comprising:

a receiver comprising;

a first memory operable to store executable instructions and long-term-orbit information associated with the at least one satellite; and

a first processor operable to obtain from the first memory the long-term-orbit information and the executable instructions, and to execute the executable instructions to;

process the long-term-orbit information to obtain a first position of the receiver; and

a server comprising;

a second memory operable to store executable instructions and the long-term-orbit information; and

a second processor operable to obtain from the second memory the long-term-orbit information and the executable instructions, and to execute the executable instructions to;

obtain broadcast ephemeris transmitted from at least one satellite; and

process, as a substitute for at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information, the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to obtain a second position of the receiver.

23. A system comprising:

a receiver comprising;

a first memory operable to store executable instructions;

a first processor operable to obtain from the first memory the executable instructions, and to execute the executable instructions to;

obtain pseuodranges to at plurality of satellites; and

a transmitter operable to transmit the pseudoranges; and

a server comprising;

a second memory operable to store executable instructions and the long-term-orbit information associated with at least one of the plurality of satellites; and

a second processor operable to obtain from the second memory the long-term-orbit information and the executable instructions, and to execute the executable instructions to;

process the pseudoranges and the long-term-orbit information to obtain a first position of the receiver;

obtain broadcast ephemeris transmitted from at least one of the plurality of satellites; and

process, as a substitute for at least one portion of the long-term-orbit information, the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to obtain a second position of the receiver.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first position comprises:

a plurality of transitional solutions of positions of the receiver; and

wherein the executable instructions to;

process the long-term-orbit information comprise executable instructions to process the long-term-orbit information to obtain the plurality of transitional solutions; and

obtain at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris comprise executable instructions to obtain a sufficient amount of the broadcast ephemeris to determine the second position.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions to process the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris to determine a second position are operable to process the at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris after obtaining the first position.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions to obtain at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris from the at least one satellite comprises executable instructions to obtain the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris from a broadcast-navigation message broadcast from the at least one satellite.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions to obtain the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris from a broadcast-navigation message are operable to obtain the at least one portion of the broadcast ephemeris at the receiver.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the executable instructions to process that at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris are operable to process that at least one portion of broadcast ephemeris when a period of validity associated with the long-term-orbit information approaches expiration.