POSITIONING SYSTEM

• US 20110074628A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Astrium Limited (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Astrium Limited (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Dixon, Charles Stephen, Morrison, Russell Gavin, Lancashire, David Charles, Helliwell, Alasdair Ward
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence

Abstract

A positioning system (1) comprising one or more transmitters configured to transmit transmissions including positioning data, wherein the system is configured to synchronise the transmission with a reference time. The transmissions are formed using a repeating pseudorandom number (PRN) code comprising a plurality of chips. The system (1) is configured to determine a timing bias (44;54) between the first transmission and the reference time. The system (1) is configured to change the number of chips in one or more of said transmissions such that the timing bias of a subsequent pseudorandom number (PRN) code is reduced.

Claims

1. A positioning system comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission including positioning data, wherein the system is configured to substantially synchronise the transmission with a reference time, and wherein the transmission is formed using a repeating pseudorandom number (PRN) code comprising a plurality of chips, and

the system is configured to determine a timing bias between the transmission and the reference time, wherein

the system is configured to change the number of chips in said transmission such that the timing bias of a subsequent pseudorandom number (PRN) code is reduced.

2. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising one or more pseudolites configured to transmit one or more transmissions and/or reference time.

3. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmission comprises a plurality of super frames formed using the repeating pseudorandom number (PRN) code, and the change in the number of chips occurs at the end of a super frame such that the timing bias of a subsequent super frame is reduced.

4. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1 wherein if there is a positive timing bias between said transmission and the reference time, the number of chips in one or more pseudorandom number (PRN) code is reduced, or

if there is a negative timing bias between said transmission and the reference time, the number of chips in one or more pseudorandom number (PRN) code is reduced and timing information in the said transmission is changed to align with the reference time.

5. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said transmission is transmitted from a first location, and

the reference time is transmitted from a second location remote from the first location,

the timing bias between the first transmission and the reference time is determined at a third location remote from the first location and second location, and

the timing bias is transmitted from the third location to the first location.

6. The positioning system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the timing bias is calculated from one or more compensated timing properties, wherein the compensated timing properties at a time t are calculated by:

receiving a recently determined timing property of the first transmission relative to the reference time;

receiving a previous value of the compensated timing property of the first transmission relative to the reference time, calculated at a time prior to time t;

applying a first weighting factor to the determined timing property and applying a second weighting factor to the previous value of the compensated timing property,

calculating the compensated timing property based on the weighted determined time property and weighted previous value of the compensated timing property, the timing bias calculated using the one or more compensated timing properties.

7. The positioning system as claimed claim 6 wherein the determined timing properties are one or more of the timing bias, timing drift or timing acceleration, and/or the compensated timing property are one or more of a compensated timing bias, timing drift or timing acceleration.

8. The positioning system as claimed in claim 6 wherein a frequency of a clock controlling said transmission is adjusted towards a frequency of a clock controlling the reference time,

wherein the system is configured to, following the adjustment of the frequency of the clock controlling said transmission, use a modified previous value of the compensated timing property which includes the predicted frequency change.

9. The positioning system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the system is configured to determine said timing bias for a future time t_oc

wherein the timing bias at time t_oc is calculated from one or more compensated timing properties, and

the system is configured to transmit the timing bias prior to future time t_oc.

10. A method of synchronising a transmission with a reference time in a positioning system, wherein the transmission is formed using a repeating pseudorandom number (PRN) code comprising a plurality of chips,

determining a timing bias between the transmission and the reference time,

changing the number of chips in the transmission such that the timing bias of a subsequent pseudorandom number (PRN) code is reduced.

11. A positioning system comprising a transmitter configured to transmit one or more clock terms of a first clock relative to a reference time,

wherein the clock terms include a drift term specifying rate of change of a timing bias between said first clock and said reference time;

wherein said drift term is calculated from a recently determined drift and a previous value of the drift term;

wherein the system is configured to transmit a modified drift term applicable for a time following a frequency change of the first clock, said modified drift term including an adjustment term based on the predicted frequency change.

12. A positioning system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the previous value of the drift term, in the modified drift term, is replaced by a predicted value of the drift term at the time of the frequency change and said adjustment term based on the predicted frequency change.

13. A positioning system comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a transmission comprising one or more clock terms of a first clock relative to a reference time,

wherein the clock terms include one or more timing properties defined between said first clock and said reference time;

wherein the system is configured to change the frequency of the first clock,

wherein the system is configured to calculate and transmit clock terms prior to the frequency change, said clock terms relating to a time after the frequency change.

14. A positioning system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the transmission comprises a plurality of super frames, wherein said timing properties are transmitted in one of said super frames, and said timing properties relate to a subsequent super frame.

15. A method of providing positioning data, comprising transmitting one or more clock terms of a first clock, said first clock substantially synchronised with a reference time,

wherein the clock terms include one or more timing properties defined between said first clock and said reference time;

changing the frequency of the first clock, calculating and transmitting clock terms prior to the frequency change, wherein said clock terms relate to a time after the frequency change.