Practical Method for Upgrading Existing GNSS User Equipment with Tightly Integrated Nav-Com Capability
First Claim
1. A method of upgrading existing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user equipment, comprising the steps of:
- providing first GNSS user hardware including a first oscillator driving a precise coded reference signal generator arranged to generate a reference signal and supply the reference signal to an existing second GNSS user device, and a Navigation/Communication processor arranged to generate position, navigation, and/or timing signals upon receipt from the second GNSS user device of coherent correlations of incoming GNSS signals and the reference signal;
providing an existing second GNSS user device separate from the first GNSS user hardware, said GNSS user device including at least one existing port and a second oscillator arranged to produce said coherent correlations of incoming GNSS signals and the reference signal generated by the add-on first GNSS hardware, and to send the coherent correlations to the first GNSS user hardware,coupling the first GNSS user hardware to the second GNSS user device via the existing port without modifying hardware of the second GNSS user device.
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Abstract
A practical method for adding significant new high-performance, tightly integrated Nav-Com capability to any Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user equipment, such as GPS receivers, requires no hardware modifications to the existing user equipment. In one example, the iGPS concept is applied to a Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR) and combines Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, such as Iridium, with GPS or other GNSS systems to significantly improve the accuracy, integrity, and availability of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)—in some cases by three orders of magnitude, to enable high precision GNSS carrier phase observable to be more readily exploited to improve PNT availability—even under interference conditions or occluded environments, and to enable new communication enhancements made available by the synthesis of precisely coupled navigation and communication modes. To achieve time synchronization stability to the required sub-20 ps level between the existing DAGR and a plug-in iGPS enhancement module, a special-purpose wideband reference signal is generated by the iGPS module and coupled to the DAGR via the existing antenna port, so that no hardware modification of the DAGR is required.
82 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A method of upgrading existing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user equipment, comprising the steps of:
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providing first GNSS user hardware including a first oscillator driving a precise coded reference signal generator arranged to generate a reference signal and supply the reference signal to an existing second GNSS user device, and a Navigation/Communication processor arranged to generate position, navigation, and/or timing signals upon receipt from the second GNSS user device of coherent correlations of incoming GNSS signals and the reference signal; providing an existing second GNSS user device separate from the first GNSS user hardware, said GNSS user device including at least one existing port and a second oscillator arranged to produce said coherent correlations of incoming GNSS signals and the reference signal generated by the add-on first GNSS hardware, and to send the coherent correlations to the first GNSS user hardware, coupling the first GNSS user hardware to the second GNSS user device via the existing port without modifying hardware of the second GNSS user device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. Add-on first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user hardware for upgrading an existing second GNSS user device by adding tightly integrated Nav-Com capability without having to modify the existing second GNSS user device, comprising:
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a first oscillator driving a precise coded reference signal generator arranged to generate a reference signal and supply the reference signal to an existing second GNSS user device; a Navigation/Communication processor arranged to generate position, navigation, and/or timing signals upon receipt from the second GNSS user device of coherent correlations of incoming GNSS signals and the reference signal; and at least one port for coupling the add-on GNSS user hardware to the second GNSS user device through an existing port of the second GNSS user device without modifying hardware of the second GNSS user device. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification