METHOD FOR THE GEOGRAPHICAL SELECTION OF GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM ELEMENTS

• US 20160061956A1
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Savoy, John D. Jr., Krishnan, Vignesh, Woodworth, Kent
• Granted Patent: US 10,094,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/33 Multimode operation in different systems which transmit time stamped messages, e.g. GPS/GLONASS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/423 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from different satellite radio beacon positioning systems
• 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 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system

Abstract

A system to select a type of satellite from a plurality of types of satellites in a multi-constellation of satellites is provided. The system includes at least a first receiver configured to input signals from a first type of satellite and a second receiver configured to input signals from a second type of satellite and a processor. The processor: executes a multi-constellation-selection software module to associate a current position with a mapping feature and select at least one selected type of satellite from the plurality of types of satellites based on the associated mapping feature; executes a compute-position/velocity/time (PVT) software module to compute a current position/velocity/time based on at least one selected input signal input at a receiver associated with the at least one selected type of satellite; and feeds the computed current position/velocity/time to the multi-constellation-selection software module based on the execution of the compute-PVT software module.

Claims

1. A system to select one or more types of satellites from a plurality of types of satellites in a multi-constellation of satellites, the system comprising:

a plurality of receivers including at least;

a first receiver configured to input signals from a first type of satellite; and

a second receiver configured to input signals from a second type of satellite;

a processor configured to;

execute a multi-constellation-selection software module to;

associate a current position with a mapping feature;

select at least one selected type of satellite from the plurality of types of satellites based on the associated mapping feature; and

execute a compute-position/velocity/time (PVT) software module in order to compute a current position/velocity/time based on at least one selected input signal input at a receiver associated with the at least one selected type of satellite; and

feed the computed current position/velocity/time to the multi-constellation-selection software module based on the execution of the compute-PVT software module to implement rules for the at least one selected type of satellite.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first type of satellite is selected from a type of satellite in a currently available Global Navigation System Satellite (GNSS), wherein the second type of satellite is selected from a type of satellite in the currently available Global Navigation System Satellite (GNSS), wherein the first type of satellite is different from the second type of satellite.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first type of satellite is different from the second type of satellite.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first type of satellite is different from the second type of satellite, and wherein at least one of the first and the second type of satellite is an SBAS satellite.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-constellation-selection software module includes a database including information including:

the multi constellation selection database part number;

a list of currently active Global Navigation System Satellite constellations;

a list of currently active Satellite-Based Augmentation System providers; and

a list of geopolitical regions.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the list of geopolitical regions further includes:

allowed Global Navigation System Satellite constellations for the geopolitical regions; and

Satellite-Based Augmentation System providers for the geopolitical regions.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the database further includes the mapping features including:

a plurality of complex polygons that span the earth.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the database further includes the mapping features including:

a plurality of latitude/longitude pairs that span the earth in a grid.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the database further includes the mapping features including:

at least one complex polygon; and

a plurality of latitude/longitude pairs that span at least one portion of the earth in a grid.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one antenna communicatively coupled via communication links to at least one first type of satellite and at least one second type of satellite.

11. A method of selecting signals input from a plurality of types of satellites, the method comprising:

inputting a plurality of signals from a multi-constellation of satellites including at least two types of satellites;

inputting information indicative of a current position at a multi-constellation-selection software module;

associating the current position with a mapping feature in a database of the multi-constellation-selection software module;

selecting at least one type of satellite from the at least two types of satellites based on the associated mapping feature; and

computing a current position/velocity/time at a compute-position/velocity/time (PVT) software module to implement the rules for the at least one selected type of satellite.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating the mapping feature in the database with a geopolitical region or an international region in the database, and wherein selecting the at least one type of satellite from the at least two types of satellites comprises;

selecting the at least one type of satellite based on the geopolitical region or the international region associated with the mapping feature, the method further comprising;

feeding the computed current position/velocity/time to the multi-constellation-selection software module from the compute-PVT software module.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the mapping feature in the database associated with the geopolitical region or the international region is a first mapping feature associated with a first geopolitical region or a first international region,

wherein the computed current position/velocity/time fed to the multi-constellation-selection software module is associated with a second mapping feature that is associated with a second geopolitical region or a second international region, and

wherein selecting the at least one type of satellite from the at least two types of satellites comprises:

reselecting another type of satellite from the at least two types of satellites based on the computed current position/velocity/time being associated with the second geopolitical region or the second international region.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

outputting the computed current position/velocity/time to a processor from the compute-PVT software module.

15. A method of generating a database to select at least one type of satellite from a multi-constellation of satellites for use in a navigation system, the method comprising:

generating one of;

a grid of latitude/longitude pairs;

a plurality of complex polygons;

or at least one grid of latitude/longitude pair and at least one complex polygon;

if one or more grids of the latitude/longitude pairs are generated, associating the latitude/longitude pairs in the grid with a respective one of;

a geopolitical region, or an international region; and

if one or more complex polygons are generated, associating the one or more complex polygons with a respective one of;

the geopolitical region, or the international region.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the grid of latitude/longitude pairs comprises:

generating the grid so the latitude/longitude pairs span the earth.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating one of:

the grid of latitude/longitude pairs;

the plurality of complex polygons;

or the at least one grid of latitude/longitude pair and the at least one complex polygon comprises;

generating one or more complex polygon associated with a respective one or more border, wherein the one or more border is associated with a respective one or more geopolitical region or a respective one or more international region.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating one or more complex polygon associated with the respective one or more border, comprises:

generating a plurality of complex polygons associated with a respective plurality of borders, wherein the plurality of borders are associated with a respective one of a geopolitical region, and an international region, and wherein the plurality of complex polygons that span the earth.

19. The method of claim 17, herein the generating one of:

the grid of latitude/longitude pairs;

the plurality of complex polygons;

or the at least one grid of latitude/longitude pair and the at least one complex polygon further comprises;

generating one or more grid associated with a respective one or more geopolitical region, the one or more geopolitical region having a respective one or more geopolitical border.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein generating one of:

the grid of latitude/longitude pairs;

the plurality of complex polygons;

or the one or more grid of latitude/longitude pair and the one or more complex polygon further comprises;

generating a plurality of grids associated with a respective plurality of geopolitical regions, the plurality of geopolitical regions having a respective plurality of geopolitical borders.