Structure of a position processing apparatus

• US 5,990,827 A
• Filed: 03/28/1997
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VectorLink, Inc. (ERF Wireless, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mleczko, Dave, Fan, Rodric C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US08/829,453
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 342/357.11
• US Class Current: 342/357.37
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/55 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining attitude information using a down conversion reference and a carrier phase and code phase generator. The apparatus uses individual phase registers for signal received from each antenna to solve the phase difference concurrently. The invention also discloses an attitude sensing method where only one receiving antenna is required. A method and structure for using variable correlation width is also disclosed to optimize noise cancellation under different noise environment.

Claims

1. A global positioning system receiver, comprising:

a local clock generator circuit generating a clock signal;

a local code synchronizer circuit generating a local code;

a carrier clock recovery circuit generating a carrier clock signal;

a plurality of antennae installed at different locations for receiving a plurality of ranging signals;

a processing circuit for processing said ranging signals and for determining carrier phase differences between said ranging signals, said signal processing circuit being coupled to receive said clock signal, said local code, and said carrier clock signal; and

an attitude determination computer for determining an attitude of said platform based on said carrier phase differences.

2. A global positioning system receiver of claim 1, wherein said processing circuit further comprises:

a plurality of down converters each coupled to receive one of said ranging signals, each down converter receiving said clock signal;

a plurality of carrier phase correlation and registration circuits each assignabally coupled to one of said plurality of down converters, each carrier phase correlation and registration circuit being coupled to receive said local code and said carrier clock signal.

3. A global positioning system receiver in claim 2, wherein said down converter comprises:

a phase comparator;

a voltage controlled oscillator coupled to said phase comparator providing an output signal;

a first frequency divider coupled to said voltage oscillator to receive said output signal and providing a first frequency divided output signal; and

a second frequency divider coupled to said phase comparator and said first frequency divider to receive said first frequency-divided output signal, said second frequency divider providing a second frequency-divided output signal based on said first frequency divided output signal, wherein said phase comparator compares phases of a local clock signal with said second frequency divided output signal to provide a phase difference signal for controlling said voltage-controlled oscillator.

4. A global positioning system receiver in claim 2, wherein each of said carrier phase correlation and registration circuits comprises a carrier phase correlation circuit and a carrier phase registration circuit.

5. A global positioning system receiver in claim 1, wherein two antennae are used for one-axis attitude solution.

6. A global positioning system receiver in claim 1, wherein three antennae are used for two-axis attitude solution.

7. A global positioning system receiver in claim 1, wherein at least three antennae are used for three-axis attitude solution.

8. A global positioning system receiver in claim 2, wherein at least three antennae are used for three-axis attitude solution.

9. A global positioning system receiver capable of measuring attitude, comprising:

an antenna for receiving a plurality of ranging signals;

antenna attenuating means for selectively attenuating signal reception from a selected direction,

an attitude determination circuit for comparing an amplitude of received signal without using said attenuating means and an amplitude with said attenuating means to determine the direction from which the signals originate and thus an estimate of the attitude of the receiver.

10. A global positioning system receiver in claim 9 wherein said receiver determines only one-axis direction angle.

11. A global positioning system receiver, comprising:

a digital signal processing circuit for down converting and correlating a plurality of ranging signals;

a local code synchronizer circuit coupled to said digital signal processing circuit for providing locally generated code sequences to said digital signal processing circuit, said local code synchronizer dynamically adjusts the time difference between an early and a late codes to optimize code sequence matching and satellite lock up.

12. A global positioning system receiver in claim 11, wherein said local code synchronizer further comprises:

a local code generator for generating local code sequences at given time intervals;

a fractional shift register coupled to said local code generator, said fractional shift register generating a plurality of shifted code sequences based on code sequences provided by said local code generator;

a correlation width generator for generating a correlation width based on the receiving environment; and

a code sequence selector for selecting properly shifted code sequences based on said correlation width as early, punctual and late codes to be provided to said digital signal processing circuit.

13. A global positioning system receiver in claim 12, wherein said local code synchronizer further comprises a correlation width select register for communicating a time delay between early, punctual and late codes to said code sequence selector.

14. A global positioning system receiver in claim 12, wherein said register receives said time delay from said correlation width generator.

15. A digital wireless communication processing circuit comprising a plurality of digital processing channels each being dynamically assignable to one of a plurality of signal input leads for receiving and processing a plurality of down converted IF global positioning system signals, global positioning system differential correction signal, and communication signal.

16. A circuit in claim 15 wherein said circuit is manufactured on an integrated circuit chip.

17. A circuit in claim 15, further comprising:

a plurality of RF signal down converters each having an input and an output, said input of said down converters being coupled to a plurality of antennae, each of said output being coupled to a corresponding one of said input leads of said digital processing channels.

18. A circuit in claim 17, wherein said circuit is manufactured on an integrated circuit chip.

19. A circuit in claim 17, further comprising a position and attitude determination computer incorporating an algorithm for determining a position and an attitude of said receiver, said computer being coupled to said plurality of digital processing channels for receiving processed global positioning system ranging signal therefrom, and for providing a time signal thereto.

20. A circuit in claim 19, wherein said time signal provided by said computer is used to facilitate the processing of non-global positioning system signal.

21. A circuit in claim 19, wherein said time signal is used to facilitate the acquisition of the communication signal.

22. A circuit in claim 19, wherein said time signal is used to synchronize the data operation.

23. A circuit in claim 19, further comprising a command input port for entering command and control data into the receiver.