GPS denial device detection and location system

• US 7,574,300 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TeraHop Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Twitchell, Jr., Robert W., Smith, Delia J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US11/424,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20060287822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701213-215, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 455/1, 340/988
• US Class Current: 701/213
• 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 19/21 Interference related issues ; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service

Abstract

A system for detecting a GPS denial device includes a plurality of GPS receivers, a plurality of remote sensor interfaces, a gateway, and a computer management system. Each of the plurality of GPS receivers determines positional parameters based on the signals received from the GPS satellites. Each remote sensor interface is associated with a respective GPS receiver such that each remote sensor interface extracts the GPS parameters from a respective GPS receiver. The plurality of remote sensor interfaces and the gateway are communication nodes in an ad hoc wireless network. The gateway receives the extracted GPS parameters from the remote sensor interfaces. The computer management system receives the extracted GPS parameters from the gateway and compares the determined GPS parameters with historical GPS parameters for the plurality of GPS receivers to detect whether an active GPS denial device is present in the vicinity of the system.

Claims

1. A system for detecting a GPS denial device, comprising:

(a) a plurality of GPS receivers for receiving radio signals from GPS satellites, wherein each of the plurality of GPS receivers determines parameters based on the signals received from the GPS satellites, the parameters including positional parameters;

(b) a plurality of remote sensor interfaces, each remote sensor interface of the plurality of remote sensor interfaces being associated with a respective GPS receiver of the plurality of GPS receivers such that each remote sensor interface extracts the GPS parameters from a respective GPS receiver, wherein the plurality of remote sensor interfaces are communication nodes in an ad hoc wireless network;

(c) a gateway, serving as a communication node in the ad hoc wireless network, that receives the extracted GPS parameters from one or more of the plurality of remote sensor interfaces; and

(d) a computer management system, disposed in communication with the gateway, that receives the extracted GPS parameters from the gateway and compares the determined GPS parameters with historical GPS parameters for the plurality of GPS receivers to detect whether an active GPS denial device is present in the vicinity of the system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameters determined by the plurality of GPS receivers include positional parameters.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the positional parameters include latitude and longitude.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the parameters further include non-positional GPS parameters.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the non-positional GPS parameters include parameters pertaining to one or more GPS signals.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each GPS receiver of the plurality of GPS receivers is directly associated with a respective remote sensor interface of the plurality of remote sensor interfaces.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each GPS receiver and the respective remote sensor interface with which it is directly associated are integrated into a unitary component contained within a single housing.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each GPS receiver and the respective remote sensor interface with which it is directly associated are physically separated from one another and contained in different housings.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each GPS receiver and the respective remote sensor interface with which it is directly associated are connected wirelessly.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein each GPS receiver and the respective remote sensor interface with which it is directly associated are connected by way of a cabled connection.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one remote sensor interface of the plurality of remote sensor interfaces includes a standards based radio.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one remote sensor interface includes a Wake-Up Receiver.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the Wake-Up Receiver is adapted receive a wireless wake-up signal and to activate the standards based radio in response thereto.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the gateway includes a Wake-Up Transmitter that is adapted to transmit a wireless wake-up signal to activate the standards based radio.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the gateway includes a standards based radio adapted to communicate with the standards based radio of the at least one remote sensor.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the standards based radio is adapted to communicate with the gateway via other remote sensor interfaces using hopping.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer management system includes at least one server.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one server is physically co-located with the gateway.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one server is a central server communicatively connected to the gateway via an external network.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a GPS denier, associated with one of the remote sensor interfaces, for disrupting reliable operation of GPS receivers.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the GPS denier is adapted to be selectively activated.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the GPS denier is associated with the remote sensor interface such that the remote sensor interface effectuates the activation of the GPS denier.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the gateway communicates instructions to the remote sensor interface with which the GPS denier is associated in order to selectively activate the GPS denier.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer management system controls the instructions communicated by the gateway, thereby selectively controlling the activation of the GPS denier.

25. A method for detecting a GPS denial device, comprising:

(a) receiving radio signals from GPS satellites;

(b) determining GPS parameters based on the received radio signals;

(c) transmitting the parameters; and

(d) comparing determined GPS parameters to historical GPS parameters to detect the presence of a GPS denial device.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of providing a plurality of GPS receivers that each carry out the steps of receiving radio signals from GPS satellites and determining GPS parameters based on the received radio signals.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of providing a plurality of remote sensor interfaces that each carry out the step of transmitting the parameters.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of providing a plurality of remote sensor interfaces includes the step of providing a plurality of remote sensor interfaces that each include a standards based radio that carries out the step of transmitting the parameters.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of providing a plurality of remote sensor interfaces includes associating each remote sensor interface with a respective GPS receiver.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of transmitting the parameters includes transmitting the parameters via an ad hoc wireless network.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the steps of:

(e) receiving the transmitted parameters at a gateway; and

(f) communicating the received parameters from the gateway to a computer management system.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of communicating the received parameters to a computer management system includes communicating the received parameters via an external network.

33. A method of determining the location of a GPS denial device, comprising:

(a) in an area of interest, deploying a plurality of GPS receivers, each interfaced with a respective remote sensor interface, the remote sensor interfaces being communication nodes in an ad hoc wireless network;

(b) relaying GPS parameters from the plurality of GPS receivers to a computer management system via the ad hoc wireless network;

(c) assessing the relative accuracy of GPS parameters determined by at least two of the plurality of GPS receivers, the accuracy of the GPS parameters of one of the at least two GPS receivers being significantly greater than the accuracy of the GPS parameters of the other of the at least two GPS receivers; and

(d) determining at least an approximate direction, relative to one or more of the at least two GPS receivers, in which a GPS denial device is likely to be located, the determination being based on the relative accuracies of the at least two GPS receivers.