System and method for server side detection of falsified satellite measurements

• US 8,035,557 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Andrew LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thomson, Martin, Harper, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Galt, Cassi
• Application Number:
  US12/276,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20100127928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.02, 342/357.09, 342/357.15, 342/357.42, 342/35.43, 342/357.58, 342/357.59
• US Class Current: 342/357.59
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/215 issues related to spoofing

Abstract

A system and method for determining whether a wireless device has transmitted one or more forged satellite measurements. An estimated location of the wireless device may be determined as a function of information from a cellular network. Acquisition assistance data may be determined for a first set of satellites as a function of the estimated location, the assistance data including an uncertainty window. If measured code phase information in the satellite measurements substantially correlates to the uncertainty window, then the wireless device may be transmitting forged satellite measurements.

Claims

1. A method for detecting spoofed location data transmitted from a wireless device, comprising the steps of:

determining an approximate location, the approximate location including a predetermined uncertainty area;

determining acquisition assistance data for a first set of satellites as a function of the approximate location, the assistance data including a code phase uncertainty window corresponding to said predetermined uncertainty area;

transmitting the assistance data to the wireless device;

determining at the wireless device a first set of code phases which relate to said approximate location which is different than an actual location of the wireless device;

transmitting said first set of code phases from said wireless device to a location determining system;

determining at said location determining system a second set of code phases which relate to said approximate location;

comparing said first and second sets of code phases; and

identifying said wireless device as a spoofer if said comparison is less than a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

(d) for ones of the first set of satellites comparing relative code phase information; and

(e) identifying a forged satellite measurement if a difference between the relative code phase information is substantially outside the uncertainty window.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the relative code phase information is a difference between code phase information reported by the wireless device and code phase information determined by a location information server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the approximate location is determined as a function of coarse acquisition (“

C/A”

) code phase shift information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the approximate location is determined as a function of Doppler information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the approximate location is determined as a function of signals provided by a cellular network.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining another approximate location of the wireless device from signals received from a second set of satellites, the second set excluding a satellite having a forged measurement.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of:

cellular device, text messaging device, computer, portable computer, vehicle locating device, vehicle security device, communication device, and wireless transceiver.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the satellites are a part of a Global Navigation Satellite System (“

GNSS”

).

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the GNSS is selected from the group consisting of:

a Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

), Galileo system, GLONASS system, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (“

QZSS”

), Beidou satellite system, Compass satellite system, and combinations thereof.

11. A system for determining whether a wireless device has transmitted one or more forged satellite measurements, comprising:

(a) circuitry for determining an estimated location of the wireless device;

(b) circuitry for determining acquisition assistance data for a set of satellites as a function of the estimated location, the assistance data including an uncertainty window;

(c) circuitry for transmitting the assistance data to the wireless device;

(d) circuitry for receiving one or more satellite measurements as a function of the assistance data;

(e) circuitry for transmitting the one or more satellite measurements to a location remote from the wireless device;

(f) circuitry for comparing the one or more satellite measurements with the assistance data, and

(g) circuitry for identifying the wireless device as transmitting one or more forged satellite measurements if the comparison is less than a predetermined threshold.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the circuitry for comparing further comprises circuitry for comparing received code phase information to code phase information in the determined acquisition assistance data.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the code phase information is coarse acquisition (“

C/A”

) code phase shift information.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the estimated location is determined as a function of Doppler information.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the estimated location is determined as a function of signals provided by a cellular network.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of:

cellular device, text messaging device, computer, portable computer, vehicle locating device, vehicle security device, communication device, and wireless transceiver.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the satellites are a part of a Global Navigation Satellite System (“

GNSS”

).

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the GNSS is selected from the group consisting of:

a Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

), Galileo system, GLONASS system, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (“

QZSS”

), Beidou satellite system, Compass satellite system, and combinations thereof.

19. A method for detecting spoofed location data transmitted from a wireless device, comprising the steps of:

determining an approximate location, the approximate location including a predetermined uncertainty area;

determining first acquisition assistance data for a first set of satellites as a function of the approximate location, the first assistance data including a first code phase uncertainty window corresponding to said predetermined uncertainty area;

transmitting the first assistance data to the wireless device;

determining at the wireless device a first set of code phases;

transmitting said first set of code phases from said wireless device to a location determining system;

identifying said wireless device as a spoofer if said first set of code phases are within said code phase uncertainty window.