Satellite-based positioning receiver

• US 8,378,890 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Martin, Nicolas, Chopard, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US12/969,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20110181463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.26, 342/357.46, 342/357.68, 342/357.69, 342/357.75, 701/468, 701/469
• US Class Current: 342/357.75
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry

Abstract

A satellite-based positioning receiver includes processing channels, each processing channel being associated with a respective satellite from among N satellites, and an extended Kalman filter for performing a vector tracking for the set of satellites using signals received from the satellites. The extended Kalman filter performs a resetting on the basis of the phase error and code error received directly from the phase and code discriminators, of each channel, and the receiver is configured for calculating the code-wise and carrier-wise control signals for the code phase and carrier phase numerically-controlled oscillators, on the basis of data provided by the extended Kalman filter, for each channel.

Claims

1. A satellite-based positioning receiver, comprising:

processing channels, each processing channel associated with a respective satellite from among a plurality of satellites; and

an extended Kalman filter for performing a vector tracking for the set of satellites using signals received from the satellites, wherein

the extended Kalman filter performs a propagation of an estimated state vector comprising a position error, and for implementing a matrix propagation equation involving a propagation matrix,

each channel comprises a code generator, a phase generator, correlators with integrators, phase and code discriminators, a code phase numerically-controlled oscillator, and a carrier phase numerically-controlled oscillator,

said extended Kalman filter performs a resetting on the basis of the phase error and code error received directly from the phase and code discriminators, of each channel,

the receiver comprises first means for calculating the code-wise and carrier-wise control signals for said code phase and carrier phase numerically-controlled oscillators, on the basis of data provided by the said extended Kalman filter, for each channel, and

the said extended Kalman filter is adapted for using, in the said matrix propagation equation, the state vector comprising a component representing the ambiguity of the measurement of the carrier pseudo-distance of each satellite, and a component representing an error related to the propagation of the signal in the ionosphere of each satellite.

2. The receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a second means for calculating an estimated position of the receiver in a terrestrial reference frame on the basis of a previously calculated position and of an error in this position.

3. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein said extended Kalman filter delivers as output, for the said second calculation means, estimated corrections of the position and speed of the receiver.

4. The receiver according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

first means for slaving the code phase control at the output of the code phase numerically-controlled oscillator to the control signal at the input of the code phase numerically-controlled oscillator delivered by the said first calculation means; and

second means for slaving the carrier phase control at the output of the carrier phase numerically-controlled oscillator to the control signal at the input of the phase numerically-controlled oscillator delivered by the said first calculation means.

5. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein said first calculation means calculates said code-wise and carrier-wise control signals by respective temporal differentiation of the said estimated code and phase pseudo-distances delivered by the said extended Kalman filter.

6. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein said first calculation means calculates said code-wise and carrier-wise control signals by respective finite expansion of the said estimated code and phase pseudo-distances delivered by the said extended Kalman filter.

7. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein said extended Kalman filter uses, in said matrix propagation equation, the state vector comprising a component comprising an error related to the propagation of the signal in the troposphere for each satellite.

8. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein each channel associated with a satellite comprises two sub-channels receiving from this satellite signals of different carrier frequencies, each sub-channel producing phase and code errors.

9. The receiver according to claim 2, further comprising an inertial centre delivering inertial data to at least one of said first control calculation means, said second position calculation means, and said extended Kalman filter.

10. The receiver according to claim 9, wherein said extended Kalman filter further delivers corrective signals for the said extended Kalman filter and said inertial centre.

11. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein said extended Kalman filter comprises:

a main filter providing a position calculated in the terrestrial reference frame on the basis of the phase error and code error received directly from the phase and code discriminators of the satellites; and

auxiliary Kalman filters of rank i, an auxiliary filter of rank i receiving the signals of the satellites of the plurality of satellites with the exception of a satellite of rank i.

12. The receiver according to claim 11, further comprising:

third means for calculating a protection radius on the basis of the outputs of said Kalman filters; and

means for verifying that this protection radius remains less than or equal to a threshold.