Wide area positioning systems and methods

• US 9,035,829 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NextNav, LLC
• Original Assignee: NextNav, LLC
• Inventors: Raghupathy, Arun, Sendonaris, Andrew, Krasner, Norman F.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US13/535,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20130169484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 342/386, 342/412, 342/450, 342/451
• US Class Current: 342/386
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for sending positional information from transmitters/beacons are disclosed. In one implementation a transmitter generates a range block including a ranging signal and a hybrid block including positioning data, and sends the range block and hybrid block in predefined slots in a transmit frame. A receiver in a user device receives signals from a plurality of transmitters and generates position/location information using trilateration and measured altitude information in comparison with transmitter altitude information.

Claims

1. A method of providing positioning system information, comprising:

generating, at a transmitter, a range block including a ranging signal;

sending, from the transmitter, the range block, wherein the range block is sent in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;

generating, at the transmitter, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data;

sending, from the transmitter, the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;

generating, at a second transmitter, a range block including a ranging signal; and

sending, from the second transmitter, the range block, wherein the range block is sent from the second transmitter in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block further includes a ranging signal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, at the transmitter, a second hybrid block; and

sending, from the transmitter, the second hybrid block, wherein the second hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a third transmit frame disjoint from the first and/or second transmit frames.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, at the second transmitter, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data; and

sending, from the second transmitter, the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots in a transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the hybrid block generated at the second transmitter further includes a ranging signal.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating, at the second transmitter, a second hybrid block; and

sending, from the second transmitter, the second hybrid block, wherein the second hybrid block is sent from the second transmitter in the second predefined slot in a transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined slot is the same as the second predefined slot.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined slot is different than the second predefined slot.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranging signal sent from the transmitter comprises a first random pseudo-noise (PRN) sequence and the ranging signal sent from the second transmitter comprises a second PRN sequence.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first PRN sequence is the same as the second PRN sequence.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first PRN sequence is different from the second PRN sequence.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranging signal sent from the transmitter comprises a first frequency offset and the ranging signal sent from the second transmitter comprises a second frequency offset.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first frequency offset is the same as the second frequency offset.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first frequency offset is different from the second frequency offset.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the range block sent from the second transmitter is sent in the first transmit frame.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the range block sent from the transmitter includes a range preamble signal and a range pilot signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the range block sent from the transmitter includes a guard signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the guard signal comprises a gold code sequence.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the guard signal comprises a blank or off signal.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes a hybrid preamble signal and the range preamble signal includes the hybrid preamble signal and an additional preamble signal.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes a hybrid preamble signal and a first set of data.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter further includes a hybrid pilot signal.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the range preamble signal is sent with a first transmit frequency offset and the range pilot signal is sent with a second transmit frequency offset different from the first transmit frequency offset.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the hybrid preamble signal is sent with a first transmit frequency offset and the first set of data is sent with a second transmit frequency offset different from the first transmit frequency offset.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with a location of the transmitter.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the data associated with a location of the transmitter includes latitude and/or longitude data.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the data associated with the location of the transmitter includes transmitter identification information.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the data associated with the location of the transmitter includes altitude information.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with an environmental condition in the proximity of the transmitter.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the data associated with an environmental condition includes pressure information.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the data associated with an environmental condition includes temperature information.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter hybrid block includes data associated with a reference time correction associated with the transmitter.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with a transmit quality metric associated with the transmitter.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with a packet type of the hybrid block.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes encrypted data.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data with error control coding.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the error control coding comprises convolutional encoding.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes cyclical redundant checking (CRC) data.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein range block sent from the transmitter includes a preamble and a transmitter sequence encoded with a first spreading code and the range block sent from the second transmitter includes the preamble and a second transmitter sequence encoded with a second spreading code different from the first spreading code.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the first and second spreading codes are different Gold codes.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmit frame has a duration of one second and the plurality of predefined slots consists of ten slots.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the first transmit frame is sent using binary phase shift keying (BPSK).

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the first transmit frame is sent using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK).

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter comprises a plurality of data symbols.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the plurality of data symbols consists of ninety nine data symbols.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the hybrid block further includes a guard signal.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the guard signal is a blank or off signal.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the hybrid block includes a preamble and wherein the preamble consists of seven symbols.

59. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter and the second transmitter are time synchronized using GPS or another radio timing system.

49. A method of providing positioning system information, comprising:

generating, at a transmitter, a range block including a ranging signal;

sending, from the transmitter, the range block, wherein the range block is sent in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;

generating, at the transmitter, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data;

sending, from the transmitter, the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;

generating, at the transmitter, a second hybrid block; and

sending, from the transmitter, the second hybrid block, wherein the second hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a third transmit frame disjoint from the first and/or second transmit frames,

wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes a first portion of data associated with a transmitter parameter and the second hybrid block includes a second portion of data associated with the transmitter parameter.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the first portion of data represents a first lowered resolution value of the transmitter parameter and the second portion of data represents a second lowered resolution value of the transmitter parameter.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the first lowered resolution value and the second lowered resolution value are different lowered resolution values.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the first lowered resolution value and the second lowered resolution value are selected so as to be usable in combination to generate a higher resolution value at a receiver.

53. The method of claim 49, wherein the transmitter parameter is a position value.

54. The method of claim 49, wherein the position value is a longitude value.

55. The method of claim 49, wherein the position value is a latitude value.

56. The method of claim 49, wherein the position value is an altitude value.

57. The method of claim 49, wherein the transmitter parameter is a temperature value.

58. The method of claim 49, wherein the transmitter parameter is a pressure value.

60. A transmitter network for providing positioning information, comprising:

one or more processing elements that generate a first range block including a first ranging signal, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data, and a second range block including a second ranging signal;

a first transmitter that transmits the first range block in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame, and that transmits the hybrid block in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame; and

a second transmitter that transmits the second range block in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.

61. A transmitter network comprising:

means for generating a range block including a ranging signal;

means for sending the range block, wherein the range block is sent in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;

means for generating a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data;

means for sending the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;

means for generating a second range block including a ranging signal; and

means for sending the second range block in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.

62. A non-transitory processor-readable medium including instructions adapted to be executed by a computer to implement a method comprising:

generating a range block including a ranging signal;

initiating transmission of the range block from a first transmitter, wherein the range block is transmitted in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;

generating a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data; and

initiating transmission of the hybrid block from the first transmitter, wherein the hybrid block is transmitted in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;

generating a second range block including a ranging signal; and

initiating transmission of the second range block from a second transmitter, wherein the second range block is transmitted in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.