Wide area positioning system

• US 9,057,606 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NextNav, LLC
• Original Assignee: NextNav, LLC
• Inventors: Raghupathy, Arun, Meiyappan, Subramanian, Wolf, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US13/296,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20120182180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.28, 342/357.36, 342/357.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/06 by using barometric means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/10 providing dedicated supplementary positioning signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/145 Using a supplementary range measurement, e.g. based on pseudo-range measurements

Abstract

Systems and methods compute an estimated altitude of a receiver using atmospheric data, including a pressure measured at a location of the receiver, a temperature measured by at a reference location, and a reference pressure corresponding to the reference location. The reference pressure is based on a pressure measured at the reference location, the temperature measured at the reference location, and an altitude corresponding to the reference location. The receiver receives the reference pressure from a transmitter. The estimated altitude may be used for determining the three-dimensional position of the receiver.

Claims

1. A method for estimating an altitude of a mobile device, the method comprising:

computing an estimated altitude of a mobile device using a pressure measured at a location of the mobile device, a temperature measured at a reference location, and a reference pressure received from a transmitter,

wherein the reference pressure is based on a pressure measured at the reference location, the temperature measured at the reference location, and an altitude corresponding to the reference location; and

computing another estimated altitude of the mobile device using another pressure measured at another location of the mobile device, another temperature measured at the reference location, and another reference pressure,

wherein the other reference pressure is based on another pressure measured at the reference location, the other temperature measured at the reference location, and the altitude corresponding to the reference location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference pressure is an estimate of a pressure at a different altitude than the altitude corresponding to the reference location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the different altitude is sea level altitude.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the different altitude is based on an elevation of a city where the mobile device is located, but is not sea level altitude.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure measured at the reference location is measured at the altitude corresponding to the reference location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated altitude is computed at the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated altitude is computed at a server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference pressure is computed by one or more processors at the reference location.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference pressure is computed by one or more processors at the transmitter.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the mobile device is at a known altitude; and

comparing the estimated altitude to the known altitude.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the known altitude is determined using signals from satellites.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises:

determining, based on the comparison of the estimated altitude to the known altitude, an error associated with the pressure measured at the location of the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method comprises:

using the error to estimate another altitude of the mobile device at another location of the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the method comprises:

using the error to calibrate a pressure sensor of the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the method comprises:

estimating additional errors associated with pressures measured at different locations of the mobile device over time; and

using the additional errors to calibrate a pressure sensor of the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

computing additional estimated altitudes of the mobile device over time; and

using the estimated altitude and the additional altitudes to calibrate a pressure sensor of the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the estimated altitude and the additional altitudes correspond to the same location.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the estimated altitude and the additional altitudes correspond to different locations.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

associating the estimated altitude of the mobile device with a floor in a building.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

estimating an elevation of a floor in a building using the estimated altitude of the mobile device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the estimated elevation of the floor in the building is determined based on the estimated altitude of the mobile device and another estimated altitude of another mobile device.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the estimated elevation of the floor in the building is determined when the estimated altitude of the mobile device and another estimated altitude of another mobile device are within a threshold difference in altitude from each other.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

determining which floor of a plurality of floors in a building corresponds to the estimated altitude of the mobile device.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated altitude is based on two pressures measured at the reference location.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure measured at the reference location is measured by another mobile device.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

estimating a vertical velocity of the mobile device using the pressure measured at the location of the mobile device and the other pressured measured at the other location of the mobile device.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

estimating a vertical velocity of the mobile device using the two estimated altitudes.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated altitude is computed without using a temperature measured at the location of the mobile device.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated altitude of the mobile device is within 1 meter of an actual altitude of the mobile device.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

computing estimated latitude and estimated longitude of the mobile device.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the mobile device is in a building.

2. A method for estimating an altitude of a mobile device, the method comprising:

computing an estimated altitude of a mobile device using a pressure measured at a location of the mobile device, a temperature measured at a reference location, and a reference pressure received from a transmitter,

wherein the reference pressure is based on a pressure measured at the reference location, the temperature measured at the reference location, and an altitude corresponding to the reference location,

wherein the estimated altitude of the mobile device is computed using another reference pressure that is based on another pressure measured at another reference location, another temperature measured at the other reference location, and another altitude corresponding to the other reference location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the altitude corresponding to the reference location and the other altitude corresponding to the other reference location are different.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the method comprises:

computing a reference pressure estimate using the two reference pressures, wherein the estimated altitude of a mobile device is computed using the reference pressure estimate.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on an interpolation using the two reference pressures.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on a pressure surface gradient model.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises:

applying a weight to the reference pressure, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on the weighted reference pressure.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises:

determining a variation between the two reference pressures, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on the variation.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying instructions adapted to be executed to implement a method for estimating an altitude of a mobile device, the method comprising:

computing an estimated altitude of a mobile device using a pressure measured at a location of the mobile device, a temperature measured at a reference location, and a reference pressure received from a transmitter,

wherein the reference pressure is based on a pressure measured at the reference location, the temperature measured at the reference location, and an altitude corresponding to the reference location; and

computing another estimated altitude of the mobile device using another pressure measured at another location of the mobile device, another temperature measured at the reference location, and another reference pressure,

wherein the other reference pressure is based on another pressure measured at the reference location, the other temperature measured at the reference location, and the altitude corresponding to the reference location.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the reference pressure is an estimate of a pressure at a different altitude than the altitude corresponding to the reference location.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the different altitude is sea level altitude.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the different altitude is based on an elevation of a city where the mobile device is located, but is not sea level altitude.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the pressure measured at the reference location is measured at the altitude corresponding to the reference location.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the estimated altitude is computed at the mobile device.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the estimated altitude is computed at a server.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the reference pressure is computed by one or more processors at the reference location.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the reference pressure is computed by one or more processors at the transmitter.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the mobile device is at a known altitude; and

comparing the estimated altitude to the known altitude.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the known altitude is determined using signals from satellites.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the method comprises:

determining, based on the comparison of the estimated altitude to the known altitude, an error associated with the pressure measured at the location of the mobile device.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the method comprises:

using the error to estimate another altitude of the mobile device at another location of the mobile device.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the method comprises:

using the error to calibrate a pressure sensor of the mobile device.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the method comprises:

estimating additional errors associated with pressures measured at different locations of the mobile device over time; and

using the additional errors to calibrate a pressure sensor of the mobile device.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

computing additional estimated altitudes of the mobile device over time; and

using the estimated altitude and the additional altitudes to calibrate a pressure sensor of the mobile device.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 54, wherein the estimated altitude and the additional altitudes correspond to the same location.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 54, wherein the estimated altitude and the additional altitudes correspond to different locations.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

associating the estimated altitude of the mobile device with a floor in a building.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

estimating an elevation of a floor in a building using the estimated altitude of the mobile device.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the estimated elevation of the floor in the building is determined based on the estimated altitude of the mobile device and another estimated altitude of another mobile device.

60. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the estimated elevation of the floor in the building is determined when the estimated altitude of the mobile device and another estimated altitude of another mobile device are within a threshold difference in altitude from each other.

61. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

determining which floor of a plurality of floors in a building corresponds to the estimated altitude of the mobile device.

62. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the estimated altitude is based on two pressures measured at the reference location.

63. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the pressure measured at the reference location is measured by another mobile device.

64. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

estimating a vertical velocity of the mobile device using the pressure measured at the location of the mobile device and the other pressured measured at the other location of the mobile device.

65. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

estimating a vertical velocity of the mobile device using the two estimated altitudes.

66. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the estimated altitude is computed without using a temperature measured at the location of the mobile device.

67. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the estimated altitude of the mobile device is within 1 meter of an actual altitude of the mobile device.

68. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the method comprises:

computing estimated latitude and estimated longitude of the mobile device.

69. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the location of the mobile device is in a building.

70. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying instructions adapted to be executed to implement a method for estimating an altitude of a mobile device, the method comprising:

computing an estimated altitude of a mobile device using a pressure measured at a location of the mobile device, a temperature measured at a reference location, and a reference pressure received from a transmitter,

wherein the reference pressure is based on a pressure measured at the reference location, the temperature measured at the reference location, and an altitude corresponding to the reference location,

wherein the estimated altitude of the mobile device is computed using another reference pressure that is based on another pressure measured at another reference location, another temperature measured at the other reference location, and another altitude corresponding to the other reference location.

71. The computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the altitude corresponding to the reference location and the other altitude corresponding to the other reference location are different.

72. The computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the method comprises:

computing a reference pressure estimate using the two reference pressures, wherein the estimated altitude of a mobile device is computed using the reference pressure estimate.

73. The computer-readable medium of claim 72, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on an interpolation using the two reference pressures.

74. The computer-readable medium of claim 72, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on a pressure surface gradient model.

75. The computer-readable medium of claim 72, wherein the method comprises:

applying a weight to the reference pressure, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on the weighted reference pressure.

76. The computer-readable medium of claim 72, wherein the method comprises:

determining a variation between the two reference pressures, wherein the reference pressure estimate is computed based on the variation.