Indoor satellite navigation system

• US 9,158,001 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Galileo Satellite Navigation Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Galileo Satellite Navigation Ltd.
• Inventors: Ariel, Eliyahu, Zivhon, Ran
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US13/732,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.48, 342/357.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters

Abstract

A navigation system for an enclosed area, the navigation system comprising: a) at least one satellite signal receiving station, positioned outside the enclosed area, to receive satellite signals transmitted by a constellation of satellites and to determine time synchronization information relative to the transmitted signals; b) at least one local transmitting station, positioned within the enclosed area, to transmit a local signal compatible with the transmitted satellite signals; and c) a communication channel to communicate self-alignment information between each station and at least one other station; wherein each local transmitting station uses the self-alignment information to generate the local signal; and wherein the at least one local signal provides navigation information useable by a satellite navigation receiver.

Claims

1. A system, for supporting navigation in an enclosed area, comprising:

at least three spaced-apart micro simulators, each said micro simulator configured to transmit a local Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, based on at least three satellite GNSS signals from at least three GNSS satellites of a GNSS satellite system, that represents a different respective location associated with said each micro simulator, said micro simulators including;

a first micro simulator defining a master micro simulator;

a second micro simulator synchronized directly to said first micro simulator;

a third micro simulator synchronized indirectly by being directly synchronized to said second micro simulator and,

at least said second and third micro simulators being located within the enclosed area;

wherein said local GNSS signal of each said micro simulator is modified by said each micro simulator in a manner that adjusts the overall average position error.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said second micro simulator is configured to synchronize itself with said master micro simulator by determining a time offset between a clock of said master micro simulator and a clock of said second micro simulator, and wherein said third micro simulator is operative to synchronize itself with said master micro simulator by determining a time offset between said clock of said second in micro simulator and a clock of said third micro simulator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said master micro simulator is outside the enclosed area and receives GNSS satellite signals defining a constellation of GNSS satellites.

4. The system of claim 1, herein said master micro simulator is inside the enclosed area.

5. The systems of claim 1, wherein said local GNSS signal of each said micro simulator simulates signals that would be received from at least three GNSS satellites of said GNSS satellite system, through the master micro simulator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said modifying includes, for each said micro simulator, linear transformations of respective vectors of differential ranges of said GNSS satellites.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said modifying includes, for each said micro simulator, nonlinear transformations of respective vectors of differential ranges of said GNSS satellites.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein, for at least one said micro simulator, said respective location that is associated with at least one of said at least one micro simulator is a location of said each micro simulator.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein, for at least one said micro simulator, said respective location that is associated with at least one of said at least one micro simulator is displaced from a location of said each micro simulator by a predetermined displacement.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication channel for facilitating exchanging information among said micro simulators.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said information includes information about local signal power levels.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said information includes, for each said micro simulator, an identity of each of at least one GNSS satellite whose signals are simulated by said each micro simulator.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each said local GNSS signal includes simulated signals of at least three GNSS satellites of said GNSS satellite system, and wherein each said micro simulator is configured to select GNSS satellites, for said simulation, that are different from said GNSS satellites whose signals are simulated by any adjacent said micro simulator.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said micro simulators of each pair of said adjacent micro simulators are spaced apart by a respective separation distance, and wherein a transmission range of said local GNSS signals is between about half of said separation distance and about said separation distance.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said transmission range of said local GNSS signals is about 0.7 of said separation distance.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein said communication channel is wireless.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said communication channel includes wired connections between adjacent said micro simulators.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein said information is modulated onto C/A codes other than C/A codes that arc used in said local GNSS signals.

19. A system, for supporting navigation in an enclosed area, comprising:

at least three spaced-apart micro simulators, each said micro simulator configured to transmit a local Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, based on at least three satellite GNSS signals from at least three GNSS satellites of a GNSS satellite system, each said local GNSS signal representing a different respective location associated with said each micro simulator, said at least three spaced-apart micro simulators including;

two micro simulators defining master micro simulators;

a third micro simulator synchronized, with said two micro simulators, and at least said third micro simulator being located within the enclosed area, and,

wherein said local GNSS signal of each said micro simulator is modified by said each micro simulator in a manner that adjusts the overall average position error.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said local GNSS signal of each said micro simulator simulates signals that would be received from at least three GNSS satellites of said GNSS satellite system.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein one of said master micro simulators is outside the enclosed area and receives GNSS satellite signals from a constellation of GNSS satellites.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein one of said master micro simulators is located within the enclosed area.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein said at least three spaced-apart Micro simulators includes at least four said spaced-apart micro simulators, three of said Micro simulators being master Micro simulators to which a fourth said micro simulator is synchronized, with at least said fourth micro simulator being located within the enclosed area.

24. A system, for supporting navigation in an enclosed area, comprising:

three spaced-apart micro simulators, each said micro simulator configured to transmit a local Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, based on the signals of GNSS satellites, each of the local GNSS signals representing a different respective location associated with said each micro simulator, said three spaced-apart micro simulators comprising;

a first said micro simulator being a master micro simulator;

a second micro simulator synchronized directly to said, first micro simulator;

a third micro simulator synchronized indirectly to said first micro simulator by being directly synchronized to said second micro simulator,

at least said second and third micro simulators being located within the enclosed area; and

,

a communication channel for facilitating exchanging information among said first, second and third micro simulators, said information including, for each said micro simulator, an identity of each of at least one GNSS satellite whose signals are simulated by each said micro simulator.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein each said local GNSS signal includes simulated signals of at least three GNSS satellites, and wherein each said micro simulator is operative to select GNSS satellites, for said simulation, that are different from said GNSS satellites whose signals are simulated by any adjacent said micro simulator.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said micro simulators of each pair of said adjacent micro simulators are spaced apart by a respective separation distance, and wherein a transmission range of said local GNSS signals is between about half of said separation distance and about said separation distance.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said transmission range of said local GNSS signals is about 0.7 of said separation distance.