GNSS receiver and antenna system including a digital communication subsystem
First Claim
1. A system consisting of:
- one or more sensors that provide signals containing non-GNSS information;
one or more remote GNSS antenna structures adapted to receive GNSS signals and the signals provided by the one or more sensors;
a digital communication subsystem including;
one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters, at a first end of the subsystem nearest to the one or more remote GNSS antenna structures, to receive signals from the one or more remote GNSS antenna structures and produce digital signals that are formatted for transmission and correspond to the received GNSS signals and the signals provided by the one or more sensors and preserve carrier frequency and phase information and code phase information from which the received GNSS signals can be fully recovered,one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters, at a second end of the subsystem nearest to one or more GNSS receivers, for converting the digital signals to RF signals for use by the one or more GNSS receivers, anda digital communications high speed conductor consisting of a single continuous high speed digital serial link cable spanning an entire distance between the one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters at the first end and the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters at the second end without any intervening devices, the single continuous high speed digital serial link cable transmitting the digital signals from all of the one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters to all of the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters; and
one or more GNSS receivers located remotely from the remote GNSS antenna structures and the sensors and directly coupled to receive the RF signals from the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters, the one or more GNSS receivers adapted to recover the code and carrier phase information and the non-GNSS information and use the code and carrier phase information and the non-GNSS information to produce position information.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A GNSS receiver and antenna system transmits signals from an antenna structure to a remote GNSS receiver and includes a digital communications subsystem that utilizes a high speed digital communications conductor. The transmissions are digital signals that preserve GNSS satellite signal frequency and/or carrier and code phase information. The system may transmit digital signals corresponding to GNSS signals such as GPS, GLONAS, Galileo and Compass satellite signals. In addition, the system may transmit, over the same digital communications conductor in appropriately formatted digital signals, ranging signals from ground-based transmitters or other satellites, differential GNSS correction signals from beacons or base GPS receivers, and/or signals from transmitting or co-located sensors, such as inertial sensors, temperature sensors and so forth. The digital signals include in headers or payload relative timing and carrier and code phase information and, as appropriate, information that identifies the signals by source or type, such as information that identifies the frequencies or the antennas or antenna elements providing the respective signals.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A system consisting of:
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one or more sensors that provide signals containing non-GNSS information; one or more remote GNSS antenna structures adapted to receive GNSS signals and the signals provided by the one or more sensors; a digital communication subsystem including; one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters, at a first end of the subsystem nearest to the one or more remote GNSS antenna structures, to receive signals from the one or more remote GNSS antenna structures and produce digital signals that are formatted for transmission and correspond to the received GNSS signals and the signals provided by the one or more sensors and preserve carrier frequency and phase information and code phase information from which the received GNSS signals can be fully recovered, one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters, at a second end of the subsystem nearest to one or more GNSS receivers, for converting the digital signals to RF signals for use by the one or more GNSS receivers, and a digital communications high speed conductor consisting of a single continuous high speed digital serial link cable spanning an entire distance between the one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters at the first end and the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters at the second end without any intervening devices, the single continuous high speed digital serial link cable transmitting the digital signals from all of the one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters to all of the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters; and one or more GNSS receivers located remotely from the remote GNSS antenna structures and the sensors and directly coupled to receive the RF signals from the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters, the one or more GNSS receivers adapted to recover the code and carrier phase information and the non-GNSS information and use the code and carrier phase information and the non-GNSS information to produce position information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system consisting of:
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one or more sensors that provide signals containing non-GNSS information; one or more remote GNSS antenna structures adapted to receive GNSS signals and the signals provided by the one or more sensors; a digital communication subsystem including; one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters, at a first end of the subsystem nearest to the one or more remote GNSS antenna structures, to receive signals from the one or more remote GNSS antenna structures and produce digital signals that are formatted for transmission and correspond to the received GNSS signals and the signals provided by the one or more sensors and preserve carrier frequency and phase information and code phase information from which the received GNSS signals can be fully recovered, one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters, at a second end of the subsystem nearest to one or more GNSS receivers, for converting the digital signals to RF signals for use by the one or more GNSS receivers, and a digital communications high speed conductor consisting of a single continuous high speed digital serial link cable spanning an entire distance between the one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters at the first end and the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters at the second end of the digital communication subsystem without any intervening devices, the single continuous high speed digital serial link cable transmitting the digital signals from all of the one or more RF to formatted digital signal converters to all of the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters; and one or more GNSS receivers located remotely from the remote GNSS antenna structures and the sensors and directly coupled to receive the RF signals from the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters, the one or more GNSS receivers adapted to recover the code and carrier phase information and the non-GNSS information and use the code and carrier phase information and the non-GNSS information to produce position information. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system consisting comprising:
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a plurality of remote GNSS antenna structures configured to receive GNSS satellite signals; a plurality of RF to formatted digital converters configured to produce formatted digital signals corresponding to the received GNSS satellite signals that include carrier frequency and phase information and code phase information from which the received GNSS signal can be fully recovered; a single continuous high speed digital serial link cable spanning an entire distance between the plurality of RF to formatted digital converters and a plurality of formatted digital signal to RF converters, the single continuous high speed digital serial link cable configured to transmit all formatted digital signals from all of the plurality of RF to formatted digital converters to all of the plurality of formatted digital signal to RF converters; the plurality of formatted digital signal to RF converters configured to convert the formatted digital signals received, over the single continuous high speed digital serial link cable spanning an entire distance between the plurality of RF to formatted digital converters and the plurality of formatted digital signal to RF converters, to RF signals; and one or more GNSS receivers configured to receive the RF signals from the one or more formatted digital signal to RF converters, the GNSS receivers being remote from the one or more remote GNSS antenna structures.
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Specification