Wide area positioning system

• US 9,408,024 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NextNav, LLC
• Original Assignee: NextNav, LLC
• Inventors: Raghupathy, Arun, Pattabiraman, Ganesh, Meiyappan, Subramanian S
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US14/067,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/08 Systems for determining direction or position line
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 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 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/16 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7087 Carrier synchronisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/709 Correlator structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/7073 Direct sequence modulation synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2618 using hybrid code-time division multiple access [CDMA-TDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/005 compensating for timing error by adjustment in the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for determining position of a receiver. The positioning system comprises a transmitter network including transmitters that broadcast positioning signals. The positioning system comprises a remote receiver that acquires and tracks the positioning signals and/or satellite signals. The satellite signals are signals of a satellite-based positioning system. A first mode of the remote receiver uses terminal-based positioning in which the remote receiver computes a position using the positioning signals and/or the satellite signals. The positioning system comprises a server coupled to the remote receiver. A second operating mode of the remote receiver comprises network-based positioning in which the server computes a position of the remote receiver from the positioning signals and/or satellite signals, where the remote receiver receives and transfers to the server the positioning signals and/or satellite signals.

Claims

1. A positioning system comprising one or more processors that:

access ranging information, wherein the ranging information is extracted from positioning signals of a terrestrial transmitter network, and wherein the ranging information is used to measure the distance between a receiver and each of multiple transmitters in the terrestrial transmitter network; and

compute an estimated position of the receiver using atmospheric assistance data from the transmitters, atmospheric data from one or more atmospheric sensors at the receiver, and at least one of the ranging information and information extracted from signals of a satellite positioning system,

wherein the estimated position is computed during an operating mode, wherein the operating mode is a first operating mode during which at least one position coordinate of the estimated position is computed by at least one processor at the receiver, or a second operating mode during which the at least one position coordinate of the estimated position is computed by at least one processor at a server.

2. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric assistance data includes pressure data and temperature data that is extracted from the positioning signals, and wherein the atmospheric data from the one or more atmospheric sensors at the receiver includes pressure data and temperature data.

3. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude that is computed by comparing a measurement of pressure at the receiver with measurements of pressure at different altitudes.

4. The positioning system of claim 3, wherein each of the measurements of pressure at different altitudes correspond to pressure measurements at different ones of the transmitters.

5. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude that is computed using known altitudes for each of the transmitters.

6. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the estimated position is computed using the ranging information.

7. The positioning system of claim 6, wherein the positioning signals include encrypted data, wherein the estimated position is computed using the encrypted data, wherein the encrypted data includes latitude, longitude and altitude data for each of the transmitters, and also timing data associated with the terrestrial transmitter network.

8. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude, and wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:

estimate drift in one of the atmospheric sensors at the receiver using the estimated altitude.

9. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors:

determine latitude, longitude, and altitude of the estimated position using constraints that are based on a map of indoor characteristics of a building.

10. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the ranging information is determined from pseudorandom codes carried by the positioning signals.

11. A method for determining the position of a receiver, the method comprising:

accessing ranging information, wherein the ranging information is extracted from positioning signals of a terrestrial transmitter network, and wherein the ranging information is used to measure the distance between a receiver and each of multiple transmitters in the terrestrial transmitter network; and

computing, using a computing device, an estimated position of the receiver using atmospheric assistance data from the transmitters, atmospheric data from one or more atmospheric sensors at the receiver, and at least one of the ranging information and information extracted from signals of a satellite positioning system,

wherein the estimated position is computed during an operating mode, wherein the operating mode is a first operating mode during which at least one position coordinate of the estimated position is computed by at least one processor at the receiver, or a second operating mode during which the at least one position coordinate of the estimated position is computed by at least one processor at a server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the atmospheric assistance data includes pressure data and temperature data that is extracted from the positioning signals, and wherein the atmospheric data from the one or more atmospheric sensors at the receiver includes pressure data and temperature data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude that is computed by comparing a measurement of pressure at the receiver with measurements of pressure at different altitudes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the measurements of pressure at different altitudes correspond to pressure measurements at different ones of the transmitters.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude that is computed using known altitudes for each of the transmitters.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the estimated position is computed using the ranging information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the positioning signals include encrypted data, wherein the estimated position is computed using the encrypted data, wherein the encrypted data includes latitude, longitude and altitude data for each of the transmitters, and also timing data associated with the terrestrial transmitter network.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude, and wherein the method further comprises:

estimating drift in one of the atmospheric sensors at the receiver using the estimated altitude.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

determining latitude, longitude, and altitude of the estimated position using constraints that are based on a map of indoor characteristics of a building.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media embodying instructions adapted to be executed to implement a method for determining the position of a receiver, the method comprising:

accessing ranging information, wherein the ranging information is extracted from positioning signals of a terrestrial transmitter network, and wherein the ranging information is used to measure the distance between a receiver and each of multiple transmitters in the terrestrial transmitter network; and

computing an estimated position of the receiver using atmospheric assistance data from the transmitters, atmospheric data from one or more atmospheric sensors at the receiver, and at least one of the ranging information and information extracted from signals of a satellite positioning system,

wherein the estimated position is computed during an operating mode, wherein the operating mode is a first operating mode during which at least one position coordinate of the estimated position is computed by at least one processor at the receiver, or a second operating mode during which the at least one position coordinate of the estimated position is computed by at least one processor at a server.

21. The computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the atmospheric assistance data includes pressure data and temperature data that is extracted from the positioning signals, and wherein the atmospheric data from the one or more atmospheric sensors at the receiver includes pressure data and temperature data.

22. The computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude that is computed by comparing a measurement of pressure at the receiver with measurements of pressure at different altitudes.

23. The computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein each of the measurements of pressure at different altitudes correspond to pressure measurements at different ones of the transmitters.

24. The computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude that is computed using known altitudes for each of the transmitters.

25. The computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the estimated position is computed using the ranging information.

26. The computer-readable media of claim 25, wherein the positioning signals include encrypted data, wherein the estimated position is computed using the encrypted data, wherein the encrypted data includes latitude, longitude and altitude data for each of the transmitters, and also timing data associated with the terrestrial transmitter network.

27. The computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the at least one position coordinate specifies an estimated altitude, and wherein the method further comprises:

estimating drift in one of the atmospheric sensors at the receiver using the estimated altitude.

28. The computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

determining latitude, longitude, and altitude of the estimated position using constraints that are based on a map of indoor characteristics of a building.