System and method for using data phase to reduce position ambiguities

• US 9,482,758 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SkyBitz, Inc. (Ametek Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SkyBitz, Inc. (Ametek Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brosius, John W. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US14/049,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140038638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.21, 342/357.26, 342/357.33, 342/357.41, 342/357.43, 342/457, 342/458, 701/412
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/12 wherein the cooperating elements are telecommunication base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/50 whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station

Abstract

A geographic tracking system with minimal power and size required at the mobile terminal collects observation data at the mobile terminal and forwards the data to a processor, which calculates the position. The mobile terminal is configured to measure both code phase and data phase of a GPS satellite signal. The code phase and data phase information enables the processor to reduce the number of candidate points to be considered.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying an initial position point on a range intersection curve that is consistent with a code phase measurement and a data phase measurement of a positioning satellite signal that is taken by a mobile terminal; and

performing an iterative calculation process on the initial position point to produce a final position solution for the mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is performed by a service operation center.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the code phase measurement and the data phase measurement are provided to the service operation center using a communication satellite transmission by the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises performing using a plurality of code phase measurements for a respective plurality of positioning satellite signals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the positing satellite signal is a GPS satellite signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises performing on only the initial position point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial position point is on the range intersection curve.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more circuits that enable determination of a location of a mobile terminal, the one or more circuits being operable to;

identify an initial position point on a range intersection curve that is consistent with a code phase measurement and a data phase measurement of a positioning satellite signal that is taken by the mobile terminal; and

perform an iterative calculation process on the initial position point to produce a final position solution for the mobile terminal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the code phase measurement and the data phase measurement are provided to the system using a communication satellite transmission by the mobile terminal.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to perform the iterative calculation process using a plurality of code phase measurements for a respective plurality of positioning satellite signals.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the positing satellite signal is a GPS satellite signal.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to perform the iterative calculation process on only the initial position point.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the initial position point is on the range intersection curve.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section for determining a location of a mobile terminal, the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform steps comprising:

identifying an initial position point on a range intersection curve that is consistent with a code phase measurement and a data phase measurement of a positioning satellite signal that is taken by the mobile terminal; and

performing an iterative calculation process on the initial position point to produce a final position solution for the mobile terminal.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein the code phase measurement and the data phase measurement are provided using a communication satellite transmission by the mobile terminal.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein the performing comprises performing using a plurality of code phase measurements for a respective plurality of positioning satellite signals.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein the positing satellite signal is a GPS satellite signal.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein the performing comprises performing on only the initial position point.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein the initial position point is on the range intersection curve.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein the identifying comprises identifying using a second intersection curve that is identified using the code phase measurement and the data phase measurement.