Portable ground based augmentation system

• US 9,746,562 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Friedman, Roger E., Booth, Janet Suzanne
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US14/319,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20150378028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/08 providing integrity information, e.g. health of satellites or quality of ephemeris data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/396 Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method and apparatus of generating navigation information for an aircraft. Satellite signals are received at a group of reference receivers at a group of locations. A level of accuracy is identified for the group of reference receivers based on satellite data formed from the satellite signals. It is indicated when the group of locations of the group of reference receivers does not meet a desired level of accuracy. Messages are generated using the navigation information from the satellite data when the group of reference receivers has the desired level of accuracy.

Claims

1. A portable augmentation system that comprises:

a reference receiver, the reference receiver comprising a single antenna ground-based reference receiver at a position that comprises an unidentified location, and configured to;

receive satellite signals;

based upon the satellite signals determine a location for the reference receiver;

form satellite data that comprises raw pseudo-range data and a group of satellite data parameters that comprise;

satellite clock correction coefficients data, satellite position data, carrier waves, ranging codes, and atmospheric error data; and

send the satellite data to a navigation information generator that comprises;

a self-surveyor, a configuration application, an operation application, and a satellite data processor, the navigation information generator configured to;

receive the satellite data from the reference receiver;

determine, based on navigation information in the satellite data and a self-survey of the location from the reference receiver, a level of accuracy for the location of the reference receiver;

indicate on a display when the level of accuracy for the location of the reference receiver does not meet a desired level of accuracy for the location of the reference receiver; and

generate;

a pseudo-range correction data, responsive to a determination by the self-surveyor that the level of accuracy of the location comprises the desired level of accuracy for an identification of the position of the location;

based upon a group of rules for the level of accuracy of the location, a level of accuracy for the pseudo-range correction data;

an indicator that the level of accuracy for the pseudo-range correction data comprises the desired level of accuracy for the pseudo-range data correction; and

messages that comprise the pseudo-range correction data configured to adjust an identified position of a mobile receiver.

2. The portable augmentation system of claim 1 further comprising:

the satellite signals comprising signals from a plurality of constellations of satellites and satellite navigation systems;

the reference receiver configured to receive a start command from a user interface;

the configuration application configured to provide a user interface access to a configuration database;

a transmitter system configured to transmit the messages to an aircraft; and

the navigation information generator configured to;

receive, in the satellite data processor, satellite data that comprises a message definition that comprises at least one of;

a type 1 message definition, a type 2 message definition, a type 4 ;

message definition; and

a message definition defined via a user interface;

generate a message that comprises;

a format specified by the message definition, and configuration data; and

send the messages to the aircraft over the transmitter system.

3. The portable augmentation system of claim 1, further comprising:

the portable augmentations system comprising a group of cases, each case in the group of cases being man-portable;

a first group of locations for a group of reference receivers that comprises the reference receiver;

a first level of accuracy for the first group of locations for the group of reference receivers;

the satellite data comprising first satellite data; and

the navigation information generator configured to identify, responsive to a movement of a portion of group of reference receivers, to a second group of locations that differs from the first group of locations, a second level of accuracy for the group of reference receivers based on second satellite data identified, from second satellite signals, by the group of reference receivers.

4. The portable augmentation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first level of accuracy, for a group of reference receivers that comprises the reference receiver, being based on the satellite data;

a transmitter configured to transmit the messages;

the satellite data comprises first satellite data, and further comprising;

the navigation information generator configured to identify, based on second satellite data formed from the satellite signals from the group of reference receivers and responsive to a portion of the group of reference receivers being one or more of re-powered and re-configured, a second level of accuracy for the group of reference receivers.

5. A method of generating navigation information for an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving, at a reference receiver, a plurality of satellite signals from a plurality of satellite constellations and satellite navigation systems, the reference receiver being a portable ground-based receiver comprising a single antenna and located at an unidentified position;

forming satellite data from the satellite signals and identifying, using the satellite data, a position of a location of the reference receiver, and sending the position to a self-surveyor in a navigation information generator, the satellite data comprising;

satellite clock correction coefficients data, satellite position data, carrier waves, ranging codes, and atmospheric error data;

the self-surveyor determining a level of accuracy for the location;

indicating to a user interface when the level of accuracy of the location of the reference receiver does not meet a desired level of accuracy for the location of the reference receiver;

generating, responsive to determining in the navigation information generator that the level of accuracy for the location comprises the desired level of accuracy for the location, messages using navigation information in satellite data in the plurality of satellite signals, messages comprising;

a format specified by a message definition from a configuration database accessible by a user interface, and a pseudo-range correction data comprising a level of accuracy of the pseudo-range correction data that meets a desired level of accuracy for the pseudo-range correction data based upon a group of rules for the level of accuracy of the location; and

transmitting the pseudo-range correction data to a receiver in the aircraft for adjusting, using the pseudo-range correction data, an identified position of the receiver in the aircraft.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

a man portable case comprising the reference receiver;

the messages comprising;

a format specified by a message definition from a configuration database accessible by a user interface; and

transmitting the messages to the receiver in the aircraft over a transmitter system located in a second man portable case.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

a first level of accuracy for a first group of locations for a group of reference receivers comprising the location of the reference receiver, the satellite data comprising first satellite data formed from the satellite signals

identifying a second level of accuracy for the group of reference receivers based on second satellite data, formed from second satellite signals, from the group of reference receivers, responsive to a portion of the group of reference receivers being at least one of;

re-powered, re-configured, and moved to a second group of locations that differs from the first group of locations.

8. An apparatus that comprises:

a reference receiver, such that a man-portable case comprises the reference receiver and a single antenna in a location that comprises an unidentified position, the reference receiver configured to;

receive, from a Global Positioning Satellite System, a Global Navigation Satellite System, and additional satellite navigation systems, satellite signals; and

identify raw pseudo-range data and a group of satellite data parameters from the satellite signals, such that the satellite data parameters comprise;

satellite clock correction coefficients data, satellite position data, carrier waves, ranging codes, and atmospheric error data, and the raw pseudo-range data and the group of satellite data parameters form satellite data; and

determine, based upon the satellite signals, a position of the location of the reference receiver;

a transmitter system that transmits messages to an aircraft; and

a navigation information generator that comprises a satellite data processor configured to;

receive the position of the location and the satellite data from the reference receiver;

generate the messages, such that the messages comprise navigation information that comprises;

the satellite data;

a pseudo-range correction data, based upon a determination by a self-surveyor that a level of accuracy of the pseudo-range correction data comprises a desired level of accuracy for the pseudo-range correction data, based upon a group of rules for a level of accuracy for a group of locations for a group of reference receivers, that comprise the location of the reference receiver, and a level of accuracy for the group of locations that comprises a desired level of accuracy for the group of locations; and

configuration data; and

send the messages to the aircraft over the transmitter system;

an operation application configured to control;

operation of the group of reference receivers, the transmitter system, and the navigation information generator; and

a configuration application configured to receive inputs from a user interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the satellite data processor generates pseudo-range corrections using the satellite data to form the navigation information.

10. The apparatus of claim 8,

further comprising the self-surveyor configured to perform a self-survey based upon satellite data.

11. apparatus of claim 10, further comprising the self-survey configured to identify positions for the group of locations where the group of reference receivers were placed and indicate to a user interface whether the group of reference receivers provides a desired level of accuracy at the group of locations.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the configuration data includes values for the messages.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the group of reference receivers receive more than one frequency per satellite.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the group of reference receivers is configured to receive the satellite signals from additional constellations of satellites.

15. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a configuration database, wherein the configuration data is located in the configuration database and the configuration database is located in the navigation information generator.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the configuration application is a first configuration application and further comprising:

a computer system; and

a second configuration application on the computer system that receives from the user interface a request to access the configuration data used by the navigation information generator to generate the messages.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the configuration application displays a graphical user interface and receives inputs through the graphical user interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a power supply connected to the group of reference receivers, the transmitter system, and the navigation information generator.

19. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a group of cases that are man portable, and that hold the group of reference receivers, the transmitter system, and the navigation information generator.

20. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a first reference receiver in the group of reference receivers is placed at a new location that has not been surveyed prior to the first reference receiver being placed at the new location.

21. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the navigation information includes at least one of take off information, landing information, approach information, or missed approach information.