Method and system for synchronizing multiple tracking devices for a geo-location system

• US 20050116859A1
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hemisphere GNSS(USA) Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hemisphere GNSS(USA) Incorporated
• Inventors: Whitehead, Michael L., Badke, Bradley P., Miller, Steven R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,292,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.360
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/54 using carrier phase measurements; using long or short baseline interferometry

Abstract

A method and system of synchronizing multiple tracking devices in a geo-location receiver system comprising: receiving a first plurality of geo-location signals with a first tracking device; and receiving a second plurality of geo-location signals with a second tracking device. The method also includes: enabling the first tracking device as either a master tracking device or a master-with-mark tracking device; enabling the second tracking device to operate as a slave tracking device; the master tracking device generates and transmits a timing signal to the slave tracking device; and the master-with-mark tracking device is configured to receive an external input for synchronization and generates and transmits a timing signal to the slave tracking device. The method also includes acquiring the first plurality of geo-location signals and the second plurality of geo-location signals at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing multiple tracking devices in a geo-location receiver system comprising:

receiving a first plurality of geo-location signals with a first tracking device;

receiving a second plurality of geo-location signals with a second tracking device;

enabling said first tracking device as either a master tracking device or a master with mark tracking device;

enabling said second tracking device to operate as a slave tracking device;

wherein said master tracking device generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

wherein said master-with-mark tracking device is configured to receive an external input for synchronization and generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

acquiring said first plurality of geo-location signals and said second plurality of geo-location signals at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.

2. The method of claim 1 further including receiving a clocking input with said first tracking device and said second tracking device.

3. The method of claim 1 further including receiving an enable internal input to each said tracking and receiving an enable external input to each said tracking.

4. The method of claim 1 further including computing a position based on at least one of said first plurality of geo-location signals and said second plurality of geo-location signal.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said computing is based on at least one of code phase and carrier phase differencing techniques.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said first tracking device and said second tracking device share a common clock and said acquiring is based on synchronizing said first tracking device and said second tracking device to eliminate clocking variation between said first tracking device and said second tracking device.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein a tracking device is configured to operate as:

a master if said enable internal input is active or high and said enable external is not active or low,

a slave if said enable internal input is not active or low and said enable external is active or high, and

a master-with-mark if said enable internal input is active or high and said enable external is active or high.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a master tracking device outputs a timing signal within a selected duration of when it acquires said first plurality of geo-location signals, and said timing signal is employed by said slave tracking devices to enable their acquisition of said second plurality of geo-location signals.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said first plurality of geo-location signals is equivalent to said second plurality of geo-location signals.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first tracking device and said second tracking device is a Galileo tracking device.

11. The method of claim 1 further including configuring said first tracking device and said second tracking device to reside in a single chip select domain of a device communicating with said first tracking device and said second tracking device to ensure collision free, access to data from each tracking device while using a single chip select for all correlator devices within said chip select domain.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said receiving a first plurality of geo-location signals with a first tracking device and said receiving a second plurality of geo-location signals with a second tracking device are from a plurality of antennas.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving another plurality of geo-location signals with another tracking device;

enabling said another tracking device to operate as one of said master tracking device, said master-with-mark tracking device or said slave tracking device;

acquiring said first plurality of geo-location signals, said second plurality of geo-location signals, and said another plurality of geo-location signals at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.

14. A geo-location receiver system with synchronized multiple tracking devices comprising:

a first tracking device configured to receive a first plurality of geo-location signals;

a second tracking device configured to receive a second plurality of geo-location signals;

wherein said first tracking device is configured to operate as at least one of a master tracking device or a master-with-mark tracking device and said second tracking device is configured to operate as a slave tracking device;

wherein said master tracking device generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

wherein said master-with-mark tracking device is configured to receive an external input for synchronization and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

wherein said first tracking device and said second tracking device acquire said first plurality of geo-location signals and said second plurality of geo-location signals respectively at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.

15. The system of claim 14 further including said first tracking device and said second tracking device each configured to receive a clocking input.

16. The system of claim 14 further including each said tracking device configured to receive an enable internal input and an enable external input.

17. The method of claim 14 further including computing a position based on at least one of said first plurality of geo-location signals and said second plurality of geo-location signal.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said computing is based on at least one of code phase and carrier phase differencing techniques.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said first tracking device and said second tracking device share a common clock and said acquiring is based on synchronizing said first tracking device and said second tracking device to eliminate clocking variation between said first tracking device and said second tracking device.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein a tracking device is configured to operate as:

a master if said enable internal input is active or high and said enable external is not active or low,

a slave if said enable internal input is not active or low and said enable external is active or high, and

a master-with-mark if said enable internal input is active or high and said enable external is active or high.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein a master tracking device outputs a timing signal within a selected duration of when it acquires said first plurality of geo-location signals, and said timing signal is employed by said slave tracking devices to enable their acquisition of said second plurality of geo-location signals.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein said first plurality of geo-location signals is equivalent to said second plurality of geo-location signals.

23. The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said first tracking device and said second tracking device is a Galileo tracking device.

24. The system of claim 14 further including said first tracking device and said second tracking device each configured to reside in a single chip select domain of a device communicating with said first tracking device and said second tracking device to ensure collision free, access to data from each tracking device while using a single chip select for all tracking devices within said chip select domain.

25. The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said receiving a first plurality of geo-location signals with a first tracking device and said receiving a second plurality of geo-location signals with a second tracking device are from a plurality of antennas.

26. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

another tracking device configured to receive another plurality of geo-location signals;

wherein said another tracking device is configured to operate as one of said master tracking device, said master-with-mark tracking device, or said slave tracking device;

wherein said first tracking device, said second tracking device, and said another tracking device acquire said first plurality of geo-location signals, said second plurality of geo-location signals, and said another plurality of geo-location signals, respectively, at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.

27. A apparatus for synchronizing multiple tracking devices in a geo-location receiver system comprising:

means for receiving a first plurality of geo-location signals with a first tracking device;

means for receiving a second plurality of geo-location signals with a second tracking device;

means for enabling said first tracking device to operate as either a master tracking device or a master-with-mark tracking device;

means for enabling said second tracking device to operate as a slave tracking device;

wherein said master tracking device generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

wherein said master-with-mark tracking device is configured to receive an external input for synchronization and generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

means for acquiring said first plurality of geo-location signals and said second plurality of geo-location signals at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.

28. A storage medium encoded with a machine-readable computer program code for synchronizing multiple tracking devices in a geo-location receiver system including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of geo-location signals with a first tracking device;

receiving a second plurality of geo-location signals with a second tracking device;

enabling said first tracking device as either a master tracking device or a master-with-mark tracking device;

enabling said second tracking device to operate as a slave tracking device;

wherein said master tracking device generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

wherein said master-with-mark tracking device is configured to receive an external input for synchronization and generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

acquiring said first plurality of geo-location signals and said second plurality of geo-location signals at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.

29. A computer data signal embodied in a computer readable format for synchronizing multiple tracking devices in a geo-location receiver system, the computer data signal including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of geo-location signals with a first tracking device;

receiving a second plurality of geo-location signals with a second tracking device;

enabling said first tracking device as either a master tracking device or a master-with-mark tracking device;

enabling said second tracking device to operate as a slave tracking device;

wherein said master tracking device generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

wherein said master-with-mark tracking device is configured to receive an external input for synchronization and generates and transmits a timing signal to said slave tracking device; and

acquiring said first plurality of geo-location signals and said second plurality of geo-location signals at a substantially simultaneous instant of time.