Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Satellite-Constellation Configuration To Maintain Integrity of Long-Term-Orbit Information In A Remote Receiver

• US 20080186229A1
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Riben, Matthew, Van Diggelen, Frank
• Application Number:
  US11/941,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186229A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.15
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/08 providing integrity information, e.g. health of satellites or quality of ephemeris data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/254 relating to Doppler shift of satellite signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/27 creating, predicting or correcting ephemeris or almanac data within the receiver

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring a configuration of satellites to maintain integrity of LTO information in a GNSS receiver of a GNSS or other positioning system is described. The method may include obtaining broadcast ephemeris transmitted from at least one satellite of a constellation of satellites; comparing the broadcast ephemeris to long-term-orbit information available to a global-navigation-satellite receiver; and causing the global-navigation-satellite receiver to not use the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information does not correspond to the broadcast ephemeris.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining broadcast ephemeris transmitted from at least one satellite of a constellation of satellites;

comparing the broadcast ephemeris to long-term-orbit information available to a global-navigation-satellite receiver; and

causing the global-navigation-satellite receiver to not use the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information differs from the broadcast ephemeris.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information differs substantially from the broadcast ephemeris.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when (i) the long-term-orbit information differs substantially from the broadcast ephemeris, and (ii) the broadcast ephemeris is not marked as unhealthy

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the long-term-orbit information is a first long-term-orbit information, the method further comprising:

replacing the first long-term-orbit information with a second long-term-orbit information.

5. A method, comprising:

obtaining broadcast ephemeris transmitted from at least one satellite of a constellation of satellites;

comparing the broadcast ephemeris to long-term-orbit information available to a global-navigation-satellite receiver; and

causing the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use of the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information differs substantially from the broadcast ephemeris.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein causing the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information comprises:

causing the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use of the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when (i) the long-term-orbit information differs from the broadcast ephemeris, and (ii) the broadcast ephemeris is not marked as unhealthy.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the long-term-orbit information is a first long-term-orbit information, the method further comprising:

replacing the first long-term-orbit information with a second long-term-orbit information; and

causing the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use of the second long-term-orbit information as a substitute for the broadcast ephemeris.

8. A global-navigation-satellite receiver comprising:

a receiver adapted to obtain broadcast ephemeris transmitted from at least one satellite of a constellation of satellites;

memory adapted to store the broadcast ephemeris and executable instructions to;

compare the broadcast ephemeris to long-term-orbit information available to a global-navigation-satellite receiver; and

cause the global-navigation-satellite receiver to not use the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information differs from the broadcast ephemeris; and

a processor adapted to obtain the executable instruction from memory, and to execute the executable instructions.

9. The global-navigation-satellite receiver of claim 8, wherein the executable instructions further comprise:

executable instructions to cause the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information differs from the broadcast ephemeris.

10. The global-navigation-satellite receiver of claim 8, wherein the executable instructions further comprise:

executable instructions to cause the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when (i) the long-term-orbit information differs from the broadcast ephemeris, and (ii) the broadcast ephemeris is not marked unhealthy

11. The global-navigation-satellite receiver of claim 8, wherein the long-term-orbit information is a first long-term-orbit information, and wherein the executable instructions further comprise:

executable instructions to replace the first long-term-orbit information with a second long-term-orbit information.

12. The global-navigation-satellite receiver of claim 8, wherein the receiver is adapted to obtain broadcast ephemeris from a server.

13. A server comprising:

a receiver adapted to obtain broadcast ephemeris transmitted from at least one satellite of a constellation of satellites;

memory adapted to store the broadcast ephemeris and executable instructions to;

compare the broadcast ephemeris to long-term-orbit information available to a global-navigation-satellite receiver; and

cause the global-navigation-satellite receiver to not use the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information differs from the broadcast ephemeris; and

a processor adapted to obtain the executable instruction from memory, and to execute the executable instructions.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the executable instructions further comprise:

executable instructions to cause the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when the long-term-orbit information differs substantially from the broadcast ephemeris.

15. The server of claim 13, wherein the executable instructions further comprise:

executable instructions to cause the global-navigation-satellite receiver to use the broadcast ephemeris as a substitute for the long-term-orbit information when (i) the long-term-orbit information differs from the broadcast ephemeris, and (ii) the broadcast ephemeris is not marked unhealthy

16. The server of claim 13, wherein the long-term-orbit information is a first long-term-orbit information, and wherein the executable instructions further comprise:

executable instructions to replace the first long-term-orbit information with a second long-term-orbit information.

17. The server of claim 13, wherein the receiver is adapted to obtain the broadcast ephemeris from the global-navigation-satellite receiver.