Locating a mobile unit using signals from both mobile beacons and stationary beacons

• US 6,285,316 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CellGuide Ltd. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Perelmuter, Oleg, Cohen, Hanoch, Shayevich, Baruch, Nir, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US09/585,622
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.05, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/12 wherein the cooperating elements are telecommunication base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type

Abstract

A method and system for finding the position of a mobile unit with respect to the satellites of a satellite network such as the Global Positioning System and with respect to the base stations of a wireless communications network. Each satellite transmits a signal that consists of a series of frames of a pseudonoise sequence. The frames of a signal received from the satellite network by the mobile unit are arranged as columns of a matrix and are processed coherently to provide estimated pseudoranges and estimated rates of change of pseudoranges for in view satellites. The coherent processing includes performing an orthogonal transform on the rows of the matrix, multiplying the elements of the matrix by Doppler compensation factors, and then, for each satellite in view, convolving the columns of the matrix with the pseudonoise sequence of that satellite. Other pseudoranges are inferred from synchronization burst sequences received by the mobile unit from one or more base stations. If the base stations are not mutually synchronized, reference units are provided to determine the time offsets between the base station clocks and the satellite network clock and to transmit these time offsets to the mobile unit, so that all the pseudoranges include the same bias relative to the satellite network clock. The pseudoranges are processed and reconciled by a dynamic estimator that includes a linear optimal estimator such as a Kalman filter, to produce successive estimates of the location of the mobile unit as the mobile unit moves.

Claims

1. A method for locating a mobile unit, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of asynchronous stationary beacons, each said stationary beacon transmitting a respective stationary beacon ranging signal;

(b) providing a plurality of mobile beacons moving on known respective trajectories, each said mobile beacon transmitting a respective mobile beacon ranging signal, all said mobile beacons being mutually synchronized;

(c) for each of at least one of said stationary beacons;

(i) receiving said respective stationary beacon ranging signal, by the mobile unit, and

(ii) inferring, from said respective stationary beacon ranging signal, at least one parameter related to a range to said each stationary beacon;

(d) for each of at least one of said mobile beacons;

(i) receiving said respective mobile beacon ranging signal, by the mobile unit, and

(ii) inferring, from the respective mobile beacon ranging signal, at least one parameter related to a range to said each mobile beacon;

(e) synchronizing the mobile unit and said stationary beacons to said mobile beacons by steps including;

(i) providing, for each said stationary beacon, a reference unit for measuring time offsets between said mobile beacons and said each stationary beacon,

(ii) measuring said time offsets, by said reference units, and

(iii) transmitting at least one said time offset from a respective said reference unit to the mobile unit, said inferring of said parameters being based on said synchronization; and

(f) inferring, from said parameters, a location of the mobile unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said inferring of said parameters and said inferring of said location are effected by the mobile unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said stationary beacons are base stations of a communications system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said mobile beacons are satellites.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameters include pseudoranges.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

(g) for each of said at least one mobile beacon, inferring, from said respective mobile beacon ranging signal, a rate of change of said pseudorange to said each mobile beacon;

and wherein said parameters that are related to said ranges to said mobile beacons include said rates of change.

7. A method for tracking a mobile unit, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of beacons, each said beacon transmitting a respective ranging signal;

(b) obtaining an initial estimate of a location of the mobile unit;

(c) receiving, by the mobile unit, one of said ranging signals;

(d) inferring, from said ranging signal, at least one parameter related to a range to said beacon that transmitted said one ranging signal; and

(e) obtaining an updated estimate of said location of the mobile unit, based only on an initial state estimate that includes said initial estimate of said location and on said at least one parameter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least some of said beacons are stationary beacons.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said stationary beacons are base stations of a communications system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least some of said beacons are mobile beacons moving on known respective trajectories.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said mobile beacons are satellites.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein said at least one parameter includes a pseudorange.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one parameter includes a rate of change of said pseudorange.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said updating is effected using a dynamic estimator.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a linear optimal estimator.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said linear optimal estimator is a Kalman filter.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a model of motion of the mobile unit.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein said initial estimate of said location is a location of a predefined reference point.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein said obtaining of said initial estimate of said location is effected by triangulation.

20. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(f) obtaining an initial estimate of a velocity of the mobile unit;

said initial state estimate including said initial estimate of said velocity.

21. A locator system for locating a mobile unit, comprising:

(a) a plurality of asynchronous stationary beacons, each said stationary beacon being operative to transmit a respective stationary beacon ranging signal;

(b) a plurality of mobile beacons, each said mobile beacon operative to transmit a respective mobile beacon ranging signal while moving on a known respective trajectory, all said mobile beacons being mutually synchronized; and

(c) in the mobile unit;

(i) a mobile unit clock for producing a mobile unit timing signal;

(ii) a first mobile unit receiver for receiving and digitizing said stationary beacon signals;

(iii) a second mobile unit receiver for receiving and digitizing said mobile beacon signals, thereby producing corresponding digitized mobile beacon signal;

(iv) a memory for storing said digitized mobile beacon signal;

(v) a mobile unit processor for transforming each of said stationary beacon signals into a corresponding stationary beacon pseudorange, and for transforming each of said digitized mobile beacon signals into a corresponding mobile beacon pseudorange subsequent to said storing of said each digitized mobile beacon signal in said memory; and

(d) at least one reference unit including;

(i) a first reference receiver for receiving said mobile beacon signals and inferring therefrom a common start time of said mobile beacon signals,

(ii) a second reference unit receiver for receiving at least one of said stationary beacon signals from at least one respective said stationary beacon,

(iii) a reference unit clock for producing a reference unit timing signal,

(iv) a reference unit processor for inferring, for each said at least one respective stationary beacon, a timing offset between a start time of said at least one respective stationary beacon signal and said common start time of said mobile beacon signals; and

(iii) a transmitter for transmitting said at least one timing offset;

said first mobile unit receiver being operative to receive said at least one timing offset from each said at least one reference unit transmitter;

said pseudoranges being with reference to both said mobile unit timing signal and said at least one timing offset.

22. The locator system of claim 21, wherein said mobile unit processor is further operative to transform each said digitized mobile beacon ranging signal into a rate of change of said corresponding mobile beacon pseudorange.

23. The locator system of claim 21, wherein said mobile unit processor is further operative to infer a location of the mobile unit from said pseudoranges.

24. A locator system for locating a mobile unit, comprising:

(a) a plurality of beacons, each said beacon transmitting a respective ranging signal; and

(b) in the mobile unit;

(i) a mechanism for obtaining an initial estimate of a location of the mobile unit,

(ii) a receiver for receiving said ranging signals,

(iii) a processor for inferring, from one of said ranging signal, at least one parameter related to a range to said beacon that transmitted said one ranging signal, and

(iv) an updating mechanism for updating said initial location estimate, based only on an initial state estimate that includes said initial location estimate and on said at least one parameter.

25. The locator system of claim 24, wherein at least some of said beacons are stationary.

26. The locator system of claim 25, wherein said stationary beacons are base stations of a communications system.

27. The locator system of claim 26, wherein at least some of said beacons are mobile beacons moving on known respective trajectories.

28. The locator system of claim 27, wherein said mobile beacons are satellites.

29. The locator system of claim 24, wherein said at least one parameter includes a pseudorange.

30. The locator system of claim 29, wherein said at least one parameter includes a rate of change of said pseudorange.

31. The locator system of claim 30, wherein said updating mechanism includes a dynamic estimator.

32. The locator system of claim 31, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a linear optimal estimator.

33. The locator system of claim 32, wherein said linear optimal estimator is a Kalman filter.

34. The locator system of claim 31, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a model of motion of the mobile unit.

35. A method for tracking a mobile unit, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of mobile beacons, each said mobile beacon transmitting a respective ranging signal;

(b) providing a plurality of stationary beacons, each said stationary beacon transmitting a respective ranging signal;

(c) obtaining an initial estimate of a location of the mobile unit;

(d) receiving, by the mobile unit, a first said ranging signal from a respective said beacon of one of said pluralities of beacons;

(e) inferring, from said first ranging signal, at least one parameter related to a range to said beacon that transmitted said first ranging signal;

(f) obtaining a first updated estimate of said location of the mobile unit, based only on an initial state estimate that includes said initial location estimate and on said at least one parameter that is related to said range to said beacon that transmitted said first ranging signal;

(g) receiving, by the mobile unit, a second said ranging signal from a respective said beacon of another of said pluralities of beacons;

(h) inferring, from said second ranging signal, at least one parameter related to a range to said beacon that transmitted said second ranging signal; and

(i) obtaining a second updated estimate of said location of the mobile unit, based only on an updated state estimate that includes said first updated location estimate and on said at least one parameter that is related to said range to said beacon that transmitted said second ranging signal.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said mobile beacons are satellites.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said stationary beacons are base stations of a communications system.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein, for at least one of said ranging signal said at least one parameter, that is inferred from said at least one ranging signal, includes a pseudorange.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein, for said ranging signal that is received from one of said mobile beacons, said at least one parameter, that is inferred from said ranging signal, includes a pseudorange and a rate of change of said pseudorange.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein said updating is effected using a dynamic estimator.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a linear optimal estimator.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said linear optimal estimator is a Kalman filter.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a model of motion of the mobile unit.

44. The method of claim 35, wherein said initial estimate of said location is a location of a predefined reference point.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said predefined reference point is a location of one of said stationary beacons.

46. The method of claim 35, wherein said obtaining of said initial estimate of said location is effected by triangulation.

47. A locator system for locating a mobile unit, comprising:

(a) a plurality of mobile beacons, each said mobile beacon transmitting a respective ranging signal;

(b) a plurality of stationary beacons, each said stationary beacon transmitting a respective ranging signal; and

(c) in the mobile unit;

(i) a mechanism for obtaining an initial estimate of a location of the mobile unit,

(ii) a receiver for receiving said ranging signals,

(iii) a processor for inferring, from each of said ranging signals, at least one parameter related to a range to said beacon that transmitted said each ranging signal, and

(iv) an updating mechanism for updating said initial location estimate, using only;

(A) an initial state estimate that includes said initial location estimate, and

(B) said at least one parameter that is related to said range to a beacon of one of said pluralities of beacons,

thereby providing a first updated location estimate of said location of the mobile unit, and for updating said first updated estimate, using only;

(A) an updated state estimate that includes said first updated location estimate, and

(B) said at least one parameter that is related to said range to a beacon of another of said pluralities of beacons.

48. The locator system of claim 47, wherein said mobile beacons are satellites.

49. The locator system of claim 47, wherein said stationary beacons are base stations of a communications system.

50. The locator system of claim 47, wherein each said at least one parameter includes a pseudorange.

51. The locator system of claim 47, wherein, for each said ranging signal that is received from one of said mobile beacons, said at least one parameter, that is inferred from said each ranging signal, includes a pseudorange and a rate of change of said pseudorange.

52. The locator system of claim 47, wherein said updating mechanism includes a dynamic estimator.

53. The locator system of claim 52, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a linear optimal estimator.

54. The locator system of claim 53, wherein said linear optimal estimator is a Kalman filter.

55. The locator system of claim 52, wherein said dynamic estimator includes a model of motion of the mobile unit.