Method and apparatus for providing an integrated communications, navigation and surveillance satellite system

• US 7,414,573 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2005
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Murphy, Timothy A
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing; Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US11/205,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20070241957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.01, 342/357.02
• US Class Current: 342/357.21
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/00 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems; Determining position, velocity or attitude using signals transmitted by such systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/02 Details of the space or ground control segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/072 Ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/38 Determining a navigation solution using signals transmitted by a satellite radio beacon positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18552 using a telephonic control signal and a second ranging satellite determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location G01S5/14

Abstract

A system provides integrated communications, navigation and surveillance capabilities. A plurality of satellites broadcast multiple navigation signals and is capable of two-way communication. At least one monitoring station is capable of receiving the navigation signals broadcast by the satellites and of determining its position based upon the received navigation signals. The monitoring station communicates its computed position to a processing apparatus so that an integrity of the system can be ascertained.

Claims

1. A system for providing integrated communications and navigation information, the system comprising:

a plurality of satellites networked together, each of said satellites broadcasting navigation signals and being capable of two way communication, and each of said satellites is capable of receiving and relaying surveillance signals;

a user segment having at least one mobile user device, said user device being capable of receiving at least one of said navigation signals broadcast by said satellites and using said at least one received navigation signal to compute its position, and said user device being operable to broadcast a surveillance signal; and

at least one monitoring station for receiving said navigation signals broadcast by said satellites, said at least one monitoring station computing its position based on said navigation signals and transmitting said computed position to at least one of said satellites and to a processing apparatus so that an integrity of said navigation signals can be checked,

wherein said processing apparatus is capable of determining a position of a user device that broadcasts said surveillance signal and said user device is operable to communicate its computed position to said processing apparatus and said processing apparatus is operable to compare said computed position of said user device to a position of said user device determined by said processing apparatus using received surveillance signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring station is at a known position and said processing apparatus compares said computed position to said known position to check said integrity of said navigation signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said satellites has communication switching capabilities so that each of said satellites can route communication signals to a desired recipient.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said network is formed by each of said satellites directly communicating with at least two other of said satellites so that redundant communication paths exist and each of said satellites is capable of communicating with any other of said satellites either directly or through said network.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of ground stations that are capable of direct two way communication with each satellite within a line of sight, each ground station is capable of two way communication using ground based telecommunication networks, and said network is formed by said ground stations and said satellites.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring station is operable to selectively broadcast a surveillance signal and said processing apparatus is operable to compute a position of said monitoring station using said surveillance signal and compare said position of said monitoring station communicated by said monitoring station to said position of said monitoring station computed based upon said surveillance signal to check said integrity of said navigation signals.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one monitoring station transmits said computed position to said processing apparatus through said at least one of said satellites relaying said computed position to said processing apparatus.

8. A system for monitoring position locating information and providing feedback regarding an integrity of the position locating information, the system comprising:

a plurality of satellites in communication with one another, each of said satellites broadcasting position locating information and having bi-directional communication capability;

at least one monitoring station at a known position and in direct communication with at least one of said satellites for receiving said position locating information.

wherein said monitoring station extrapolates position information from said position locating information, transmits said position information to at least one of said satellites and a processing apparatus, and said processing apparatus uses said transmitted position information and said known position of said at least one monitoring station to verify an integrity of said position locating information being broadcast by said satellites, and

wherein said monitoring station is operable to selectively broadcast a surveillance signal and said processing apparatus is operable to compute a position of said monitoring station using said surveillance signal and compare said position of said monitoring station communicated by said monitoring station to said position of said monitoring station computed based upon said surveillance signal to check said integrity of said navigation signals.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a user segment having at least one user device in direct communication with at least one of said satellites for receiving said position locating information,

wherein said user device extrapolates position information from said position locating information, transmits said position information for said user device to said processing apparatus, and said processing apparatus uses said position information for said user device to maintain an integrity of said position locating information being broadcast by said satellites.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said user device broadcasts surveillance information to at least one of said satellites and said processing apparatus uses said surveillance information to maintain an integrity of said position locating information being broadcast by said satellites.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said processing apparatus and said monitoring station are part of a terrestrial segment.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said monitoring station transmits said position information to said processing apparatus through said at lest one of said satellites relaying said position information to said processing apparatus.

13. A method of checking an integrity of an integrated communication and navigation system, the method comprising:

(a) broadcasting navigation signals from a plurality of satellites in communication with one another;

(b) computing a position of a monitoring station based upon said navigation signals received by said monitoring station;

(c) reporting said computed position to a processing apparatus via a communication signal sent to said satellites;

(d) broadcasting a surveillance signal from the monitoring station;

(e) computing a position of said monitoring station based upon said surveillance signal; and

(f) ascertaining an integrity of said navigation signals with said processing apparatus based upon a comparison of said computed position using said navigation signals and a known position of said monitoring station and a comparison of said computed position of said monitoring station based upon said navigation signals and said surveillance signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising reporting said computed position in response to being polled.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising reporting said computed position at predetermined intervals.