Operating GPS receivers in GPS-adverse environment

• US 7,583,769 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TeraHop Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Delia J., Twitchell, Jr., Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US11/424,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20070001898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 375/130, 375/144, 375/148, 375/316, 375/349, 375/347
• US Class Current: 375/349
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/20 Integrity monitoring, fault detection or fault isolation of space segment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/215 issues related to spoofing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption

Abstract

A system for operating a GPS receiver in a GPS-adverse environment includes a plurality of GPS receivers, a plurality of remote sensor interfaces (RSIs), and a computer management system. The GPS receivers are adapted to determine positional parameters based on the GPS satellite signals. A first set of GPS receivers is able to accurately determine its positional parameters and a second set of GPS receivers is unable to do so. Each RSI is associated with a respective GPS receiver. The RSIs are communication nodes in an ad hoc wireless network. The computer management system identifies a GPS receiver that is not accurately determining its positional parameters, and in response, causes GPS information to be provided from one of the first set of GPS receivers to the identified GPS receiver. The identified GPS receiver then determines its positional parameters accurately using the provided GPS information.

Claims

1. A system for operating a GPS receiver in a GPS-adverse environment, comprising:

(a) a plurality of GPS receivers for receiving radio signals from GPS satellites, wherein each of the plurality of GPS receivers is adapted to determine parameters for itself based on the signals received from the GPS satellites, the parameters including positional parameters, wherein at least one of the GPS receivers, defining a first set of GPS receivers, is able to accurately determine its positional parameters and at least one other of the GPS receivers, defining a second set of GPS receivers, is unable to determine its positional parameters accurately;

(b) a plurality of remote sensor interfaces, each remote sensor interface of the plurality of remote sensor interfaces being associated with and in electronic communication with a respective GPS receiver of either the first set or second set of GPS receivers such that each remote sensor interface is adapted to extract the GPS parameters from a respective GPS receiver, wherein the plurality of remote sensor interfaces are communication nodes in an ad hoc wireless network such that each of said plurality of remote sensor interfaces is in electronic communication with the other remote sensor interfaces of the plurality of remote sensor interfaces; and

(c) a computer management system that identifies a GPS receiver that is not accurately determining its positional parameters, and in response, causes GPS information to be provided from a selected GPS receiver in the first set of GPS receivers to the identified GPS receiver;

(d) whereby the identified GPS receiver is adapted to determine its positional parameters accurately using at least the GPS information provided from the selected GPS receiver in the first set of GPS receivers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer management system is co-located with the identified GPS receiver at the remote sensor interface associated therewith.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer management system is co-located with the selected GPS receiver, of the first set of GPS receivers, at the remote sensor interface associated therewith.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer management system is located remotely from the remote sensor interfaces.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a gateway, serving as a communication node in the ad hoc wireless network, that is adapted to receive the extracted GPS parameters from one or more of the plurality of remote sensor interfaces.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer management system is co-located with the gateway.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer management system is adapted to identify the GPS receiver that is not accurately determining its positional parameters by receiving the extracted GPS parameters from the identified receiver and comparing the determined GPS parameters with historical GPS parameters for the identified GPS receiver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS information includes at least one of Ephemeris information, Almanac information, GPS time information, approximate location information, and information on GPS satellites that should be in view of the identified GPS receiver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each remote sensor interface includes a standards based radio adapted for transmitting and receiving the GPS information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one remote sensor interface includes a Wake-Up Receiver.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the Wake-Up Receiver is adapted to receive a wireless wake-up signal and to activate the standards based radio in response thereto.

12. A method for determining a location of a GPS receiver in a GPS-adverse environment, comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of GPS receivers, each interfaced with a respective remote sensor interface, the remote sensor interfaces being communication nodes in an ad hoc wireless network;

(b) determining the locations of a first set of GPS receivers using radio signals received from GPS satellites;

(c) communicating GPS information, via the ad hoc wireless network, from one or more GPS receivers of the first set of GPS receivers to an identified GPS receiver that is unable to determine GPS parameters from GPS radio signals received from GPS satellites; and

(d) determining the location of the identified GPS receiver using the GPS information from the one or more GPS receivers of the first set of GPS receivers.