Patent Grant
8009086
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of global positioning systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to components and methods useful for reducing power consumption in global positioning system receivers and improving processes for locating and tracking assets.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used to, among other functions, determine location. Developed initially by the United States Department of Defense, the GPS is comprised of space vehicles or satellites (hereafter “SV”), a Master control facility and one or more receivers, usually referred to as GPS receivers. More particularly, there are 31 SVs that orbit the earth in approximately 12 hours. The SV orbits repeat virtually the same ground track once each day and repeat the same track and configuration over any point with reliable regularity. There are six orbital planes, several SVs per plane, equally spaced (60 degrees apart), and inclined at about fifty-five degrees with respect to the equatorial plane. Accordingly, a user located anywhere on the Earth will be visible to between five and eight SVs.
The Master Control facility (MC facility) is located at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. The MC facility monitors the SVs and measures signals from the SVs which are then incorporated into orbital models for each SV. Based on orbital models, precise orbital data (ephemeris) and SV clock corrections are computed for each SV and uploaded to the SVs. The SVs in turn transmit subsets of the orbital ephemeris data as part of a Navigation Message to GPS receivers using radio signals. The Navigation Message contains ephemeris and other parameters needed to compute a position estimate (receiver position and local clock error). A Navigation Message is formatted as shown in
Referring to
Each subframe is divided into 10 words of 30 bits each. Words 1 and 2 have the same format in every subframe. Word 1 is called the telemetry word. The first 8 bits in the telemetry word contain a sync pattern, used by the GPS receiver to help synchronize itself with the Navigation Message and thus be able to correctly decode the data. Word 2 contains the truncated Z-count. This is the time according to the SV's clock when the end of the subframe will be transmitted, with a scale factor of 6 seconds.
The MC facility uploads data to the SVs at approximately 24 hour intervals, sending the SV all of the data that the SV will transmit during the next 24 hours, plus data for extra days in case an upload is unexpectedly delayed. An upload contains roughly 16 subframe's worth of 1, 2 and 3 subframe data. An SV may begin transmitting new data, referred to as a cutover, after an upload at any time of the hour, but subsequent transmissions only occur precisely on hour boundaries. Each subframe 1, 2 and 3 data set is transmitted for no more than two hours with some transmitted for exactly an hour, some for exactly two hours and some (either immediately before or after an upload) broadcast for a period of less than two hours.
Subframe 1 contains a clock offset time-of-applicability (this is the fit time for the polynomial), and either subframe 2 or 3 contains an ephemeris time-of-applicability. The two time-of-applicability values are almost always the same, and for a cutover that begins on an hour epoch, the time-of-applicability values are almost exactly two hours later than the initial transmission time of the subframe 1, 2 and 3 data sets. Each of the three subframes also contains an index value which allows the receiver to verify that the three subframes are part of the same data set.
On power-up, a GPS receiver must read all or part of the Navigation Message before outputting its first position estimate. This time-to-first-fix can be tens of seconds to minutes, depending on the receiver's initial state.
The SVs transmit two microwave carrier signals. The L1 frequency (1575.42 MHz) carries the Navigation Message and the standard position service SPS code signals. The L2 frequency (1227.60 MHz) is used to measure the ionospheric delay, but more importantly it carries encrypted navigation data for military precise positioning service PPS equipped receivers.
Two binary signals modulate the L1 and/or L2 carrier phase. The C/A Code (Coarse Acquisition) modulates the L1 carrier phase. The C/A code is a repeating 1.023 MHz Pseudo Random Noise (PRN) Code. This noise-like code modulates the L1 carrier signal, “spreading” the spectrum over a 1 MHz bandwidth. The C/A code repeats every 1023 chips (one millisecond). There is a different C/A code PRN (Gold code) for each SV. GPS satellites are often identified by their PRN number, the unique identifier for each pseudo-random-noise code. The C/A code that modulates the L1 carrier is the basis for the civil SPS. The P-Code (Precise) modulates both the L1 carrier, in quadrature with the C/A code, as well as the L2 carrier. The P-Code is a very long (seven days) 10.23 MHz PRN code. In the Anti-Spoofing (AS) mode of operation, the P-Code is encrypted into the Y-Code. The encrypted Y-Code requires a classified AS Module for each receiver channel and is for use only by authorized users with cryptographic keys. The P (Y)-Code is the basis for the PPS.
The ability to determine the position of an asset, e.g., person, animal, equipment, on the earth is important and valuable to everyone from pet owners to the military. GPS capabilities have provided this functionality through the use of remote units which incorporate GPS receivers for reporting the position of the asset, but at a relatively high power cost. Typical remote units or data recovery transmitters (DRTs) power up, compute and upload position, and then power down. On each report cycle, significant energy is consumed during the GPS receiver's time-to-first-fix. This energy use limits DRT mission life and/or number of report cycles.
Accordingly, there is a need for a GPS system that requires reduced energy consumption per fix, while still providing accurate position estimates.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention describe a system and process for the geo-location of a DRT given no a priori knowledge regarding time and location of the DRT with minimized power consumption. In the preferred embodiment, the system is accurate to about 30 meters CEP (50% circular error probable) using just a short segment, e.g., 100-200 ms, of digitized GPS L1 signal data.
The system and process include acquisition of inherently low power GPS signals using a short acquisition data window, e.g., 8 ms, wherein the system performs non-coherent integration over the entire acquisition data window. Bit transitions are transparent to this process. Thus maximum processing gain is achieved for better sensitivity to weak signals
The system and process employ an ambiguity matrix approach which allows a fixed frequency search step size (1 kHz), regardless of the acquisition data window size. Older methods require the frequency search step size be coupled to the inverse of the integration time; as this integration time grows, the frequency step size shrinks; smaller frequency step sizes mean that more steps are needed to cover a desired frequency search range, thus incurring a larger processing burden.
The system and process employ a two stage acquisition process which minimizes computational cost. The initial search is over a set of frequencies roughly 1 kHz apart. This is done using input data, sampled at 4.092 MHz and decimated by 4 to 1.023 MHz. For detected SVs, this is followed by an estimate of coarse delay using data sampled at the higher 4.092 MHz rate.
The system and process utilize delay estimated from a least-mean-square (LMS) fit to sequential bit delays. This provides the following advantages: minimizes the variance of the fine delay estimate by implementing coherent integration over the track data window, typically 160 ms; removing effect of bit transitions; estimating fine delay over a set of bits, referenced back to the start of data, thus accommodating Doppler induced precession of code delay relative to a reference. Older techniques use tracking loops to track this delay. These track loops typically require longer data windows to estimate delay.
The output of the processing at the DRT, for each SV acquired and tracked, is delay from the start of data to the first bit boundary, which relates to the PR from the DRT to the SV.
The system and process utilize an upload filter which minimizes DRT transmit energy by selecting a subset of acquired SVs and their respective delays for upload, and reducing the number of bits to be uploaded by limiting precision and utilizing a sophisticated message structure. This technique reduces energy use without a significant degradation in position estimate accuracy.
The data that the DRT uploads is downloaded by a remote Geo-Location Processor. It uses the set of time delays to first bit boundary among SV signals arriving at a DRT, a GPS Navigation Message database, and the time of data collection at the DRT (to be calculated from a set processing time at the DRT and an estimated link latency).
a and 19b illustrate general and detailed processes for receiving SV and associated delay information and outputting an estimate of the DRT's position according to an embodiment of the present invention;
The following is a list of acronyms and abbreviations with corresponding meanings that are used throughout this disclosure.
A/D analog-to-digital converter
AM ambiguity matrix
BIT bit
C/A Coarse/Acquisition signal
CEP 50% circular error probable
CIC cascaded integrator-comb filter
CIRC circular
COL or COLS columns
CONJ conjugate
CORR or corr correction
D data
dec decimation
Demoded demodulated
DER delay error ratio
DRT data recovery transmitter
DSP digital signal processor
FFT Fast Fourier Transform
FLIP flip
FREQ or freq frequency
GEN generation
GET get
GLA Geo-Location Algorithm
GLP Geo-Location Processor
GLS Geo-Location Software
GPS Global Positioning System
IF intermediate frequency
IFFT inverse Fast Fourier Transform
Imag Imaginary
LMS least mean square
MAG magnitude
MAX maximum
meas measured
MIN minimum
MOD modulo
MSB most significant bit
NO or no number
PC personal computer
PMR peak-to-mean ratio
PR pseudorange
pwr power
QUAD quadratic
REF reference
RMS or rms root mean square
samp sample
sec second or seconds
SLIP or slip slip or slippage
SNR signal to noise ratio
SQ square or squared
SUM or summ sum or summary
SV space vehicle
SYM or sym symbol
TDOA time difference of arrival
THRES threshold
VEC or vec vector
W with
XC cross-correlation
Referring to
Further to the preferred embodiment, in the general process flow, the DRT 100 only calculates an estimate of C/A signal delays. The DRT powers up the RF receiver circuitry 110, collects a snippet of digitized L1 signal data, ranging from 100 to 200 ms in length and then powers down the RF circuitry. The L1 signal is digitized at the A/D converter 120 and processed at the DSP 130 to extract a set of relative signal delays, one for each SV acquired. These delays and associated SV identification numbers, called here the Remote Data Set, are then uploaded to the Geo-Location Processor 150 via the Ground Station 140. Upon receipt of the Remote Data Set from the DRT, the Geo-Location Processor 150 backs out the data collection start time at the DRT and uses parameters from the navigation database 160 to compute a position estimate for the DRT. The Navigation Database 160 is populated by data downloaded from, e.g., passing SVs via a commercial GPS receiver or via an internet connection to some remote source, e.g., a NASA public FTP (File transfer protocol) site.
To compute a position estimate, the Geo-Location Processor must know the data collection start time. It is assumed that the DRT will not have an accurate clock onboard. However on the DRT, the time between the start of data collection and the start of Remote Data Set upload is fixed. The clock inaccuracy in the duration of such a small fixed period (i.e., minutes) is negligible. So if the Ground Station notes the arrival time of the upload, then it can back out the data collection start time, within the uncertainty of transmission link latency. Simulations have shown that a link uncertainty time of +/−10 ms results in a RMS geo-location error of less than 4 m.
The two main functions comprising DRT processing are acquisition 300 and track 800 as shown in
As described further below, the get_coarse_freq routine of the acquisition process uses data sampled at a reduced rate in order to reduce the computational complexity. To provide data for this process, a secondary CIC filter follows the first, as well as another scaling and rounding operation. The result is complex data sampled at 1.023 MHz and band limited to about 0.5 MHz (one-sided), 2 bits real and 2 bits imaginary. The 2nd CIC filter is identical to the CIC filter mentioned above.
The exemplary acquisition process 300 shown in
coarse—freq=coarse—freq_index×{1000(1023/1024)}.
The range of coarse freq indices (individually “coarse_freq_index”) is −10:+10. This covers about +/−10 kHz. Typically the GPS Doppler range is only +/−5 kHz, but this range is expanded to +/−10 kHz to accommodate RF front end clock offset. The “get_coarse_freq” function 310 outputs the maximum cross-correlation power, “max_pwr—1,” 320 over the range of coarse freq indices and the corresponding coarse_freq_index. If this power exceeds a threshold determined experimentally to maximize the SVs that will pass the next phase of acquisition, the process proceeds to the steps for “getting coarse delay” (get_coarse_delay) 330. Note that get_coarse_freq uses Data_dec_x4, with a 1.023 MHz sample rate as described above, for faster execution. The “get_coarse_delay” function 330 returns the coarse_delay (the number of samples to the first symbol), and a second maximum cross-correlation power, “max_pwr—2” 340. If this power exceeds a second threshold determined experimentally to maximize the SVs that will pass the tracking phase of DRT processing, the steps for “getting fine frequency” (get_fine_freq) 350 are executed. The “get_fine_freq” function 350 estimates a fine frequency, fine_freq, relative to coarse_freq. So
measured—freq=fine—freq+{coarse—freq_index×1000(1023/1024)},
wherein measured_freq is “measured frequency.” The results of this process are stored in the acquisition summary matrix, “Acq_summ_mat” 360, which is input to the track process described further below.
The ambiguity matrix (AM) approach to detection is used in both get_coarse_freq and get_coarse_delay. Acquisition is the most computationally intensive part of GPS processing; it requires a search over both time (or chip phase) and frequency. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the acquisition process utilizes the ambiguity matrix (AM), described below. The row number of the AM peak corresponds to delay while the column number corresponds to frequency offset. This is similar to the 2-D ambiguity function in radar; one dimension is delay, the other frequency offset. Thus the name ambiguity matrix.
The usual L1 C/A signal acquisition process steps over a range of frequencies. Typically a set of 1 ms symbols is cross-correlated (XC) with a reference. Consider an 8 symbol data set cross-correlated with an 8 symbol reference. The frequency step size is typically the inverse of the integration time; here 125 Hz for 8 symbols. Searching over say +/−5 kHz would then require 80 steps of 125 Hz each. As integration time grows, computational burden grows rapidly, both because of the reduced frequency step size as well as increased XC length.
Referring to
For each coarse freq index, 8K data samples, where K=1024, are cross-correlated with a reference. This reference is adjusted by the coarse frequency corresponding to the current coarse_freq_index. The desired frequency search step size is about 1 kHz. A circular shift of the FFT of the reference effects a frequency shift. Each frequency bin is
(sample rate)/(no. of FFT bins)=1.023 MHz/8×1024
wide. So a shift of 8 bins results in a frequency shift of 8×(1.023 MHz/(8×1024)) or 1000×(1023/1024) Hz, or about 1 kHz. The reference is 1023 samples long or one sample per chip of the Gold Code, for the current SV. The XC is performed by multiplying the 8K FFT of the data with a shifted version of the FFT of reference, padded with zeros to 8K, and then taking the inverse FFT (IFFT). The first [8K−8] points of the 8K XC result (the 8K IFFT output) are squared and poured into the [1K−1] by 8 XC matrix by columns. Taking the FFT of each row and then the magnitude squared produces the AM. As discussed, the squaring operation of the XC before the 8 point FFT result removes possible 180 degree phase shifts between 2 symbols. The get_coarse_freq function returns the maximum AM power (max_pwr—1), over the range of coarse frequency indices, and the corresponding coarse_freq_index.
Upon exiting get_coarse_freq, coarse_freq_index and max_pwr—1 are known. If max_pwr—1 exceeds a threshold, get_coarse_delay is executed. The coarse_delay is the number of samples to the first symbol boundary. Referring to
This process essentially cross-correlates [8(4K−4)] data samples with a frequency adjusted reference, [4K−4] samples long, and pours the squared result by columns into the [4K−4] by 8 XC matrix. An FFT of the rows, followed by a magnitude square operation, creates an AM. The row number, counting from zero, with the greatest power, corresponds to coarse_delay.
This process is essentially the same as the previous get_coarse_freq except:
To avoid large FFTs, the XC is done via the overlap-and save-method. Conceptually, two adjacent [4K−4] data sections, or [2(4K−4)] samples, are cross-correlated with a [4K−4] ref padded to [2(4K−4)] and the first (4K−4) of the XC result saved. This is repeated, moving forward in the data, in [4K−4] steps. In practice, all FFTs are 8K long; the [4K−4] ref is padded to 8K and 8K of data is used at each step.
Alternatively, the overlap and save method used to effect XC as described with respect to
As with get_coarse_freq, the reference is frequency adjusted by a circular shift of its FFT. Here the FFTs are padded out to 8K so a shift of 2 corresponds to 2×(4.092 MHz/8K) or 1000(1023/1024) Hz or about 1 kHz. Thus the factor of 2 before the circular shift. At the start of the get_coarse_delay process, the Data Matrix is filled by columns according to the algorithm described in
Referring to
coarse—freq=1000*(1023/1024)*coarse—freq_index;
del=coarse—freq/4.092E6;
Freq_correction—vec=exp(i*2*pi*del*(1:4092);
Sym_phase—corr—vec=exp(i*2*pi*(1:16)*4092*del);
Ref—freq—n_phase corrected=Sym_phase—corr—vec(symbol_number)*Freq—corr—vec.*Ref;
What remains, after multiplying each symbol by a reference, is 16 symbols of data, with code modulation removed, frequency modulated by fine_freq: the difference between the coarse frequency and the measured frequency. Next, each 4092 sample symbol is divided into fourths; each 1023 sample sub-symbol is summed and the result placed in the Pre-sum vector. This vector has 16×4092/1023=64 elements. Each element of the 64 element Pre_sum_vec is squared, to remove bit transitions. An alternative is to double the phase of these complex numbers. The vector is padded to 2K and its FFT taken. Then the magnitude squared of each element is taken and the index of the peak element, peak_index, is found. If the peak_index exceeds 2K/2, the fine freq is negative and peak_index=peak_index−2K. The FFT cell size (frequency resolution) is the ratio of the sample rate (4.092 MHz/1023) to the number of FFT bins (2K) or 1.95 Hz. Since the squaring operation has the effect of doubling the frequency, the computed fine frequency is halved at the end of this function. Thus,
fine—freq=(½)*peak_index*1.95 Hz.
Finally, at the end of the acquisition section, the measured frequency is
measured—freq=R×(coarse—freq_index)+fine—freq
where R=1000×(1023/1024) Hz.
Alternatively, one skilled in the art recognizes that other sizes of data windows and FFT pad lengths are possible and are within the scope of the present invention.
The process for correcting the reference, Ref, for frequency and phase is similar to that of get_fine_freq, except that coarse_freq is replaced by meas_freq.
del=meas—freq/4.092E6;
Freq_correction—vec=exp(i*2*pi*del(1:4092));
Sym_phase—corr—vec=exp(i*2*pi*(1:16)*4092*del);
Ref—freq—n_phase corrected=Sym_phase—corr—vec(symbol_number)*Freq—corr—vec.*Ref;
There occurs a slippage of the signal code chips relative to reference code chips, due to apparent chip rate error. This chip rate error is the apparent carrier frequency offset scaled down to the nominal chip rate. The apparent carrier frequency offset is the combined effect of Doppler shift and RF front end clock error. These two are additive and indistinguishable.
The chip rate error causes delay, relative to a reference, to precess linearly as one moves deeper into the collected data. This linearly changing delay causes the reference and data to become more and more misaligned, thus reducing processing gain. This delay is
1/FL1=0.6348 ns per Hz of apparent carrier frequency offset, per second into data,
where FL1=1575.42 MHz, the GPS L1 carrier frequency.
The Bit_slip_vec_samp is this delay, in samples, at 20 symbol (one bit) intervals, and is given by:
TIME_SLIP_FROM_DOPPLER=0.6348E−9; Slip in sec per Hz per sec.
slip_per_bit—sec=−TIME_SLIP_FROM_DOPPLER*meas—freq*0.020; Bit slip per bit in sec.
Bit_slip—vec—sec=cumsum(slip_per bit—sec*ones(1,8)); Bit slip vector, in sec.
Bit_slip—vec—sec(1)=0;
Bit_slip—vec—samp=round(4092e6*Bit_slip—vec—sec); Bit slip vector in samples.
So to minimize the misalignment due to chip rate error, samples are inserted or deleted, every 20 symbols, as defined by the Bit_slip_vec.
At this point, the number of samples to the first symbol (coarse_delay) and the number of symbols to first bit boundary (no_sym_first_bit) are known as discussed above. Thus, Data can be segmented into bits. The process now measures fine delay for each bit and then, via an LMS fit over all bits, estimates fine_delay (850 from
Then delay to the first bit boundary is estimated as the sum of:
The slope of this LMS fit is related to apparent carrier frequency offset, which can be estimated as:
slope_ns_per—20 ms=slope; Slope in ns per 20 ms.
slope—sec_per—sec=(1e−9/20e−3)*slope_ns_per—20 ms; Slope in sec per sec.
dopp_from—1s_fit=−CARRIER—FREQ*slope—sec_per—sec; Estimate of apparent carrier freq offset from slope of LMS fit.
This should agree with the frequency measured in the acquisition section. The difference between these two estimates of apparent carrier frequency offset is saved as an error metric. Each element of the BIT_XC_mat 846 corresponds to the multiplication of a particular bit of data with a delayed reference, followed by summation. To minimize storage, each element is built a symbol at a time. And each symbol reference is adjusted by the Sym_phase_vec, as in the last section, to avoid phase discontinuities.
As before, the Bit_slip_vec is used to insert/delete samples on bit edges. This keeps the XC peak contained within a 7 element column on the BIT_XC_mat. Otherwise this matrix would need more elements in each column, thus requiring more processing to fill. Note that these bit slips are removed 854, as again defined by the Bit_slip_vec, after the quadratic fit 852.
The processes described with respect to
The error metrics saved in the Acq13 summ_mat are:
The variance of a delay estimate, via coherent integration, goes as 1/M where M is the number of independent samples. And the variance of an LMS estimate of y-intercept, goes as 1/N, where N is the number of samples in the LMS fit, e.g., 7. Accordingly, the subject method of estimating delay for each of 7 bits and then combining these with an LMS fit is equivalent to estimation of delay by coherent integration over all 7 bits.
To this point, all processing has occurred at the DRT. The track summary matrix 900 includes tracking information for each SV in view. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a determination is now made regarding what information, i.e., information for which SVs, is to be uploaded to the ground station. Accordingly, an upload filter is used to: determine which of the tracked SVs to upload to the ground station; reduce the precision of the delays to a predetermined number of bits; and assemble the binary message to be uploaded.
The binary message to be uploaded will contain, for each SV, a five bit satellite number and twenty-one bits to represent the delay in milliseconds (one sign bit and twenty bits for the delay). A maximum of five SVs will be uploaded. Twenty bits, plus a sign bit, and five SVs have both been determined experimentally to give the most accurate results with the fewest bits and SVs.
Referring to
More particularly, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, SVs are selected in accordance with the process exemplified in
By putting SVs with DERs greater than 2.5 at the end of the selected SV list, the GLP will know where to start excluding SVs if a geo-location solution cannot be found. The delays from these SVs are the most likely to be inaccurate.
In the final step, the binary message is assembled as follows:
Referring back to
Once the current time is acquired it is converted to Julian day, due to the directory structure on the NASA website. Once the current Julian date is calculated, along with the next or previous day's date (if necessary) the directory structure can be traversed, and the RINEX files can be downloaded.
Once the files are downloaded, they are uncompressed, read by the RINEX loading and reading software, and then stored into a useable database format. We make two identical files, one called log.txt and the other containing a time stamp in the filename. The log.txt file allows for easy real-time processing, where the software will need only look for the most recent database file, and the time stamped file helps with the post-processing of large amounts of data.
a and 19b show GLS inputs and processes. Referring to
In order to compute location of the DRT, the GLP 150 needs a set of delays to the same bit boundary. As discussed above, the track section of DRT GPS processing, estimates the delay to the first bit boundary in the data set, a positive number. As illustrated in
[D1 D2 . . . DN]=[(d1+70)(d2+70)} . . . (dN+70)}].
The additive constant (70 ms) is chosen because it shifts these delays to be near the range of possible delays from a GPS SV to any point visible to this SV on earth: 67-86 ms. Other additive constants are possible. The error in the value of this additive constant acts like a user clock error, which becomes a dummy variable in the Geo-location Algorithm (GLA). Remembering that each delay could be actually that delay reduced by 20 ms as explained above, we create 2N possible sets of pseudoranges, after multiplication by the speed of light (c) 1320. For instance 4 delays there are 16 possible sets of PRs:
Next, each set is tested: if abs(min-max)>19 ms, it is discarded 1330. Each of the M remaining sets of pseudoranges are input the geo-location algorithm to produce M possible position estimates as shown in
Referring to
In virtually all cases, only one position estimate passes the above altitude test. This is retained as the true position estimate of the DRT. In an operational system, in the rare event that more than one position estimate passes the altitude test, prior position data may be used to make a reasonable choice. One skilled in the art recognizes that 1700 is an arbitrary upper limit which can be varied.
As discussed, the GLA uses a set of PRs, the time of data collection and the Navigation Message to produce an estimate of the DRT's location. This algorithm can be one of several described in various text books (See, for example, Fundamentals of Global Positioning System Receivers—A Software Approach, Second Edition, James B. Tsui, 2005 Wiley-Interscience) or found in commercially available software packages. The current embodiment uses a commercially available software package from GPSoft LLC.
In an alternative embodiment, the DRT measures delay to the first symbol (GPS code epoch). The total PR then would be that delay plus an unknown number of 1 ms intervals between the SV and the DRT; e.g., the measured delay to the first symbol is the total delay to the SV, modulo 1 ms. The total delay is then the measured delay to the first symbol boundary plus an integer number of 1 ms intervals, between 67 and 86 ms (the range of possible delays from any location on earth to a GPS SV in view). This alternative method would then iterate over possible combinations of measured delays plus 1 ms intervals between 67 and 86 ms. As with the current method, the geo-location solution whose altitude is between 0 and 1700 m is accepted as correct.
Additional data processing techniques are contemplated by the invention. Methods to reduce the number of transmitted bits would further reduce energy consumption. For example, removing a number of the most significant bits (MSBs) of the delays means that the DRT is transmitting fewer bits. Leaving off bits simply increases the number of possible solutions that must be tried at the ground station. The number of possible solutions would be 2^(# MSBs left off*# of delays). For example, if we left off a single most significant bit from each of four delays, we would have 2^(1*4)=16 possible delay sets to iterate over. It is possible to use a branch algorithm to eliminate groups of possibilities at a time so the total number of possibilities would rarely be checked, speeding up the search.
While this invention addresses GPS signals, the methods described here can be used to acquire and measure delays among signals whose structure is similar to GPS signals; that is signals which are bi-phase modulated, with each bit interval consisting of repeated code epochs.
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/068,945, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GEO-LOCATING A RECEIVER WITH REDUCED POWER CONSUMPTION, filed Feb. 13, 2008 now abandoned, which is incorporated herein in it's entirety by reference.
This invention was made with Government support under contract no. 01-D-1518/33 awarded by the Department of the Navy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.
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| Child | 12856878 | US |
