The Boeing Company

Leland Stanford Junior University

Integrinautics Corporation

Apple Inc.

Novariant, Inc.

Other

Trimble Navigation Limited

Coherent Navigation, Inc.

Pnt Holdings, Inc.

Clark Emerson Cohen

David Arthur Whelan

Gregory M Gutt

Barton G Ferrell

Robert W Brumley

David G Lawrence

Brent Michael Ledvina

Kurt R Zimmerman

Paul Y Montgomery

William J Bencze

Mark Lockwood Psiaki

Greg M Gutt

Bradford W Parkinson

Isaac Thomas Miller

Michael Lee O'Connor

Bart Ferrell

John David Powell

Henry Stewart Cobb

Stewart Cobb

Miro Samek

Walter Melton

Henry S Cobb

Boris S Pervan

Thomas J Holmes

Walter C Melton

Matthew Rabinowitz

Michael Paul Dentinger

Todd E Humphreys

Bryan T Galusha

Significant, cost-effective improvement is introduced for Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) on a global basis, particularly enhancing the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), an example of which is the Global Positioning System (GPS). The solution significantly improves performance metrics including the accuracy, integrity, time to acquire, interference rejection, and spoofing protection. A constellation of small satellites employing a low-cost architecture combined with improved signal processing yields an affordable enabler for spectrum-efficient transportation mobility. As air traffic management modernization transitions to a greater dependence on satellite positioning, the solution provides aviation users new protections from both intentional and unintentional interference to navigation and surveillance. And in response to an era in which intelligent transportation is under development for automobiles, reliable where-in-lane positioning enables new applications in connected and autonomous vehicles. New military capability increases PNT availability.

Performance and cost global navigation satellite system architecture

A system and method of continuous carrier wave reconstruction includes a radio navigation receiver that includes one or more processors, memory coupled to the one or more processors, and an input for receiving a signal from a transmitter. The signal has a phase. The one or more processors are configured to obtain phase lock on the received signal, extract first phase information from the received signal, detect a loss in phase lock on the received signal, and extrapolate second phase information while phase lock is lost using a model of the phase. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to reconstruct the carrier signal based on the first and second phase information. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configured to scale the first and second phase information from a first nominal frequency of the received signal to a different second nominal frequency.

System and method for continuous carrier wave reconstruction

Position, navigation and/or timing (PNT) solutions may be provided with levels of precision that have previously and conventionally been associated with carrier phase differential GPS (CDGPS) techniques that employ a fixed terrestrial reference station or with GPS PPP techniques that employ fixed terrestrial stations and corrections distribution networks of generally limited terrestrial coverage. Using techniques described herein, high-precision PNT solutions may be provided without resort to a generally proximate, terrestrial ground station having a fixed and precisely known position. Instead, techniques described herein utilize a carrier phase model and measurements from plural satellites (typically 4 or more) wherein at least one is a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite. For an Iridium LEO solution, particular techniques are described that allow extraction of an Iridium carrier phase observables, notwithstanding TDMA gaps and random phase rotations and biases inherent in the transmitted signals.

Systems, methods, devices and subassemblies for rapid-acquisition access to high-precision positioning, navigation and/or timing solutions

A generalized high performance navigation system is provided using low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. In one embodiment, a method of performing navigation includes receiving a LEO signal from a LEO satellite. The method also includes decoding a navigation signal from the LEO signal. The method further includes receiving first and second ranging signals from first and second ranging sources, respectively. In addition, the method includes determining calibration information associated with the first and second ranging sources. The method also includes calculating a position using the navigation signal, the first and second ranging signals, and the calibration information.

Generalized high performance navigation system

Systems and methods according to one or more embodiments are provided for obtaining a precise absolute time using a satellite system. The precise absolute time may be used, for example, as an aid for positioning systems including navigation in attenuated or jammed environments. A method of obtaining precise absolute time transfer from a satellite according to an embodiment comprises: receiving a precision time signal from a satellite, wherein the precision time signal comprises a periodic repeating code; determining a timing phase of the code; receiving additional aiding information; and using the timing phase and the additional aiding information to determine a precise absolute time.

Precise absolute time transfer from a satellite system

A method for estimating a precise position of a user device from signals from a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite includes receiving at least one carrier signal at a user device, each carrier signal being transmitted a distinct LEO satellite. The user device processes the carrier signals to obtain a first carrier phase information. The user device recalls an inertial position fix derived at an inertial reference unit. The user device derives a position of the user device based on the inertial position fix and the first carrier phase information.

LEO-based positioning system for indoor and stand-alone navigation

Data from GPS satellites within the field of view of a ground station are retransmitted to LEO satellites, such as Iridium satellites, and cross-linked if necessary before being transmitted to a user. The user is then able to combine the fed-forward data with data received directly from GPS satellites in order to resolve errors due to interference or jamming. Iridium and data aiding thus provides a means for extending GPS performance under a variety of data-impaired conditions because it can provide certain aiding information over its data link in real time.

Real-time data aiding for enhanced GPS performance

A practical method for adding new high-performance, tightly integrated Nav-Com capability to any Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) user equipment requires no hardware modifications to the existing user equipment. In one example, the iGPS concept is applied to a Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR) and combines Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, such as Iridium, with GPS or other GNSS systems to significantly improve the accuracy, integrity, and availability of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and to enable new communication enhancements made available by the synthesis of precisely coupled navigation and communication modes. To achieve time synchronization stability between the existing DAGR and a plug-in iGPS enhancement module, a special-purpose wideband reference signal is generated by the iGPS module and coupled to the DAGR via the existing antenna port.

Practical method for upgrading existing GNSS user equipment with tightly integrated Nav-Com capability

A low earth orbit (LEO) satellite data uplink is provided. In one embodiment, a method of providing a data uplink to a LEO satellite includes determining position information using a LEO signal received from the LEO satellite, a first ranging signal received from a first ranging source, and a second ranging signal received from a second ranging source. The method also includes determining a timing advance parameter using a local clock reference and a LEO satellite clock reference. The method further includes preparing a data uplink signal comprising uplink data to be broadcast to the LEO satellite. In addition, the method includes synchronizing the data uplink signal with the LEO satellite using the timing advance parameter. The method also includes broadcasting the data uplink signal to the LEO satellite.

Low earth orbit satellite data uplink

Low earth orbit (LEO) satellites are used to provide navigation signals. In one embodiment, a method of providing a LEO signal from a LEO satellite includes providing a plurality of transmit channels over a plurality of transmit slots. The transmit channels comprise a set of communication channels and a set of navigation channels. The method also includes generating a first pseudo random noise (PRN) ranging overlay corresponding to a navigation signal. The method further includes applying the first PRN ranging overlay to a first set of the navigation channels. In addition, the method includes combining the communication channels and the navigation channels into a LEO signal. The method also includes broadcasting the LEO signal from the LEO satellite.

Low earth orbit satellite providing navigation signals

Various approaches to localized jamming of navigation signals are provided. In one embodiment, a navigation signal comprises at least a portion of a low earth orbit (LEO) signal provided by a LEO satellite. A noise source is filtered to provide a plurality of filtered noise signals in a plurality of frequency bands. The navigation signal is spread over a plurality of channels of the LEO signal. The channels are distributed over the frequency bands and a plurality of time slots. A pseudo random noise (PRN) sequence is generated. The filtered noise signals are modulated using the PRN sequence to provide a plurality of modulated noise signals. The modulated noise signals are broadcast over an area of operations to provide a plurality of jamming bursts corresponding to the navigation signal. The jamming bursts are configured to substantially mask the navigation signal in the area of operations.

Localized jamming of navigation signals

A navigation system provides a significant level of protection against all forms of interference or jamming to GPS in a cost-effective way. The system employs a network of ground reference stations and Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites in conjunction with GPS. A common-view ranging geometry to a GPS satellite is established that links a reference station and a user. A second common-view geometry to a LEO satellite between the same reference station and user pair is also established. The ground stations synthesize real-time aiding signals by making carrier phase measurements of GPS the LEO satellite signals. This aiding information is transmitted via the LEO satellites to the user receiver at high power to penetrate ambient jamming. The user receiver locks onto the carrier phase of the LEO satellite, demodulates the aiding information, then applies the carrier phase measurements and the aiding information to enable extended coherent measurements of the GPS signals. The system thereby recovers the GPS signals that would otherwise be lost to the jamming.

Methods and apparatus for a navigation system with reduced susceptibility to interference and jamming

Growing community of inventors

Washington, DC, United States of America

Clark Emerson Cohen