Spirent Communications, Inc.

Dennis Berres

Paul Hansen

Jeremy Charles Bennington

Esther Anyaegbu

Richard West

Colin Richard Ford

Rafal Zbikowski

Ronald Toh Ming Wong

Adam Gleave

Raphael Grech

Arthur Edward Neeves

The technology disclosed teaches a method of improving accuracy of a GNSS receiver that has a non-directional antenna, with the receiver sending CDN a request for predictive data for an area that includes the receiver. Responsive to the query, the method includes receiving data regarding LOS visibility for the receiver with respect to individual satellites, and the receiver using the data for satellite selection, for choosing some and ignoring other individual satellites. Also disclosed is using the data to exclude from satellite selection at least one individual satellite based on lack of LOS visibility to the individual satellite. Further disclosed is recognizing and rejecting spoofed GNSS signals received by a GNSS receiver that has a non-directional antenna, in response to a CDN response to a request for predictive data for an area that includes the receiver, with the receiver comparing the data with measures of signals received from individual satellites.

Accuracy of a GNSS receiver that has a non-directional antenna

The technology disclosed teaches a method of path planning using a GNSS Forecast, requesting the GNSS Forecast of signal obscuration on behalf of a vehicle travelling in a region, receiving and using the Forecast to plan a path or route that has GNSS signals available over the path or route that satisfy a predetermined criterium. Also taught are GNSS Forecasts and planned paths or routes for a plurality of flying vehicles used by a flight control system, requesting the GNSS Forecast of signal obscuration on behalf of a flying autonomous or automated vehicle travelling in a region, receiving and using the Forecast and to plan a path with GNSS signals available over the path that satisfy predetermined criteria including accommodating real-time changes in flight paths, without leaving space, that satisfies the predetermined criteria. Also taught is certifying performance of GNSS receivers used on a flying vessel.

Path planning using forecasts of obscuration and multipath

Disclosed is a method of providing dilution of precision (DOP) forecasts for GNSS navigation and optionally degree of confidence, for routing of vehicles or alerting humans in vehicles: accessing a 3D map of an area including structure solids and generating cuboids in spaces not contained in the structure solids, and iteratively over time increments, calculating GNSS satellites visible from the cuboids using the 3D map and, using at least the calculated visibility, determining a DOP forecast for GNSS signals observable in the cuboids at the time increments. The disclosed method also includes compressing the calculated DOP forecast spatially and temporally, and distributing the compressed DOP forecast via a content delivery network (CDN), responsive to queries from requestors to an API of the CDN, whereby the requestors' systems can take into account the DOP forecast for routing the vehicles or alerting the humans in the vehicles to a predicted navigation impairment.

Architecture for providing forecasts of GNSS obscuration and multipath

Growing community of inventors

Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Dennis Berres