Resilient Distributed Positioning Networks for Co-Channel Beacon Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current positioning and timing systems for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and indoor navigation face challenges such as co-channel interference, jamming, spoofing attacks, and low precision, particularly in urban environments, which hinder accurate geolocation and timing solutions needed for safe drone operations and autonomous vehicle navigation.
Innovation Solution
A resilient distributed positioning network (RDPN) using flexible multitone navigation signals with spectral and temporal redundancy, allowing for rapid and precise geolocation and timing through network-provisioned co-channel beacons transmitted from nodes to users, enabling efficient separation of signals even in interference-limited environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If GNSS signals are used for positioning, then global coverage is achieved, but signal strength is weak and easily suppressed by attenuation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces terrestrial beacon transmitters as intermediary nodes between GNSS satellites and the receiver. These beacons receive GNSS signals and re-transmit them locally, creating a relay system that strengthens the signal path and overcomes atmospheric and physical obstructions that suppress direct satellite signals.
2Productivity
If multiple beacon transmitters use co-channel transmission, then network efficiency is improved, but co-channel interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the beacon signals from traditional continuous waveforms to flexible multitone signals with specific spectral characteristics. By carefully controlling the frequency components, phases, and temporal structures of these multitone signals, the system enables co-channel beacons to be separated at the receiver through spectral analysis, thus maintaining network efficiency while eliminating interference.
3Device complexity
If correlative or matched filter methods are used for signal detection, then signal processing is simplified, but vulnerability to jamming and spoofing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the signal separation problem from the time domain to the spectral domain by using multitone signals. Instead of relying on temporal correlation alone, the receiver exploits the unique spectral fingerprints of each beacon's multitone signal, adding a frequency dimension to the detection process that provides inherent security against jamming and spoofing attacks.
4Measurement precision
If GPS signals are received at low incident power, then receiver sensitivity is tested, but acquisition fails below noise floor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary signal processing at the beacon transmitter by pre-modulating navigation data onto multitone carriers with optimized spectral distributions. This pre-processing ensures that even weak signals arriving below the noise floor contain structured spectral information that can be extracted through Fourier analysis, enabling acquisition where traditional methods fail.
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AI summary
Methods and techniques provide for secure, low-latency, high-precision positioning and timing using networks of spectrally and/or temporally redundant beacons. Beacons are transmitted from network nodes to network users; transmitted from network users to network nodes; or transponded to and from network nodes through network users using bent-pipe transponders. A spectrally efficient beacon air interface induces at least one of spectral or temporal redundancy on the transmitted beacon signal, and means for exploiting the redundancy can separate beacons at centralized network operating centers with precision dictated by the power of those signals above the receiver noise floor, rather than other beacon signals received at the same time and frequency. Specific beacon transmission parameters provide for determining positioning and timing of aerial network users consistent with United States Federal Aviation Administration regulations for Class-1 small unmanned aircraft systems.