Low-Energy GNSS Mobile Station Using Base Station Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

GNSS receivers on movable objects require significant energy to acquire and process signals from multiple satellites, leading to battery depletion in battery-powered devices, especially in applications where frequent location tracking is needed.

Innovation Solution

A low-energy GNSS location system where a mobile station communicates bidirectionally with a fixed base station to offload most of the GNSS signal processing, using pseudolites that transmit GNSS-like signals in an unlicensed RF band close to satellite frequencies, allowing the mobile station to receive signals from both satellites and pseudolites, reducing the energy consumption by minimizing the need for continuous satellite signal acquisition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the GNSS receiver continuously acquires and processes signals from multiple satellites to maintain accurate location tracking, then the location accuracy is improved, but the energy consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocation accuracyVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The base station performs preliminary GNSS signal processing and calculates position estimates before the mobile station needs them. The base station continuously processes GNSS signals and maintains up-to-date position information, which is then transmitted to the mobile station on demand, eliminating the need for the mobile station to continuously acquire and process satellite signals itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The base station acts as an intermediary between the GNSS satellites and the mobile station. Instead of the mobile station directly receiving and processing signals from multiple GNSS satellites, it receives processed position information from the base station, which has already performed the complex signal acquisition and processing functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If the mobile station performs full GNSS signal processing to determine position independently, then the system complexity is reduced at the base station, but the energy consumption and processing burden at the mobile station increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the GNSS positioning function into two segments: signal acquisition and processing at the base station, and position information reception and utilization at the mobile station. This segmentation allows the computationally intensive tasks to be performed at the base station while the mobile station performs only lightweight operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The base station serves as an intermediary processing center that handles the complex GNSS signal processing tasks, allowing the mobile station to avoid implementing full signal processing capabilities while still achieving accurate positioning through the base station's processed information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Use of energy by moving object

If the mobile station uses dead reckoning or non-GNSS sensors to estimate position, then the energy consumption is reduced, but the location accuracy deteriorates over time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidlocation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges the advantages of both approaches by combining the energy efficiency of dead reckoning with the accuracy of GNSS processing. The mobile station uses low-power dead reckoning for continuous position estimation while periodically receiving accuracy corrections from the base station's GNSS processing, merging the benefits of both methods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The base station provides feedback corrections to the mobile station's dead reckoning estimates. The mobile station can use its own sensors for continuous tracking and receive periodic corrections from the base station's more accurate GNSS-based position calculations, improving overall accuracy while maintaining low energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3265847B1Low-energy consumption location of movable objects

Publication Date: 2021.02.24 GATEKEEPER SYST INC

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AI summary

Low-energy consumption techniques for locating a movable object using a global satellite navigation system (GNSS) are provided. A mobile station attached to or included in a movable object can communicate bidirectionally with a fixed base station to determine a location of the movable object. The mobile station may communicate an estimated position to the base station and receive from the base station a set of GNSS satellites that are visible to the mobile station. The mobile station can acquire satellite timing information from GNSS signals from the set of satellites and communicate minimally-processed satellite timing information to the base station. The base station can determine the position of the mobile station and communicate the position back to the mobile station. By offloading much of the processing to the base station, energy consumption of the mobile station is reduced.