RTK Rover Positioning Without Timestamps Using a Reference Receiver
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Solution Overview
Problem
RTK roving receivers require substantial processing resources and power consumption, limiting their miniaturization and utility in IoT applications due to the need for continuous satellite data acquisition and rough timestamp reliance, which is not feasible in single-epoch positioning.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for time-free position determination using a reference receiver, involving a single epoch of satellite data acquisition, composite processing of time-free and time-referenced observables, and integer ambiguity resolution to achieve centimeter-level accuracy without rough timestamps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If RTK roving receiver processes satellite signals in real-time to produce position data, then positioning accuracy is improved, but processing resource requirements and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
A cloud-based processing system acts as an intermediary between the simple RTK roving receiver and the complex signal processing required for high-accuracy positioning. The receiver only collects raw satellite data locally, then transmits it to the cloud where sophisticated algorithms process the signals and compute precise positions, eliminating the need for complex onboard processing resources while maintaining centimeter-level accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning system is segmented into two distinct parts: a simple, low-power receiver component that performs only basic signal collection, and a separate cloud-based processing system that handles the complex computational tasks. This segmentation allows the receiver to be miniaturized for IoT applications while the cloud provides the necessary processing power for high-precision positioning
2Measurement precision
If RTK roving receiver continuously acquires positioning data from satellite constellation over multiple epochs, then positioning accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data collection over multiple epochs in the cloud environment where time-based data can be properly tuned, then processes and stores the results. This allows the receiver to operate in power-efficient mode by only collecting raw data locally without continuous processing, while still benefiting from the accuracy improvements that would traditionally require continuous local computation
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud-based processing system serves as an intermediary that handles the power-intensive tasks of processing multiple epochs of data and tuning time-based observations. The receiver only performs the low-power task of data collection, transmitting results to the cloud for comprehensive processing, thereby dramatically reducing onboard power consumption while maintaining positioning accuracy
3Length of moving object
If RTK roving receiver uses single epoch positioning data without rough timestamps, then device miniaturization is enabled, but positioning accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud-based processing system acts as an intermediary that compensates for the absence of rough timestamps by receiving raw satellite data from the miniaturized receiver, adding time information from the cloud's synchronized clocks, and processing the data to produce accurate positions. This allows the receiver to be small and simple while the cloud provides the temporal reference needed for high-precision positioning
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the physical receiver to store and process time-based data locally, the system creates a virtual copy of the processing function in the cloud. The cloud system replicates the complex processing operations that would normally require substantial onboard resources, enabling device miniaturization while maintaining positioning accuracy through remote computation
Data Source
AI summary
The time-free position determination of a roving receiver using a reference receiver without benefit of a known receiver time includes the acquisition from a real-time kinematic (RTK) roving receiver of a snapshot position of the receiver for a single epoch from a constellation of global positioning satellites. The snapshot includes satellite time-free observables lacking both satellite transmitted timestamps and also rough timestamps from either a local clock onboard the receiver, or from network protocol data established in a computer communications network. Concurrently, baseline position data is retrieved for a fixed receiver which had been received from the constellation including time-referenced observables. Finally, time and position data is produced for the receiver by compositing the time-free observables with the time referenced observables with the rough timestamps as an unknown.