Spot Beam Geolocation for Urban Signal Occlusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing satellite navigation systems, such as GPS, often fail to provide accurate 3D positioning and time transfer in attenuated, jammed, or occluded environments like urban areas due to insufficient signal power and lack of vertical navigation information.
Innovation Solution
The system employs spot beam overlap for geolocation by emitting spot beams from vehicles like satellites or aircraft, allowing user receiver devices to calculate their location using signal reception from multiple spot beams, incorporating techniques like Kalman filters and signal-to-noise ratio measurements to refine estimates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GPS signals are used for navigation, then positioning capability is provided, but signal power is insufficient to penetrate urban canyons or building walls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the navigation signal system by introducing a second signal source (terrestrial base stations or pseudolites) in addition to satellite signals. This segmentation allows the system to operate independently or in combination, ensuring positioning availability when satellite signals are blocked by urban canyons or building walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces terrestrial base stations or pseudolites as intermediary signal sources between the user and the navigation system. These intermediaries provide local signal coverage in urban environments where direct satellite signals are blocked, effectively mediating the positioning function in signal-denied areas.
2Area of stationary object
If cellular or television signals are used for navigation, then signal coverage is improved, but vertical navigation information is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple signal sources (satellite signals, terrestrial base station signals, and television signals) into a unified navigation system. This combination allows the system to leverage the wide coverage of terrestrial and television signals while recovering vertical navigation information through signal processing techniques that extract three-dimensional positioning data from the combined signal set.
3Reliability
If inertial navigation systems are used to address indoor navigation, then positioning capability is maintained, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual extension of satellite-based navigation infrastructure by deploying terrestrial base stations that replicate the positioning function of satellites at ground level. This copying approach provides indoor positioning capability using simplified receivers that process terrestrial signals similarly to how they process satellite signals, avoiding the need for complex inertial navigation systems.
4Measurement precision
If specialized beacons are deployed for indoor navigation, then positioning accuracy is improved, but deployment cost and lack of standardization increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs terrestrial base stations with multi-functionality, serving both navigation positioning and other communication functions. This universal design allows the same infrastructure to provide accurate positioning without requiring specialized single-purpose beacons, thereby reducing deployment costs and enabling standardization across different applications and regions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances geolocation accuracy and enables precise positioning even in challenging environments by leveraging spot beam geometry and signal overlap, improving navigation system performance.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a doppler frequency offset of at least one vehicle, calculating a doppler range estimate
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system are disclosed for providing an estimate of a location of a user receiver device. The method involves emitting, from at least one vehicle, at least one spot beam on Earth; and receiving, with the user receiver device, at least one spot beam. The method further involves calculating, with the user receiver device, the estimate of the location of the user receiver device according to the user receiver device's location within at least one spot beam. Each spot beam contains at least one acquisition signal, which may comprise at least one ring channel. Each ring channel comprises a frame count; a space vehicle identification (SVID); a spot beam identification (ID); and/or X, Y, Z coordinates of the vehicle emitting the spot beam relative to an Earth coordinate system. In one or more embodiments, at least one vehicle may be a satellite and/or a pseudolite.