Method for each of a plurality of satellites of a secondary global navigation satellite system in a low earth orbit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10859712-B2
Application number	US-201815879631-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2018
Priority date	Jan 25, 2017
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A method for each of a plurality of satellites of a secondary Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, in a Low Earth Orbit, LEO, comprising receiving GNSS signals, in a first frequency band, from Line-Of-Sight, LOS, satellites of at least one primary GNSS in a Medium Earth Orbit. Candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections for the LOS satellites are received. A Position-Velocity-Time, PVT, calculation is performed based on code and/or carrier pseudo-ranges between a respective satellite of the secondary GNSS and the LOS satellites. The code and/or carrier pseudo-ranges are derived from the GNSS signals and are corrected by a single set of the candidate sets. A short-term prediction model is determined for an orbit and clock of the respective satellite based on the PVT and is included in a navigation message, transmitted in a second frequency band, modulated onto a LEO navigation signal intended for terrestrial user equipment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for each of a plurality of satellites of a secondary Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) comprising:
receiving multiple GNSS signals, in a first frequency band, from Line-of-sight (LOS) satellites of at least one primary GNSS in a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) via a receiving unit;
receiving candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections for the LOS satellites of the at least one primary GNSS via the receiving unit;
performing a Position-Velocity-Time (PVT) calculation based on at least one of code or carrier pseudo-ranges between the LOS satellites of the at least one primary GNSS and a respective satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS, wherein the at least one of code or carrier pseudo-ranges are derived from the received multiple GNSS signals, and wherein the at least one of code or carrier pseudo-ranges are corrected by a single set of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections via a computer unit;
determining a short-term prediction model for an orbit and clock of the respective satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS based on the PVT calculation via the computer unit;
transmitting, in a second frequency band, which is different or identical to the first frequency band, a navigation message modulated onto a LEO navigation signal intended for terrestrial user equipment, wherein the navigation message includes the short-term prediction model via a transmitting unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
after receiving the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections, determining an optimal set of orbit and clock corrections from the received candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections; and
wherein the single set of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections is the optimal set of orbit and clock corrections.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections comprises at least one of:
receiving, from the LOS satellites of the at least one primary GNSS, at least part of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections included in a user navigation message intended for terrestrial user equipment;
receiving, from one or more Space-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) in a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) at least part of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections, intended for terrestrial or airborne user equipment;
receiving, from at least one on-demand service provider, via a communication module on the respective satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS, at least part of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections; or
receiving, from at least one of
at least one LEO satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS, or
at least one on-demand GEO or MEO satellite providing, via an intercommunication module on the respective satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS, at least part of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
after receiving the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections, reducing a number of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections by using at least one of information about a newest Age of Data (AoD) or any other ancillary parameters informing on the quality of a prediction error;
after reducing the number of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections, determining a common aging period of the remaining sets of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections;
selecting an optimal set of orbit and clock corrections to be applied to the at least one of code or carrier pseudo-ranges between the respective satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS and the LOS satellites of the at least one primary GNSS taking into account a prediction error over the common aging period; and
correcting the at least one of code or carrier pseudo-ranges between the respective satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS and the LOS satellites of the at least one primary GNSS by the selected optimal set of orbit and clock corrections.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the ancillary parameters comprise at least one of SISA and DVS/SHS flags for Galileo or URA for GPS.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining at least one of Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges or at least one of simple Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges, wherein the step of transmitting further comprises:
transmitting the at least one of Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges or the at least one of simple Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges to the terrestrial user equipment, in a third frequency band, which is different or identical to at least one of the first or second frequency bands.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising
receiving, from another satellite of the plurality of satellites of the secondary GNSS, at least one of corresponding simple Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges;
determining at least one of double Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges based on the received at least one of simple Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges and the on-board determined at least one of simple Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges;
transmitting the determined at least one of double Delta code or carrier pseudo-ranges to the user equipment in the third frequency band.

8. A satellite for a secondary Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) operable in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) comprising:
at least one receiving unit configured to:
receive multiple GNSS signals, in a first frequency band, from Line-of-sight (LOS) satellites of at least one primary GNSS in a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and
receive candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections for the LOS satellites of the at least one primary GNSS;

an on-board computer unit (OBCU) configured to:
perform a Position-Velocity-Time (PVT) calculation based on at least one of code or carrier pseudo-ranges between the satellite and the LOS satellites of the at least one primary GNSS, wherein the at least one of code or carrier pseudo-ranges are derived from the received multiple GNSS signals, and wherein the pseudo-ranges are corrected by a single set of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections, and
determine a short-term prediction model for an orbit and clock of the satellite based on the PVT; and
a transmitting unit configured to transmit, in a second frequency band, which is different or identical to the first frequency band, a navigation message modulated onto a LEO navigation signal intended for terrestrial user equipment, wherein the navigation message includes the short-term prediction model.

9. The satellite according to claim 8 , wherein the OBCU is further adapted to:
determine an optimal set of orbit and clock corrections from the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections; and
wherein the single set of the candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections is the optimal set of orbit and clock corrections.

10. A terrestrial user equipment comprising:
a receiving unit adapted to receive navigation signals including navigation messages from one or more satellites, wherein each satellite is for a secondary Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and is operable in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and wherein each satellite comprises at least one receiving unit configured to:
receive multiple GNSS signals, in a first frequency band, from Line-of-sight (LOS) satellites of at least one primary GNSS in a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and
receive candidate sets of orbit and clock corrections for the LOS satellites of the at le

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Soualle Francis
• Ouedraogo Mahamoudou
• Floch Jean-Jacques
• Zenzinger Alexander
• Sassen Stefan
• Baur Oliver
• Heim Jens

Classifications

• G01S19/393 Primary

  Trajectory determination or predictive tracking, e.g. Kalman filtering · CPC title

• G01S19/396

  Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements · CPC title

• G01S19/14

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• G01S19/41 Primary

  Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] · CPC title

• G01S19/02

  Details of the space or ground control segments · CPC title