Extracting pseudorange information using a cellular device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9369843-B2
Application number	US-201314035884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2013
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

Pseudorange information is extracted by a cellular device from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipset of the cellular device. The cellular device accesses the GNSS chipset embedded within the cellular device where the GNSS chipset calculates pseudorange information for use by the GNSS chipset. The cellular device extracts the pseudorange information from the GNSS chipset for use elsewhere in the cellular device outside of the GNSS chipset.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of extracting pseudorange information using a cellular device, the method comprising:
accessing a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipset embedded within the cellular device, wherein the GNSS chipset calculates pseudorange information for use by the GNSS chipset;
extracting the pseudorange information from the GNSS chipset for use elsewhere in the cellular device outside of the GNSS chipset, wherein the accessing and the extracting are performed by the cellular device that includes hardware;
obtaining carrier phase information from the GNSS chipset, wherein the carrier phase information is real carrier phase information and wherein the obtaining of the carrier phase information further comprises extracting carrier phase measurements from the GNSS chipset, and deriving the real carrier phase information, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the extracted carrier phase measurements; and
storing the carrier phase information in memory located in the cellular device and outside of the GNSS chipset.

2. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
providing smoothed pseudorange information by performing pseudorange smoothing on the extracted pseudorange information using the carrier phase information, wherein said pseudorange smoothing is performed external to the GNSS chipset.

3. The method as recited by claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:
accessing the smoothed pseudorange information at pseudorange information processing logic resident in the cellular device; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the smoothed pseudorange information.

4. The method as recited by claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) pseudorange corrections; and
storing the WAAS pseudorange corrections in memory located in the cellular device and outside of the GNSS chipset.

5. The method as recited by claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises:
accessing the smoothed pseudorange information and the WAAS pseudorange corrections at pseudorange information processing logic resident in the cellular device; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the smoothed pseudorange information and the WAAS pseudorange corrections.

6. The method as recited by claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) pseudorange corrections from a local DGPS reference source.

7. The method as recited by claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises:
providing DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges by applying the DGPS pseudorange corrections to the smoothed pseudorange information.

8. The method as recited by claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) pseudorange corrections;
providing the DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges and the WAAS pseudorange corrections to the pseudorange information processing logic; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges and the WAAS pseudorange corrections.

9. The method as recited by claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises:
accessing the DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges at the pseudorange information processing logic; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges.

10. The method as recited by claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Precise Point Positioning (PPP) corrections.

11. The method as recited by claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises:
if a distance between the cellular device and a nearest reference station is less than or equal to a distance threshold, providing corrected smoothed pseudoranges by applying the DGPS pseudorange corrections to the smoothed pseudorange information, wherein the applying of the DGPS pseudorange corrections is accomplished external to the GNSS chipset; and
if the distance is greater than the distance threshold, providing corrected smoothed pseudoranges by applying different pseudorange corrections to the smoothed pseudorange information, wherein the different pseudorange corrections is selected from a group consisting of SBAS corrections, WAAS corrections, RTX corrections and PPP corrections, wherein the applying of the different pseudorange corrections is accomplished external to the GNS chipset.

12. The method as recited by claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
if the corrected smoothed pseudoranges are DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges, then
accessing the DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges and the PPP corrections at pseudorange information processing logic, wherein the PPP corrections are orbit-clock errors; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the DGPS corrected smoothed pseudoranges and the PPP corrections.

13. The method as recited by claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
storing the extracted pseudorange information in memory located in the cellular device and outside of the GNSS chipset.

14. The method as recited by claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
accessing the extracted pseudorange information at pseudorange information processing logic resident in the cellular device; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the extracted pseudorange information.

15. The method as recited by claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) pseudorange corrections from a local DGPS reference source.

16. The method as recited by claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises:
accessing the extracted pseudorange information and the DGPS pseudorange corrections at the pseudorange information processing logic; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, by applying the DGPS pseudorange corrections to the extracted pseudorange information.

17. The method as recited by claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) pseudorange corrections; and
storing the WAAS pseudorange corrections in memory located in the cellular device and outside of the GNSS chipset.

18. The method as recited by claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) pseudorange corrections from a local DGPS reference source.

19. The method as recited by claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises:
accessing the extracted pseudorange information and the DGPS pseudorange corrections at pseudorange information processing logic resident at the cellular device;
determining DGPS corrected unsmoothed pseudoranges, external to the GNSS chipset, by applying the DGPS pseudorange corrections to the extracted pseudorange information;
accessing the WAAS pseudorange corrections at the pseudorange information processing logic; and
determining a position fix, external to the GNSS chipset, based on the DGPS corrected unsmoothed pseudoranges and the WAAS pseudorange corrections.

20. The method as recited by claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Precise Point Positioning (PPP) corrections; and
storing the PPP corrections in memory located in the cellular device and outside of the GNSS chipset.

21. The method as recited by claim 20 , wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining Differential Global

Assignees

• Trimble Navigation Ltd

Inventors

• Rudow Richard
• Wold Robert
• Kasirajan Venkateswaran
• Talbot Nicholas C
• Loomis Peter Van Wyck
• Janky James M

Classifications

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04M2250/10

  including a GPS signal receiver · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• G01S19/25

  involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS · CPC title

• G01S19/43 Primary

  using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry · CPC title