Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
  • G01S19/00—Satellite radio beacon positioning systems; Determining position, velocity or attitude using signals transmitted by such systems
  • G01S19/01—Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
  • G01S19/03—Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
  • G01S19/05—Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers providing aiding data
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
  • G01S19/00—Satellite radio beacon positioning systems; Determining position, velocity or attitude using signals transmitted by such systems
  • G01S19/01—Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
  • G01S19/13—Receivers
  • G01S19/24—Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system
  • G01S19/25—Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
  • G01S19/256—Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W56/00—Synchronisation arrangements
  • H04W56/004—Synchronisation arrangements compensating for timing error of reception due to propagation delay
  • H04W56/0045—Synchronisation arrangements compensating for timing error of reception due to propagation delay compensating for timing error by altering transmission time

Definitions

• GNSS Global navigation satellite systems
• GPS global positioning system
• GLONASS Beidou
• QZSS Beidou
• SBAS Galileo
• similar systems are sometimes used in locations where it is difficult to acquire satellite signals.
• GPS global positioning system
• GLONASS global positioning system
• Beidou Beidou
• QZSS Beidou
• SBAS Galileo
• similar systems are sometimes used in locations where it is difficult to acquire satellite signals.
• the receiver must integrate the received signal over a longer period of time in order to acquire the signal. Without assistance some devices can take an excessively long time to compute a location or may fail to acquire satellite signals at all.
• GNSS global navigation satellite systems
• WLAN wireless local area network
• a method for synchronizing a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver includes receiving, by a wireless device, via a wireless local area network (WLAN), fine time assistance information transmitted by an assisting device connected to the WLAN. A time value of a GNSS clock of the wireless device is adjusted based on the fine time assistance information. Based on the adjusted time value, GNSS codes of a GNSS positioning signal are acquired by the wireless device.
• WLAN wireless local area network
• a wireless device in another embodiment, includes a GNSS receiver, a WLAN transceiver, and a synchronization system.
• the GNSS receiver includes a GNSS clock
• the WLAN receiver includes a WLAN clock.
• the synchronization system is configured to synchronize the WLAN clock to the GNSS clock.
• the synchronization system is also configured to adjust the GNSS clock based on fine timing assistance information received via the WLAN transceiver.
• a wireless system includes a first wireless device and a second wireless device.
• the first wireless device includes a GNSS receiver, a WLAN transceiver; and a clock synchronization system.
• the clock synchronization system is coupled to the GNSS receiver and the WLAN transceiver.
• the clock synchronization system is configured to synchronize a GNSS clock of the GNSS receiver to GNSS timing based on fine time assistance information provided via the WLAN transceiver.
• the second wireless device includes a WLAN transceiver configured to provide fine time assistance information based on a clock of the WLAN transceiver, and to transmit the fine time assistance information to the first wireless device.
• a wireless device includes a WLAN transceiver and a synchronization system.
• the WLAN transceiver includes a WLAN clock.
• the synchronization system is configured to synchronize the WLAN clock GNSS timing.
• the synchronization system is also configured to transmit fine timing assistance information, based on the WLAN clock, to a different wireless device via the WLAN.
• the fine timing assistance information provides timing that is within less than a GNSS pseudo-noise code period of GNSS timing.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for providing fine time assistance to a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver via wired local area network (WLAN) in accordance with various embodiments;
• GNSS global navigation satellite system
• WLAN wired local area network
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a wireless device configured to synchronize a GNSS receiver using fine time assistance information provided via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments;
• FIGS. 3-6 are flow diagrams for methods for providing fine time assistance to a GNSS receiver via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments.
• GNSS assisted global navigation satellite systems
• AGPS assisted global positioning system
• Assisted GNSS systems can reduce the time required to determine the position of the satellite receiver.
• GPS global positioning system
• the GPS receiver In attempting to acquire a satellite signal, the GPS receiver must search over all possible code delays with a 1 ms window to find the proper sub-ms delay. Receiving time assistance that is more accurate than 1 ms enables the receiver to reduce the number of hypothetical code delays that must be searched. Consequently, time assistance more accurate than 1 ms is termed fine-time assistance.
• the described embodiments provide fine timing assistance information via wireless local area network (WLAN), also known as WIFI, for use by a GNSS receiver.
• WLAN wireless local area network
• embodiments are applicable to reducing satellite signal acquisition time in an increasingly large number of wireless devices that incorporate both GNSS receivers and WLAN transceivers.
• FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system 100 for providing fine time assistance to a GNSS receiver via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments.
• the system 100 includes one or more positioning satellites 110 and at least two wireless devices 102, 104, 106.
• the positioning satellites 110 provide positioning signals for use by the wireless devices 102-106 for position determination. At least two of the wireless devices 102-106 are configured to perform positioning based on the signals transmitted by the positioning satellites 110.
• the wireless devices 102-106 are also configured to communicate via a WLAN (e.g., a WLAN in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 specification).
• the wireless devices 102-106 may be cellular telephones, tablet computers, or any other mobile computing devices configured for WLAN access and satellite positioning. While four positioning satellites 110 and three wireless devices 102-106 are shown in FIG. 1, in practice the system 100 may include any number of positioning satellites and wireless devices.
• Each wireless device 102-106 may include a synchronization system 108 that adjusts the timing of a clock associated with the GNSS receiver of the wireless device 102-106.
• the synchronization system 108 receives fine timing assistance information via the WLAN from a different one of the wireless devices 102-106 and uses the received fine timing information to synchronize the GNSS clock to GNSS timing (satellite signal timing).
• GNSS timing GNSS timing
• the GNSS clock of the wireless device 102-106 has timing offset of less than 1 ms from GNSS timing. Consequently, a wireless device 102-106 receiving fine timing assistance information via WLAN searches fewer code delay and acquires the satellite positioning signal more quickly than without fine timing assistance.
• the wireless devices 102-106 may be wireless stations or access points. Access points may be infrastructure access points (i.e., devices assigned to a fixed location and/or connected to a wired network) or soft access points (wireless devices that can operate as stations or access points).
• the wireless device 104 may be an access point, and the wireless device 102 may be station.
• the access point 104 may provide fine timing assistance information to the wireless station 102 or receive fine timing information from the wireless station 102.
• the wireless devices 102, 106 are stations, and the wireless device 104 is an access point.
• the access point 104 facilitates a communication link (e.g., a tunneled direct link) between the wireless stations 102, 106, and one of the wireless stations provides fine timing assistance information to the other.
• a communication link e.g., a tunneled direct link
• an access point may include a GNSS WLAN system dedicated to obtaining timing assistance and/or other location related activities.
• a wireless device 102 that provides fine timing assistance to a different wireless device 104 is termed an "assisting device.”
• a wireless device 102 that receives fine timing assistance from a different wireless device 104 is termed an “assisted device.”
• FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a wireless device 102 configured to synchronize a GNSS receiver using fine time assistance information provided via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments.
• the wireless device 102 is shown, and wireless devices 104, 106 may include equivalent components and functionality.
• the wireless device 102 includes a GNSS receiver 202, a WLAN transceiver 204, and a synchronization system 108.
• the GNSS receiver 202 may be GPS receiver or any other receiver configured to receive satellite positioning signals transmitted by a positioning satellite 110, and to derive a position and/or timing reference from the received satellite signals.
• the GNSS receiver 202 includes a GNSS clock 206.
• the clock 206 is locked to (the timing of the clock 206 is substantially equal to) GNSS timing when the GNSS receiver 202 has acquired a satellite positioning signal.
• the WLAN transceiver 204 provides circuitry through which the wireless device 102 accesses the wireless medium to communicate with one or more of the other wireless devices 104, 106 connected to the WLAN.
• the WLAN transceiver 204 includes a WLAN clock 208.
• the synchronization system 108 maintains a known relationship between (i.e., locks) the GNSS clock 206 and the WLAN clock 208.
• a clock provided by the synchronization system 108 drives the GNSS clock 206 and the WLAN clock 208, thereby maintaining a fixed clock bias between the clocks 206, 208.
• the synchronization system 108 receives fine timing assistance information through the WLAN transceiver 204 (as transmitted over the WLAN from a wireless device 104, 106) and adjusts the timing of the GNSS clock 206 based on the fine timing assistance information to reduce time difference between the GNSS clock 206 and GNSS timing.
• the synchronization system 108 is also configured to provide fine timing information to the WLAN transceiver 204 for transmission to a different wireless device 104, 106.
• the synchronization system 108 may load a time value into a packet for transmission via the WLAN transceiver 204.
• the time value may be a time value derived from one of the WLAN clock 208 and the GNSS clock 206.
• the time value may be a time of departure value provided by one of the WLAN clock 208 and the GNSS clock 206 that can be used to synchronize the GNSS clock 206 of a wireless device 104, 106 that receives the packet containing the time value.
• Various components of the mobile wireless device 102 including at least some portions of the synchronization system 108 can be implemented using a processor executing software programming that causes the processor to perform the operations described herein.
• a processor executing software instructions causes the wireless device 102 to extract fine time assistance information from a packet received via a WLAN and adjust a GNSS clock 206 based on the extracted information. Further, a processor executing software instructions can provide fine timing information to a wireless device via WLAN.
• Suitable processors include, for example, general-purpose microprocessors, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, and other instruction execution devices.
• Processor architectures generally include execution units (e.g., fixed point, floating point, integer, etc.), storage (e.g., registers, memory, etc.), instruction decoding, peripherals (e.g., interrupt controllers, timers, direct memory access controllers, etc.), input/output systems (e.g., serial ports, parallel ports, etc.) and various other components and sub-systems.
• Software programming i.e., processor executable instructions that causes a processor to perform the operations disclosed herein can be stored in a computer readable storage medium.
• a computer readable storage medium comprises volatile storage such as random access memory, non-volatile storage (e.g., a hard drive, an optical storage device (e.g., CD or DVD), FLASH storage, read-only-memory), or combinations thereof.
• volatile storage such as random access memory, non-volatile storage (e.g., a hard drive, an optical storage device (e.g., CD or DVD), FLASH storage, read-only-memory), or combinations thereof.
• processors execute software instructions. Therefore, references to functions performed by software instructions (or to software instructions performing functions) are references to functions performed by a processor executing the instructions.
• portions of the mobile wireless device 102 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry (e.g., dedicated circuitry implemented in an integrated circuit). Some embodiments may use a combination of dedicated circuitry and a processor executing suitable software. For example, some portions of the synchronization system 108 may be implemented using a processor or hardware circuitry. Selection of a hardware or processor/software implementation of embodiments is a design choice based on a variety of factors, such as cost, time to implement, and the ability to incorporate changed or additional functionality in the future.
• Embodiments of the wireless devices 102-106 may exchange fine timing assistance information in a variety of ways. Some embodiments provide fine time assistance via time advertisements.
• An access point can transmit a time advertisement as part of a beacon frame or a probe response.
• Stations can transmit a time advertisement as part of a vendor specific field of a probe request frame.
• fine timing assistance information may be provided via a time measurement action frame by either an access point or a station.
• An example of a time advertisement structure and a time measurement action frame that may be employed by some embodiments of the wireless device 102 is described in the IEEE 802.1 lv specification.
• a time advertisement may describe a source of time corresponding to a time standard, and external clock, an estimate of the offset between the time standard and the timer of the assisting device, and an estimate of the standard deviation of the error in the offset estimate.
• An assisted device can process a time advertisement element received from an assisting device in a beacon frame, probe response frame, or probe request frame, and derive therefrom:
• a wireless device 102 receives a transmitted time advertisement from the wireless device 104, then the wireless device 102 is within about 200 meters of the wireless device 104 that transmitted the time advertisement due to the limited range of WLAN signals. If the wireless device 104 is synchronized to GNNS timing, then the wireless device 102 can correct its clock by changing the time of the GNSS clock 206 to match the time of transmission plus an estimated propagation delay (if available). Thus, the GNSS clock 206 at the wireless device 102 is provided with fine-timing assistance. That can have precision within a few microseconds depending on the accuracy of the clock 206 of the wireless station 104.
• FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram for a method 300 for providing fine time assistance to a GNSS receiver via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of the method 300, as well as other operations described herein, can be performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium.
• the assisting device 104 and the assisted device 102 may be either an access point or a wireless station.
• the assisting device 104 synchronizes its WLAN clock 208 to GNSS timing.
• the assisting device is receiving positioning signals from a positioning satellite 110 and synchronizes the GNSS clock 206 and the WLAN clock 208 to GNSS timing as provided via the satellite positioning signals.
• the assisting device 104 receives fine timing assistance information from a different wireless device and synchronizes its WLAN clock 208 based on the fine timing assistance.
• the assisting device 104 may lack a GNSS receiver 202.
• the assisting device 104 estimates position using a non-GNSS technology such as WLAN positioning, then the assisting device 104 can use the positioning satellites 110 to solve only for clock bias. Any error in the position estimate will cause error in the clock bias estimate.
• WLAN positioning typically has accuracies less than 300 m which leads to less than 1 microsecond in additional error.
• synchronization with GNSS can be achieved with only one satellite signal based on known latitude, longitude, and altitude. An additional satellite signal is required for each unknown position dimension.
• the assisting device 104 generates a beacon frame or a probe request frame, and inserts fine timing assistance information, such as time of departure provided from the WLAN clock, into the generated frame.
• the fine timing assistance information may be inserted into a time advertisement that is included in the frame.
• the assisting device 104 transmits the generated frame over the WLAN in block 306.
• the assisted device 102 receives the transmitted frame and records the time of arrival (TOA).
• the assisted device 102 extracts the fine timing assistance information from the frame in block 310.
• the assisted device 102 may extract a time of departure (TOD) value and optionally extract the uncertainty of the time of departure from the received frame.
• Some embodiments may also compute a propagation delay value (D).
• the assisted device 102 may compute the relative clock bias between the assisted device 102 and the assisting device 104 as:
• the assisted device 102 adjusts the GNSS clock 206 based on the fine timing information.
• the assisted device 102 may synchronize the GPS clock 206 using the computed relative clock offset and its uncertainty (which is a function of the uncertainties of TOA, TOD, & D).
• the assisted device 102 acquires satellite signals using the synchronized GNSS clock 206.
• FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for a method 400 for providing fine time assistance to a GNSS receiver via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of the method 400, as well as other operations described herein, can be performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium.
• the assisting device 104 is an access point and the assisted device 102 is a wireless station.
• the assisting device 104 synchronizes its WLAN clock 208 to GNSS timing as explained with regard to block 302 of method 300.
• the assisted device 102 generates and transmits, via the WLAN, a probe request frame that includes a request for fine timing assistance information.
• the assisting device 104 receives the request for fine timing information via the WLAN in block 406.
• the assisting device 104 generates a probe response frame, and inserts fine timing assistance information, such as time of departure provided from the WLAN clock, into the generated frame.
• the fine timing assistance information may be inserted into a time advertisement that is included in the frame.
• the assisting device 104 transmits the generated frame over the WLAN in block 410.
• the assisted device 102 receives the transmitted frame.
• the assisted device 102 extracts the fine timing assistance information and computes clock bias, in block 414, as explained above with regard to block 308 of method 300.
• the assisted device 102 adjusts the GNSS clock 206 based on the fine timing information as described in block 310 of method 300.
• the assisted device 102 acquires satellite signals using the synchronized GNSS clock 206 in block 418.
• FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram for a method 500 for providing fine time assistance to a GNSS receiver via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of the method 500, as well as other operations described herein, can be performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium.
• the assisting device 104 is an access point and the assisted device 102 is a wireless station.
• the assisting device 104 synchronizes its WLAN clock 208 to GNSS timing as explained with regard to block 302 of method 300.
• the assisting device 104 generates and transmits, via the WLAN, a time advertisement including information indicating that the assisting device 104 is synchronized to GNSS timing and available to provide fine timing assistance.
• the assisted device 102 receives, via the WLAN, the time advertisement transmitted by the assisting device 104.
• the assisted device 102 generates and transmits to the assisting device 104, via the WLAN, a request for exchange of timing information in block 508.
• the request for exchange of timing information may be a time measurement request frame.
• the timing measure measurement procedure enables the assisted device 102 to synchronize its clock to the assisting device 104.
• the exchange of timing information via the time measurement procedure may provide more precise synchronization than time advertisement because the propagation delay and clock offsets can both be computed.
• the assisting device 104 still must transmit a time advertisement element to allow the assisted device 102 to discover that the assisting device 104 is prepared to provide fine time assistance.
• the assisted device 102 and the assisting device 104 exchange timing information.
• the assisting device 104 may: send an acknowledgement to the request for exchange, send a first time measurement action frame and record its time of departure (Tl), receive the acknowledgement to this frame and record its time of arrival (T4), send a second time measurement action frame and insert into the second frame the time of arrival and time of departure observed for the first frame.
• the assisted device 102 may: measure the time of arrival of the first time measurement action frame (T2), measure the time of departure for the acknowledgement to the first time measurement action frame (T3), and receive the second time measurement action frame.
• the assisted device 102 extracts the fine timing assistance information from the received frame and computes clock offset as:
• the assisted device 102 adjusts the GNSS clock 206 based on the fine timing information (e.g., adjusts the GNSS clock 206 in accordance with the computed clock offset) in block 516.
• the assisted device 102 acquires satellite signals using the synchronized GNSS clock 206
• FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for a method 600 for providing fine time assistance to a GNSS receiver via WLAN in accordance with various embodiments. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of the method 600, as well as other operations described herein, can be performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium. [0047] In the method 600, the assisting device 104 and the assisted device 102 are wireless stations. In block 602, the assisting device 104 synchronizes its WLAN clock 208 to GNSS timing as explained with regard to block 302 of method 300.
• the assisting device 104 generates and transmits, via the WLAN, a time advertisement including information indicating that the assisting device 104 is synchronized to GNSS timing and available to provide fine timing assistance.
• the wireless device 106 is an access point.
• the access point 106 receives the time advertisement, in block 606, and adds the assisting device 104 to a list of devices available to provide fine timing assistance information.
• the assisted device 102 searches for a device that is available to provide fine timing assistance information.
• the assisted device 102 generates and transmits, via the WLAN, a packet requesting information regarding an assisting device.
• the access point 106 receives the request for assisting device information. In response to the request, the access point 106 transmits, to the assisted device 102, information indicating the that assisting device 104 is available and capable of providing fine timing assistance
• the assisted device 102 requests initiation of a link with the assisting device 104.
• the access point 106 sets up the link between the assisted device 102 and the assisting device 104 in block 614.
• the link may be a tunneled direct link in some embodiments.
• the assisted device 102 generates and transmits to the assisting device 104, via the WLAN, a request for exchange of timing information as described with regard to block 508 of method 500.
• the assisted device 102 and the assisting device 104 exchange timing information in blocks 618-620.
• the information exchange may be as described in blocks 510-512 of the method 500.
• the assisted device 102 extracts the fine timing assistance information from the timing frame transmitted by the assisting device 104 and computes clock offset as described with regard to block 514 of method 500.
• the assisted device 102 adjusts the GNSS clock 206 based on the fine timing information (e.g., adjusts the GNSS clock 206 in accordance with the computed clock offset) in block 624.
• the assisted device 102 acquires satellite signals using the synchronized GNSS clock 206

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
• Position Fixing By Use Of Radio Waves (AREA)
• Synchronisation In Digital Transmission Systems (AREA)

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• 2012
  • 2012-03-08 US US13/415,609 patent/US9182493B2/en active Active
  • 2012-03-12 WO PCT/US2012/028824 patent/WO2012122573A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2012-03-12 JP JP2013557945A patent/JP6186283B2/ja active Active

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