IP Library Granted Patent US 12,504,543
Granted Patent B2
US 12,504,543 · App. 18/586,936 · Granted Dec 23, 2025

Systems, methods, and media for calculating an overbound distribution, from a base mixture distribution, that can be used with a solution-separation RAIM algorithm

Inventor: Graeme Garner (Calgary, CA)
Assignee: NovAtel Inc.
G01S19/20G01S19/47
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,504,543
App. No.
18/586,936
Granted
Dec 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An overbound distribution is calculated from a base mixture distribution. For a bounded region, the base distribution is lower-bound at an evaluation point with a second-order polynomial of the base distribution and upper-bound at the evaluation point with a first-order polynomial of a single distribution with a standard deviation value calculated from the base distribution. If the step size from the evaluation point to an intersection of the lower and upper bounds is less than a threshold, the standard deviation value can be iteratively increased until the step size exceeds the threshold. The process is performed for additional portions of the base distribution up to a critical value to determine a final adjusted standard deviation value for the single distribution that is tightly bound to the base distribution and that can be used by a solution algorithm to determine a solution (used to seed filter states for a navigation filter).

Claims (59)

1 . A navigation system, comprising:

a module executed by a processor; and

for each of a plurality of different regions that define a base distribution that is a mixture of a plurality of components, the module when executed by the processor configured to:

identify a selected evaluation point of the base distribution;

lower-bound the base distribution at the selected evaluation point utilizing a second-order polynomial of the base distribution thereby defining a lower-bound function, wherein the second-order polynomial is determined utilizing a component mean value and a component standard deviation value for each of the plurality of components associated with the base distribution,

upper-bound the base distribution at the evaluation point utilizing a first-order polynomial of an overbound distribution thereby defining an upper-bound function, wherein the first-order polynomial is determined utilizing a selected mean value and a selected standard deviation value;

determine an intersection of the lower-bound function and the upper-bound function;

increment the selected standard deviation value to an incremented overbound standard deviation value when a step size from the selected evaluation point to the intersection is less than or equal to a threshold value; and

determine, for the base distribution, the overbound distribution based on the selected mean value and the incremented overbound standard deviation value.

2 . The navigation system of claim 1 , wherein the base distribution is a Gaussian mixture and the overbound distribution is a single Gaussian.

3 . The navigation system of claim 1 , wherein the selected mean value is a median of the base distribution.

4 . The navigation system of claim 1 , wherein the second-order polynomial includes (1) a first coefficient that is based on a first value of the base distribution at the selected evaluation point, (2) a second coefficient that is based on a second value of a first order derivative, of the base distribution, at the selected evaluation point, and (3) a third coefficient that is based on a minimum value of a second order derivative, of the base distribution, over a selected region of the base distribution from the selected evaluation point to a different evaluation point.

5 . The navigation system of claim 1 , wherein the first-order polynomial includes (1) a first coefficient that is based on a first value of the overbound distribution at the selected evaluation point, and (2) a second coefficient that is based on a second value of a first order derivative, of the overbound distribution, at the selected evaluation point.

6 . The navigation system of claim 1 , wherein the module when executed by the processor further configured to:

determine that the incremented overbound standard deviation value is valid when the step size from the evaluation point to the intersection is greater than the threshold value; and

determine that the overbound distribution overbounds the base distribution for a selected region of the base distribution defined by the step size.

7 . The navigation system of claim 1 , wherein the module when executed by the processor further configured to:

define a next evaluation point of the base distribution by adding the selected evaluation point to a minimum of (1) a predetermined maximum step size and (2) the step size from the selected evaluation point to the intersection.

8 . The navigation system of claim 1 , further comprising a filter configured to:

execute a solution algorithm; and

use the overbound distribution as an estimate of a filter state during execution of the solution algorithm.

9 . A method for determining an overbound distribution for a base distribution representing a mixture of a plurality of components, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of different regions that define the base distribution:

identifying a selected evaluation point of the base distribution;

determining a second-order polynomial of the base distribution utilizing a component mean value and a component standard deviation value for each of the plurality of components associated with the base distribution;

lower-bounding the base distribution at the selected evaluation point utilizing the second-order polynomial thereby defining a lower-bound function;

determining a first-order polynomial of the overbound distribution utilizing a selected mean value and a selected standard deviation value;

upper-bounding the base distribution at the evaluation point utilizing the first-order polynomial thereby defining an upper-bound function;

determining an intersection of the lower-bound function and the upper-bound function;

incrementing the selected standard deviation value to an incremented overbound standard deviation value when a step size from the selected evaluation point to the intersection is less than or equal to a threshold value; and

determining, for the base distribution, the overbound distribution based on the selected mean value and the incremented overbound standard deviation value.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the base distribution is a Gaussian mixture and the overbound distribution is a single Gaussian.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the selected mean value is a median of the base distribution.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the second-order polynomial includes (1) a first coefficient that is based on a first value of the base distribution at the selected evaluation point, (2) a second coefficient that is based on a second value of a first order derivative, of the base distribution, at the selected evaluation point, and (3) a third coefficient that is based on a minimum value of a second order derivative, of the base distribution, over a selected region of the base distribution from the selected evaluation point to a different evaluation point.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first-order polynomial includes (1) a first coefficient that is based on a first value of the overbound distribution at the selected evaluation point, and (2) a second coefficient that is based on a second value of a first order derivative, of the overbound distribution, at the selected evaluation point.

14 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining that the incremented overbound standard deviation value is valid when the step size from the evaluation point to the intersection is greater than the threshold value; and

determining that the overbound distribution overbounds the base distribution for a selected region of the base distribution defined by the step size.

15 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

defining a next evaluation point of the base distribution by adding the selected evaluation point to a minimum of (1) a predetermined maximum step size and (2) the step size from the selected evaluation point to the intersection.

16 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

executing a solution algorithm; and

using the overbound distribution as an estimate of a filter state during execution of the solution algorithm.

17 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by one or more computing devices operable to:

for each of a plurality of different regions that define a base distribution:

identify a selected evaluation point of the base distribution;

determine a second-order polynomial of the base distribution utilizing a component mean value and a component standard deviation value for each of a plurality of components associated with the base distribution;

lower-bound the base distribution at the selected evaluation point utilizing the second-order polynomial thereby defining a lower-bound function;

determine a first-order polynomial of an overbound distribution utilizing a selected mean value and a selected standard deviation value;

upper-bound the base distribution at the evaluation point utilizing the first-order polynomial thereby defining an upper-bound function;

determine an intersection of the lower-bound function and the upper-bound functon;

increment the selected standard deviation value to an incremented overbound standard deviation value when a step size from the selected evaluation point to the intersection is less than or equal to a threshold value; and

determine, for the base distribution, the overbound distribution based on the selected mean value and the incremented overbound standard deviation value; and

execute a solution algorithm that uses the overbound distribution in determining a solution.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the base distribution is a Gaussian mixture and the overbound distribution is a single Gaussian.

19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the selected mean value is a median of the base distribution.

20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein

the second-order polynomial includes (1) a first coefficient that is based on a first value of the base distribution at the selected evaluation point, (2) a second coefficient that is based on a second value of a first order derivative, of the base distribution, at the selected evaluation point, and (3) a third coefficient that is based on a minimum value of a second order derivative, of the base distribution, over a selected region of the base distribution from the selected evaluation point to a different evaluation point, and

the first-order polynomial includes (1) a fourth coefficient that is based on a first value of the overbound distribution at the selected evaluation point, and (2) a fifth coefficient that is based on a second value of a first order derivative, of the overbound distribution, at the selected evaluation point.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 26, 2024
From: GARNER, GRAEME
To: NOVATEL INC.
Reel/Frame 066558/0927 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63458775 · Apr 12, 2023
Related Publication 20240345258A1 · Oct 17, 2024
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