Wide area positioning systems and methods
Devices, systems, and methods for sending positional information from transmitters/beacons are disclosed. In one implementation a transmitter generates a range block including a ranging signal and a hybrid block including positioning data, and sends the range block and hybrid block in predefined slots in a transmit frame. A receiver in a user device receives signals from a plurality of transmitters and generates position/location information using trilateration and measured altitude information in comparison with transmitter altitude information.
1. A method of providing positioning system information, comprising:
generating, at a transmitter, a range block including a ranging signal;
sending, from the transmitter, the range block, wherein the range block is sent in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;
generating, at the transmitter, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data;
sending, from the transmitter, the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;
generating, at a second transmitter, a range block including a ranging signal; and
sending, from the second transmitter, the range block, wherein the range block is sent from the second transmitter in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block further includes a ranging signal.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, at the transmitter, a second hybrid block; and
sending, from the transmitter, the second hybrid block, wherein the second hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a third transmit frame disjoint from the first and/or second transmit frames.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, at the second transmitter, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data; and
sending, from the second transmitter, the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots in a transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the hybrid block generated at the second transmitter further includes a ranging signal.
6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
generating, at the second transmitter, a second hybrid block; and
sending, from the second transmitter, the second hybrid block, wherein the second hybrid block is sent from the second transmitter in the second predefined slot in a transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined slot is the same as the second predefined slot.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined slot is different than the second predefined slot.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ranging signal sent from the transmitter comprises a first random pseudo-noise (PRN) sequence and the ranging signal sent from the second transmitter comprises a second PRN sequence.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first PRN sequence is the same as the second PRN sequence.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first PRN sequence is different from the second PRN sequence.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ranging signal sent from the transmitter comprises a first frequency offset and the ranging signal sent from the second transmitter comprises a second frequency offset.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first frequency offset is the same as the second frequency offset.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first frequency offset is different from the second frequency offset.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the range block sent from the second transmitter is sent in the first transmit frame.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the range block sent from the transmitter includes a range preamble signal and a range pilot signal.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the range block sent from the transmitter includes a guard signal.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the guard signal comprises a gold code sequence.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the guard signal comprises a blank or off signal.
20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes a hybrid preamble signal and the range preamble signal includes the hybrid preamble signal and an additional preamble signal.
21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes a hybrid preamble signal and a first set of data.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter further includes a hybrid pilot signal.
23. The method of claim 16 , wherein the range preamble signal is sent with a first transmit frequency offset and the range pilot signal is sent with a second transmit frequency offset different from the first transmit frequency offset.
24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the hybrid preamble signal is sent with a first transmit frequency offset and the first set of data is sent with a second transmit frequency offset different from the first transmit frequency offset.
25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with a location of the transmitter.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the data associated with a location of the transmitter includes latitude and/or longitude data.
27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the data associated with the location of the transmitter includes transmitter identification information.
28. The method of claim 25 , wherein the data associated with the location of the transmitter includes altitude information.
29. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with an environmental condition in the proximity of the transmitter.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the data associated with an environmental condition includes pressure information.
31. The method of claim 29 , wherein the data associated with an environmental condition includes temperature information.
32. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter hybrid block includes data associated with a reference time correction associated with the transmitter.
33. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with a transmit quality metric associated with the transmitter.
34. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data associated with a packet type of the hybrid block.
35. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes encrypted data.
36. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes data with error control coding.
37. The method of claim 36 , wherein the error control coding comprises convolutional encoding.
38. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes cyclical redundant checking (CRC) data.
39. The method of claim 1 , wherein range block sent from the transmitter includes a preamble and a transmitter sequence encoded with a first spreading code and the range block sent from the second transmitter includes the preamble and a second transmitter sequence encoded with a second spreading code different from the first spreading code.
40. The method of claim 39 , wherein the first and second spreading codes are different Gold codes.
41. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first transmit frame has a duration of one second and the plurality of predefined slots consists of ten slots.
42. The method of claim 41 , wherein the first transmit frame is sent using binary phase shift keying (BPSK).
43. The method of claim 41 , wherein the first transmit frame is sent using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK).
44. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter comprises a plurality of data symbols.
45. The method of claim 44 , wherein the plurality of data symbols consists of ninety nine data symbols.
46. The method of claim 44 , wherein the hybrid block further includes a guard signal.
47. The method of claim 46 , wherein the guard signal is a blank or off signal.
48. The method of claim 44 , wherein the hybrid block includes a preamble and wherein the preamble consists of seven symbols.
49. A method of providing positioning system information, comprising:
generating, at a transmitter, a range block including a ranging signal;
sending, from the transmitter, the range block, wherein the range block is sent in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;
generating, at the transmitter, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data;
sending, from the transmitter, the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;
generating, at the transmitter, a second hybrid block; and
sending, from the transmitter, the second hybrid block, wherein the second hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a third transmit frame disjoint from the first and/or second transmit frames,
wherein the hybrid block sent from the transmitter includes a first portion of data associated with a transmitter parameter and the second hybrid block includes a second portion of data associated with the transmitter parameter.
50. The method of claim 49 , wherein the first portion of data represents a first lowered resolution value of the transmitter parameter and the second portion of data represents a second lowered resolution value of the transmitter parameter.
51. The method of claim 50 , wherein the first lowered resolution value and the second lowered resolution value are different lowered resolution values.
52. The method of claim 50 , wherein the first lowered resolution value and the second lowered resolution value are selected so as to be usable in combination to generate a higher resolution value at a receiver.
53. The method of claim 49 , wherein the transmitter parameter is a position value.
54. The method of claim 49 , wherein the position value is a longitude value.
55. The method of claim 49 , wherein the position value is a latitude value.
56. The method of claim 49 , wherein the position value is an altitude value.
57. The method of claim 49 , wherein the transmitter parameter is a temperature value.
58. The method of claim 49 , wherein the transmitter parameter is a pressure value.
59. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter and the second transmitter are time synchronized using GPS or another radio timing system.
60. A transmitter network for providing positioning information, comprising:
one or more processing elements that generate a first range block including a first ranging signal, a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data, and a second range block including a second ranging signal;
a first transmitter that transmits the first range block in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame, and that transmits the hybrid block in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame; and
a second transmitter that transmits the second range block in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.
61. A transmitter network comprising:
means for generating a range block including a ranging signal;
means for sending the range block, wherein the range block is sent in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;
means for generating a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data;
means for sending the hybrid block, wherein the hybrid block is sent in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;
means for generating a second range block including a ranging signal; and
means for sending the second range block in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.
62. A non-transitory processor-readable medium including instructions adapted to be executed by a computer to implement a method comprising:
generating a range block including a ranging signal;
initiating transmission of the range block from a first transmitter, wherein the range block is transmitted in a predefined slot of a plurality of predefined slots comprising a first transmit frame;
generating a hybrid block including a positioning signal including positioning data; and
initiating transmission of the hybrid block from the first transmitter, wherein the hybrid block is transmitted in the predefined slot in a second transmit frame disjoint from the first transmit frame;
generating a second range block including a ranging signal; and
initiating transmission of the second range block from a second transmitter, wherein the second range block is transmitted in a second predefined slot of the plurality of predefined slots.