Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.

A method and system for high-quality ionosphere spatial interpolation is designed to improve outlier detection and accuracy estimation in regional networks to accelerate convergence of PPP-RTK positioning services. STEC estimations from a regional receiver network undergo a sequence of anomaly detection steps including jump detection by Alpha-Beta filtering, outlier detection by a posteriori residuals from differenced STEC spatial approximation and by cross-validation of differenced STEC values. The method further includes generating an estimation of ionosphere activity indicator which is further used in outlier detection. On-the-fly estimation of the indicator provides more robust STEC outliers detection because it accounts for systematic periodic changes in ionosphere activity and for spatial correlation of the ionosphere.

An apparatus includes an antenna, RF path, Analog to Digital convertor (ADC), filter, and navigation channel for processing a received GNSS signal based on a navigation clock. A communication modem is configured to receive the signal via a first antenna, RF path, and ADC and process the received signal in order to generate a signal based on a modem clock. The communication modem is further configured to transmit the signal based on the modem clock using a R+1 antenna via a R+1 RF path and a Digital to Analog Convertor (DAC). A multichannel synchronous signal analysis system (MSSAS) receives outputs of the ADCs and processes them using a plurality of decimators and plurality data receivers. Each of the decimators is configured to process the outputs of the ADCs and output data to one of a plurality of data receivers. A CPU is configured to control all of the devices.

The present disclosure describes a method and an apparatus for determining a corrected position of a vehicle based on a stable landmark. The method includes determining a last known position vector of the vehicle; capturing an image within a vicinity of a vehicle using an imaging device; identifying a stable landmark within the captured image based on a previously constructed reference map of the vicinity of the vehicle; determining a correction for a position of the vehicle based on the determined last known position vector of the vehicle and the identified stable landmark; and determining an updated position of the vehicle based on the determined correction.

An apparatus includes an antenna, RF path, Analog to Digital convertor (ADC), filter, and navigation channel for processing a received GNSS signal based on a navigation clock. A communication modem is configured to receive the signal via a first antenna, RF path, and ADC and process the received signal in order to generate a signal based on a modem clock. The communication modem is further configured to transmit the signal based on the modem clock using a R+1 antenna via a R+1 RF path and a Digital to Analog Convertor (DAC). A multichannel synchronous signal analysis system (MSSAS) receives outputs of the ADCs and processes them using a plurality of decimators and plurality data receivers. Each of the decimators is configured to process the outputs of the ADCs and output data to one of a plurality of data receivers. A CPU is configured to control all of the devices.

Determining vehicle orientation based on GNSS signals received by three antennas that are logically combined into two pairs, with one antenna common for both pairs. GNSS receiver measures first carrier phase difference within each pair of antennas, represented as sum of an integer number of periods of the carrier frequency and a fractional part of the period. The fractional parts are used to compute orientation of the vector connecting the antennas phase centers within each pair, excluding integer ambiguity resolution. Vehicle attitude is calculated from the orientation of two non-collinear vectors with a common origin, measured by two pairs of antennas. Each antenna has an RF front end. All RF front ends, heterodynes, digital navigation processors of this receiver are clocked from one common clock oscillator. All carrier phase measurements of the three antennas are performed on a common time scale.

A laser measuring system including first and second laser base stations and a laser receiver is provided. The laser receiver detects a first laser signal from the first laser base station. Location information associated with the first laser base station is extracted from the detected first laser signal. The laser receiver detects a second laser signal from the second laser base station. Location information associated with the second laser base station is extracted from the detected second laser signal. A position of the laser receiver is determined based on the extracted location information associated with the first laser base station and the extracted location information associated with the second laser base station.

A vehicular positioning system utilizing multiple optical cameras having contiguous fields of view for reading coded markers having pre-determined positions for determining the position of vehicle inside a structure with a high degree of accuracy. The vehicle positioning system provides for the direct installation and use of a positioning apparatus on a vehicle with a limited number of coded markers to determine the vehicle's position to within millimeter level accuracy.

A universal multi-channel receiver for receiving and processing signals from different navigation systems is provided. The universal receiver is implemented as an ASIC receiver with a number of universal channels. The receiver with universal channels is capable of receiving and processing signals from navigation satellites located within a direct access zone. The universal receiver has a plurality of channels that share the same memory. The universal receiver can determine its coordinates using any of the existing navigation systems (GPS, GLONASS, Beidou and GALILEO). The receiver can receive and process any (PN) signals.

GNSS receiver which includes RF front end, connected to GNSS antenna, an ADC converting the satellite signals into digitized signals, a digital section, including a processor receiving the digitized signals, forming raw measurements with pseudoranges measured between the antenna and satellites, and estimating target parameters, including receiver position and receiver time offset by (i) extrapolating the target parameters from previous epoch to current epoch using a dynamic model; (ii) computing a quasi-measurement for each satellite based on extrapolated target parameters and GNSS satellite positions; (iii) detecting and rejecting raw measurements with anomalous errors by testing differences between the raw measurements and respective quasi-measurements against predefined thresholds; (iv) substituting quasi-measurements for rejected raw measurements; (v) estimating target parameters using unrejected raw measurements and substituted quasi-measurements; (vi) outputting estimated target parameters.

GNSS receiver which includes RF front end, connected to GNSS antenna, an ADC converting the satellite signals into digitized signals, a digital section, including a processor receiving the digitized signals, forming raw measurements with pseudoranges measured between the antenna and satellites, and estimating target parameters, including receiver position and receiver time offset by (i) extrapolating the target parameters from previous epoch to current epoch using a dynamic model; (ii) computing a quasi-measurement for each satellite based on extrapolated target parameters and GNSS satellite positions; (iii) detecting and rejecting raw measurements with anomalous errors by testing differences between the raw measurements and respective quasi-measurements against predefined thresholds; (iv) substituting quasi-measurements for rejected raw measurements; (v) estimating target parameters using unrejected raw measurements and substituted quasi-measurements; (vi) outputting estimated target parameters.