A positioning-navigation-timing-ranging-or-beacon receiver system comprising:
- at least one receiver on each of at least two receiver platforms, each receiver including at least one receiver node;
- at least two originating or relay transmitters, each originating or relay transmitter in the at least two originating or relay transmitters including at least one transmitter node;
- and
- one or more single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals extending from the at least two originating or relay transmitters to one or more of the one or more receivers on the at least two receiver platforms in the receiver system with at least one multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signal in the one or more single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals;
- wherein a timing marker is a physical timing marker or a virtual timing marker;
- wherein at least one of the one or more single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker transmission pathway signals has at least one timing marker;
- wherein the one or more of the single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals contain or reveal information or indicators pertaining to departure or arrival timing marker times, transmitter node locations, or time delays at or within transmitter nodes which forward or receive timing markers at the at least two originating or relay transmitters, or receiver nodes on the receiver system;
- wherein the one or more of the single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals have two or more timing markers originating from at least two dispersed originating or relay transmitter nodes traveling to the at least one receiver on each of the at least two receiver platforms;
- wherein the one or more receivers on the at least two receiver platforms receives one or more timing markers from the one or more of the single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals;
- wherein at least one receiver, circuitry, or processor on a receiver platform within the receiver system receives and processes at least one arriving single-hop or multiple-hop pathway transmission signal, the signal comprising timing markers and any associated data or indicators, to determine at least one positioning, navigation, timing, ranging, or beacon parameter or vector;
- wherein at least one of the received transmission signals is a multiple-hop timing marker transmission signal, comprising at least one timing marker transmitted from transmitter nodes arranged for two-dimensional or three-dimensional positioning calculations;
- wherein at least one of the above two or more receiver platforms in the receiver system (a) performs or supports performing calculations or determinations of upstream transmitter node or receiver node positioning-navigation-timing-ranging-or-beacon parameters or vectors comprising at least one of timing marker times of departure at associated transmitter node locations, timing marker times of arrival at associated relay transmitter node or receiver node locations, transmitter timing marker delays at associated relay transmitter node locations between timing marker arrivals and corresponding timing marker departures and (b) performs or supports performing these calculations or determinations by including or utilizing one or more of the aforementioned multiple-hop timing marker pathway signals to a receiver in the receiver system;
- wherein an originating transmitter creates, begins, continues, or transmits a signal whereas, in contrast, a relay transmitter first receives one or more incoming signals and then transmits one or more corresponding signals which includes (a) one or more fully replicated signals, (b) one or more selected or modified portions of the incoming signals, or (c) additions to the one or more selected or modified portions of the incoming signals;
- wherein one or more of the at least two or more originating or relay transmitters are configured to place the one or more timing markers on the one or more of the single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals;
- wherein the one or more timing markers are placed on available space on the one or more of the single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals;
- wherein one or more of the one or more timing markers and the one or more of the single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals are received by one or more of the receivers in the receiver system from the at least two or more originating or relay transmitters and at least one of the timing markers in the one or more timing markers is a virtual timing marker;
- wherein the physical timing marker indicates a location of a position on one of the one or more single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals and comprises a defined signal waveform change;
- wherein the virtual timing marker indicates a location of a first selected target timing marker on one of the one or more single-hop or multiple-hop timing marker pathway transmission signals and comprises a message containing a transmitter-side determined displacement or time offset of the first selected target timing marker position from a second indicated position of another physical timing marker or another virtual timing marker in the same or another referenceable transmission signal;
- wherein one or more of the one or more timing markers is each referenceable both at one of the at least two or more originating or relay transmitters and at a receiver which is one of the one or more receivers in the receiver system;
- and
- wherein one or more of the at least two or more originating or relay transmitters are dispersed from each other.