Separated GPS sensor and processing system for remote GPS sensing and centralized ground station processing for remote mobile position and velocity determinations

An expendable mobile remote sensor for GPS determination of the remote sensor position by a ground station, the sensor comprising:

• GPS downconverter means for receiving a plurality of GPS signals from GPS satellites and for outputting an in-phase (I) intermediate frequency (IF) signal;
• a ninety-degree phase shifter for generating a quadrature-phase (Q) IF signal from said in-phase intermediate frequency signal;
• dual single-bit digitizer means for simultaneously sampling said in-phase intermediate frequency and quadrature-phase intermediate frequency at a first bit rate to produce corresponding in-phase sample and quadrature-phase sample serial signal outputs;
• buffering means for organizing said In-phase samples and said quadrature-phase samples serial signals into a serial data stream having a second bit rate;
• and
• radio transmitter means for periodically broadcasting said serial data stream.

A mobile remote sensing system with GPS determination of the remote sensor position by a system ground station, the system comprising:

• GPS downconverter means for receiving a plurality of GPS signals from GPS satellites and for outputting an in-phase intermediate frequency (IF) signal;
• a ninety-degree phase shifter for generating a quadrature-phase IF signal from said in-phase intermediate frequency signal;
• dual single-bit digitizer means for simultaneously sampling said in-phase intermediate frequency and quadrature-phase intermediate frequency at a first bit rate to produce corresponding in-phase sample and quadrature-phase sample serial signal outputs;
• buffering means for organizing said in-phase samples and said quadrature-phase samples into a serial data stream having a second bit rate;
• and
• radio transmitter means for periodically broadcasting said serial data stream;
• meteorological measuring instrument means for periodically testing an ambient atmosphere and for outputting a serial digital signal comprising information related to said tests;
• and
• frame formatting means for combining said meteorological information serial digital signal in meteorological words with said in-phase sample and a quadrature-phase sample pair of serial outputs for periodic transmission to said ground support station by the radio transmitter means.

A rawinsonde for GPS position determination support by a ground station, comprising:

• balloon means for carrying the rawinsonde aloft in the atmosphere in a free-flight;
• GPS downconverter means for receiving a plurality of GPS signals from GPS satellites and for outputting an in-phase (I) and a quadrature-phase (Q) intermediate frequency (IF) pair of signals comprising pseudo-random number (PRN) code division multiple access (C/A) information;
• single-bit digitizer means for sampling said in-phase intermediate frequency and quadrature-phase intermediate frequency at a first rate to produce an in-phase sample and a quadrature-phase sample pair of serial outputs;
• meteorological measuring instrument means for periodically testing said atmosphere and for outputting a signal comprising information related to said tests;
• frame formatting means for combining said meteorological information signal with said in-phase sample and a quadrature-phase sample pair of serial outputs;
• and
• radio transmitter means for periodically broadcasting said frame formatted signals including said in-phase sample and a quadrature-phase sample pair of serial outputs and said meteorological information signal.