Method and apparatus for determining the geographic location of a device
AssigneeAndrew Corporation
InventorsNeil Harper, Peter Nicholson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for determining the location of a device from signals provided by a plurality of satellites. A device receives a first plurality of signals comprising one signal from each of a first plurality of satellites and determines a first location of the device as a function of the first plurality of signals. The device then determines a second location thereof as a function of a second plurality of signals if the first location is not within a predetermined threshold. The second plurality of signals is a first subset of the first plurality of signals.
Claims20
A method for determining the location of a device comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving a first plurality of signals comprising one signal from each of a first plurality of satellites;
- (b) determining a first location of the device as a function of the first plurality of signals;
- (c) determining a second location of the device as a function of a second plurality of signals if the first location is not within a predetermined threshold;
- and,
- (d) determining a third location of the device as a function of a third plurality of signals if the second location is not within the predetermined threshold,
- wherein the second plurality of signals is a first subset of the first plurality of signals, wherein the third plurality of signals is a second subset of the first plurality of signals and wherein a cardinality of the second plurality of signals is the same or greater than a cardinality of the third plurality of signals.
In a method for eliminating erroneous satellite signals in a position calculation for a device receiving a first plurality of signals from a first plurality of satellites, the improvement comprising the steps of determining a first position calculation of the device as a function of the first plurality of signals, determining a second position calculation of the device as a function of a second plurality of signals if the first calculation is not within a predetermined threshold, and determining a third location of the device as a function of a third plurality of signals if the second location is not within the predetermined threshold, wherein the second plurality of signals is a first subset of the first plurality of signals, wherein the third plurality of signals is a second subset of the first plurality of signals, and wherein a cardinality of the second plurality of signals is the same or greater than a cardinality of the third plurality of signals.
A device comprising:
- a receiver for receiving a first plurality of signals comprising one signal from each of a first plurality of satellites;
- a means for determining a first location of the device as a function of the first plurality of signals;
- a means for determining a second location of the device as a function of a second plurality of signals if the first location is not within a predetermined threshold, wherein the second plurality of signals is a first subset of the first plurality of signals;
- and
- a means for determining a third location of the device as a function of a third plurality of signals if the second location is not within the predetermined threshold, wherein the third plurality of signals is a third subset of the first plurality of signals and wherein a cardinality of the second plurality of signals is the same or greater than a cardinality of the third plurality of signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.