Method for using GPS and crosslink signals to correct ionospheric errors in space navigation solutions
US6859690B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 7, 2003 |
| Grant date | Feb 22, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S19/40
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of correcting ionospheric delays induced in received signals by space systems is disclosed. The method takes advantage of received GPS signals and received crosslink signals among spacecraft to estimate the effect of ionospheric delays and correct for such delays in the computation of the range estimation between spacecraft. The method generates and initial estimate of the ionospheric delay by tracking pseudorandom codes on both GPS and crosslink signals at known frequencies to correct an initial relative range vector. Using the corrected range vector generated from the use of code, the method subsequently estimates a more precise correction by considering the carrier phase error as induced by ionospheric delay. This includes estimate the integer ambiguities on both the GPS signals and the crosslink signals iteratively and subsequently estimating a more precise ionospheric delay correction with is applied to the relative position vector using the carrier phase measurements. The method is also applicable to non-navigation applications including measuring dynamic ionospheric structure and variability over a wide range of scale sizes, thereby greatly improving operational mod…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.