Patent ID: 9651665
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: G01S

Claim:
1. A method of locating positions of devices of a cluster of mobile devices, wherein a said device comprises a receiver to receive a location signal from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), wherein said location signal comprises timing data enabling a range to a satellite of said GNSS to be determined, and wherein a said device further comprises a transmitter to transmit said timing data to a remote receiver at a position processor, the method comprising: receiving, at each device in a set of m said devices, signals transmitted by each satellite in a set of n satellites of said GNSS; determining, at each device in said set of m said devices, timing data for said set of n satellites of said GNSS at each of said m devices to provide m·n measurements of said timing data; communicating said m·n measurements of said timing data to said position processor, said communicating comprising: using, at said position processor, said m·n measurements in combination with predetermined 3D positions for said n satellites at a time of each of said measurements to co-determine a corrected position in space for each of said m devices, a clock offset from a clock of said GNSS for each of said m devices, and a common space segment error for each of said n satellites, said common space segment error being a space segment error for a said satellite common to said m devices and including a satellite clock error for the satellite, and wherein a said corrected position in space comprises a said position in space corrected for said common space segment errors.