Broadcast Transmission of Information Indicative of a Pseudorange Correction

Abstract

A method comprising receiving, by an apparatus, global-positioning-system data from a plurality of global-positioning-system satellites, determining a measured satellite pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the global-positioning-system data, receiving, by the apparatus, of non-global-positioning-system data from at least one sensor, determining an apparatus position of the apparatus based, at least in part, on the non-global-positioning-system data, the determination of the apparatus position being absent consideration of any global-positioning-system data, determining at least one pseudorange correction associated with at least one global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the measured satellite pseudorange and the apparatus position, and causing broadcast transmission of information indicative of the pseudorange correction is disclosed.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 at least one processor;   at least one memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:   receiving global-positioning-system data from a plurality of global-positioning-system satellites;   calculating a measured satellite pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the global-positioning-system data;   receiving sensor data from at least one sensor mounted at a predetermined geographic location;   determining an apparatus position of the apparatus based, at least in part, on the sensor data;   determining at least one pseudorange correction associated with at least one global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the measured satellite pseudorange and the apparatus position; and   broadcasting transmission of information indicative of the pseudorange correction.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:
 determining an actual pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the apparatus position, wherein the determination of the pseudorange correction is based, at least in part, on a difference between the measured satellite pseudorange and the actual pseudorange.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is mounted on a road, a sign, or a traffic signal. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:
 receiving different global-positioning-system data from the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites;   determining of a different measured satellite pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the different global-positioning-system data;   receiving additional sensor data from the at least one sensor; and   determining a different apparatus position of the apparatus based, at least in part, on the additional sensor data, the determination of the different apparatus position being absent consideration of any global-positioning-system data.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:
 determining at least one different pseudorange correction associated with at least one global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the different measured satellite pseudorange and the different apparatus position; and   broadcasting transmission of information indicative of the different pseudorange correction.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:
 determining that the apparatus is in motion based, at least in part, on the apparatus position and the different apparatus position; and   terminating the broadcast transmission of information indicative of the pseudorange correction based, at least in part, on the determination that the apparatus is in motion.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:
 determining that the pseudorange correction associated with the global-positioning-system satellite exceeds a pseudorange correction threshold, wherein the broadcast transmission of information indicative of the pseudorange correction is predicated by the determination that the pseudorange correction associated with the global-positioning-system satellite exceeds the pseudorange correction threshold.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:
 receiving information that identifies a separate apparatus as a broadcast apparatus candidate;   determining that at least one broadcast hand-off condition has been satisfied; and   sending of a broadcast directive to the separate apparatus, the broadcast directive being configured to cause the separate apparatus to initiate broadcast transmission of information indicative of at least another pseudorange correction, the broadcast directive to the separate apparatus being based, at least in part, on the determination that the broadcast hand-off condition has been satisfied.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the memory includes computer program code configured to, working with the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:
 receiving information that identifies another separate apparatus as another broadcast apparatus candidate; and   determining that the separate apparatus is more favorable for causation of initiation of broadcast transmission of information indicative of the other pseudorange correction than the other separate apparatus, wherein the causation of sending of the broadcast directive to the separate apparatus is based, at least in part, on the determination that the separate apparatus is more favorable for causation of initiation of broadcast transmission of information indicative of the other pseudorange correction than the other separate apparatus.   
     
     
         10 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by an apparatus, global-positioning-system data from a plurality of global-positioning-system satellites;   determining a measured satellite pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the global-positioning-system data;   receiving, by the apparatus, sensor data from at least one sensor mounted at a predetermined geographic location;   determining an apparatus position of the apparatus based, at least in part, on the sensor data, the determination of the apparatus position being absent consideration of any global-positioning-system data;   determining at least one pseudorange correction associated with at least one global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the measured satellite pseudorange and the apparatus position; and   broadcasting transmission of information indicative of the pseudorange correction.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 determining an actual pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the apparatus position, wherein the determination of the pseudorange correction is based, at least in part, on a difference between the measured satellite pseudorange and the actual pseudorange.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the apparatus, different global-positioning-system data from the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites;   determining a different measured satellite pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the different global-positioning-system data;   receiving, by the apparatus, additional sensor data from at least one sensor; and   determining a different apparatus position of the apparatus based, at least in part, on the additional sensor data, the determination of the different apparatus position being absent consideration of any global-positioning-system data.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining at least one different pseudorange correction associated with at least one global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the different measured satellite pseudorange and the different apparatus position; and   broadcasting transmission of information indicative of the different pseudorange correction.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining that the apparatus is in motion based, at least in part, on the apparatus position and the different apparatus position; and   terminating of broadcast transmission of information indicative of the pseudorange correction based, at least in part, on the determination that the apparatus is in motion.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving information that identifies a separate apparatus as a broadcast apparatus candidate;   determining that at least one broadcast hand-off condition has been satisfied; and   sending of a broadcast directive to the separate apparatus, the broadcast directive being configured to cause the separate apparatus to initiate broadcast transmission of information indicative of at least another pseudorange correction, the broadcast directive to the separate apparatus being based, at least in part, on the determination that the broadcast hand-off condition has been satisfied.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 receiving information that identifies another separate apparatus as another broadcast apparatus candidate; and   determining that the separate apparatus is more favorable for causation of initiation of broadcast transmission of information indicative of the other pseudorange correction than the other separate apparatus, wherein the causation of sending of the broadcast directive to the separate apparatus is based, at least in part, on the determination that the separate apparatus is more favorable for causation of initiation of broadcast transmission of information indicative of the other pseudorange correction than the other separate apparatus.   
     
     
         17 . At least one computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:
 receiving global-positioning-system data from a plurality of global-positioning-system satellites;   determining of a measured satellite pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the global-positioning-system data;   receiving data from at least one sensor mounted at a predetermined geographic location;   determining an apparatus position of the apparatus based, at least in part, on the sensor data, the determination of the apparatus position being absent consideration of any global-positioning-system data;   determining at least one pseudorange correction associated with at least one global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the measured satellite pseudorange and the apparatus position; and   broadcasting transmission of information indicative of the pseudorange correction.   
     
     
         18 . The medium of  claim 17 , further encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:
 receiving different global-positioning-system data from the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites;   determining of a different measured satellite pseudorange for each global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the different global-positioning-system data;   receiving additional sensor data from at least one sensor;   determining of a different apparatus position of the apparatus based, at least in part, on the additional sensor data, the determination of the different apparatus position being absent consideration of any global-positioning-system data;   determining at least one different pseudorange correction associated with at least one global-positioning-system satellite of the plurality of global-positioning-system satellites based, at least in part, on the different measured satellite pseudorange and the different apparatus position; and   broadcasting transmission of information indicative of the different pseudorange correction.   
     
     
         19 . The medium of  claim 17 , further encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:
 receiving information that identifies a separate apparatus as a broadcast apparatus candidate;   determining that at least one broadcast hand-off condition has been satisfied; and   sending of a broadcast directive to the separate apparatus, the broadcast directive being configured to cause the separate apparatus to initiate broadcast transmission of information indicative of at least another pseudorange correction, the broadcast directive to the separate apparatus being based, at least in part, on the determination that the broadcast hand-off condition has been satisfied.   
     
     
         20 . The medium of  claim 19 , further encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform:
 receiving information that identifies another separate apparatus as another broadcast apparatus candidate; and   determining that the separate apparatus is more favorable for causation of initiation of broadcast transmission of information indicative of the other pseudorange correction than the other separate apparatus, wherein the causation of sending of the broadcast directive to the separate apparatus is based, at least in part, on the determination that the separate apparatus is more favorable for causation of initiation of broadcast transmission of information indicative of the other pseudorange correction than the other separate apparatus.