Real Time Assisted-GPS with Cell-ID and WiFi Positioning

Positioning engine solution combines cell tower and WiFi signals with Assisted-GPS, improves GPS receiver sensitivity and accelerates GPS satellite acquisition.

Overview

XYBRID™ RT is a real-time positioning engine designed to complement and interoperate with virtually any GPS chipset. XYBRID™ RT is optimized for service providers and device manufacturers in need of fast global positioning, and for whom the lack of Assisted-GPS roaming or cost variances make it impractical to consider implementations across multiple operators.

XYBRID™ RT includes mobile client software and an HTTP service that deliver real time GPS ephemeris along with coarse position aiding based on nearby Cell-ID and WiFi signals. This aiding accelerates GPS signal acquisition and improves GPS receiver sensitivity in challenging areas like urban canyons. In addition, in challenging environments where fewer than 4 satellites are visible, multi-mode positioning techniques can be used to combine GPS satellite ranging data with Cell-ID and WiFi reference position information to quickly yield a position. Without the GPS ephemeris assistance provided by XYBRID RT, hybrid positioning would remain slow as it would have to wait for the GPS chip to first acquire satellite information before computing a hybrid fix.

User location can consistently be determined within 2 to 5 seconds regardless of environment, and the solution can rapidly converge to GPS accuracy. Location based applications appear to start immediately delivering a Click’n Go!™ user experience.

XYBRID™ RT operates in an anonymous manner and the device identity is never exposed, in contrast with other GPS aiding solutions, such as 3GPP SUPL.. This ensures security and privacy for applications that need it, such as tracking high value cargo.

XYBRID™ Family

XYBRID™ RT is part of Rx Networks’ modular XYBRID™ family of positioning engines and aiding solutions that combine terrestrial and satellite positioning technologies to deliver extremely fast location solutions that work virtually anywhere. GPS is the most accurate and pervasive positioning technology available today but its performance remains limited in dense urban areas or indoors where it has trouble decoding satellite signals. This is where XYBRID™ positioning engines enhance GPS performance.

Satellite positioning technologies include server-based real time and extended ephemeris aiding to accelerate GPS signal acquisition and improve receiver sensitivity. Terrestrial positioning technologies include dynamic discovery and geo-referencing of almost any fixed radio transmitter, including cell towers, WiFi stations or FM/RDS broadcast towers. The XYBRID™ family combines these traditionally discrete positioning techniques into network and/or mobile-based positioning engines, operating over Rx Networks’ carrier-grade infrastructure or in autonomous and connectionless modes, without any reliance on any network server. The XYBRID™ positioning engines uniquely combine geo-reference data, real-time or device-based extended ephemeris assistance and ranging information (pseudo-range measurements) from GPS receivers and geo-referenced radio transmitters. Like all Rx Networks technology, XYBRID™ is designed to work with virtually ANY GPS device available today as Rx Networks maintains partnerships and interfaces for many GPS solutions.

Competitive

The definition of  ‘hybrid’ positioning can be ambiguous. Some competitive solutions are described as hybrid simple because they combine discrete positioning techniques, such as GPS, Cell-ID or WiFi positioning. In most cases, these techniques operate completely independent from each other in an “either-or” configuration. While Cell-ID or WiFi solutions resolve position in challenging environments such as indoors and in urban canyons, higher accuracy position determination is not possible as GPS cannot be effectively be used without ephemeris assistance. There is no way to acquire the satellite information required to complete a true hybrid calculation and there is also no way to aid the GPS for a pure Assisted-GPS based position fix.

Real Time Ephemeris

XYBRID™ RT incorporates real-time satellite ephemeris information from Rx Networks’ proven GPStream™ Global Reference Network (GRN™), a worldwide grid of GPS reference stations with highly redundant, real time views of the entire GPS constellation for carrier-grade reliability and high accuracy.

Fixed Radio Transmitter Almanac

Rx Networks operates an extensive global almanac of cell tower locations and WiFi sites. The almanac database is dynamically populated and updated by client devices using the service. This cost effective approach ensures that the database is self-learning and self-adaptive to any radio transmitter network changes.

Globally Available, Operator Independent

The service can be accessed over any HTTP connection enabling flexible low cost access over almost any network connection. Operator independence means the service is always available, all over the world to ensure a consistent high quality user experience.

Reliability

Backed by carrier-grade Service Level Agreements, XYBRID services maintain 99.999% availability through a highly redundant, global delivery infrastructure. This ensures the highest performance and subscriber satisfaction, whether for emergency or commercial LBS applications.