Global navigation satellite system, positioning terminal, positioning method, and recording medium

• US 10,564,295 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2014
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Soga, Hiroshi, Ohshima, Yoshimi, Osawa, Tomoya, Taniyama, Aki
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Whitney
• Application Number:
  US15/106,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/06 employing an initial estimate of the location of the receiver as aiding data or in generating aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method

Abstract

Provided is a positioning terminal of a global navigation satellite system configured to: receive a plurality of navigation signals and an augmentation signal from a plurality of navigation satellites and an augmentation satellite; acquire, in a process of causing each value of error causes including an ambiguity to converge through a plurality of times of observation to enhance an accuracy of positioning through continuous observation, each value of a position of the positioning terminal recorded in advance in a storage area to calculate each value of the error cause, and use the calculated each value as an initial value and/or one value to be added for the continuous observation to cause each value of the error cause to converge; and successively perform positioning calculation.

Claims

1. A positioning terminal, comprising:

a broadcast wave signal processing unit configured to receive at least a plurality of navigation signals to output ranging observation data;

a correction unit configured to, in a process of causing each value of error including an ambiguity and a tropospheric propagation delay amount to converge through continuous observation, simultaneously with processing relating to a determination of the ambiguity, acquire and store to a storage area, a value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount that has been measured within an area close to a position of the positioning terminal from another device, and use the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount as an initial value or one value to be added for the continuous observation, and simultaneously with processing relating to a determination of the tropospheric propagation delay amount, acquire each value of the position of the positioning terminal recorded in advance in the storage area and the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount that has been measured within the area close to the position of the positioning terminal from the another device to calculate a value of the ambiguity, use the calculated value of the ambiguity as an initial value or one value to be added for the continuous observation, and then determine each value of the error to be used for correction, and execute the correction of the ranging observation data; and

a positioning calculation unit configured to perform precise point positioning (PPP) calculation by canceling an error component based on the ranging observation data corrected by the correction unit to calculate the position of the positioning terminal having the error components canceled.

2. The positioning terminal according to claim 1, wherein the positioning terminal is configured to:

receive the plurality of navigation signals for a GNSS, and acquire a precise ephemeris, correction information and the value of tropospheric propagation delay amount from an information source(s) configured to output the precise ephemeris, the correction information and the value of tropospheric propagation delay amount that is measured within the area close to position of the positioning terminal;

use, by the correction unit, when enhancing the accuracy of the positioning through the continuous observation, the value of the ambiguity calculated based on each value of the position of the positioning terminal recorded in the storage area as the initial value and/or the one value to be added for the continuous observation to cause the value of the ambiguity to be used for correction to converge; and

perform, by the positioning calculation unit, positioning calculations reflecting at least part of the correction information, the precise ephemeris, and each value of the error.

3. The positioning terminal according to claim 1, wherein the positioning terminal is configured to:

receive, by the broadcast wave signal processing unit, a multi-frequency navigation signal from each of a plurality of navigation satellites, and receive an augmentation signal broadcast from an augmentation satellite;

use, by the correction unit, when enhancing the accuracy of the positioning through the continuous observation, each value of the error calculated based on each value of the position of the positioning terminal recorded in the storage area as the initial value and/or the one value to be added for the continuous observation to cause each value of the error to be used for correction to converge, and calculate correction information on an ionospheric delay component based on a difference in delay among the multi-frequency navigation signals transmitted from the plurality of navigation satellites without using ionospheric correction information included in the augmentation signal; and

perform, by the positioning calculation unit, positioning calculations reflecting the calculated correction information on the ionospheric delay component, the precise ephemeris, and each value of the error.

4. The positioning terminal according to claim 1, wherein the positioning terminal is configured to:

hold, when terminating positioning, each value of the position of the positioning terminal in the storage area and then terminate the positioning; and

acquire, when having newly started positioning, from the storage area of a storage unit, a previous value of the position of the positioning terminal for which positioning has been terminated, and determine, through calculation, the value of the ambiguity at a current time to be used as the initial value and/or the one value to be added for the continuous observation.

5. The positioning terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the positioning terminal is carried in a vehicle having an in-vehicle computer,

wherein the positioning terminal is configured to calculate an amount of movement of the positioning terminal or acquire the amount of movement of the positioning terminal form the in-vehicle computer, and to use a value obtained by adding the movement amount to a previous value of the position of the positioning terminal acquired from the storage area to determine, through calculation, the value of the ambiguity at a current time to be used as the initial value and/or the one value to be added for the continuous observation.

6. The positioning terminal according to claim 1, wherein the positioning terminal is configured to:

receive each value of the position of the positioning terminal as external information and record the each value in the storage area; and

acquire, when having newly started positioning, each value of the position of the positioning terminal, which is recorded in the storage area and acquired from the external information, to determine, through calculation, the value of the ambiguity at a current time to be used as the initial value and/or the one value to be added for the continuous observation.

7. The positioning terminal according to claim 1, wherein the positioning terminal is configured to:

receive each value of the position of the positioning terminal and time of the positioning terminal as external information and record the each value and the time in the storage area; and

calculate or acquire an amount of movement of the positioning terminal from the time, and use a value obtained by adding the movement amount to each value of the position of the positioning terminal, which is recorded in the storage area and acquired from the external information, to determine, through calculation, the value of the ambiguity at a current time to be used as the initial value and/or the one value to be added for the continuous observation.

8. The positioning terminal according to claim 1, wherein the positioning terminal is configured to:

receive the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount that is measured within a predetermined time period and/or a predetermined weather change level and within the area close to the position of the positioning terminal from the another device and record the received the value in the storage area; and

use the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount, which is recorded in the storage area as the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount to be used as the initial value and/or the one value to be added for the continuous observation, to determine the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount along with the value of the ambiguity.

9. A positioning method to be performed by a positioning terminal of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), comprising:

acquiring, by the positioning terminal, from a plurality of navigation satellites for the GNSS and an information source configured to output a precise ephemeris and correction information, a plurality of navigation signals, the precise ephemeris, and the correction information;

acquiring, by the positioning terminal, in a process of causing each value of error including an ambiguity and a tropospheric propagation delay amount to converge through continuous observation, simultaneously with processing relating to a determination of the ambiguity, acquire and store to a storage area, a value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount that has been measured within an area close to a position of the positioning terminal from another device, and use the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount as an initial value or one value to be added for the continuous observation, and simultaneously with processing relating to a determination of the tropospheric propagation delay amount, acquire each value of the position of the positioning terminal recorded in advance in the storage area and the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount that has been measured within the area close to the position of the positioning terminal from the another device to calculate a value of the ambiguity, use the calculated value of the ambiguity as an initial value or one value to be added for the continuous observation, and then determine each value of the error to be used for correction, and execute the correction of the ranging observation data; and

preforming, by the positioning terminal, precise point positioning (PPP) calculation by canceling an error component based on the ranging observation data corrected to calculate the position of the positioning terminal having the error components canceled.

10. A recording medium having a program non-transitorily recorded thereon,

the program causing a processor included in a positioning terminal to operate so as to:

acquire, in a process of causing each value of error including an ambiguity and a tropospheric propagation delay amount to converge through continuous observation to enhance an accuracy of precise point positioning (PPP);

simultaneously with processing relating to a determination of the ambiguity, acquire and store to a storage area, a value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount that has been measured within an area close to a position of the positioning terminal from another device, and use the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount as an initial value or one value to be added for the continuous observation; and

simultaneously with processing relating to a determination of the tropospheric propagation delay amount, acquire each value of the position of the positioning terminal recorded in advance in the storage area and the value of the tropospheric propagation delay amount that has been measured within the area close to the position of the positioning terminal from the another device to calculate a value of the ambiguity, use the calculated value of the ambiguity as an initial value or one value to be added for the continuous observation, and then determine each value of the error cause to be used for correction, and execute the correction of the ranging observation data.