Azimuth/attitude detecting sensor

• US 20060038718A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Keiki Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Keiki Inc.
• Inventors: Okamura, Nobuyuki, Arakane, Hiroomi, Sagawa, Takao
• Granted Patent: US 7,230,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.320
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude

Abstract

The sensor successively calculates a rolling angle, pitch angle and azimuth from the coordinate transformation matrix with the level error and azimuth error compensated. It calculates azimuth error compensatory values using the GPS direction signal and calculates a difference between the GPS direction signal and magnetic azimuth signal under a condition wherein the reliability of the GPS direction signal is high, whereas it calculates azimuth error compensatory values using the calculated difference between the GPS direction signal and magnetic azimuth signal and the magnetic azimuth signal under a condition wherein the reliability of the GPS direction signal is not high and under a condition wherein the reliability of the magnetic azimuth signal is not low.

Claims

1. An azimuth/attitude detecting sensor mounted on a mobile unit for detecting an azimuth/attitude of the mobile unit, comprising:

at least three gyros that detect angular velocities around three axes and output angular velocity signals;

at least three accelerometers that detect accelerations in three axial directions and output acceleration signal;

GPS receiver that detects a moving direction of the mobile unit using GPS and outputs GPS direction signal;

a magnetic azimuth sensor that detects the magnetic azimuth and outputs magnetic azimuth signal; and

calculation unit for receiving the angular velocity signals output from the gyros, the acceleration signals output from the accelerometers, the GPS direction signal output from the GPS receiver, the magnetic azimuth signal output from the magnetic azimuth sensor and calculating a rolling angle, pitch angle and azimuth,

wherein said calculation unit comprises;

a coordinate transformation matrix updating section that successively calculates and updates a coordinate transformation matrix from a body coordinate system to which the gyros and accelerometers are attached, into a local coordinate system using said angular velocity signals;

a coordinate transformation section that performs a coordinate transformation of said acceleration signals using the coordinate transformation matrix from said coordinate transformation matrix updating section;

a calculation section for level error compensatory value that calculates a level error compensatory value using the acceleration signals transformed by the coordinate transformation section;

a calculation section for azimuth error compensatory value that calculates an azimuth error compensatory value using the GPS direction signal and magnetic azimuth signal;

an attitude/azimuth calculation section that calculates a rolling angle, pitch angle and azimuth from said coordinate transformation matrix compensated by the level error compensatory value and azimuth error compensatory value, and

said calculation section for azimuth error compensatory value calculates the azimuth error compensatory value using the GPS direction signal and calculates a difference between the GPS direction signal and magnetic azimuth signal under a condition wherein the reliability of the GPS direction signal is high, whereas it calculates the azimuth error compensatory value using said calculated difference between the GPS direction signal and magnetic azimuth signal and the magnetic azimuth signal under a condition wherein the reliability of the GPS direction signal is not high and under a condition wherein the reliability of the magnetic azimuth signal is high.

2. The azimuth/attitude detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein the condition wherein the reliability of said GPS direction signal is high includes at least one of conditions that the velocity of the mobile unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, that the calculated azimuth variation is equal to or lower than a second predetermined value and that a difference between the GPS direction signal and magnetic azimuth signal is equal to or lower than a third predetermined value.

3. The azimuth/attitude detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein said calculation section for azimuth error compensatory value regards a value indicating a difference between the azimuth and GPS direction as the azimuth error compensatory value under a condition wherein the reliability of the GPS direction signal is high.

4. The azimuth/attitude detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein said calculation section for azimuth error compensatory value regards a value indicating a difference between the azimuth and a value obtained by subtracting a value based on said difference between the GPS direction signal and magnetic azimuth signal from the magnetic azimuth as an azimuth error compensatory value under a condition wherein the reliability of the GPS direction signal is not high and under a condition wherein the reliability of the magnetic azimuth signal is high.

5. The azimuth/attitude detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein said calculation section for level error compensatory value removes a motion acceleration from the accelerations of the acceleration signals using a GPS. velocity signal output from the GPS receiver and calculates the level error compensatory value.