Positioning system, terminal apparatus, method of controlling terminal apparatus, program for controlling terminal apparatus and computer-readable storing medium for storing program for controlling terminal apparatus

• US 20060187115A1
• Filed: 01/24/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Terashima, Maho, Kurata, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,671,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.420
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system

Abstract

A communication base station has: a communication signal sending device for sending a communication signal including base station position information indicating a position of the communication base station and sending direction information indicating a sending direction from the communication base station, and the terminal apparatus has: a communication signal receiving device; a base station pseudo range information generating device; a satellite orbital position information generating device; a satellite pseudo range information generating device; a candidate position information generating device; and a positioning location information generating device for designating one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information to generate positioning location information, and so on.

Claims

1. A positioning system comprising:

a terminal apparatus capable of receiving a satellite signal, which is a signal from a positioning satellite; and

a communication base station capable of communicating with the terminal apparatus,

the communication base station including

communication signal sending means for sending a communication signal including base station position information indicating a position of the communication base station and sending direction information indicating a sending direction from the communication base station, and

the terminal apparatus including

communication signal receiving means for receiving the communication signal from the communication base station,

base station information obtaining means for obtaining the base station position information and the sending direction information from the communication signal;

base station pseudo range information generating means for generating base station pseudo range information indicating a distance between the communication base station and the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the communication signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the communication base station,

satellite orbital position information generating means for generating satellite orbital position information indicating a position in an orbit of the positioning satellite on the basis of the satellite signal from the positioning satellite,

satellite pseudo range information generating means for generating satellite pseudo range information indicating a distance between the positioning satellite and the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the satellite signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the positioning satellite,

candidate position information generating means for generating candidate position information shown by a circumference of a set of intersections between a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the base station pseudo range information from the position of the communication base station indicated in the base station position information and a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the satellite pseudo range information from the position of the positioning satellite indicated in the satellite orbital position information, and

positioning location information generating means for designating one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information to generate positioning location information.

2. A terminal apparatus capable of receiving a satellite signal, which is a signal from a positioning satellite, the terminal apparatus comprising:

communication signal receiving means for receiving a communication signal from a communication base station;

base station information obtaining means for obtaining from the communication signal base station position information indicating a position of the communication base station and sending direction information indicating a sending direction of the communication signal;

base station pseudo range information generating means for generating base station pseudo range information indicating a distance between the communication base station and the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the communication signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the communication base station;

satellite orbital position information generating means for generating satellite orbital position information indicating a position in an orbit of the positioning satellite on the basis of the satellite signal from the positioning satellite;

satellite pseudo range information generating means for generating satellite pseudo range information indicating a distance between the positioning satellite and the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the satellite signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the positioning satellite;

candidate position information generating means for generating candidate position information shown by a circumference of a set of intersections between a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the base station pseudo range information from the position of the communication base station indicated in the base station position information and a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the satellite pseudo range information from the position of the positioning satellite indicated in the satellite orbital position information; and

positioning location information generating means for designating one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information to generate positioning location information.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the positioning location information generating means is arranged to designate one position nearest to a line, which is an extended line in the sending direction indicated in the sending direction information, out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information to generate the positioning location information.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

altitude information storing means for storing altitude information indicating an altitude of the position of the terminal apparatus, wherein

the positioning location information generating means is arranged to designate one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information and the altitude information.

5. The terminal apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the positioning location information generating means is arranged to calculate two intersections between the circumference indicated in the candidate position information and a plane defined by the altitude indicated in the altitude information to designate one of the two intersections on the basis of the sending direction information for the purpose of generating the positioning location information.

6. A method of controlling a terminal apparatus comprising the steps of:

receiving from a communication base station a communication signal including base station position information indicating a position of the communication base station and sending direction information indicating a sending direction by means of a terminal apparatus capable of receiving a satellite signal, which is a signal from a positioning satellite;

obtaining from the communication signal the base station position information and the sending direction information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating base station pseudo range information indicating a distance between the communication base station and the terminal apparatus by means of the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the communication signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the communication base station;

generating satellite orbital position information indicating a position in an orbit of the positioning satellite on the basis of the satellite signal from the positioning satellite by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating satellite pseudo range information indicating a distance between the positioning satellite and the terminal apparatus by means of the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the satellite signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the positioning satellite;

generating candidate position information shown by a circumference of a set of intersections between a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the base station pseudo range information from the position of the communication base station indicated in the base station position information and a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the satellite pseudo range information from the position of the positioning satellite indicated in the satellite orbital position information by means of the terminal apparatus; and

designating one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information to generate positioning location information by means of the terminal apparatus.

7. A program of controlling a terminal apparatus for letting a computer execute the steps of:

receiving from a communication base station a communication signal including base station position information indicating a position of the communication base station and sending direction information indicating a sending direction by means of the terminal apparatus capable of receiving a satellite signal, which is a signal from a positioning satellite;

obtaining from the communication signal the base station position information and the sending direction information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating base station pseudo range distance information indicating a distance between the communication base station and the terminal apparatus by means of the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the communication signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the communication base station;

generating satellite orbital position information indicating a position in an orbit of the positioning satellite on the basis of the satellite signal from the positioning satellite by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating satellite pseudo range information indicating a distance between the positioning satellite and the terminal apparatus by means of the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the satellite signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the positioning satellite;

generating candidate position information shown by a circumference of a set of intersections between a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the base station pseudo range information from the position of the communication base station indicated in the base station position information and a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the satellite pseudo range information from the position of the positioning satellite indicated in the satellite orbital position information by means of the terminal apparatus; and

designating one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information to generate positioning location information by means of the terminal apparatus.

8. A computer-readable storing medium for storing a program of controlling a terminal apparatus for letting a computer execute the steps of:

receiving from a communication base station a communication signal including base station position information indicating a position of the communication base station and sending direction information indicating a sending direction by means of the terminal apparatus capable of receiving a satellite signal, which is a signal from a positioning satellite;

obtaining from the communication signal the base station position information and the sending direction information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating base station pseudo range information indicating a distance between the communication base station and the terminal apparatus by means of the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the communication signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the communication base station;

generating satellite orbital position information indicating a position in an orbit of the positioning satellite on the basis of the satellite signal from the positioning satellite by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating satellite pseudo range information indicating a distance between the positioning satellite and the terminal apparatus by means of the terminal apparatus on the basis of an arrival delay time that the satellite signal takes to arrive at the terminal apparatus from the positioning satellite;

generating candidate position information shown by a circumference of a set of intersections between a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the base station pseudo range information from the position of the communication base station indicated in the base station position information and a spherical surface whose radius is a distance indicated in the satellite pseudo range information from the position of the positioning satellite indicated in the satellite orbital position information by means of the terminal apparatus; and

designating one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information to generate positioning location information by means of the terminal apparatus.