Positioning system, terminal apparatus, terminal apparatus control method, terminal apparatus control program, and computer readable recording medium having the terminal apparatus control program recorded therein

• US 20060290565A1
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Terashi, Yohei, Kurata, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.42
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection

Abstract

The terminal apparatus has: positioning vector information generating means for generating positioning vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed, based on the satellite signals used when each item of the current position information was generated; passing speed information generating means for generating passing speed information which indicates a passing speed of the terminal, based on the Doppler shift information and the transmitting frequency information; speed vector information generating means for generating speed vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the transmitting direction information and the passing speed information; combined vector information generating means for generating combined vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on a plurality of the passing vector information; and current position information selecting means.

Claims

1. A positioning system, comprising:

a terminal apparatus for receiving satellite signals which are signals from positioning satellites, and

a plurality of communication base stations which are communicable with the terminal apparatus and which are situated at fixed positions,

wherein the communication base station has communication signal transmitting means for transmitting a communication signal including transmitting direction information which indicates a transmitting direction, and the terminal apparatus has;

transmitting frequency information storage means for storing transmitting frequency information indicating a transmitting frequency of a communication electric wave having the communication signal loaded thereon;

current position information generating means for generating a plurality of current position information indicating a current position by positioning based on the satellite signals;

positioning vector information generating means for generating positioning vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on the satellite signals used when each item of the current position information was generated;

communication signal receiving means for receiving the communication signal;

transmitting direction information obtaining means for obtaining the transmitting direction information from the communication signal;

receiving frequency information generating means for generating receiving frequency information which indicates a receiving frequency of the communication electric wave;

Doppler shift information generating means for generating Doppler shift information which indicates a Doppler shift of the communication electric wave of each of the communication base stations, based on the receiving frequency information and the transmitting frequency information;

passing speed information generating means for generating passing speed information which indicates a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift information and the transmitting frequency information;

speed vector information generating means for generating speed vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the transmitting direction information and the passing speed information;

combined vector information generating means for generating combined vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on a plurality of the passing vector information; and

current position information selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of the current position information, based on the positioning vector information and the combined vector information.

2. A terminal apparatus communicable with a communication base station having communication signal transmitting means for transmitting a communication signal including transmitting direction information which indicates a transmitting direction, the terminal apparatus comprising:

transmitting frequency information storage means for storing transmitting frequency information indicating a transmitting frequency of a communication electric wave having the communication signal loaded thereon;

current position information generating means for generating a plurality of current position information indicating current positions by positioning based on satellite signals which are signals from positioning satellites;

positioning vector information generating means for generating positioning vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on the satellite signals used when each item of the current position information was generated;

communication signal receiving means for receiving the communication signal;

transmitting direction information obtaining means for obtaining the transmitting direction information from the communication signal;

receiving frequency information generating means for generating receiving frequency information which indicates a receiving frequency of the communication electric wave;

Doppler shift information generating means for generating Doppler shift information which indicates a Doppler shift of the communication electric wave of each of the communication base stations, based on the receiving frequency information and the transmitting frequency information;

passing speed information generating means for generating passing speed information which indicates a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift information and the transmitting frequency information;

speed vector information generating means for generating speed vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the transmitting direction information and the passing speed information;

combined vector information generating means for generating combined vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on a plurality of the speed vector information; and

current position information selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of the current position information, based on the positioning vector information and the combined vector information.

3. A terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the current position information selecting means selects the current position information that corresponds to the positioning vector information having the largest correlativity with the combined vector information.

4. A terminal apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the current position information selecting means is configured to select the current position information that corresponds to the positioning vector information indicating the slowest passing speed in the case where the combined vector information indicates that the terminal apparatus has stopped.

5. A terminal apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the current position information selecting means is configured to reselect the previously selected current position information in the case where the combined vector information indicates that the terminal apparatus has stopped.

6. A terminal apparatus control method, comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of current position information indicating a current position by positioning based on satellite signals which are signals from positioning satellites, by means of a terminal apparatus communicable with a communication base station having communication signal transmitting means for transmitting a communication signal including transmitting direction information which indicates a transmitting direction;

generating positioning vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on the satellite signals used when each item of the current position information was generated, by means of the terminal apparatus;

receiving the communication signal by means of the terminal apparatus;

obtaining the transmitting direction information from the communication signal by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating receiving frequency information which indicates a receiving frequency of the communication electric wave by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating Doppler shift information which indicates a Doppler shift of the communication electric wave of each of the communication base stations, based on the receiving frequency information and the transmitting frequency information which indicates a frequency of the communication electric wave, by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating passing speed information which indicates a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift in formation and the transmitting frequency information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating speed vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the transmitting direction information and the passing speed information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating combined vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on a plurality of the passing vector information by means of the terminal apparatus; and

selecting one of the plurality of the current position information, based on the positioning vector information and the combined vector information by means of the terminal apparatus.

7. A terminal apparatus control program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

generating a plurality of current position information indicating a current position by positioning based on satellite signals which are signals from positioning satellites, by means of a terminal apparatus communicable with a communication base station having communication signal transmitting means for transmitting a communication signal including transmitting direction information which indicates a transmitting direction;

generating positioning vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on the satellite signals used when each item of the current position information was generated, by means of the terminal apparatus;

receiving the communication signal by means of the terminal apparatus;

obtaining the transmitting direction information from the communication signal by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating receiving frequency information which indicates a receiving frequency of the communication electric wave by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating Doppler shift information which indicates a Doppler shift of the communication electric wave of each of the communication base stations, based on the receiving frequency information and a transmitting frequency information which indicates a frequency of the communication electric wave, by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating passing speed information which indicates a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift information and the transmitting frequency information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating speed vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the transmitting direction information and the passing speed information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating combined vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on a plurality of the speed vector information by means of the terminal apparatus; and

selecting one of the plurality of the current position information, based on the positioning vector information and the combined vector information by means of the terminal apparatus.

8. A computer readable recording medium having recorded therein a terminal apparatus control program which causes a computer to execute the steps of:

generating a plurality of current position information indicating a current position by positioning based on satellite signals which are signals from positioning satellites, by means of a terminal apparatus communicable with a communication base station having communication signal transmitting means for transmitting a communication signal including transmitting direction information which indicates a transmitting direction;

generating positioning vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on the satellite signals used when each item of the current position information was generated, by means of the terminal apparatus;

receiving the communication signal by means of the terminal apparatus;

obtaining the transmitting information from the communication signal by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating receiving frequency information which indicates a receiving frequency of the communication electric wave by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating Doppler shift information which indicates a Doppler shift of the communication electric wave of each of the communication base stations, based on the receiving frequency information and a transmitting frequency information which indicates a frequency of the communication electric wave by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating passing speed information which indicates a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift information and the transmitting frequency information, by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating speed vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the transmitting direction information and the passing speed information by means of the terminal apparatus;

generating combined vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on a plurality of the passing vector information by means of the terminal apparatus; and

selecting one of the plurality of the current position information, based on the positioning vector information and the combined vector information by means of the terminal apparatus.