POSITIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM, POSITIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDING APPARATUS AND TRANSMITTER

• US 20090115661A1
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GNSS Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: GNSS Technologies Inc., Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
• Inventors: Kogure, Satoshi, Asako, Masahiro, Torimoto, Hideyuki, Ishii, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,948,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/387
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• 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

Positional information is provided at a place out of reach of radio wave. The process executed by a positional information providing apparatus includes the steps of: obtaining a received positioning signal (S610); specifying an emission source of the positioning signal (S612); obtaining, when the emission source of the positioning signal is outdoors, a navigation message included in the positioning signal (S622); executing a process for calculating the position based on the signal (S624); obtaining, when the emission source of the positioning signal is indoors, message data from the positioning signal (S630); obtaining coordinate values from the data (S632); and displaying positional information based on the coordinate values (S650).

Claims

1. A positional information providing system capable of providing positional information using first positioning signals as spread spectrum signals from a plurality of satellites, comprising:

an indoor transmitter, said indoor transmitter including

a first storage unit storing positional data for specifying a location where said indoor transmitter is installed,

a generating unit generating a second positioning signal having said positional data as a spread spectrum signal, and

a transmitting unit transmitting said spread spectrum signal; and

a positional information providing apparatus, said positional information providing apparatus including

a receiving unit receiving the spread spectrum signal,

a second storage unit storing code patterns related to said first and second positioning signals,

a specifying unit specifying, based on the code pattern stored in said second storage, a code pattern corresponding to the spread spectrum signal received by said receiving unit,

a determining unit determining which of said first and second positioning signals has been received, based on a signal obtained by demodulation using the code pattern specified by said specifying unit,

a positional information calculating unit calculating positional information of said positional information providing apparatus by switching a process dependent on the result of said determination, and

an output unit outputting the positional information derived by said positional information calculating unit;

wherein

said positional information calculating unit obtains said positional data from said signal obtained by demodulation, when said second positioning signal transmitted by said indoor transmitter is received, and

calculates said positional information based on each of said plurality of spread spectrum signals when a plurality of said first positioning signals are received.

2. The positional information providing system according to claim 1, wherein said positional information calculating unit obtains said positional data from said signal obtained by demodulation when said second positional signal transmitted by a single said indoor transmitter is received.

3. The positional information providing system according to claim 1, wherein time kept by a first clock device of each of said satellites for generating time information included in said first positioning signal from said satellite is independent from time kept by a second clock device in said indoor transmitter.

4. The positional information providing system according to claim 1, wherein

said second positioning signal has a format common to that of said first positioning signal and includes said positional data in place of a navigation message included in said first positioning signal;

and

said positional information calculating unit of said positional information providing apparatus includes a calculating unit calculating a position of said positional information providing apparatus based on each said navigation message when a plurality of said first positioning signals are received.

5. The positional information providing system according to claim 1, wherein

said positional data is data directly indicating position of said indoor transmitter solely by said positional data;

and

said output unit outputs said positional information derived solely from said positional data as an image representing a measured position.

6. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said positional data includes either coordinate values on the ground of said indoor transmitter or data representing a location where said indoor transmitter is installed.

7. The positional information providing system according to claim 1, wherein

said specifying unit includes a plurality of correlators, said plurality of correlators provided common to said first and second positioning signals and executing correlating process between said plurality of code patterns and said spread spectrum signals in parallel to each other for specifying said code pattern;

and

said positional information calculating unit switches said process in accordance with the result of determination based on outputs from said plurality of correlators.

8. The positional information providing system according to claim 1, wherein

said coded positional signal has central frequency of 1575.42 MHz;

and

the spreading frequency of said positioning signal is 1.023 MHz.

9. A positional information providing apparatus for providing positional information, using first positioning signals as spread spectrum signals from a plurality of satellites and a second positioning signal emitted by an indoor transmitter installed at a location specified in advance and including positional data for specifying said location, comprising:

a receiving unit receiving a spread spectrum signal;

a storage unit storing code patterns related to said first and second positioning signals;

a specifying unit for specifying a code pattern corresponding to the spread spectrum signal received by said receiving unit based on a code pattern stored in said storage;

a determining unit determining which of said first and second positioning signals has been received based on a signal obtained by demodulation using the code pattern specified by said specifying unit;

a positional information calculating unit calculating positional information of said positional information providing apparatus by switching a process dependent on the result of said determination; and

an output unit outputting the positional information derived by said positional information calculating unit;

wherein

said positional information calculating unit obtains said positional data from said signal obtained by demodulation, when said second positioning signal transmitted by said indoor transmitter is received, and

calculates said positional information based on each of said plurality of spread spectrum signals when a plurality of said first positioning signals are received.

10. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said positional information calculating unit obtains said positional data from said signal obtained by demodulation when said second positional signal transmitted by a single said indoor transmitter is received.

11. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said second positioning signal has a format common to that of said first positioning signal and includes said positional data in place of a navigation message included in said first positioning signal;

and

said positional information calculating unit of said positional information providing apparatus further includes a calculating unit calculating a position of said positional information providing apparatus, based on each said navigation message, when a plurality of said first positioning signals are received.

12. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said positional data is data directly indicating a position of said indoor transmitter solely by said positional data;

and

said output unit outputs said positional information derived solely from said positional data as an image representing a measured position.

13. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said positional data includes information representing a location where said indoor transmitter is installed;

and

said output unit includes a display unit displaying the location where said indoor transmitter is installed based on said information.

14. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said specifying unit includes a plurality of correlators, said plurality of correlators being provided common to said first and second positioning signals and executing correlating process between said plurality of code patterns and said spread spectrum signals in parallel to each other for specifying said code pattern;

and

said positional information calculating unit switches said process in accordance with the result of determination based on outputs from said plurality of correlators.

15. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said receiving unit receives each of said first positioning signals emitted from transmitters each installed at each of a plurality of locations specified in advance;

said positional information providing apparatus further comprising

a detecting unit detecting intensity of a signal received by said receiving unit;

wherein

said obtaining unit specifies, among said first positioning signals, a first positioning signal of which said intensity is the highest, and obtains positional data included in the specified first positioning signal.

16. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said positional data includes an identification data for identifying said transmitter;

said positional information providing apparatus comprising;

a transmitting unit transmitting, when said first positioning signal is received, said identification data and a transmission request for positional information of said transmitter through a communication line, to a server that provides positional information in response to an external request, said positional information and said identification data being stored in relation to each other in said server; and

an input unit receiving an input of said positional information transmitted by said server in response to said transmission request through said communication line;

wherein

said output unit includes a display unit for displaying said positional information.

17. The positional information providing apparatus according to claim 9, comprising any of a portable telephone, a portable information terminal, a portable positioning apparatus, and a positioning system installed in a vehicle.

18. An indoor transmitter transmitting a signal of the same format as a first positioning signal emitted by a satellite transmitting a signal for positioning, comprising:

a storage unit storing positional data for specifying a location where said indoor transmitter is installed; and

a generating unit generating a second positioning signal having said positional data as a spread spectrum signal, said generating unit generating said second positioning signal as a spread spectrum signal having said positional data in place of a navigation message included in said first positioning signal and allowing specification of said location by the signal from a single said indoor transmitter; and

a transmitting unit transmitting said spread spectrum signal.

19. The indoor transmitter according to claim 18, wherein

time kept by a first clock device of each of said satellites for generating time information included in said first positioning signal from said satellite is independent from time kept by a second clock device in said indoor transmitter.

20. The indoor transmitter according to claim 19, wherein

said positional data includes either coordinate values on the ground of said indoor transmitter or data representing a location where said indoor transmitter is installed.