POSITIONING METHOD, POSITIONING ARRANGEMENT, BEARING DEVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT TO BE USED IN A POSITIONING SYSTEM

• US 20090201200A1
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tracker Oy (Open Air Group AB)
• Original Assignee: Tracker Oy (Open Air Group AB)
• Inventors: Lohi, Hannu
• Application Number:
  US12/304,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201200A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.310
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/28 Electromagnetic compasses with north seeking magnetic elements and having electric pick-offs G01C17/26
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0268 by deriving positions from different combinations of signals or of estimated positions in a single positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial

Abstract

A positioning method, positioning arrangement, bearing device (11) and computer program product for use in a positioning arrangement one described. The invention, the location information of the object being tracked can be visualized to the tracker (10), although exact coordinate information is not available. A bearing device (11) including an electronic compass is utilized in the arrangement according to the invention. The information concerning the signal level of the transmitter of the device (13) being tracked, measured and detected by the bearing device (11), and the corresponding compass heading are detected, and both are presented on an electronic map on the tracker'"'"'s device (12). By the arrangement according to the invention, it is also possible to combine bearings taken of two or more locations on the same map.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method for positioning an object, in which method:

a tracker (10) of an object positions (36) his location;

the tracker'"'"'s positioning result (27, 27a, 27b, 27c) is presented (36) on a map (22) on the display (21) of a mobile electronic device (12, 20) of the tracker;

a radio transmission (14) is transmitted by a radio transmitter (13) carried by an object being positioned;

a bearing is taken of the radio transmission (32-34) of the object being positioned by at least one bearing device (11); and

a compass heading (28, 28a, 28b, 28c) of the object being positioned is determined (35) at the location at which the bearing is taken (27, 27a, 27b, 27c), characterized in that;

the compass heading of the object being positioned is shown on the map (22) on the display (21) of the mobile electronic device (12, 20) of the tracker (10) starting from each location at which a bearing was taken (27, 27a, 27b, 27c).

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that the determined compass heading (28, 28a, 28b, 28c) is transferred from the bearing device (11) to the mobile electronic device (12) for presenting the bearing result on the map (22) on its display (21).

27. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that the determined compass heading (28, 28a, 28b, 28c) is shown on a map (22) on a display device belonging to the bearing device (11).

28. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that the compass headings (28a, 28b) of two or more bearings taken are combined on the map (22) on the display (21) of the mobile electronic device (12), whereby, as a result of the combining, an intersection area 29b is formed on the map, in which intersection area the object being positioned is located.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that all the bearings to be combined are taken by two bearing devices, and that all the bearing results are transferred via a radio network (15) to at least one mobile electronic device (12) for combining the bearings.

30. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that a probable distance of the object being positioned from the location of positioning (27, 27a, 27b) is determined by means of the strength of the received signal.

31. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that the tracker (10) of the object positions his location by a satellite positioning device, using a terrestrial radio network or by means of a map, and that the positioning information is saved in the electronic device (12, 20).

32. A positioning arrangement, which comprises:

means for determining a location (27, 27a, 27b) of a tracker (10) of an object;

means for presenting the location of the tracker (27, 27a, 27b) and the object being positioned on an electronic map (22) on the display (21) of a mobile electronic device (12, 20) of the tracker;

a radio transmitter (13) of the object being tracked; and

at least one bearing device (11) for taking a bearing to the radio transmitter (13) of the object being tracked;

an electronic compass (113) belonging to the bearing device (11) for determining a compass heading of the object being tracked at the location (27, 27a, 27b) at which the bearing is taken,

characterized in that it further comprises;

means for presenting the compass heading of the object being positioned on the basis of the bearing result, starting from each location at which a bearing was taken (27, 27a, 27b, 27c), on the map (22) on the display (21) of at least one mobile electronic device (12, 20) of the tracker (10).

33. The positioning arrangement according to claim 32, characterized in that the bearing device (11) comprises means for transferring the determined compass heading (28, 28a, 28b, 28c) from the bearing device (11) to the mobile electronic device (12) of the tracker (10) for presenting the bearing result on the map (22) on its display (21).

34. The positioning arrangement according to claim 32, characterized in that the bearing device (11) comprises means for presenting the determined compass heading (28, 28a, 28b, 28c) on a map on a display device belonging to the bearing device (11).

35. The positioning arrangement according to claim 32, characterized in that it comprises means for combining the compass headings (28a, 28b) of two or more bearings taken on the map (22) on the display (21) of the mobile electronic device (12), whereby, as a result of the combining, an intersection area 29b can be formed on the map, in which intersection area the object being positioned is located.

36. The positioning arrangement according to claim 32, characterized in that the means for determining the location (27, 27a, 27b) of the tracker (10) of the object comprise one of the following:

a satellite positioning device, a terrestrial radio network or a map.

37. The positioning arrangement according to claim 32, characterized in that it comprises a radio network (15), via which the bearing results can be transferred to at least one mobile electronic device (12) for combining the bearings (28a, 28b).

38. The positioning arrangement according to claim 37, characterized in that the radio network (15) is one of the following:

a GSM, GPRS, UMTS or WLAN radio network.

39. A bearing device (11), which comprises:

a directional antenna (116), a receiver (114) and a central unit (110) for determining the direction of a radio transmission (14) from an object to be positioned,

characterized in that the bearing device also comprises;

an electronic compass (113) for determining a compass heading of an object being positioned, which compass heading can be combined to an electronic map (22).

40. The bearing device according to claim 39, characterized in that it also comprises a connection unit (112) for transferring the signal level received by the receiver (114) from a certain direction and the heading of a corresponding electronic compass (113) to another mobile electronic device (12, 20).

41. The bearing device according to claim 40, characterized in that it also comprises:

a satellite positioning device (116)

a memory (117)

a display device, and

means for showing the bearing result on an electronic map (22) on the display device of the bearing device (11).

42. The bearing device according to claim 40, characterized in that it also comprises a transmitter (114), by which it is arranged either to transmit instructions to a device (13) of the object being tracked or to connect wirelessly to another mobile electronic device (12, 20).

43. A computer program product, which comprises computer program means saved on a computer-readable medium for presenting a positioning result of an object being positioned on a map (22) on the display (21) of a mobile electronic device (12, 20), on which the location (27, 27a, 27b) of the mobile electronic device determined by separate location determination is shown, characterized in that the computer program product also comprises computer program means for presenting a direction of the object to be positioned determined by a bearing device (11) on the map in relation to the location (27, 27a, 27b, 27c) of said mobile electronic device.

44. The computer program product according to claim 43, characterized in that it also comprises computer program means for indicating the direction of the object being positioned as a sector (28, 28a, 28b) starting from the location (27, 27a, 27b) on the map of the mobile electronic device.

45. The computer program product according to claim 43, characterized in that it also comprises computer program means for indicating the direction of the object being positioned as an arrow (28c) starting from the location (27c) on the map of the mobile electronic device.

46. The computer program product according to claim 43, characterized in that it also comprises computer program means for combining the results of two or more bearings for forming an intersection area (29b) on the map (22), in which intersection area the object being positioned is located.

47. The computer program product according to claim 43, characterized in that it also comprises computer program means for estimating and presenting a distance to the object being positioned on the basis of the level of the signal received from the object being positioned.

48. The computer program product according to claim 43, characterized in that it also comprises computer program means for presenting the location (29a) of the object being positioned by means of the colouring of the sector (28) drawn on the map (22), its filling pattern or a separate graphical image.