POSITION CALCULATION METHOD AND POSITION CALCULATION SYSTEM

• US 20090216447A1
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: UCHIDA, Shuji
• Application Number:
  US12/391,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216447A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/27 creating, predicting or correcting ephemeris or almanac data within the receiver

Abstract

A position calculation method includes storing navigation data at a given reference date as reference navigation data corresponding to the reference date, transmitting the reference date to request a server that provides navigation data to transmit latest differential navigation data that indicates a difference between the navigation data at the reference date and latest navigation data, receiving the latest differential navigation data from the server, and calculating a position by performing given positioning calculations based on the latest differential navigation data received from the server and the reference navigation data.

Claims

1. A position calculation method implemented by a position calculation system that includes a position calculation device and a server, the position calculation device calculating its position by performing given positioning calculations based on navigation data that is positioning satellite orbit information, and the server providing navigation data to the position calculation device, the position calculation method comprising:

causing the position calculation device to store navigation data at a given reference date as reference navigation data corresponding to the reference date, transmit the reference date to the server to request the server to transmit latest differential navigation data that indicates a difference between the navigation data at the reference date and latest navigation data, receive the latest differential navigation data from the server, and calculate its position by performing the given positioning calculations based on the latest differential navigation data received from the server and the reference navigation data; and

causing the server to successively acquire latest navigation data from a positioning satellite or an external system, store the acquired navigation data, generate the latest differential navigation data based on navigation data at the reference date transmitted from the position calculation device and the latest navigation data included in the stored navigation data, and transmit the generated latest differential navigation data to the position calculation device.

2. A position calculation system comprising:

a position calculation device that calculates its position by performing given positioning calculations based on navigation data that is positioning satellite orbit information; and

a server that provides navigation data to the position calculation device,

the position calculation device including;

a storage section that stores navigation data at a given reference date as reference navigation data corresponding to the reference date;

a differential navigation data request section that transmits the reference date to the server to request the server to transmit latest differential navigation data that indicates a difference between the navigation data at the reference date and latest navigation data;

a reception section that receives the latest differential navigation data from the server; and

a position calculation section that calculates the position of the position calculation device by performing the given positioning calculations based on the latest differential navigation data received from the server and the reference navigation data; and

the server including;

a navigation data acquisition section that successively acquires latest navigation data from a positioning satellite or an external system;

a storage section that stores the acquired navigation data;

a latest differential navigation data generation section that generates the latest differential navigation data based on navigation data at the reference date transmitted from the position calculation device and the latest navigation data included in the stored navigation data; and

a transmission section that transmits the generated latest differential navigation data to the position calculation device.

3. A position calculation method comprising:

storing navigation data at a given reference date as reference navigation data corresponding to the reference date;

transmitting the reference date to a server that provides navigation data to request the server to transmit latest differential navigation data that indicates a difference between the navigation data at the reference date and latest navigation data;

receiving the latest differential navigation data from the server; and

calculating a position by performing given positioning calculations based on the latest differential navigation data received from the server and the reference navigation data.

4. The position calculation method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

requesting the server to transmit navigation data at a current date by transmitting the current date to the server; and

updating the stored reference navigation data with navigation data transmitted from the server in response to the request that requests the latest navigation data, and updating the reference date corresponding to the reference navigation data with the current date.

5. The position calculation method as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether or not a time difference between the reference date of the stored reference navigation data and the current date has exceeded a given time,

the requesting including requesting the server to transmit the navigation data at the current date when it has been determined that the time difference has exceeded the given time.

6. The position calculation method as defined in claim 3,

the server including a navigation data prediction section that predicts navigation data corresponding to a given prediction period, and a predicted differential navigation data calculation section that calculates predicted differential navigation data that indicates a difference between the navigation data predicted by the navigation data prediction section and navigation data at a reference date transmitted from a position calculation device;

the storing including storing the predicted differential navigation data corresponding to the prediction period of the predicted differential navigation data;

the method further comprising determining whether or not navigation data or predicted differential navigation data at a current date is stored;

the requesting including transmitting the current date to the server to request the server to transmit the latest differential navigation data and predicted differential navigation data corresponding to the prediction period when it has been determined that navigation data or predicted differential navigation data corresponding to the current date is not stored; and

the method further comprising storing the latest differential navigation data and the predicted differential navigation data transmitted from the server in response to the request when it has been determined that navigation data or predicted differential navigation data corresponding to the current date is not stored.

7. The position calculation method as defined in claim 3,

the storing including storing the reference navigation data corresponding to the reference date of the reference navigation data for each positioning satellite;

and

the requesting including requesting the server to transmit the latest differential navigation data corresponding to each positioning satellite.