Determination of a Relative Position of a Satellite Signal Receiver

• US 20110074625A1
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lauri Wirola, Syrjärinne, Jari
• Original Assignee: Lauri Wirola, Syrjärinne, Jari
• Inventors: SYRJÄRINNE, Jari, WIROLA, Lauri
• Granted Patent: US 8,169,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.25
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/55 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method

Abstract

For enhancing the quality of a relative positioning, a filter is adjusted depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver. A position of the satellite signal receiver is determined relative to a reference station using the filter, wherein measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and measurements on satellite signals provided for the reference station are used as input to the filter. The measurements for the reference station may be received in messages which are assembled and provided for transmission and which may include in addition an indication of a current movement of the reference station.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

assembling, by an apparatus, messages including measurements on satellite signals that are valid for a reference station and including an indication of a current movement of the reference station; and

providing, by the apparatus, the assembled messages for transmission to a device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reference station is located at a fixed position.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reference station is mobile and wherein the indication of a current movement of the reference station is determined from sensor information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication of a current movement of the reference station is determined based on information provided by an accelerometer.

5. An apparatus comprising at least one of a hardware circuit and a processor and a memory including computer program code, the hardware circuit configured to or the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform

assemble messages including measurements on satellite signals that are valid for a reference station and including an indication of a current movement of the reference station;

and

provide the assembled messages for transmission to a device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reference station is located at a fixed position.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reference station is mobile and wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine an indication of a current movement of the reference station from sensor information.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine the indication of a current movement of the reference station based on information provided by an accelerometer.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising at least one of:

an interface configured to enable a communication with another device;

a satellite signal receiver; and

an accelerometer.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus is one of:

a mobile terminal;

a mobile phone;

a laptop;

a network element;

a network server; and

a module for a mobile terminal or for a network element.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by an apparatus, assembled messages including measurements on satellite signals that are valid for a reference station and including an indication of a current movement of the reference station; and

determining, by the apparatus, a position of a satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station using the measurements on satellite signals that are valid for the reference station and the indication of the current movement of the reference station.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein determining the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station comprises:

adjusting a number of components of a state space of a filter depending on the indication of the current movement of the reference station and on information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver; and

determining the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station using the filter, wherein measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and the received measurements on satellite signals that are valid for the reference station are used as an input to the filter.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the components of the state space of the filter are adjusted to comprise, depending on the indication of the current movement of the reference station and on information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver, one or more of:

a baseline component;

a baseline rate of change component;

a baseline acceleration component; and

a float ambiguities component.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein determining the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station comprises:

adjusting a filter depending on the indication of the current movement of the reference station and on information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver; and

determining the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station using the filter, wherein the received measurements on satellite signals that are valid for a reference station are carrier-phase measurements, and wherein carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and the carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals that are valid for the reference station are used as input to the filter.

15. An apparatus comprising at least one of a hardware circuit and a processor and a memory including computer program code, the hardware circuit configured to or the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform

receive assembled messages including measurements on satellite signals that are valid for a reference station and including an indication of a current movement of the reference station;

and

determine a position of a satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station using the measurements on satellite signals that are valid for the reference station and the indication of the current movement of the reference station.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station by:

adjusting a number of components of a state space of a filter depending on the indication of the current movement of the reference station and on information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver; and

determining the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station using the filter, wherein measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and the measurements on satellite signals provided for the reference station are used as an input to the filter.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the hardware circuit configured to or the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the components of the state space of the filter to comprise, depending on the indication of the current movement of the reference station and on information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver, one or more of:

a baseline component;

a baseline rate of change component;

a baseline acceleration component; and

a float ambiguities component.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station by:

adjusting a filter depending on the indication of the current movement of the reference station and on information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver; and

determining the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station using the filter, wherein the received measurements on satellite signals that are valid for a reference station are carrier-phase measurements, and wherein carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and the carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals that are valid for the reference station are used as input to the filter.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising at least one of

a wireless communication component configured to receive the assembled messages from another device;

and

the satellite signal receiver;

an accelerometer.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the apparatus is one of:

a mobile terminal;

a mobile phone;

a laptop;

a satellite signal receiver; and

a module for a mobile terminal or for a satellite signal receiver.