POSITIONING METHOD, POSITIONING SYSTEM, CORRECTION INFORMATION GENERATION METHOD, CORRECTION INFORMATION GENERATION DEVICE, AND POSITIONING SYSTEM RELAY STATION AND TERMINAL

• US 20180203129A1
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Published: 07/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAZAKI, Yasuhisa
• Granted Patent: US 10,871,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/073 involving a network of fixed stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18554 using the position provided by an existing geolocalisation system

Abstract

The present disclosure can perform positioning of a terminal even though a communication bandwidth capable of being used by a reference station is narrow. In a positioning method, a positioning system, a correction information generation method, and a correction information generation apparatus of the present disclosure, coordinates of a terminal are positioned by using the reference station, a plurality of relay stations communicating with the reference station, and the terminal communicating with the relay station. In the positioning method, the positioning system, the correction information generation method, and the correction information generation apparatus of the present disclosure, information for specifying the relay station communicating with the terminal is acquired, and the correction information is generated based on the positioning signal from a satellite which is received by the reference station based on the coordinates of the relay station communicating with the terminal. In the positioning method and the positioning system of the present disclosure, the reference station transmits the correction information to the terminal via the relay station.

Claims

1. A positioning method of positioning coordinates of a terminal by using a reference station, a plurality of relay stations communicating with the reference station, and the terminal communicating with the relay station, the positioning method comprising:

acquiring information for specifying a relay station communicating with the terminal;

generating correction information based on a positioning signal from a satellite which is received by the reference station based on coordinates of the relay station communicating with the terminal; and

causing the reference station to transmit the correction information to the terminal via the relay station.

2. The positioning method of claim 1,

wherein the correction information is transmitted to the terminal from the reference station via a multi-hop network constituted by the plurality of relay stations.

3. The positioning method of claim 1,

wherein the correction information is not generated for coordinates of a relay station that does not communicate with the terminal.

4. The positioning method of claim 1,

wherein estimated coordinates calculated by the terminal based on the positioning signal from the satellite are acquired, and

the correction information is generated based on the estimated coordinates in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is greater than a predetermined value.

5. The positioning method of claim 1,

wherein the correction information is generated based on coordinates calculated using coordinates of the plurality of relay stations in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is less than a predetermined value.

6. A positioning system that includes a reference station, a plurality of relay stations communicating with the reference station, and a terminal communicating with the relay station, and positions coordinates of the terminal, the positioning system configured to:

acquire information for specifying a relay station communicating with the terminal;

generate correction information based on a positioning signal from a satellite which is received by the reference station based on coordinates of the relay station communicating with the terminal; and

cause the reference station to transmit the correction information to the terminal via the relay station.

7. The positioning system of claim 6,

wherein the correction information is transmitted to the terminal from the reference station via a multi-hop network constituted by the plurality of relay stations.

8. The positioning system of claim 6,

wherein the correction information is not generated for coordinates of a relay station that does not communicate with the terminal.

9. The positioning system of claim 6,

wherein estimated coordinates calculated by the terminal based on the positioning signal from the satellite are acquired, and

the correction information is generated based on the estimated coordinates in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is greater than a predetermined value.

10. The positioning system of claim 6,

wherein the correction information is generated based on coordinates calculated using coordinates of the plurality of relay stations in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is less than a predetermined value.

11. A relay station of the positioning system of claim 6.

12. A terminal of the positioning system of claim 6.

13. A correction information generation method of causing a processor to generate correction information transmitted to a terminal communicating with a reference station via a plurality of relay stations, the method comprising:

causing the processor to acquire information for specifying a relay station communicating with the terminal; and

causing the processor to generate correction information based on a positioning signal from a satellite which is received by the reference station, based on coordinates of the relay station communicating with the terminal.

14. The correction information generation method of claim 13,

wherein the correction information is transmitted to the terminal from the reference station via a multi-hop network constituted by the plurality of relay stations.

15. The correction information generation method of claim 13,

wherein the correction information is not generated for coordinates of a relay station that does not communicate with the terminal.

16. The correction information generation method of claim 13,

wherein estimated coordinates calculated by the terminal based on the positioning signal from the satellite are acquired, and

the correction information is generated based on the estimated coordinates in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is greater than a predetermined value.

17. The correction information generation method of claim 13,

wherein the correction information is generated based on coordinates calculated using coordinates of the plurality of relay stations in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is less than a predetermined value.

18. A correction information generation apparatus that includes a processor, and generates correction information transmitted to a terminal communicating with a reference station via a plurality of relay stations,

wherein the processor is configured to:

acquire information for specifying a relay station communicating with the terminal; and

generate correction information based on a positioning signal from a satellite which is received by the reference station, based on coordinates of the relay station communicating with the terminal.

19. The correction information generation apparatus of claim 18,

wherein the correction information is transmitted to the terminal from the reference station via a multi-hop network constituted by the plurality of relay stations.

20. The correction information generation apparatus of claim 18,

wherein the correction information is not generated for coordinates of a relay station that does not communicating with the terminal.

21. The correction information generation apparatus of claim 18,

wherein estimated coordinates calculated by the terminal based on the positioning signal from the satellite are acquired, and

the correction information is generated based on the estimated coordinates in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is greater than a predetermined value.

22. The correction information generation apparatus of claim 18,

wherein the correction information is generated based on coordinates calculated using coordinates of the plurality of relay stations in a case where an available bandwidth between the reference station and the relay station is less than a predetermined value.