Position measuring method using a satellite

• US 4,924,699 A
• Filed: 10/13/1987
• Issued: 05/15/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Shinichi, Kuroda, Hiroshi, Kurihara, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): WOODIEL, DONALD
• Application Number:
  US07/106,664
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 73/178 R, 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/995, 364/443, 364/449, 364/460
• US Class Current: 73/178.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/50 whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks

Abstract

A method position measurement in which position about satellite orbits and information about time are received from satellites to determine a position of a point. The method includes a step to calculate a direction in which an error occurs based on positional information of a satellite and a step to determine the position of the point by use of road map information in the direction of the error.

Claims

1. A method for position measurement in a system having a plurality of satellite wherein said position measurement is performed using positional information of each satellite which includes information of an orbital path of said satellite and information of time elapsed between transmitting a signal from said satellite and receiving said signal at a point a position of which is to be measured, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating a direction in which an error occurs in position measurement for said satellite using positional information of said satellite; and

determining said position of said point by using road map information in said direction of said error.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

judging whether a result of determining said position of said point is an appropriate position on a map;

calculating a second direction in which a second error from occurs in position measurement for an arrangement of satellite using positional information of said arrangement of satellite when said result is not an appropriate position on said map; and

drawing a line extending in said second direction of said second error and passing through said position of said point determined by said determining step so as to attain an appropriate position on said line as an appropriate position of said point.

3. A method for position measurement in a system having a plurality of satellites wherein said position measurement is performed using positional information of a satellite which includes information of an orbital path of said satellite and information of time elapsed between transmitting a signal from said satellite and receiving said signal at a point a position of which is to be measured, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating a direction in which an error occurs in position measurement for a combination of satellites using positional information of said combination of satellites;

calculating a direction in which another error occurs in position measurement for another combination of satellites using positional information of said other combination of satellites; and

determining a position of a point from an intersection of lines representing said error and said other error respectively, each line extending in the direction in which said errors occur.

4. A method for position measurement in a system having a plurality of satellites wherein said position measurement is performed using positional information of each satellite which includes information of an orbital path of said satellite and information of time elapsed between transmitting a signal from said satellite and receiving said signal at a point a position of which is to be measured, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating said position of said point based on positional information from said satellites;

judging whether said position of said point is on a road of a map;

calculating a direction (O), a fluctuation from an arrangement of satellites using positional information of said arrangement of satellites when said position of said point is not on a road;

drawing a line having a gradient equal to the fluctuation direction (O) and passing through said position of said point calculated by said calculating step;

attaining an intersection between a line through passing a position of a point indicated by a result of the last position measurement and a position of a point indicated by a result of the second to the last position measurement; and

outputting as an appropriate position of said point position which exists on a road and is nearest to said intersection.