Arrangement for providing communication and positioning in a guidance installation

• US 5,638,078 A
• Filed: 11/01/1994
• Issued: 06/10/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Telia AB (Government of Norway)
• Inventors: Wichtel, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US08/333,300
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 342/450, 364/449, 364/460
• US Class Current: 342/450
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

Communication and positioning device for guidance installation for guiding mobile units on a track system. The positioning is carried out with great accuracy. Base stations placed along the track system are used for communication and positioning. Communication between the mobile units and base stations is carried out by way of a mobile radio system (DECT). Positioning is established by means of positioning equipment included in the mobile unit. On passage of a mobile unit past a base station, the positioning equipment of the mobile unit is updated with the aid of reference positioning equipment. This updating is carried out by way of a mobile radio system.

Claims

1. Arrangement for providing communication and accurate positioning to a guidance installation for guiding mobile units on a track system, said communication and positioning being established between said mobile units and base stations placed along the track system, comprising:

a telecommunications system for establishing communication between said mobile units and said base stations, including a telecommunication network;

positioning equipment of the GPS type, for establishing a position of said mobile units, which on passage of the mobile unit past a base station can be updated by reference positioning equipment, the updating of the positioning equipment in the mobile unit by the reference position equipment being effected by way of the telecommunication system.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the functions for communication and positioning are separated, that the communication occurs via base stations arranged at a distance of approximately 100 meters from one another and the positioning occurs by means of mainly radio-based positioning tools which can be of the traditional type.

3. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in open, half-open track sections or long sections, the reference positioning equipment consists of a fixed calibrated GPS reference station arranged to calculate corrections for differential GPS, and that the mobile units are provided with mobile GPS receivers which calculate the positions running at a precision, which significantly exceeds the precision aimed for in the system and that data from the fixed calibrated reference station are arranged for correcting the mobile receivers to the higher accuracy, whereby the installation along the track along the communication system is rendered unnecessary.

4. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the case of covered track sections and shorter sections with requirements for maxima or high continuity, a dead reckoning function takes over from preferably the last-obtained valid position calculated from the positioning equipment which operates in the case of open, half-open track sections or long sections, the system also operating with information about which track sections are the subject of a dead reckoning function.

5. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the telecommunication network includes a mobile radio system of the DECT type which offers general data transmission, and good accessibility, flexibility, hand-over, roaming, simplicity, private operator instruction, etc.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the telecommunication network comprises a mobile radio network of the DECT type which offers public speech access on idle channels and which therefore makes it possible to have additional services.

7. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the positioning part obtains assistance from the communication part which is established, with a telecommunication network of the DECT type for being updated with corrections for differential GPS which makes the position of the mobile unit known with an accuracy of approximately one meter, and that the said telecommunication network is utilized for informing the guidance system of position, status etc, and the guidance system gives the respective mobile unit instruction via the said telecommunication network on passage of one or more base stations.

8. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a respective mobile unit is provided with an internal guidance system, a portable unit in a current telecommunication network of the DECT type, and a GPS unit.

9. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that base stations in the telecommunication network of the DECT type are connected to the fixed telecommunication network.

10. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a central guidance system and reference equipment of the differential GPS type are connected to the fixed telecommunication network.

11. Arrangement according to claim 1, where said telecommunication network is a mobile radio system.

12. Arrangement according to claim 1, where said telecommunication network is a fixed telecommunication network.