Positioning system and fixed station and positioning apparatus for employing the same

• US 5,990,825 A
• Filed: 07/30/1997
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US08/903,433
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/009 Transmission of differential positioning data to mobile

Abstract

DGPS data obtained from an FM broadcast wave is extracted by a DGPS data extraction section (226). Adjustment error, the accuracy of which is not very high, has been appended to correction data to be used in actual positioning correction within the obtained DGPS data. A correction value creation section (228) judges, from the contents of DGPS data, which data in a correction value table (230) may be read. The method of this judgment is predetermined. Then, the correction value is created by reading the corresponding correction value from correction value table (230). Next, the correction value and correction data are added in a DGPS data specifying section (232) to yield proper correction data. Position information having high accuracy can be obtained from the obtained proper correction data.

Claims

1. A positioning system comprising:

a fixed station for generating DGPS data including correction data for satellite transmission information transmitted from artificial satellites and adjustment state identification information for indicating a state of adjustment error assignment, said DGPS data being based on said artificial satellite transmission information and an absolute position that is known in advance, said correction data containing at least one of pseudorange correction data and range-rate correction data; and

a mobile station for detecting its own position based on said artificial satellite transmission information and said DGPS data that is transmitted from said fixed station, wherein

said fixed station assigns a predetermined adjustment error to said correction data and then transmits said DGPS data; and

said mobile station corrects said correction data based on the received DGPS data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said mobile station corrects the correction data according to the assignment state of the adjustment error.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said adjustment state identification information indicates at least whether or not adjustment error was assigned, and wherein, when said adjustment state identification information indicates that adjustment error has been assigned, said correction data is corrected according to the adjustment error which is predetermined.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the value of said predetermined adjustment error is determined according to data at a predetermined location within DGPS data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said fixed station and mobile station each have a table that determines the relationship between said data at a predetermined location within DGPS data and a plurality of adjustment errors.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the value of said predetermined adjustment error is determined according to data at a predetermined location within DGPS data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said fixed station and mobile station each have a table that determines the relationship between said data at a predetermined location within DGPS data and a plurality of adjustment errors.

8. A fixed station apparatus for a positioning system using satellite transmission information transmitted from artificial satellites, said fixed station apparatus comprising:

a position detection apparatus for detecting its own position by receiving said artificial satellite transmission information; and

a DGPS creation apparatus for creating DGPS data including correction data for various satellite transmission information based on its own absolute position known in advance and its own position obtained from said position detection apparatus and for adjusting the value of said correction data by assigning a predetermined adjustment error, said correction data containing at least one of pseudorange correction data and range-rate correction data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said DGPS data creation apparatus assigns to said DGPS data, adjustment state identification information indicating the state of adjustment error assignment with respect to said correction data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said adjustment state identification information indicates at least whether or not adjustment error has been assigned.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said adjustment means determines the adjustment error in accordance with the data contents at a predetermined location within DGPS data.

12. A positioning apparatus for a positioning system using satellite transmission information transmitted from artificial satellites, said positioning apparatus comprising:

a position detection apparatus for detecting its own position based on said artificial satellite transmission information;

a DGPS data creation apparatus for receiving DGPS data transmitted from a fixed terrestrial station, said received DGPS data including correction data for satellite transmission and adiustment state identification information for indicating a state of adjustment error assignment, said correction data containing at least one of pseudorange correction data and range-rate correction data; and

a correction data correction apparatus for correcting said received correction data in a predetermined manner, wherein

said position detection apparatus corrects, based on correction data that was corrected by said correction data correction apparatus, its own position that was detected according to said artificial satellite transmission information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said correction data correction apparatus corrects correction data based on a correction value that has been stored in advance.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said correction data correction apparatus has a table showing the relationship between data at a predetermined position within DGPS data and a plurality of correction values.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said correction data correction apparatus identifies, based on said adjustment state identification information the state of adjustment error assignment with respect to correction data, and controls the correction of correction data based on said identified adjustment error assignment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said adjustment state identification information indicates at least whether or not adjustment error has been assigned.