Vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system

• US 6,052,084 A
• Filed: 05/28/1997
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Harada, Tomohisa, Aoshima, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US08/864,114
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 342/359, 342/77, 342/358
• US Class Current: 342/358
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/10 to produce a conical or spiral scan

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system adopting a satellite tracking system combining gyro tracking and hybrid tracking is disclosed which can correct a sensitivity coefficient for correcting a gyro sensor output signal to make up for a sensitivity error, even when a drift is produced in the sensitivity error. In this system, gyro tracking is caused when the received power level is above a threshold power level. The gyro tracking is done by determining the angular velocity ω of an antenna as ω=-(ωG×ΔSB+ωG from a value obtained by inverting the sign of the product of a gyro tracking angular velocity ωG and a sensitivity coefficient ΔSB for dealing with the sensitivity error and a predetermined offset error correction value ωG and setting the antenna to ω. When ΔSB is inaccurate and a sensitivity error is generated in the gyro sensor output signal, the received power level is reduced. When the received power level becomes lower than a threshold power level LB, the sensitivity coefficient is corrected on the basis of the sense of the angular velocity ωS in the hybrid tracking (step tracking) and in the gyro tracking.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system comprising:

an antenna mounted on a vehicle;

a gyro sensor for detecting the rotational angular velocity of said vehicle and outputting an output signal, said output signal having an offset error and a sensitivity error;

a sensitivity error correcting means for correcting the output signal of said gyro sensor to make up for said sensitivity error of said output signal separately from said offset error by multiplying said gyro sensor output signal by a sensitivity coefficient and outputting a corrected gyro sensor output signal;

gyro tracking means for controlling the bearing of said antenna according to said corrected gyro sensor output signal; and

sensitivity coefficient correcting means for determining whether a correction of said sensitivity error of the gyro sensor by said sensitivity error correcting means is appropriate when a received power level of a satellite signal received by said antenna is reduced from a previous level, and correcting said sensitivity coefficient it if is appropriate to do so.

3. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to one of claims 1 and 2, which further comprises:

yaw rate calculating means for calculating the yaw rate of said vehicle;

said sensitivity coefficient correcting means correcting said sensitivity coefficient when and only when said yaw rate is above a first reference yaw rate Y1.

4. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 3, which further comprises:

offset error correcting means for correcting said gyro sensor output signal to make up for said offset error by adding a predetermined offset error correction value to said gyro sensor output signal; and

correction value correcting means for correcting said offset error correction value when and only when said yaw rate is below a second reference yaw rate Y2.

5. A vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 4, which further comprises:

first reference yaw rate updating means for updating either one or both of said first and second reference yaw rates Y1 and Y2 according to the extent of converging of said offset error correction value.

9. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to one of claims 1 or 2, which further comprises:

offset error correcting means for correcting said gyro sensor output signal to make up for said offset error thereof by adding a predetermined correction value to said gyro sensor output signal;

offset error correction value correcting means for correcting said offset error correction value; and

control means for starting said sensitivity coefficient correcting means after said correction of said offset error correction value has been converged.

10. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 4, which further comprises:

control means for starting said sensitivity coefficient correcting means after said correction of said offset error correction value has been converged.

11. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to one of claims 1 or 2, which further comprises:

control means for reducing the frequency of correcting said sensitivity coefficient after the correction of said sensitivity coefficient by said sensitivity coefficient correcting means;

said frequency reduction decreases the frequency of correcting from a value existing just prior to the correction of said sensitivity coefficient.

12. The vehicle-mounted satellite receiving system according to claim 3, which further comprises:

second reference raw rate updating means for updating said reference yaw rate according to the extent of converging of said sensitivity coefficient.

14. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 4, wherein:

said first and second reference yaw rates are the same.

15. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 12, wherein:

said first and second reference yaw rates are the same.

2. A vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system comprising:

a vehicle-mounted antenna;

a gyro sensor for detecting the rotational angular velocity of a vehicle and outputting an output signal, said output signal having an offset error and a sensitivity error,

a sensitivity error correcting means for correcting the output signal of said gyro sensor to make up for a sensitivity error of said output signal of signal gyro sensor by multiplying said gyro sensor output signal by a sensitivity coefficient and outputting a corrected gyro sensor output signal;

gyro tracking means for controlling the bearing of said antenna according to said corrected gyro sensor output signal when a received power level of a satellite signal received by said antenna is above a first predetermined power level;

step tracking means for controlling the bearing of said antennas the control provided by said step tracking means enabling said received power level of said satellite signal to be increased when it is below a second predetermined power level; and

sensitivity coefficient correcting means for comparing, when the control of the bearing of said antenna by said step tracking means results from the reduction of said received power level being below said second predetermined power level, an antenna rotation direction during the control by said step tracking means and the antenna rotation direction during the control by said gyro tracking means, and correcting said sensitivity coefficient by a predetermined amount of reduction if the two antenna rotation directions are different, and correcting said sensitivity coefficient by a predetermined amount of increment if the two antenna rotation directions are the same.

6. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 2, wherein:

said sensitivity coefficient correcting means corrects said sensitivity coefficient when and only when the time during which said received power level is above a third predetermined power level is longer than a predetermined time.

7. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 2, which further comprises:

rolling/pitching detecting means for detecting rolling or pitching of said vehicle;

said sensitivity coefficient correcting means correcting said sensitivity coefficient when and only when said rolling/pitching means does not detect any rolling or pitching.

8. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 2, which further comprises:

correction unit setting means for setting a correction unit for the correction of said sensitivity coefficient by said sensitivity coefficient correcting means according to the extent of converging of said sensitivity coefficient.

13. The vehicle-mounted satellite signal receiving system according to claim 8, which further comprises:

correction unit increasing means for increasing said correction unit when the correction of said sensitivity coefficient for dealing with said sensitivity error per unit time is substantially smaller or larger than a correct value.