Location sensor having a satellite receiver for position determination

• US 6,249,246 B1
• Filed: 07/08/1999
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Tanneberger, Volkmar, Bode, Friedrich-Wilhelm
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H
• Application Number:
  US09/297,839
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.14
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

A location sensor in which a satellite receiver, a rotation rate sensor constituting a direction sensor, and an acceleration sensor constituting a displacement sensor are arranged in a housing. The signals of these sensors are conveyed to a common filter, so that the location, the movement velocity, and/or the movement direction can be picked off at the output of the location sensor. The compact arrangement of the individual sensors makes possible multiple utilization of individual components, for example of filters.

Claims

1. A location sensor for a position determination, comprising:

a satellite receiver including a position filter;

a direction sensor having a first output signal;

a displacement sensor having a second output signal, the first and second output signals being switched to the position filter;

a housing accommodating the satellite receiver, the direction sensor and the displacement sensor; and

a computing arrangement including an output arrangement, the computing arrangement weighting the first output signal, the second output signal and a third output signal of the satellite receiver as a function of a priority factor, the priority factor being weighted as a function of an availability of the first, second and third output signals, the computing arrangement providing data which is indicative of at least one of a location, a movement velocity, and a movement direction, the data being provided to the output arrangement and picked off in a compatible data format.

2. The location sensor according to claim 1, wherein the satellite receiver receives at least one signal from at least one of a GPS satellite and a GLONASS satellite.

3. The location sensor according to claim 1, wherein the displacement sensor includes an acceleration sensor.

4. The location sensor according to claim 3, wherein the acceleration sensor determines accelerations in three axes.

5. The location sensor according to claim 1, wherein the direction sensor includes at least one of a rotation rate sensor and a gyro sensor.

6. The location sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a barometric altimeter situated in the housing, a barometric output of the barometric altimeter being connected to the position filter.

7. The location sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor situated in the housing, a temperature output of the temperature sensor being connected to the position filter.

8. The location sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

an external sensor connecting to the housing, signals of the external sensor being provided, via an external connection, to the position filter.

9. The location sensor according to claim 8, wherein the external sensor includes a speed transducer.

10. The location sensor according to claim 1, wherein the position filter includes a Kalman filter.

11. The location sensor according to claim 1, wherein the location sensor is a part of a navigation system.

12. The location sensor according to claim 11, wherein a motor vehicle includes the navigation system.