GPS positioning apparatus, GPS positioning method and computer readable recording medium on which GPS positioning program is recorded

• US 6,263,281 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2000
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yambe, Masaru, Yamamoto, Yousuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US09/502,441
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/207, 701/214, 701/215, 342/357.02, 342/357.03, 342/357.06, 342/357.08
• US Class Current: 701/215
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/009 Transmission of differential positioning data to mobile

Abstract

A GPS positioning apparatus includes an input section which inputs known point position information, approximation section which approximates pieces of pseudo distance information acquired at a known point by a GPS receiver as coefficient information, and a positioning processor which acquires a plurality of pseudo distances at an unknown point from the GPS receiver and predicts a plurality of pseudo distance prediction values at the known point on the basis of the coefficient information. The positioning processor calculates the position of the unknown point from the known point position information, the plurality of pseudo distances at the unknown point and the plurality of pseudo distance prediction values.

Claims

1. A GPS positioning apparatus which determines a position of an unknown point on the basis of a plurality of observation amounts obtained by receiving radio waves from the plurality of GPS satellites, said apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs position information of a known point;

an approximating unit which approximates the plurality of observation amounts obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

a predicting unit which predicts, on the basis of the plurality of approximation expressions, a plurality of observation amounts at the unknown point at time at which a plurality of observation amounts are obtained at an unknown point as a plurality of observation amount prediction values; and

a positioning unit which calculates the position of the unknown point on the basis of the position information of the known point and the plurality of observation amount prediction values from results obtained by correcting error components of the plurality of observation amounts at the unknown point.

2. A GPS positioning apparatus which determines a position of an unknown point on the basis of pseudo distances to a plurality of GPS satellites obtained by receiving radio waves from the plurality of GPS satellites, said apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs position information of a known point;

an approximating unit which approximates the plurality of pseudo distances obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

a predicting unit which predicts, on the basis of the approximation expressions, the plurality of pseudo distances at the known point at time at which the plurality of pseudo distances are obtained at the unknown point as a plurality of pseudo distance prediction values; and

a positioning unit which calculates the position of the unknown point by a differential method using the position information of the known point, the plurality of pseudo distance prediction values, and the plurality of pseudo distances at the unknown point.

3. A GPS positioning apparatus which determines a position of an unknown point on the basis of carrier wave phases obtained by receiving radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites, said apparatus comprising:

an input unit which inputs position information of a known point;

an approximating unit which approximates the plurality of carrier wave phases obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

a predicting unit which predicts, on the basis of the approximation expressions, the plurality of carrier wave phases at the known point at time at which the plurality of carrier wave phases are obtained at the unknown point as a plurality of carrier wave phase prediction values; and

a positioning unit which calculates the position of the unknown point by an interference positioning method using the position information of the known point, the plurality of carrier wave phase prediction values, and the plurality of carrier wave phases at the unknown point.

4. A GPS positioning method of determining a position of an unknown point on the basis of a plurality of observation amounts obtained by receiving radio waves from the plurality of GPS satellites, said method comprising:

an input step of inputting position information of a known point;

an approximating step of approximating the plurality of observation amounts obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

a predicting step of predicting, on the basis of the plurality of approximation expressions, a plurality of observation amounts at the known point at time at which a plurality of observation amounts are obtained at an unknown point as a plurality of observation amount prediction value; and

a positioning step of calculating the position of the unknown point on the basis of the position information of the known point and the plurality of observation amount prediction values from results obtained by correcting error components of the plurality of observation amounts at the unknown point.

5. A GPS positioning method of determining a position of an unknown point on the basis of pseudo distances to a plurality of GPS satellites obtained by receiving radio waves from the plurality of GPS satellites, said method comprising:

an input step of inputting position information of a known point;

an approximating unit of approximating the plurality of pseudo distances obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

a predicting step of predicting, on the basis of the approximation expressions, the plurality of pseudo distances at the known point at time at which the plurality of pseudo distances are obtained at the unknown point as a plurality of pseudo distance prediction values; and

a positioning step of calculating the position of the unknown point by a differential method using the position information of the known point, the plurality of pseudo distance prediction values, and the plurality of pseudo distances at the unknown point.

6. A GPS positioning method of determining a position of an unknown point on the basis of carrier wave phases obtained by receiving radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites, said method comprising:

an input step of inputting position information of a known point;

an approximating step of approximating the plurality of carrier wave phases obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

a predicting step of predicting, on the basis of the approximation expressions, the plurality of carrier wave phases at the known point at time at which the plurality of carrier wave phases are obtained at the unknown point as a plurality of carrier wave phase prediction values; and

a positioning step of calculating the position of the unknown point by an interference positioning method using the position information of the known point, the plurality of carrier wave phase prediction values, and the plurality of carrier wave phases at the unknown point.

7. A computer readable recording medium on which a GPS positioning program applied to GPS positioning of determining a position of an unknown point on the basis of a plurality of observation amounts obtained by receiving radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites is recorded,

wherein said recording medium records the GPS positioning program for causing a computer to execute the steps of:

inputting position information of a known point;

approximating the plurality of observation amounts obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

predicting, on the basis of the plurality of approximation expressions, a plurality of observation amounts at the known point at time at which a plurality of observation amounts are obtained at an unknown point as a plurality of observation amount prediction value; and

calculating the position of the unknown point on the basis of the position information of the known point and the plurality of observation amount prediction values from results obtained by correcting error components of the plurality of observation amounts at the unknown point.

8. A computer readable recording medium on which a GPS positioning program applied to GPS positioning of determining a position of an unknown point on the basis of pseudo distances to a plurality of GPS satellites obtained by receiving radio waves from the plurality of GPS satellites is recorded,

wherein said recording medium records the GPS positioning program for causing a computer to execute the steps of:

inputting position information of a known point;

approximating the plurality of pseudo distances obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

predicting, on the basis of the approximation expressions, the plurality of pseudo distances at the known point at time at which the plurality of pseudo distances are obtained at the unknown point as a plurality of pseudo distance prediction values; and

calculating the position of the unknown point by a differential method using the position information of the known point, the plurality of pseudo distance prediction values, and the plurality of pseudo distances at the unknown point.

9. A computer readable recording medium on which a GPS positioning program applied to GPS positioning of determining a position of an unknown point on the basis of carrier wave phases obtained by receiving radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites is recorded,

wherein said recording medium records the GPS positioning program for causing a computer to execute the steps of:

inputting position information of a known point;

approximating the plurality of carrier wave phases obtained at the known point as approximate expressions using a time as a variable, respectively;

predicting, on the basis of the approximation expressions, the plurality of carrier wave phases at the known point at time at which the plurality of carrier wave phases are obtained at the unknown point as a plurality of carrier wave phase prediction values; and

calculating the position of the unknown point by an interference positioning method using the position information of the known point, the plurality of carrier wave phase prediction values, and the plurality of carrier wave phases at the unknown point.