Positioning system, method, and device for obtaining information about a current position

• US 6,289,279 B1
• Filed: 11/19/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Takeshi, Kawai, Eiji, Yoshimori, Masaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US09/443,786
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/213, 701/216, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station

Abstract

A positioning system for obtaining information concerning a current position of a device even when one is in an underground center or inside a building includes a portable terminal is equipped with a radio-call-reception part having a radio-call-reception function that is a receiving unit which receives data sent from the base station and a positioning function to obtain the primary position data indicating the current position of the device based on data sent from the base station, a GPS-reception part having a positioning function to obtain the secondary position data on measuring the current position of the device based on signals sent from GPS satellites, and a position-data-correction function to correct the secondary position data using the position-correction data sent from the base station, and an information-processing part having a function to perform information processing using position data obtained from the radio-call-reception part and the GPS-reception part.

Claims

1. A positioning system for obtaining information about a current position of a device, comprising:

a radio-call base-station which sends data; and

a positioning device including a receiving means which receives data sent from said radio-call base-station, and a first positioning means which obtains position data indicating a current position of the device based on data sent from said radio-call base-station, a secondary positioning means to obtain secondary position data by measuring the current position of the device based on signals sent from artificial satellites, and a reception-frequency-switching means to switch a reception frequency based on said secondary position data,

wherein said radio-call base-station is equipped with a position-correction-data-generating means to generate position-correction data to correct said secondary position data, and

wherein said secondary positioning means includes a position-data-correction means to correct said secondary position data using said position data sent from said radio-call base-station.

2. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein said first positioning means obtains position data indicating the current position of the device based on area data, showing a location of said radio-call base-station, sent from said radio-call base-station.

3. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein said positioning device obtains position data by said first positioning means when it is impossible to measure the position of the device using said secondary positioning means.

4. A positioning method for obtaining information about a current position of a device, comprising the steps of:

sending data from a radio-call base station;

receiving data sent from said radio-call base station at a positioning device;

obtaining position data indicating a current position of the device based on data sent from said radio-call base-station;

correcting the position data obtained by measuring the current position of the device based on signals sent from artificial satellites by using position-correction data generated at said radio-call base-station and sent from said radio-call base-station; and

causing the positioning device that receives data sent from said radio-call base-station to switch reception frequencies based on said position data.

5. The positioning method of claim 4, wherein position data indicating the current position of the device are obtained based on area data, showing a location of said radio-call base-station, sent from said radio-call base-station.

6. The positioning method of claim 4, wherein said position data are obtained based on data sent from said radio-call base-station when it is not possible to measure the current position of the device based on signals sent from artificial satellites.

7. A positioning device for obtaining information about a current position of the device comprising:

a receiving means which receives data sent from a radio-call base-station,

a first positioning means which obtains position data indicating the current position of the device based on data sent from said radio-call base-station;

a secondary positioning means to obtain secondary position data on measuring the current position of the device based on signals sent from artificial satellites;

a position-data-correction means to correct said secondary position data using said position-correction data sent from said radio-call base-station; and

a reception-frequency-switching means to switch reception-frequencies based on said secondary position data.

8. The positioning device of claim 7, wherein said first positioning means obtains position data indicating the current position of the device based on area data, showing a location of said radio-call base-station, sent from said radio-call base-station.

9. The positioning device of claim 7 wherein said first positioning means obtains said position data when it is not possible to measure the position of the device using said secondary positioning means.