RTK positioning system and positioning method therefor

• US 7,340,343 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GNSS Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd., GNSS Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Petrovski, Ivan G., Torimoto, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/936,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701213-215, 342463-465, 340/988
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method

Abstract

The locations of pseudolites and the location of a stationary reference station are previously known by a user processing unit, and codes and carrier phase of signals transmitted from the pseudolites are measured by the stationary reference station, a moving reference station and a rover receiver. Data of the codes and the carrier phase measured by the stationary reference station, the moving reference station and the rover receiver are transmitted to the user processing unit using a data link. The user processing unit determines a baseline between the stationary reference station and the moving reference station, and a baseline between the moving reference station and the rover receiver. The two baselines and the previously known location of the stationary reference station are employed to determine the position of the rover receiver.

Claims

1. An RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning system which determines positions with pseudolites substituting as GPS satellites, comprising:

a plurality of pseudolites, each of which is located at a predetermined position;

a rover receiver for measuring code and carrier phase of signals transmitted from each of the pseudolites;

a stationary reference station located at a predetermined position and for measuring code and carrier phase of signals transmitted from each of the pseudolites;

a moving reference station for measuring code and carrier phase of signals transmitted from each of the pseudolites, and for moving;

a user processor unit for positioning the rover receiver based on code and carrier phase transmitted from the stationary reference station and the moving reference station respectively and code and carrier phase transmitted from the rover receiver; and

a data link to transmit each data from the stationary reference station, the moving reference station and the rover receiver to the user processor unit,

wherein a position of the stationary reference station and each position of the pseudolites are known by the user processor unit.

2. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1,

wherein at least four pseudolites are used for three-dimensional positioning of the rover receiver, and

at least three pseudolites are used for two-dimensional positioning of the rover receiver.

5. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the pseudolite transmits data transmitted from GPS satellites, and

the stationary reference station, the moving reference station and the rover receiver have a function of a GPS receiver.

6. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the pseudolite uses FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) and retransmits data transmitted from all of a navigation satellite, a geostationary satellite, and a quasi-stationary satellite including a GPS satellite.

7. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the pseudolite retransmits data transmitted from all of a navigation satellite, a geostationary satellite, and a quasi-stationary satellite including a GPS satellite by using spatial division of a satellite.

8. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein at least one of the pseudolites is a GPS-like satellite.

9. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein at least one of the pseudolites is a fixed spread spectrum signal source.

10. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein at least one of the pseudolites is a stationary satellite or a quasi-stationary satellite.

11. The RTK positioning system according to claim 9,

wherein the fixed spread spectrum signal source is a synchrolite.

12. The RTK positioning system according to claim 9,

wherein the fixed spread spectrum signal source is a GPS signal re-transmitter.

13. The RTK positioning system according to claim 12,

wherein the GPS signal re-transmitter transmits GPS-like signal.

14. The RTK positioning system according to claim 12,

wherein the GPS signal re-transmitter transmits spread spectrum signal similar to GPS-like signal.

15. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein five pseudolites are used, and the pseudolite retransmits signals at two different frequency bands, and

a position of the moving reference station is determined by on-the-fly.

16. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the moving reference station moves along a circle in which the stationary reference station in at a center of the circle.

17. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the user processor unit is a processor inside the rover receiver.

18. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the user processor unit is a computer connected to the rover receiver.

19. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the data link is a wireless link.

20. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein the data link is a wired link.

21. The RTK positioning system according to claim 1 or 3,

wherein at least two rover receivers are used, and

one of the rover receivers, with which a function of a reference station is provided, is used as the moving reference station.

3. An RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning system which determines positions with a GPS satellite and a pseudolite, comprising:

a GPS satellite;

at least one pseudolite, each of which is located at a predetermined position;

a rover receiver for measuring code and carrier phase of signals transmitted from each of the GPS satellite and the pseudolite;

a stationary reference station located at a predetermined position and for measuring code and carrier phase of signals transmitted from each of the GPS satellite and the pseudolite;

a moving reference station for measuring code and carrier phase of signals transmitted from each of the GPS satellite and the pseudolite, and for moving;

a user processor unit for positioning the rover receiver based on code and carrier phase transmitted from the stationary reference station and the moving reference station respectively, and code and carrier phase transmitted from the rover receiver; and

a data link to transmit each data from the stationary reference station, the moving reference station and the rover receiver to the user processor unit,

wherein a position of the stationary reference station and positions of the pseudolite are known by the user processor unit.

4. The RTK positioning system according to claim 3,

wherein at least four satellites including the GPS satellite and the pseudolite are used for three-dimensional positioning of the rover receiver, and

at least three satellites including the GPS satellite and the pseudolite are used for two-dimensional positioning of the rover receiver.

22. An RTK positioning method, comprising the steps of:

setting positions of pseudolites to be previously known by a user processor unit and setting a position of a stationary reference station to be known by the user processor unit;

measuring code and carrier phase of signals transmitted from the pseudolites by the stationary reference station, a moving reference station and a rover receiver held by a user, respectively;

transmitting code data and carrier phase data respectively measured in the stationary reference station, the moving reference station and the rover receiver to the user processor unit with a data link;

positioning the rover receiver based on code and carrier phase transmitted from the stationary reference station, the moving reference station and the rover receiver.

23. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the signals are transmitted from the four pseudolites in three-dimensional positioning of the rover receiver, and

the signals are transmitted from the three pseudolites in two-dimensional positioning of the rover receiver.

24. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the pseudolite transmits data transmitted from GPS satellites, and

the stationary reference station, the moving reference station and the rover receiver have a function of a GPS receiver.

25. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the pseudolite uses FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) and retransmits data transmitted from all of a navigation satellite, a geostationary satellite, and a quasi-stationary satellite including a GPS satellite.

26. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the pseudolite retransmits data transmitted from all of a navigation satellite, a geostationary satellite, and a quasi-stationary satellite including a GPS satellite by using spatial division of a satellite.

27. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein at least one of the pseudolites is a GPS-like satellite.

28. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein at least one of the pseudolites is a fixed spread spectrum signal source.

29. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein at least one of the pseudolites is a stationary satellite or a quasi-stationary satellite.

30. The RTK positioning method according to claim 28,

wherein the fixed spread spectrum signal source is a synchrolite.

31. The RTK positioning method according to claim 28,

wherein the fixed spread spectrum signal source is a GPS signal re-transmitter.

32. The RTK positioning method according to claim 31,

wherein the GPS signal re-transmitter transmits GPS-like signal.

33. The RTK positioning method according to claim 31,

wherein the GPS signal re-transmitter transmits spread spectrum signal similar to GPS-like signal.

34. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein five pseudolites are used, and the pseudolite retransmits signals at two different frequency bands, and

a position of the moving reference station is determined by on-the-fly.

35. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the moving reference station moves along a circle in which the stationary reference station is at a center of the circle.

36. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the user processor unit is a processor inside the rover receiver.

37. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the user processor unit is a computer connected to the rover receiver.

38. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the data link is a wireless link.

39. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein the data link is a wired link.

40. The RTK positioning method according to claim 22,

wherein at least two rover receivers are used, and

one of the rover receivers, with which a function of a reference station is provided, is used as the moving reference station.