Positioning system, terminal apparatus, terminal apparatus control method, terminal apparatus control program, and computer readable recording medium having the terminal apparatus control program recorded therein

• US 7,589,669 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Terashi, Yohei, Kurata, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nga X
• Application Number:
  US11/451,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20060290565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 342/461, 34235701-35717, 455440-441
• US Class Current: 342/357.42
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection

Abstract

The terminal apparatus has: positioning vector information generating means for generating positioning vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed, based on the satellite signals used when each item of the current position information was generated; passing speed information generating means for generating passing speed information which indicates a passing speed of the terminal, based on the Doppler shift information and the transmitting frequency information; speed vector information generating means for generating speed vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the transmitting direction information and the passing speed information; combined vector information generating means for generating combined vector information which indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on a plurality of the passing vector information; and current position information selecting means.

Claims

1. A positioning system comprising:

a terminal apparatus; and

a plurality of communication base stations that are communicable with the terminal apparatus and that are situated at fixed positions,

each of a plurality of the communication base station having a communication signal transmitting section that transmits a communication signal including transmitting direction information that indicates a transmitting direction at a given transmitting frequency,

the terminal apparatus having

a positioning section that positions a plurality of current position candidates based on combinations of different satellite signals,

a positioning vector calculation section that calculates a plurality of positioning vectors that indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on each of the combinations of different satellite signals,

a transmitting direction information obtaining section that receives the communication signal from a communication base station among the plurality of communication base stations and obtains the transmitting direction information transmitted by the communication signal,

a Doppler shift calculation section that calculates a Doppler shift of the received communication signal from receiving frequency when receiving the communication signal and the transmitting frequency,

a speed vector calculation section that calculates a speed vector that indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of a plurality of the communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift, the given transmitting frequency, and the transmitting direction information,

a combined vector calculating section that calculates a combined vector by combining the speed vectors calculated by the speed vector calculation, and

a current position selecting output section that selects one positioning vector that has the correlation with the combined vector from the positioning vectors calculated, selects a current position candidate corresponding to the one positioning vector from a plurality of the current position candidates, and outputs the selected current position candidate.

8. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the communication signal transmitting section of the communication bases station transmits the communication signals including the transmitting direction information in all directions.

2. A terminal apparatus communicable with a communication base station having a communication signal transmitting section that transmits a communication signal including transmitting direction information that indicates a transmitting direction at a given transmitting frequency, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a positioning section that positions a plurality of current position candidates based on combinations of different satellite signals;

a position vector calculation section that calculates a plurality of positioning vector that indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on the each of the combinations of different satellite signals;

a transmitting direction information obtaining section that receives the communication signal from a communication base station among the plurality of communication base stations and obtains the transmitting direction information transmitted by the communication signal;

a Doppler shift calculation section that calculates Doppler shift of the received communication signal from a receiving frequency when receiving when receiving the communication signal and given transmitting frequency;

a speed vector calculation section that calculates speed vector that indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the plurality of communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift, the given transmitting frequency, and the transmitting direction information;

a combined vector calculation section that calculates a combined vector by combining the speed vectors calculated by the speed vector information; and

a current position selection output section that selects one positioning vector that has the correlation with the combined vector from the positioning vectors calculated, selects a current position candidate corresponding to the one positioning vector from a plurality of the current position candidates, and outputs the selected current position candidate.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the current position selection output section selects the position vector that has the largest correlativity with the combined vector, selects a current position candidate that corresponds to the selected position vector from the plurality of current position candidates, and outputs the selected current position candidate.

4. The A terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the current position selection output section selects a positioning vector that indicates the slowest passing speed from a plurality of position vectors calculated by the positioning vector calculation section in the case where the combined vector information indicates that the terminal apparatus has stopped, selects a current position candidate that corresponds to the selected position vector from a ;

plurality of the current position candidates, and outputs the selected current position candidate.

5. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the current position selection output section reselects the previously selected current position candidate in the case where the combined vector indicates that the terminal apparatus has stopped.

6. A method of controlling a terminal apparatus communicable with a communication base station having a communication signal transmitting section that transmits a communication signal including transmitting direction information that indicates a transmitting direction at a given transmitting frequency, the method, comprising:

positioning a plurality of current position candidates based on combinations of different satellite signals;

calculating a plurality of current position vectors that indicate a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on each of the combinations of different satellite signals;

receiving the communication signal and obtaining the transmitting direction information transmitted by the communication signal;

calculating Doppler shift of the received communication signal from a receiving frequency when receiving the communication signal and the given transmitting frequency;

calculating speed vector that indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of a plurality of communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift, the given transmitting frequency, and the transmitting direction information;

combining each of the speed vectors and calculating the combined vectors; and

selecting one position vector that has the correlation with the combined vector from a plurality of positioning vectors that have been calculated, selecting a current position candidate corresponding to the one positioning vector from a plurality of the current position candidates, and outputting the selected current position candidate.

7. A control program that is executed by a computer that is included in a terminal apparatus communicable with a communication bases station having a communication signal transmitting section that transmits a communication signal including transmitting direction information that indicates a transmitting direction at a given transmitting frequency, the program causing the computer to execute instructions comprising:

positioning a plurality of current position candidates based on combinations of different satellite signals;

calculating positioning vectors that indicate a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus, based on each of the combination of different satellite signals;

receiving the communication signal and obtaining the transmitting direction information transmitted by the communication signal;

calculating Doppler shift of the received communication signal from a receiving frequency when receiving the communication signal and the given transmitting frequency;

calculating a speed vector that indicates a passing direction and a passing speed of the terminal apparatus with respect to each of the communication base stations, based on the Doppler shift, the given transmitting frequency, and the transmitting direction information;

combining each of the speed vectors and calculating the combined vectors; and

selecting one position vector that has the correlation with the combined vector from the calculated positioning vectors, selecting a current position candidate corresponding to the one positioning vector from a plurality of the current position candidates, and outputting the selected current position candidate.