GPS position measuring device

• US 7,692,583 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull; Fred H
• Application Number:
  US11/938,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20080158053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 34235713-35715, 342/357.02
• US Class Current: 342/357.29
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/428 using multipath or indirect path propagation signals in position determination
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement

Abstract

A GPS position-measuring device includes a altitude-information memory for storing altitude information of a moving object, a combination determining unit for determining GPS-satellite combinations from GPS satellites that can be tracked, a position measuring unit for measuring a GPS based or GPS derived three-dimensional position of the moving object for each GPS-satellite combination, and a difference extracting unit for determining a difference in altitude between GPS derived altitude information contained in the measured GPS related three-dimensional position and the altitude information supplied from the altitude-information memory. The GPS position-measuring device further includes a position determining unit for comparing the extracted difference in altitude with a threshold value, selecting a GPS-satellite combination with which the difference in altitude is less than or equal to the threshold value, and determining a measurement position of the moving object based on the GPS derived three-dimensional position of the selected GPS-satellite combination.

Claims

1. A GPS position-measuring device for determining a position of a moving object by using GPS position measurement the GPS position-measuring device comprising:

altitude obtaining means for obtaining non-GPS altitude information of the moving object;

measuring means for determining (1) multiple GPS-satellite combinations from among multiple GPS satellites that can be tracked and (2) a GPS based three-dimensional position of the moving object for each of the multiple GPS-satellite combinations;

difference extracting means for determining a difference in altitude between altitude information associated with the GPS based three-dimensional position and the non-GPS altitude information obtained by the altitude obtaining means for each of the multiple GPS-satellite combinations; and

position determining means for comparing the extracted difference in altitude with a threshold value for each of the multiple GPS-satellite combinations, wherein when a single GPS-satellite combination for which the difference in altitude is less than or equal to the threshold value, the position determining means selects the single GPS-satellite combination, and when multiple GPS-satellite combinations for which the difference in altitude is less than or equal to the threshold value exist, the position determining means selects a minimum GPS-satellite combination for which the difference in altitude is a minimum from among the multiple GPS-satellite combinations that can be tracked, and a measurement position of the moving object is determined based on the GPS based three-dimensional position of the selected GPS-satellite combination.

2. The GPS position-measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring means determines n GPS-satellite combinations of four GPS satellites, where n indicates the number of GPS satellites that can be tracked and is a natural number that is equal to 5 or more.

3. The GPS position-measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring means excludes a GPS-satellite combination for which a value of position dilution of precision for the corresponding GPS satellites is larger than or equal to a predetermined value.

4. The GPS position-measuring device according to claim 1, wherein, when a GPS-satellite combination for which the difference in altitude is less than or equal to the threshold value does not exist, the position determining means does not use, as the measurement position, the GPS based three-dimensional position.

5. The GPS position-measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the non-GPS altitude information is an absolute altitude determined from a barometric pressure measured by a barometer.

6. The GPS position-measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the non-GPS altitude information is an absolute altitude determined from a road map database.

7. The GPS position-measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the position determining means changes the threshold value in accordance with reliability of the non-GPS altitude information obtained by the altitude obtaining means.

8. The GPS position-measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the GPS position-measuring device is interconnected with a navigation apparatus that performs road guidance for the moving object based on the measurement position determined by the GPS position-measuring device.

9. A GPS position-measuring method for determining a position of a moving object by using GPS position measurement, the GPS position-measuring method comprising:

obtaining non-GPS based altitude information of the moving object;

determining (1) n GPS-satellite combinations of at least four GPS satellites from. multiple GPS satellites that can be tracked and (2) a GPS derived three-dimensional position of the moving object for each of the GPS-satellite combinations, where n is a natural number that is equal to 5 or more;

determining a difference in altitude between GPS derived altitude information contained in the GPS derived three-dimensional position and the non-GPS based altitude information for each of the n GPS-satellite combinations of at least four GPS satellites that can be tracked;

selecting a GPS-satellite combination from among the n GPS-satellite combinations of at least four GPS satellites that can be tracked for which the associated difference in altitude between GPS derived altitude information contained in the GPS derived three-dimensional position and the non-GPS based altitude information is a minimum; and

determining a measurement position of the moving object based on the GPS derived three-dimensional position of the selected GPS-satellite combination having the GPS derived altitude information that is closest to the non-GPS based altitude information from among the n GPS-satellite combinations of at least four GPS satellites that can be tracked.

10. The GPS position-measuring method according to claim 9, wherein, when determining the GPS derived three-dimensional position, a combination for which a value of position dilution of precision for the OPS satellites is larger than or equal to a predetermined value is excluded.

11. The GPS position-measuring method according to claim 9, wherein, when determining the difference in altitude, if a combination for which the difference in altitude is less than or equal to a threshold value does not exist, the GPS derived three-dimensional position is not used as the measurement position.

12. The GPS position-measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the non-GPS based altitude information obtained comprises an absolute altitude determined from a barometric pressure measured by a barometer.

13. The GPS position-measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the non-GPS based altitude information obtained comprises an, absolute altitude determined from a road map database.

14. The GPS position-measuring method according to claim 9, wherein comparing the difference in altitude comprises changing the threshold value in accordance with reliability of the non-GPS based altitude information obtained.

15. A GPS position-measuring method for determining a position of a moving object by using GPS position measurement, the GPS position-measuring method comprising:

obtaining non-GPS based altitude information of the moving object;

determining (1) n GPS-satellite combinations of at least four GPS satellites from among multiple GPS satellites tat can be tracked and (2) a GPS derived three-dimensional position of the moving object for each of the n GPS-satellite combinations, where n is a natural number that is equal to 5 or more;

determining a difference between GPS derived altitude information contained in the measured GPS derived three-dimensional position and the non-GPS based altitude information obtained for each of the n GPS-satellite combinations;

comparing the difference in altitude with a threshold value for each of the n GPS-satellite combinations;

wherein, when only a single GPS-satellite combination for which the difference in altitude is less than or equal to the threshold value exists, the single GPS-satellite combination is selected to be the selected GPS-satellite combination, and

when multiple GPS-satellite combinations for which the difference in altitude is less than or equal to the threshold value exist, a minimum difference GPS-satellite combination for which, the difference in altitude is a minimum from among the multiple GPS-satellite combinations is selected to be the selected GPS-satellite combination; and

determining a measurement position of the moving object based on the GPS derived three-dimensional position of the selected GPS-satellite combination.

16. The GPS position-measuring method according to claim 15, wherein, when determining the GPS derived three-dimensional position, a GPS-satellite combination with which a value of position dilution of precision is larger than or equal to a predetermined value is excluded.