Positioning apparatus and positioning method

• US 7,821,451 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsutsui, Masanao
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US12/231,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20090066575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/357.15, 342/357.17, 701/207, 701/213
• US Class Current: 342/357.25
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/047 Displays or indicators G01S1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073

Abstract

A positioning apparatus includes: a position computing part configured to receive signals from a plurality of radio transmitters to compute a position of the positioning apparatus; a reception status determining part configured to determine a reception state of the signals from the plurality of the radio transmitters; and an intermittent drive setting part configured to set a time interval for receiving signals by the position computing part according to the reception state determined by the reception status determining part.

Claims

1. A positioning apparatus comprising:

a position computing part configured to receive signals from a plurality of radio transmitters to compute a position of the positioning apparatus;

a reception status determining part configured to determine a reception state of the signals from the plurality of the radio transmitters; and

an intermittent drive setting part configured to set a time interval for receiving signals by the position computing part according to the reception state determined by the reception status determining part,

wherein the intermittent drive setting part shortens the time interval for receiving signals as the number of the radio transmitters from which signals can be received in the plurality of the radio transmitters is larger.

2. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the reception status determining part determines that signals can be received from three or more of the radio transmitters in the plurality of the radio transmitters, the intermittent drive setting part sets the time interval for receiving signals to a first interval.

3. The positioning apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein when the reception status determining part determines that signals can be received from one or two of the radio transmitters in the plurality of the radio transmitters, the intermittent drive setting part sets the time interval for receiving signals to a second interval longer than the first interval.

4. The positioning apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein when the reception status determining part determines that it may be impossible to receive signals from any of the plurality of the radio transmitters, the intermittent drive setting part sets the time interval for receiving signals to a third interval longer than the second interval.

5. The positioning apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein when a time period equal to or longer than a predetermined threshold elapses after the third interval is set, the intermittent drive setting part sets the time interval for receiving signals to a time period longer than the third interval.

6. The positioning apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a navigation information acquiring part configured to acquire navigation information about the radio transmitter having a term of validity,

wherein when the term of validity of the navigation information is expired, or when a time period until the term of validity of the navigation information is expired is shorter than a predetermined time period, the intermittent drive setting part sets the time interval for receiving signals to a time period longer than the second interval or the third interval.

7. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the number of the radio transmitters from which signals can be received in the plurality of the radio transmitters is a value of a moving average of the number of the radio transmitters from which signals are being received in a predetermined period.

8. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an intermittent display drive setting part configured to display at least one of a reception state of the signals from the plurality of the radio transmitters and a time interval for receiving signals by the position computing part, according to the number of the radio transmitters from which signals can be received in the plurality of the radio transmitters.

9. A positioning method comprising the steps of:

receiving signals from a plurality of radio transmitters to compute a position of an positioning apparatus;

determining a reception state of the signals from the plurality of the radio transmitters;

setting a time interval for receiving the signals according to the reception state; and

reducing the time interval for receiving signals as the number of the radio transmitters from the plurality of the radio transmitters increases.