Determination of a relative position of a satellite signal receiver

• US 7,869,811 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Syrjärinne, Jari, Wirola, Lauri
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US11/743,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20080272961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.08, 455/456.1, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/55 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method

Abstract

For enhancing the quality of a relative positioning, a filter is adjusted depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver. A position of the satellite signal receiver is determined relative to a reference station using the filter, wherein measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and measurements on satellite signals provided for the reference station are used as input to the filter. The measurements for the reference station may be received in messages which are assembled and provided for transmission and which may include in addition an indication of a current movement of the reference station.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

an apparatus adjusting a filter depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver provided by an inertial sensor; and

the apparatus determining a position of the satellite signal receiver relative to a reference station using the filter, wherein measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and measurements on satellite signals provided for the reference station are used as input to the filter.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filter is adjusted to have a state space including rate of change components only in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates a change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filter is adjusted to have a state space including acceleration components only in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates a change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filter is adjusted by using a lower process noise in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates no change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station and a higher process noise in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates a change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filter is adjusted by using a process noise having a magnitude which depends on a change of motion of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filter is adjusted by using a process noise which increases with an increasing change of motion of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the filter depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver comprises adjusting the filter depending on a change of a position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station, and wherein the reference station is assumed to be located at a fixed position.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the filter depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver comprises adjusting the filter depending on a change of a position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station, and wherein information on a movement of the reference station is provided.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a Kalman filter.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurements are used by the filter for forming at least one of double difference observables, single difference observables and wide-lane observables.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurements comprise carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filter is adjusted by adjusting the number of components of a state space of the filter depending on the information on the movement of the satellite signal receiver provided by the inertial sensor.

28. A computer program product in which program code is stored in a computer readable medium the program code realizing the method of claim 1 when executed in a processor.

13. An apparatus comprising at least one of a hardware circuit and a processor and a memory including computer program code, the hardware circuit configured to or the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

adjust a filter depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver provided by an inertial sensor; and

determine a position of the satellite signal receiver relative to a reference station using the filter, wherein measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and measurements on satellite signals provided for the reference station are used as input to the filter.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the filter to have a state space including rate of change components only in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates a change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the filter to have a state space including acceleration components only in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates a change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the filter by using a lower process noise assumption in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates no change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station and a higher process noise assumption in case the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver indicates a change of the position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the filter by using a process noise assumption having a magnitude which depends on a change of motion of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station indicated by the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver.

18. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the filter by using a process noise assumption which increases with an increasing change of motion of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station indicated by the information on a movement of the satellite signal receiver.

19. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein adjusting the filter depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver comprises adjusting the filter depending on a change of a position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station, and wherein the reference station is assumed to be located at a fixed position.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to receive information on a movement of the reference station and to adjust the filter depending on a change of a position of the satellite signal receiver relative to the reference station.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the filter is a Kalman filter.

22. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the filter is designed to use the measurements for forming at least one of double difference observables, single difference observables and wide-lane observables.

23. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the measurements comprise carrier-phase measurements on satellite signals.

24. A device comprising:

an apparatus according to claim 13; and

a wireless communication component configured to receive from another device measurements on satellite signals for the reference station.

25. The device of claim 24, further comprising the satellite signal receiver.

26. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the hardware circuit is configured to or the memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to adjust the filter by adjusting the number of components of a state space of the filter depending on the information on the movement of the satellite signal receiver provided by the inertial sensor.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the device is one of

a wireless communication terminal;

a mobile phone; and

a laptop.

30. A system comprising:

an apparatus according to claim 13; and

an apparatus comprising at least one processing component

configured to assemble messages including measurements on satellite signals that are valid for a reference station and including an indication of a current movement of the reference station; and

configured to provide the assembled messages for transmission to a device.

29. An apparatus comprising:

means for adjusting a filter depending on information on a movement of a satellite signal receiver provided by an inertial sensor; and

means for determining a position of the satellite signal receiver relative to a reference station using the filter, wherein measurements on satellite signals received by the satellite signal receiver and measurements on satellite signals provided for the reference station are used as input to the filter.