Positioning method, program, positioning device, and electronic apparatus

• US 8,670,927 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US12/241,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20090099773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 701/124, 701/412, 342/357.25, 342/352, 342/353, 342/357.2, 342/51, 342/357.64, 342/357.72, 342/357.73
• US Class Current: 701/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position

Abstract

A positioning method in a positioning device includes: measuring a current position by receiving positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites and performing first positioning processing using a least square method; determining whether or not a result of the first positioning processing satisfies a positioning change condition set beforehand as a condition for change of positioning processing; and measuring the current position by receiving the positioning signals transmitted from the plurality of positioning satellites and performing second positioning processing using a Kalman filter after stopping the first positioning processing when it is determined that the result of the first positioning processing satisfies the positioning change condition.

Claims

1. A positioning method in a positioning device, comprising:

receiving positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites;

measuring a first current position by performing first positioning processing using a least square method and the received positioning signal;

determining whether or not a result of the first positioning processing satisfies a positioning change condition set beforehand as a condition for change of positioning processing;

stopping the first positioning processing when it is determined that the result of the first positioning processing satisfies the positing change condition; and

measuring a second the current position by performing second positioning processing using a Kalman filter, the received positioning signals and the result of the first positioning processing after the stopping the first positioning processing.

2. The positioning method according to claim 1,

wherein in the determination on whether or not the positioning change condition is satisfied, it is determined that the positioning change condition is satisfied when the number of times of consecutive measurements of the current position in the first positioning processing reaches a predetermined number of times of positioning change.

3. The positioning method according to claim 1,

wherein the first positioning processing is processing for calculating errors of positional information and velocity information on the positioning device in addition to measuring the current position, and

in the determination on whether or not the positioning change condition is satisfied, it is determined that the positioning change condition is satisfied when an error calculated this time and an error calculated last time in the first positioning processing satisfy a predetermined error equality condition.

4. The positioning method according to claim 3,

wherein the second positioning processing is processing for calculating a covariance of the errors of the positional information and velocity information on the positioning device in addition to measuring the current position, and

setting an initial value of the covariance of the errors on the basis of the errors calculated in the first positioning processing is further included.

5. The positioning method according to claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether or not the covariance of the errors calculated in the second positioning processing satisfies a predetermined low error condition; and

stopping the second positioning processing and performing the first positioning processing when it is determined that the low error condition is not satisfied.

6. The positioning method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether or not an elapsed time after the second positioning processing is performed last has reached a predetermined positioning change time; and

stopping the second positioning processing and performing the first positioning processing when it is determined that the elapsed time has reached the positioning change time.

7. The positioning method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing the second positioning processing by changing a filter characteristic of the Kalman filter such that a variation in measured position according to a time change becomes large until a predetermined stability condition is satisfied after the positioning processing has changed from the first positioning processing to the second positioning processing.

8. A program causing a computer provided in a positioning device to execute the positioning method according to claim 1.

9. A positioning device comprising:

an RF receiving circuit section that receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of position satellites;

a first positioning processing section that measures a first current position by performing first positioning processing using a least square method and the received positioning signal;

a positioning change condition determining section that determines whether or not a result of the first positioning processing satisfies a positioning change condition set beforehand as a condition for change of positioning processing, the first positioning processing section stopping the first positioning processing when it is determined that the result of the first positioning processing satisfies the positioning change condition; and

a second positioning processing section that measures a second current position by performing second positioning processing using a Kalman filter, the received positioning signals and the result of the first positioning processing after the stopping the first positioning processing.

10. The positioning device according to claim 9,

wherein in the determination on whether or not the positioning change condition is satisfied, the positioning change condition determining section determines that the positioning change condition is satisfied when the number of times of consecutive measurements of the current position in the first positioning processing reaches a predetermined number of times of positioning change.

11. The positioning device according to claim 9,

wherein the first positioning processing section calculates errors of positional information and velocity information in addition to measuring the current position in the first positioning processing, and

in the determination on whether or not the positioning change condition is satisfied, the positioning change condition determining section determines that the positioning change condition is satisfied when an error calculated this time and an error calculated last time in the first positioning processing satisfy a predetermined error equality condition.

12. The positioning device according to claim 11,

wherein the second positioning processing section calculates a covariance of the errors of the positional information and the velocity information in addition to measuring the current position in the second positioning processing, and

an error covariance initial value setting section that sets an initial value of the covariance of the errors on the basis of the errors calculated in the first positioning processing is further included.

13. The positioning device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a low error condition determining section that determines whether or not the covariance of the errors calculated in the second positioning processing satisfies a predetermined low error condition,

wherein the first positioning processing section stops the second positioning processing and performs the first positioning processing when it is determined that the low error condition is not satisfied.

14. The positioning device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a positioning change time determining section that determines whether or not an elapsed time after the second positioning processing is performed last has reached a predetermined positioning change time,

wherein the first positioning processing section stops the second positioning processing and performs the first positioning processing when it is determined that the elapsed time has reached the positioning change time.

15. An electronic apparatus comprising the positioning device according to claim 9.