System for positioning in a location opaque to the signals of a satellite navigation system

• US 8,698,672 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2009
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Astrium Sas (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Astrium Sas (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Laine, Robert Andr
• Primary Examiner(s): GALT, CASSI J
• Application Number:
  US12/867,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• Field of Search: 342/464, 342/386, 342/445, 342/448, 342/451, 342/463
• US Class Current: 342/464
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/08 Systems for determining direction or position line
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

According to the invention, the system comprises: at least three position beacons (3) arranged about said location (2) and emitting in the long-wave range, and an apparatus associated with the user (1) and including means for receiving, processing and displaying the information transmitted by said beacons (3).

Claims

1. A system for terrestrially positioning a user in a location wherein signals emitted from satellite navigation systems cannot be received, said system comprising:

at least three beacons arranged around said location, outside the latter, and configured to emit radio-electric signals comprising information about the respective terrestrial positions of said beacons, the transmission wavelength of each beacon being at least decametric,

wherein each beacon comprises reception and processing means configured to listen to said radio-electric signals emitted by the other beacons,

wherein each of the at least three beacons is triggered in a cascade beginning with a master beacon,

wherein subsequent beacons are triggered only when the preceding beacon in the cascade has completed an emission and become silent,

at least one equipment associated to said user and comprising at least;

means configured to receive said radio-electric signals emitted from said outside beacons,

calculation means configured to calculate;

from the radio-electric signals received from said beacons, the position and orientation of said equipment with respect to said beacons; and

from such a position and such an orientation, as well as from the information relating to the terrestrial positions of the beacons, comprised in said radio-electric signals, the terrestrial position and orientation of said equipment; and

indication means configured to transmit to said user the thus calculated terrestrial position and orientation of said equipment,

whereby no radio-electric signals are emitted from the inside of the location to the outside thereof.

2. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength of each beacon (3) is at least hectometric.

3. A positioning system according to claim 2, wherein the wavelength of each beacon (3) is at least kilometric.

4. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the wavelengths of said beacons (3) are different one from the other, each wavelength being specific to one beacon (3).

5. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the wavelengths of said beacons (3) are identical and in that said radio-electric signals (11) emitted from said beacons (3) comprise identification codes being specific to each of them.

6. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein said beacons (3) comprise input means (6B) for communicating to them information relating to their respective positions.

7. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein said beacons (3) comprise receiving and processing means (6A) for the signals (7) emitted from a satellite navigation system.

8. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein said reception means of said equipment (20 to 30) associated to the user (1) comprise at least three antennas (24, 25, 26), of the loop type, the planes of which are not coplanar.

9. A positioning system according to claim 8, wherein the planes of said antennas (24, 25, 26) are two by two orthogonal.

10. A positioning system according to claim 8 for a human user, wherein said antennas are arranged on a headset (27) able to be carried by said user'"'"'s head.

11. A positioning system according to claim 10, wherein the whole of said equipment is enclosed in a casing (B) to be carried by said user.

12. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein said indication means (23) represent one selected from the group consisting of the position and orientation of said user on a map, and a plan of said location (2).

13. A positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the system does not comprise an emitter to transmit calculated terrestrial position outside of the location.