Satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device

• US 9,714,841 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Original Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Inventors: Suyama, Masaki, Hamada, Hiroshi, Tanaka (Ninomiya), Mika, Hashimoto, Kunihiko, Toda, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): CASS, JEAN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/848,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 342357, 34235761, 34235703, 3423573
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

A satellite and/or dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device with improved accuracy including position, velocity, etc. is disclosed. A tracking processing module performs, based on a GPS signal, acquisition and tracking thereof and demodulation of a navigation message. A GPS calculation module calculates position, velocity, and the like based on pseudo-range and Doppler frequency observations, and ephemeris data and gives the calculations to output judgment and tracking processing modules. Based on external support information including inertial sensor output, map information or information about differences between map position and measured position, along with the pseudo-range and Doppler observations, an integrated positioning calculation module estimates position, velocity, and the like, and gives the estimates to the output judgment module. The output judgment module compares outputs of the GPS calculation and the integrated positioning calculation modules to judge reliability of data from the integrated positioning calculation module and abnormality of external support data.

Claims

1. A satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device, comprising:

a tracking processing module configured to receive positioning signals of navigation satellites to track the positioning signals and find a pseudo range and Doppler frequency information;

a satellite position correction value calculation module configured to calculate correction values pertaining to the navigation satellites;

an inertial sensor disposed on-board a moving body and configured to provide an output including orientation information pertaining to an orientation of the moving body;

a satellite navigation positioning calculation module, disposed on-board the moving body, and configured to execute a positioning calculation based on the correction values, the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information to find a position and a velocity of the moving body without external support data from an external device, and provide a satellite navigation positioning calculation module output including the position and velocity of the moving body;

an integrated positioning calculation module, disposed on-board the moving body, and configured to find, based on the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information found by the tracking processing module and the external support data, including at least one of the output from the inertial sensor and map position information, obtained from the external device, and the correction values, a position and a velocity of the moving body and provide an integrated positioning calculation module output indicating the position and velocity of the moving body; and

an abnormality determination module configured to perform a comparison of the position or velocity in the satellite navigation positioning calculation module output from the satellite navigation positioning calculation module with the position or velocity, respectively, in the integrated positioning calculation module output from the integrated positioning calculation module to determine abnormality of the output from the inertial sensor or the map position information included in the external support data, such that when the comparison indicates a predetermined condition, the abnormality determination module determines abnormality in the integrated positioning calculation module output and provides the satellite navigation positioning calculation module output as an abnormality determination module output, and when the comparison fails to indicate the predetermined condition, the abnormality determination module determines an absence of abnormality in the integrated positioning calculation module output and provides the integrated positioning calculation module output as the abnormality determination module output;

the abnormality determination module being further configured to determine abnormality of the orientation information in the inertial sensor output which is determined based on the comparison of the position or velocity in the satellite navigation positioning calculation module output from the satellite navigation positioning calculation module with the position or velocity, respectively, in the integrated positioning calculation module output from the integrated positioning calculation module.

2. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 1, wherein the abnormality determination module compares the position and velocity output from the satellite navigation positioning calculation module with the position and velocity output from the integrated positioning calculation module to determine abnormality of the result of the calculation of the integrated positioning calculation module.

3. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 2, comprising a module configured to output the calculation result by the satellite navigation positioning calculation module to a user if the abnormality determination module determines the abnormality.

4. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 1, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module, when resuming the positioning calculation from a state where the positioning calculation is stopped due to the abnormality of the external support data, resumes the integrated positioning calculation using the position and the velocity found by the satellite navigation positioning calculation module as initial values.

5. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 1, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module executes the positioning calculation based on the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information by a single difference between the satellites found by the tracking processing module.

6. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 5, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module, when resuming the positioning calculation from a state where the positioning calculation is stopped due to the abnormality of the external support data, resumes the integrated positioning calculation using the position and the velocity found by the satellite navigation positioning calculation module as initial values.

7. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 2, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module, when resuming the positioning calculation from a state where the positioning calculation is stopped due to the abnormality of the external support data, resumes the integrated positioning calculation using the position and the velocity found by the satellite navigation positioning calculation module as initial values.

8. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 3, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module, when resuming the positioning calculation from a state where the positioning calculation is stopped due to the abnormality of the external support data, resumes the integrated positioning calculation using the position and the velocity found by the satellite navigation positioning calculation module as initial values.

9. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 7, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module executes the positioning calculation based on the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information by a single difference between the satellites found by the tracking processing module.

10. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 2, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module executes the positioning calculation based on the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information by a single difference between the satellites found by the tracking processing module.

11. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 3, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module executes the positioning calculation based on the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information by a single difference between the satellites found by the tracking processing module.

12. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 4, wherein the integrated positioning calculation module executes the positioning calculation based on the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information by a single difference between the satellites found by the tracking processing module.

14. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 1, wherein

the abnormality determination module is further configured to provide an instruction signal to control a user interface and to modify the instruction signal based on whether the abnormality exists in the output from the inertial sensor or the map position information included in the external support data.

15. The satellite navigation/dead-reckoning navigation integrated positioning device of claim 14, wherein

the abnormality determination module is configured to include information pertaining to the position or velocity, respectively, output from the integrated positioning calculation module in the instruction signal while the abnormality fails to exist and to modify the instruction signal to include information pertaining to the position or velocity output from the satellite navigation positioning calculation module when the abnormality exists.

13. A method comprising:

receiving positioning signals of navigation satellites;

tracking the received positioning signals and finding a pseudo range and Doppler frequency information;

calculating correction values pertaining to the navigation satellites;

providing an output from an inertial sensor disposed on the moving body, the output from the inertial sensor including orientation information pertaining to an orientation of the moving body;

performing, by a satellite navigation positioning calculation module on-board the moving body, a positioning calculation based on the correction values, the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information without external support data from an external device to find a first position and a first velocity of the moving body, and providing a first output including the first position and the first velocity;

finding, by an integrated positioning calculation module disposed on-board the moving body, based on the pseudo range and the Doppler frequency information and based on the external support data, including at least one of the output from the inertial sensor and map position information, obtained from the external device, and the correction values, a second position and a second velocity of the moving body, and providing a second output including the second position and the second velocity; and

comparing the first velocity or the first position of the first output against the second velocity or the second position of the second output, respectively, and determining, based on an outcome of said comparing, whether there is an abnormality in output from the inertial sensor or the map position information included in the external support data from the external device, such that when the comparing indicates a predetermined condition, the determining determines abnormality in the second output and provides the first output as a determined output, and when the comparing fails to indicate the predetermined condition, the determining determines an absence of abnormality in the second output and provides the second output as the determined output;

the determining including determining abnormality of the orientation information in the inertial sensor output which is determined based on the comparison of the position or velocity in the satellite navigation positioning calculation module output from the satellite navigation positioning calculation module with the position or velocity, respectively, in the integrated positioning calculation module output from the integrated positioning calculation module.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising

providing an instruction signal to control a user interface;

and

modifying the instruction signal based on whether the abnormality exists in the output from the inertial sensor or the map position information included in the external support data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein

the providing comprises including information pertaining to the position or velocity, respectively, output from the integrated positioning calculation module in the instruction signal while the abnormality fails to exist;

and

the modifying modifies the instruction signal to include information pertaining to the position or velocity output from the satellite navigation positioning calculation module when the abnormality exists.