Positioning apparatus and positioning apparatus control method

• US 7,903,026 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): GALT, CASSI J
• Application Number:
  US12/120,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20090079626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.15, 342/357.02, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 342/357.63, 342/357.72, 342/357.74, 342/357.76, 342/357.77
• US Class Current: 342/357.72
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/22 Multipath-related issues
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/32 Multimode operation in a single same satellite system, e.g. GPS L1/L2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption

Abstract

The positioning apparatus and position apparatus control method are able to efficiently receive useful signals without special circuitry. Positioning apparatus 100 has first signal processing section 121 that carries out demodulation processing on the first signal transmitted from a satellite and second signal processing section 122 that carries out demodulation processing on the second signal of a different frequency band and spreading scheme from the first signal, and controlling section 104 controls the operation for the signal of the lower electric field intensity based on operations for the signal of the higher electric field intensity between first signal processing section 121 and second signal processing section 122, and carries out control to preferentially operate the channel for the signal of the higher electric field intensity between first signal processing section 121 and second signal processing section 122 and to preferentially stop the operation of the channels for the signal of the lower electric field intensity.

Claims

1. A positioning apparatus with a plurality of channels for scanning or tracking satellite signals, the positioning apparatus comprising:

a first signal processor that carries out demodulation processing on a first signal transmitted from a satellite;

a second signal processor that carries out demodulation processing on a second signal of a different frequency band or spreading scheme from the first signal;

a positioner that calculates a distance from the positioning apparatus to the satellite based on results of the demodulation processings on the first signal and the second signal and carries out a positioning arithmetic operation;

an electric field intensity comparer that measures an electric field intensity difference between the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the same satellite, based on results of the demodulation processings in the first signal processor and the second signal processor;

an electric field intensity storage that stores the electric field intensity difference; and

a controller that controls operations of channels in the first signal processor and channels in the second signal processor, based on electric field intensity information in the electric field intensity storing storage,

wherein, between the first signal processor and the second signal processor, the controller operates channels for a higher electric field intensity preferentially, and when received power for a signal of the higher electric field intensity is at least equal to a predetermined value, the controller stops an operation of channels for a signal of a lower electric field intensity.

2. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, between the first signal processor and the second signal processor, when received power for a signal of the higher electric field intensity is at least equal to a predetermined value, the controller stops the operation of the channels for the signal of the lower electric field intensity.

3. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein stopping of the operation comprises stopping supplying a clock or turning off electricity.

4. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller demodulates the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the same satellite and, if one signal is demodulated and the electric field intensity is measured, changes an integration period for the other signal that is not yet demodulated.

5. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if one of the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the same satellite cannot be demodulated even after a certain time passes, the controller determines that a jamming signal is captured in the demodulated signal and resets an operation.

6. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether multipath signals are received, based on the electric field intensity difference between the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the same satellite.

7. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the electric field intensity difference between the first signal and the second signal differs from a value of the electric field intensity storage, the controller carries out control such that the satellite is not used for positioning arithmetic operation.

8. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the electric field intensity difference between the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the same satellite is at least equal to a predetermined value, the electric field intensity storage stores the electric field intensity difference.

9. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a signal attenuation amount calculator that calculates amounts of signal attenuation in a signal transmission of the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the same satellite, using a distance between the positioning apparatus and the satellite calculated by the positioner,

wherein the electric field storage adds the amounts of signal attenuation to the electric field intensity difference obtained by the electric field intensity comparer and stores a result.

10. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the satellite signals include at least two of an L1 band signal, an L2 band signal and an L5 band signal transmitted by a global positioning system satellite.

11. A control method of a positioning apparatus with a plurality of channels for scanning or tracking satellite signals, the method comprising;

carrying out demodulation processing on a first signal transmitted from a satellite;

carrying out demodulation processing on a second signal of a different frequency band or spreading scheme from the first signal;

calculating a distance from the positioning apparatus to the satellite based on results of the demodulation processings on the first signal and the second signal and carrying out a positioning arithmetic operation;

measuring an electric field intensity difference between the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the same satellite, based on the results of the demodulation processings on the first signal and the results of the demodulation processings on the second signal;

storing the electric field intensity difference; and

controlling operations of channels in the carrying out demodulation processing on the first signal and channels in the carrying out demodulation processing on the second signal, based on information of the stored electric field intensity difference,

wherein, between carrying out demodulation processing on the first signal and carrying out demodulation processing on the second signal, channels for a signal of a higher electric field intensity are preferentially operated, and when received power for a signal of the higher electric field intensity is at least equal to a predetermined value, the operation of channels for a signal of a lower electric field intensity is stopped.