Satellite signal receiving device, electronic timepiece, and satellite signal receiving method

• US 9,448,540 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Baba, Norimitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kayes, Sean
• Application Number:
  US14/633,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/02 the radio signal being sent by a satellite, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/04 Tuning or receiving; Circuits therefor

Abstract

A satellite signal receiving device including: a reception unit is configured to searche for positioning information satellites including a GNSS satellite used in a global navigation satellite system and an RNSS satellite used in a regional navigation satellite system, and receive satellite signal transmitted from a satellite locked onto by the search; a reception control unit is configured to control the reception unit; and a region determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received; the reception control unit prioritizing searching for an RNSS satellite when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received.

Claims

1. A satellite signal receiving device comprising:

a reception unit is configured to search for positioning information satellites including a GNSS satellite used in a global navigation satellite system and an RNSS satellite used in a regional navigation satellite system, and receive a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite locked onto by the search;

a reception control unit is configured to control the reception unit; and

a region determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the current location is in a region where a satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received;

the reception control unit prioritizing searching for an RNSS satellite when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received;

wherein

the reception control unit is configured to execute a timekeeping reception process that acquires current time information from the satellite signal, and a positioning reception process that acquires positioning information based on the satellite signal; and

when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellites can be received, the reception control unit prioritizes searching for the RNSS satellite during the timekeeping reception process, and does not prioritize searching for the RNSS satellite during the positioning reception process.

2. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, wherein:

when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signals transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received, the reception control unit searches for an RNSS satellite in each of search cycles 1 to x/2, where x is 2 or more and represents the number of positioning information satellites available and total number of search cycles.

3. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit stores a positioning information satellite;

the reception control unit searching for the positioning information satellite stored in the storage unit first, then searching for an RNSS satellite not stored in the storage unit, and then searching for a GNSS satellite not stored in the storage unit, when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signals transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received.

4. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, wherein:

the reception control unit searches first for the RNSS satellite, then searches for a GNSS satellite, when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received.

5. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, wherein:

when the region determination unit determines the current location is not in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received, the reception control unit prioritizes searching for the GNSS satellite.

6. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, wherein:

when the region determination means determines the current location is not in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received, the reception control unit searches for only the GNSS satellite.

7. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, further comprising:

an external operating unit operated by a user;

wherein the region determination unit determines whether or not the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received based on the time zone selected by the user operating the external operating unit.

8. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, wherein:

the reception control unit is configured to execute a timekeeping reception process that acquires current time information from the satellite signal, and a positioning reception process that acquires positioning information based on the satellite signal; and

the region determination unit determines whether or not the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received based on positioning information acquired by successfully executing a previous positioning reception process.

9. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit is configured to display the type of positioning information satellite locked onto.

10. The satellite signal receiving device described in claim 1, further comprising:

an external operating unit operated by a user;

the reception control unit selecting a positioning information satellite to search for by the reception unit based on user operation of the external operating unit.

11. An electronic timepiece comprising:

a reception unit is configured to search for positioning information satellites including a GNSS satellite used in a global navigation satellite system and an RNSS satellite used in a regional navigation satellite system, and receive a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite locked onto by the search;

a reception control unit is configured to control the reception unit;

a region determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the current location is in a region where a satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received; and

a timekeeping unit that keeps time;

the reception control unit prioritizing searching for an RNSS satellite when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received;

wherein

the reception control unit is configured to execute a timekeeping reception process that acquires current time information from the satellite signal, and a positioning reception process that acquires positioning information based on the satellite signal; and

when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellites can be received, the reception control unit prioritizes searching for the RNSS satellite during the timekeeping reception process, and does not prioritize searching for the RNSS satellite during the positioning reception process.

12. A satellite signal receiving device comprising:

a reception unit is configured to search for a positioning information satellites including a GNSS satellite used in a global navigation satellite system and an RNSS satellite used in a regional navigation satellite system, and receive a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite locked onto by the search;

a reception control unit is configured to control the reception unit; and

a region determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the current location is in a region where a satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellite can be received;

the reception control unit searching only for the RNSS satellite when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellites can be received;

wherein

the reception control unit is configured to execute a timekeeping reception process that acquires current time information from the satellite signal, and a positioning reception process that acquires positioning information based on the satellite signal; and

when the region determination unit determines the current location is in a region where satellite signal transmitted from the RNSS satellites can be received, the reception control unit prioritizes searching for the RNSS satellite during the timekeeping reception process, and does not prioritize searching for the RNSS satellite during the positioning reception process.