Positioning system

Abstract

Provided is a positioning system capable of acquiring position information of a moving body that cannot acquire a positioning signal from a positioning satellite.　This positioning system includes a plurality of moving bodies and measures the positions of the plurality of bodies, wherein: each moving body includes a positioning unit for performing positioning on the basis of a positioning signal transmitted from a positioning satellite, a communication unit for performing radio communication, a ranging unit for measuring a distance to another moving body on the basis of a propagation time or a phase of a signal communicated with the communication unit of another moving body, an angle measuring unit for calculating an angle of the moving body itself relating to the other moving body on the basis of the phase of the signal communicated with the communication unit of the other moving body, and a control unit for controlling the positioning unit, the communication unit, the ranging unit and the angle measuring unit; and if the positioning unit cannot receive the positioning signal, when the communication unit receives a request signal from the other moving body, the control unit transmits a response signal to the other moving body from the communication unit, the ranging unit measures the distance, and the angle measuring unit calculates the angle.

Description

Positioning System

[0001] The present disclosure relates to positioning systems.

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a communication device that is characterized by comprising: a transceiver unit that transmits and receives information via short-range wireless communication; an acquisition unit that acquires other-device transmitted position information including position information of the other communication device transmitted from the other communication device using the transceiver unit, and position information of the device itself; and an information generation unit that generates composite position information including the position information of the device itself and relative position information of the other communication device relative to the device itself based on the position information of the device itself and the other-device transmitted position information acquired by the acquisition unit, and transmits the generated composite position information to the outside using the transceiver unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-029053

[0004] However, conventional communication devices do not have a solution for when they are unable to acquire location information of their own device from a GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a positioning system that can acquire the position information of a mobile body that cannot acquire a positioning signal from a positioning satellite.

[0006] A positioning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of mobile bodies and measures the positions of the plurality of mobile bodies, wherein each mobile body includes a positioning unit that measures its position based on a positioning signal transmitted from a positioning satellite, and a communication unit that performs wireless communication. The mobile communication device has a ranging unit that measures the distance to the other flying body based on the propagation time or phase of a signal communicated with the communication unit of the other moving body, an angle measuring unit that calculates the angle of the mobile body relative to the other moving body based on the phase of a signal communicated with the communication unit of the other moving body, a plurality of antennas shared by the communication unit, the ranging unit, and the angle measuring unit, and a control unit that controls the positioning unit, the communication unit, the ranging unit, and the angle measuring unit, and when the communication unit receives a request signal from the other moving body when the positioning unit is unable to receive the positioning signal, the control unit transmits a response signal from the communication unit to the other moving body, the ranging unit measures the distance, and the angle measuring unit calculates the angle, or when the positioning unit is unable to receive the positioning signal, the ranging unit transmits a request signal from the communication unit to the other moving body, and when the communication unit receives a response signal from the other moving body, the ranging unit measures the distance, and the angle measuring unit calculates the angle.

[0007] It is possible to provide a positioning system that can acquire position information of a mobile body that cannot acquire a positioning signal from a positioning satellite.

[0008] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the usage state of a positioning system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drone. FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining an example of how position information is shared among multiple drones. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the timing of transmitting and receiving each signal in an advertisement packet. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of an advertisement packet. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of processing between two drones. FIG. 7 is a task diagram showing an example of processing by a drone control unit, a GNSS module, and a BLE module. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing in Tag mode or Anchor mode. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in Tag mode. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in Anchor mode.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment to which the positioning system of the present disclosure is applied will be described.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage state of the positioning system 10. The positioning system 10 includes a plurality of drones 100. The drones 100 are an example of mobile objects that are remotely controlled wirelessly, and are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

[0011] Here, an example of a mobile object remotely controlled by radio is described as a drone 100 capable of flying in the air. However, the positioning system 10 may be configured to include a plurality of vehicles remotely controlled by radio instead of the drone 100. The mobile object is preferably a mobile object remotely controlled by radio, and more preferably an air vehicle, because this makes the effect of obtaining location information by the positioning system 10 more pronounced.

[0012] 1 shows three drones 100A, 100B, and 100C. The drones 100A to 100C have the same configuration. Hereinafter, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the drones 100A to 100C, they will be simply referred to as drone 100.

[0013] 1 also shows smartphone 200 and mountains MT1 and MT2. Mountain MT2 is located behind mountain MT1 as seen by the user of smartphone 200. Drone 100A is located in front of mountain MT1 as seen by the user of smartphone 200, and drone 100B is located behind mountain MT2. Drone 100C is located farther away from the user of smartphone 200 than drone 100B.

[0014] The drones 100A to 100C can communicate wirelessly using, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) (hereinafter abbreviated as BLE). Because the communication distance using BLE is limited, for example, the smartphone 200 can communicate with the drone 100A using BLE, but cannot directly communicate with the drones 100B and 100C using BLE.

[0015] The drone 100A can communicate with the drone 100B via BLE, but cannot directly communicate with the drone 100C via BLE. The drone 100B can communicate with the drone 100C via BLE.

[0016] In this state, drone 100C transmits its own position information to drone 100B, and drone 100B transmits its own position information and that of drone 100C to drone 100A. In addition, drone 100A transmits its own position information and that of drones 100B and 100C to smartphone 200.

[0017] In this way, the positions of mountains MT1 and MT2 and drones 100A to 100C are displayed on the map displayed on monitor 200A of smartphone 200. Note that the operator of drones 100A to 100C may be the user of smartphone 200 or may be a person different from the user of smartphone 200.

[0018] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drone 100. The drone 100 includes a drone main body 101, a control unit 110, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module 120, and a BLE module 130. The GNSS module 120 is an example of a positioning unit.

[0019] The drone body 101 is the so-called main body of the drone that can fly, and may include a barometric pressure sensor for detecting altitude, and may also be equipped with a camera. For example, the drone 100 may operate the camera based on a shooting signal transmitted from a remote controller to take still images (photos) or moving images (videos).

[0020] Here, the control unit 110, the GNSS module 120, and the BLE module 130 are shown in a simplified form, but the control unit 110 is connected to the GNSS module 120 and the BLE module 130 via a bus or the like so as to be able to communicate data with them.

[0021] The control unit 110 is a control unit that oversees various controls of the drone 100, and is configured, for example, by an MCU (Micro Controller Unit). The MCU is realized, for example, by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), an input / output interface, an internal bus, etc. The control unit 110 specifically controls the GNSS module 120 and the BLE module 130. More specifically, the control unit 110 controls the GNSS module 120 and the communication unit 131, ranging unit 132A, and angle measurement unit 132B of the BLE module 130.

[0022] The GNSS module 120 has an antenna 120A, performs positioning based on a positioning signal transmitted from a positioning satellite, and outputs position data indicating the longitude and latitude of the drone 100 to the control unit 110. An example of the positioning satellite is a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, and an example of the positioning signal is a GPS signal. Note that if the longitude and latitude indicated by the position data are zero, this indicates that the GNSS module 120 was unable to perform positioning.

[0023] The BLE module 130 has multiple antennas 130A, a communication unit 131, and an MCU 132. The multiple antennas 130A are an example of multiple antennas shared by the communication unit 131, the ranging unit 132A, and the angle measurement unit 132B. The number of the multiple antennas 130A may be three or more. The BLE module 130 performs ranging and angle measurement in the TOA (Time Of Arrival) and AOA (Angle Of Arrival) formats, so it is sufficient to have three or more antennas 130A.

[0024] Here, a description will be given of a configuration in which the BLE module 130 has three antennas 130A. In the three antennas 130A, two of the three antennas 130A are located on a first axis in a plane connecting the centers of gravity of the three antennas 130A, and the remaining antenna and one of the two antennas 130A located on the first axis are located on a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis.

[0025] The communication unit 131 performs communication using one of the three antennas 130A. The communication unit 131 can send and receive BLE advertisement packets. More strictly, the BLE advertisement packet is, for example, an extended advertisement packet. The communication unit 131 transmits an RID signal including the position information of its own drone 100, and receives RID signals including position information from other drones 100. The RID signal is a signal including the ID (Identifier) ​​of the drone 100, and can be stored in an advertisement packet and transmitted.

[0026] Furthermore, during communication for distance measurement and angle measurement (ranging), the communication unit 131 can transmit and receive signals other than advertising packets. One example of such a signal is a modulation signal for GenFSK (General Frequency Shift Keying). The modulation signal for GenFSK is an example of a signal other than advertising packets transmitted and received by the communication unit 131. The frequency of the modulation signal for GenFSK is equal to the frequency of the advertising packets. Furthermore, the communication unit 131 transmits advertising packets that include data such as the phase when a ranging signal is received.

[0027] The MCU 132 is realized, for example, by a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input / output interface, an internal bus, etc. The MCU 132 has a distance measurement unit 132A and an angle measurement unit 132B. The distance measurement unit 132A and the angle measurement unit 132B represent the functions of the MCU 132 as functional blocks. The distance measurement unit 132A and the angle measurement unit 132B perform distance measurement processing and angle measurement processing, respectively, to determine the distance and angle (elevation angle and azimuth angle) of the drone 100 relative to other drones 100 with which the drone 100 can communicate via BLE.

[0028] The ranging unit 132A measures the distance between the drone 100 and another drone 100 based on the propagation time or phase of a signal communicated between the communication unit 131 of the drone 100 and the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100. The other drone 100 is capable of BLE communication with the drone 100 and has transmitted a ranging request (described later) to the drone 100. The ranging unit 132A measures the distance in TOA format using one of the three antennas 130A of the BLE module 130 of the drone 100.

[0029] As an example, the distance measurement unit 132A transmits signals of multiple frequencies f1 to fN (N is an integer of 2 or more) from the antenna 130A to the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100 via the communication unit 131 of its own drone 100, and receives the signals of multiple frequencies f1 to fN at the antenna 130A of its own drone 100. The distance measurement unit 132A acquires data indicating the phase of the signals of each frequency when received by the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100 from the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100 by communication.

[0030] The distance measurement unit 132A calculates the total phase (round-trip phase) for each frequency of the phase when the antenna 130A receives a signal of each frequency from the communication unit 131 of its own drone 100 and the phase when the signal of each frequency is received by the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100. The distance measurement unit 132A measures the distance between the antenna 130A of its own drone 100 and the other drone 100 from the relationship between the multiple frequencies and the round-trip phase at each frequency.

[0031] Furthermore, instead of the distance measurement method described above, the distance measurement unit 132A may measure the distance between its own drone 100 and another drone 100 as follows. The distance measurement unit 132A measures the propagation time of a signal when it is transmitted from the antenna 130A to the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100, or the propagation time of a signal when it is transmitted from the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100 to the antenna 130A of its own drone 100. The distance measurement unit 132A may then measure the distance between the antenna 130A of its own drone 100 and the other drone 100 by multiplying the measured propagation time by the speed of light. Note that details of the processing by the distance measurement unit 132A will be described later using FIGS. 5, 7, 8A, and 8B.

[0032] The angle measurement unit 132B uses the three antennas 130A of its own drone 100 to measure the elevation angle and azimuth angle in a polar coordinate system of the position of its own drone 100 relative to the other drones 100 in the AOA format. The angle measurement unit 132B measures the elevation angle and azimuth angle in the AOA format based on the phase difference when the three antennas 130A receive signals transmitted from the other drones 100. The phase difference when the signals are received by the three antennas 130A is a first phase difference when the signals are received by the two antennas 130A located on the first axis, and a second phase difference when the signals are received by the two antennas 130A located on the second axis. The angle measurement unit 132B calculates an azimuth angle that represents the position of the other drones 100 relative to its own drone 100 from the ratio between the first phase difference and the second phase difference. Furthermore, the angle measurement unit 132B calculates an elevation angle that indicates the position of the other drone 100 relative to the drone 100 based on the azimuth angle and the first phase difference or the second phase difference. In the AOA type angle measurement process, it is possible to measure the elevation angle and azimuth angle in a polar coordinate system of the position of the other drone 100 relative to the drone 100. The polar coordinate system is a coordinate system relative to a reference point on the ground, and a position is uniquely determined by a distance and an angle.

[0033] The MCU 132 has an internal memory that stores programs executed by the MCU 132 to perform processing, data required for processing, and the like.

[0034] <Sharing of position information among multiple drones 100A to 100D> Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of how position information is shared among multiple drones 100A to 100D. Figure 3 shows four drones 100A to 100D. The drones 100A to 100D all have the same configuration, which is equivalent to the drone 100 shown in Figure 2.

[0035] The drones 100A to 100D have a BLE communication range 105. For ease of explanation, the drones 100A to 100D are arranged linearly in Fig. 3. The drones 100A to 100D are located in positions where the communication ranges 105 of adjacent drones 100 overlap.

[0036] Below the drones 100A to 100D, location information is represented by [A] to [D]. Location information [A] is location information obtained by the drone 100A when its own GNSS module 120 determines its position, or location information obtained by its own MCU 132 when the GNSS module 120 is unable to determine its position. The location information obtained by its own MCU 132 is location information obtained by adding the distance and angle (elevation angle and azimuth angle) calculated by the distance measuring unit 132A and angle measuring unit 132B of its own MCU 132 to location information obtained from other drones 100 with which the drone 100 can communicate via BLE. Note that location information [B] to [D] is location information obtained by the drones 100B to 100D in the same way as the location information of the drone 100A described above.

[0037] When drones 100A to 100D are unable to perform positioning using their own GNSS modules 120, they can obtain position information by adding the distance and angle (elevation and azimuth) calculated by the ranging unit 132A and angle measuring unit 132B of their own MCU 132 to the position information obtained from other drones 100.

[0038] 3, the time axis extends vertically, and time passes from top to bottom. Fig. 3 shows period n-1, period n, and period n+1. Note that periods n-1, n, and n+1 are all equal in length, and are, for example, one second or less.

[0039] During period n-1, drone 100A transmits location information [A] in an advertising packet as shown as (1), and drone 100B receives location information [A] as shown as (2).

[0040] During period n, drone 100B transmits location information [A] + [B] in an advertising packet as shown by (3), and drones 100A and 100C receive location information [A] + [B] as shown by (4). That is, drone 100B adds location information [B] acquired by its own GNSS module 120 or MCU 132 to the location information [A] received from drone 100A and transmits the resulting advertising packet, and drones 100A and 100C receive the location information [A] + [B].

[0041] In period n+1, drone 100C transmits location information [A] + [B] + [C] in an advertising packet as shown by (5), and drones 100B and 100D receive location information [A] + [B] + [C] as shown by (6). That is, drone 100C adds location information [C] acquired by its own GNSS module 120 or MCU 132 to the location information [A] + [B] received from drone 100B, and transmits the result in an advertising packet, and drones 100B and 100D receive the location information [A] + [B] + [C].

[0042] By repeating this process, drones 100 whose communication ranges 105 do not overlap, such as drones 100A and 100C, drones 100A and 100D, and drones 100B and 100D, can acquire each other's position information in a chain reaction. Furthermore, drones 100 whose communication ranges 105 do not overlap can share each other's position information.

[0043] Therefore, even if direct communication via BLE is not possible between the drones 100A and 100C shown in Fig. 1, location information can be shared. Furthermore, the location information of the drones 100A to 100C can be acquired by the smartphone 200. Each piece of location information is transmitted and received between the drones 100 together with the ID of the drone that acquired the location information, as included in an RID signal.

[0044] Furthermore, even if the drones 100A to 100D cannot perform positioning using their own GNSS modules 120, they can obtain position information by having the distance measurement unit 132A and the angle measurement unit 132B perform distance measurement and angle measurement. In other words, even if the drones 100A to 100D cannot perform positioning using their own GNSS modules 120, they can obtain their latest position information. This makes it easier to avoid collisions between the drones 100A to 100D compared to when the drones 100A to 100D cannot obtain positioning information due to their own GNSS modules 120 being unable to perform positioning.

[0045] The method of sharing position information among the multiple drones 100A to 100D shown in Figure 3 can be summarized as follows.

[0046] The control unit 110 of each drone 100 transmits its own ID and location information measured by its own GNSS module 120, or location information represented by the distance and angle acquired by the distance measurement unit 132A and angle measurement unit 132B, from the communication unit 131. An RID signal including the location information and ID is transmitted from each drone 100 and received by other drones 100 with overlapping communication ranges 105.

[0047] In addition, the control unit 110 of each drone 100 transmits from the communication unit 131 the location information of the other drone 100 that the communication unit 131 has received from the other drone 100.

[0048] In addition, the control unit 110 of each drone 100 transmits its own ID and the location information measured by its own GNSS module 120, or the location information represented by the distance and angle obtained by the distance measuring unit 132A and the angle measuring unit 132B, along with the IDs and location information of other drones 100, from the communication unit 131.

[0049] <Timing of Transmission and Reception of Each Signal> FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of the timing of transmitting and receiving each signal in an advertising packet. FIG. 4A shows one frame of an advertising packet for period n. As an example, as shown in period n, transmission and reception may be performed in three stages: first, an RID signal including the remote ID of the drone 100 is transmitted, then a location information signal including location information is transmitted, and then the RID signal and the location information signal are received. As an example, the transmission period of the RID signal and the transmission period of the location information signal may be shorter than the reception period of the RID signal and the location information signal. Note that the location information acquired by the drone 100 may be transmitted using the RID signal.

[0050] <Data Structure of Advertising Packet> Figure 4B is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of an advertising packet. As shown in Figure 4B, location information can be stored in the ODID message (ODID Msg) message (Type 0) of the advertising data (Adv Data) of the advertising packet, and the advertising packet can be transmitted. This allows location information to be shared among multiple drones 100 whose communication ranges 105 do not overlap with each other, as shown in Figure 3. In addition, a smartphone 200 that is not within the communication range 105 can obtain the location information of the drone 100.

[0051] <Processing Between Drones 100> Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of processing between drones 100A and 100B. Here, the description will be given using drones 100A and 100B as two drones 100 capable of BLE communication, but any two drones 100 capable of BLE communication will perform the same processing.

[0052] When the drones 100A and 100B start processing, they determine their positions using the GNSS module 120 (step S1).

[0053] Here, as an example, it is assumed that the GNSS module 120 of the drone 100A succeeds in positioning (step S2A), and the GNSS module 120 of the drone 100B fails to position (step S2B).

[0054] The ranging unit 132A of the MCU 132 of the drone 100A that has successfully determined its position transmits a ranging request (step S3). In step S3, the ranging unit 132A of the drone 100A notifies the drone 100A of the determined position information in addition to transmitting the ranging request. Ranging is a process of transmitting signals back and forth between the drones 100A and 100B to measure the distance and angle.

[0055] The control unit 110 of the drone 100B that has successfully performed positioning switches to Anchor mode (step S4).

[0056] The control unit 110 of the drone 100B determines whether or not a ranging request has been received (step S5). If the control unit 110 of the drone 100B determines that a ranging request has not been received (S5: NO), the control unit 110 repeatedly executes the process of step S5 until a ranging request is received.

[0057] When the control unit 110 of the drone 100B determines that it has received the Ranging Request (S5: YES), it sends an Ack (step S6). The Ack is an acknowledgment that notifies the drone 100A that it has received the Ranging Request, and is an example of a response signal. Having received the Ack, the control unit 110 of the drone 100A prepares to perform ranging with the drone 100B.

[0058] Note that, as an example, a configuration will be described here in which the drone 100A that has successfully located its position transmits a ranging request, and the drone 100B that has failed to locate its position transmits an ACK to perform ranging. However, the reverse may also be possible. The drone 100B that has failed to locate its position may transmit a ranging request, and the drone 100A that has successfully located its position may transmit an ACK, and as a result, the drones 100A and 100B may perform ranging.

[0059] Drones 100A and 100B perform ranging (step S7). Distance measurement unit 132A of drone 100B, which measures distance and angle, transmits signals of multiple frequencies f1 to fN (N is an integer of 2 or greater) from communication unit 131 of drone 100B via antenna 130A to communication unit 131 of drone 100A. In response, communication unit 131 of drone 100A transmits signals of multiple frequencies f1 to fN (N is an integer of 2 or greater) to communication unit 131 of drone 100B.

[0060] The communication unit 131 of the drone 100B receives signals of multiple frequencies f1 to fN transmitted from the drone 100A via the antenna 130A. The distance measurement unit 132A of the drone 100A also acquires data from the drone 100A via communication, the data indicating the phase of the signal of each frequency when it is received by the drone 100A.

[0061] The distance measurement unit 132A and angle measurement unit 132B of the drone 100B calculate the distance between the drones 100A and 100B and the angle (elevation angle and azimuth angle) of the drone 100B relative to the drone 100A, and add this to the position information of the drone 100A notified in step S3 to obtain position information representing the current position of the drone 100B (step S8). More specifically, this is as follows. The obtained position information is notified to the control unit 110.

[0062] The ranging unit 132A of the drone 100B calculates the total phase (round-trip phase) for each frequency of the phase when the antenna 130A receives the signal of each frequency from the drone 100A and the phase when the signal of each frequency is received by the drone 100A. The ranging unit 132A of the drone 100B measures the distance between the antenna 130A of the drone 100B and the drone 100A from the relationship between the multiple frequencies and the round-trip phase at each frequency.

[0063] In addition, when drones 100A and 100B perform ranging, angle measurement unit 132B of drone 100B measures the elevation angle and azimuth angle in AOA format based on the phase difference when the signal transmitted from drone 100A is received by three antennas 130A.

[0064] The control unit 110 of the drone 100B transmits the position information of the drone 100B obtained in step S8 to the drone 100A (step S9).

[0065] In this way, even if drone 100B fails to locate its position between drones 100A and 100B, drone 100B can obtain its own position information and notify drone 100A of the obtained position information.

[0066] If drone 100B succeeds in positioning and drone 100A fails, the operations of drones 100A and 100B are the same as those described above, except that the operations are reversed. Also, if drones 100A and 100B both succeed in positioning, they transmit ranging requests to each other and notify each other of the position information acquired by positioning. Also, if drones 100A and 100B both fail to position, they measure the distance to other drones, such as drones 100C and 100D, and calculate their positions.

[0067] By performing such an operation between two drones 100 whose communication ranges 105 overlap, the drones 100A to 100D can share their position information with each other, as shown in Fig. 3. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, in a state in which the smartphone 200 can perform BLE communication with only the drone 100A of the drones 100A to 100D, the smartphone 200 can obtain the position information of all of the drones 100A to 100D.

[0068] FIG. 6 is a task diagram showing an example of processing by the control unit 110, the GNSS module 120, and the BLE module 130 of the drone 100.

[0069] <Step S10> In step S10, the user turns on the power of the drone 100 while the control unit 110, the GNSS module 120, and the BLE module 130 are powered off. The control unit 110 turns on the power of the GNSS module 120 and the BLE module 130, and the GNSS module 120 and the BLE module 130 notify the control unit 110 that initialization is complete. After this, the control unit 110, the GNSS module 120, and the BLE module 130 enter a standby state.

[0070] <Step S20> In the standby state, when the user performs an operation to start operation via the remote controller of the drone 100, the control unit 110 causes the GNSS module 120 to start receiving GPS signals and waits for the completion of positioning (waiting for GPS positioning). If positioning is successful, the GNSS module 120 notifies the control unit 110 of the location information. The location information represents the location of the drone 100 in longitude and latitude.

[0071] The control unit 110 notifies the BLE module 130 of location information to set an RID signal in order to perform initial settings of parameters, etc., and notifies the BLE module 130 of a command to start transmitting the RID signal in order to start transmitting the RID signal. The RID signal is a signal that includes location information, and is stored in an advertisement packet and transmitted from the BLE module 130.

[0072] <Step S30> Step S30 is a normal operation state in which the control unit 110, the GNSS module 120, and the BLE module 130 can perform normal operation. Normal operation is a state in which the GNSS module 120 can perform positioning and the BLE module 130 can transmit position information to other drones 100.

[0073] The BLE module 130 stores an RID signal in an advertisement packet and transmits the packet (step S31).

[0074] The BLE module 130 stores the location information signal in the advertisement packet and transmits it (step S32). Note that when the location information signal is transmitted for the first time (first time), there is no location information, so the location information signal does not include the location information.

[0075] The BLE module 130 receives an RID signal and a location information signal from another drone 100 with an overlapping communication range 105 (step S33). Upon receiving the RID signal and the location information signal, the BLE module 130 notifies the control unit 110 of an end signal.

[0076] In this way, while the BLE module 130 is performing the processes of steps S31 to S33, the GNSS module 120 repeatedly performs positioning, and the control unit 110 acquires position information from the GNSS module 120.

[0077] The BLE module 130 waits until the RID signal is set and a command to start transmitting the RID signal is received (step S34). The BLE module 130 acquires location information from the control unit 110 when the RID signal is set by the control unit 110.

[0078] When the RID signal is set and a command to start transmitting the RID signal is notified, the BLE module 130 performs processing in Tag mode or Anchor mode (step S35).

[0079] The above-described step S30 (S31 to S35) is a process for a normal operating state in which the control unit 110, the GNSS module 120, and the BLE module 130 can perform normal operation, and is therefore repeatedly executed unless step S40 (processing to stop operation), which will be described later, is performed.

[0080] <Step S40> Step S40 is a process for stopping operation. The control unit 110 starts the process when the user performs an operation to stop operation.

[0081] The control unit 110 commands the GNSS module 120 to stop receiving GPS signals, and commands the BLE module 130 to stop transmitting RID signals. Next, the control unit 110 turns off the power of the GNSS module 120 and the BLE module 130.

[0082] <Step S50> The control unit 110 completes the process of step S40 and enters a standby state. When the user performs an operation to power off the drone 100, the control unit 110 starts the process of step S50 and performs a process to power off its own power. As a result, the control unit 110, the GNSS module 120, and the BLE module 130 enter a power-off state.

[0083] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing of step S35. The processing of FIG.

[0084] The distance measurement unit 132A receives the setting of the RID signal (step S110). The control unit 110 notifies the MCU 132 of the BLE module 130 of the location information.

[0085] The distance measurement unit 132A determines whether the longitude and latitude indicated by the position information are not zero (step S120).

[0086] If the distance measurement unit 132A determines that the longitude and latitude indicated by the position information are not zero (S120: YES), it starts processing in Tag mode (step S130). The processing in Tag mode is a subroutine process, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 8A.

[0087] When the distance measurement unit 132A completes the Tag mode process (S130), it completes the process of step S35 shown in FIG.

[0088] Furthermore, if the distance measurement unit 132A determines that the longitude and latitude indicated by the position information are zero (S120: NO), it starts processing in Anchor mode (step S140). The processing in Anchor mode is performed by the distance measurement unit 132A and the angle measurement unit 132B. The processing in Anchor mode is a subroutine process, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 8B.

[0089] When the distance measurement unit 132A completes the Anchor mode processing (S140), it updates the position information of its own drone 100 to position information representing its own current position obtained in the Anchor mode processing (step S150).

[0090] <Processing in Tag Mode> FIG. 8A is a flowchart showing an example of processing in Tag mode.

[0091] When the distance measurement unit 132A starts the processing in the Tag mode, it goes into standby mode (step S131).

[0092] The distance measurement unit 132A transmits a Ranging Request (step S132). The process of step S132 corresponds to step S3 in FIG.

[0093] The distance measurement unit 132A waits for reception of an Ack (step S133).

[0094] The distance measurement unit 132A determines whether or not an Ack has been received (step S134).

[0095] If the distance measurement unit 132A determines that it has received the Ack (S134: YES), it performs ranging (step S135). The processing of step S135 corresponds to step S7 of the drone 100A in Fig. 5. When the distance measurement unit 132A finishes ranging, it returns the flow to step S131.

[0096] Furthermore, if the distance measurement unit 132A determines in step S134 that Ack has not been received (S134: NO), it skips step S135 and returns the flow to step S131.

[0097] <Anchor Mode Processing> FIG. 8B is a flowchart showing an example of Anchor mode processing.

[0098] When the distance measurement unit 132A starts processing in the Anchor mode, it waits for reception of a Ranging Request (step S141).

[0099] The distance measurement unit 132A determines whether or not a ranging request has been received (step S142). The process of step S142 corresponds to step S5 in FIG.

[0100] When the ranging unit 132A determines that it has received the Ranging Request (S142: YES), it transmits an Ack (step S143). The process of step S143 corresponds to step S6 in FIG.

[0101] The distance measurement unit 132A performs ranging (step S144). The process of step S144 corresponds to step S7 of the drone 100B in FIG.

[0102] When ranging is completed, the distance measurement unit 132A calculates position information representing its own current position by adding the distance and angle obtained by ranging to the position information acquired from the other drones 100 (step S145). When processing in step S145 is completed, the distance measurement unit 132A returns the flow to step S141.

[0103] Furthermore, if the distance measurement unit 132A determines in step S142 that a Ranging Request has not been received (S142: NO), it skips the processes of steps S143, S144, and S145 and returns the flow to step S141.

[0104] While the above describes an embodiment in which the distance measurement unit 132A mainly executes the processes in Figures 7, 8A, and 8B, the MCU 132 may have a main control unit that mainly executes the processes in Figures 7, 8A, and 8B, separate from the distance measurement unit 132A and the angle measurement unit 132B. In this case, the distance measurement unit 132A may perform the ranging in step S135, the ranging in step S144, and the ranging process in step S145.

[0105] <Effects> The positioning system 10 includes a plurality of drones 100 (mobile bodies) and measures the positions of the plurality of drones 100. Each drone 100 has a GNSS module 120 (positioning unit) that performs positioning based on GPS signals (positioning signals) transmitted from a positioning satellite, a communication unit 131 that performs wireless communication, a distance measurement unit 132A that measures the distance to another flying body based on the propagation time or phase of signals communicated between the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100, and a distance measurement unit 132B that measures the distance to another flying body based on the propagation time or phase of signals communicated between the communication unit 131 of the other drone 100. The drone 100 includes an angle measurement unit 132B that calculates the angle of the drone 100 relative to the other drones 100 based on the phase of the signal communicated between the communication unit 131, the distance measurement unit 132A, and the angle measurement unit 132B, a plurality of antennas 130A shared by the communication unit 131, the distance measurement unit 132A, and the angle measurement unit 132B, and a control unit 110 that controls the GNSS module 120, the communication unit 131, the distance measurement unit 132A, and the angle measurement unit 132B. When the GNSS module 120 cannot receive a GPS signal, the communication unit 131 receives ranging signals from the other drones 100. When a Request (request signal) is received, the control unit 110 transmits an Ack (response signal) from the communication unit 131 to the other drone 100, the ranging unit 132A measures the distance, and the angle measurement unit 132B calculates the angle, or when the GNSS module 120 cannot receive GPS signals, the ranging unit 132A transmits a Ranging Request (request signal) from the communication unit 131 to the other drone 100, and when the communication unit 131 receives an Ack (response signal) from the other drone 100, the ranging unit 132A measures the distance, and the angle measurement unit 132B calculates the angle. Therefore, a drone 100 that cannot acquire GPS signals from GPS satellites can determine the distance and angle to the other drone 100.

[0106] Therefore, it is possible to provide a positioning system 10 that can acquire location information of a drone 100 (mobile body) that cannot acquire GPS signals (positioning signals) from GPS satellites (positioning satellites).

[0107] The control unit 110 of each drone 100 transmits its own identifier and the location information measured by its own GNSS module 120, or the location information represented by the distance and angle acquired by the distance measurement unit 132A and the angle measurement unit 132B, from the communication unit 131. Therefore, the drones 100 can share each other's location information in a state where they can be distinguished by their identifiers, whether each drone 100 can acquire a GPS signal or any drone 100 cannot acquire a GPS signal.

[0108] The control unit 110 of each drone 100 transmits the position information of the other drone 100 received by the communication unit 131 from the other drone 100 from the communication unit 131. Therefore, each drone 100 can obtain each other's position information.

[0109] Furthermore, the control unit 110 of each drone 100 transmits its own identifier and location information measured by its own GNSS module 120, or location information represented by the distance and angle acquired by the distance measurement unit 132A and angle measurement unit 132B, along with the identifiers and location information of the other drones 100, from the communication unit 131. Therefore, each drone 100 can sequentially acquire the location information of each drone 100 in a manner distinguishable by its identifier, including the location information of drones 100 whose communication range 105 does not overlap with its own. Acquisition of such location information is possible both when each drone 100 can acquire a GPS signal and when any drone 100 cannot acquire a GPS signal. Furthermore, a device such as a smartphone 200 that can communicate with any one drone 100 can acquire the location information of all drones 100.

[0110] Furthermore, the communication unit 131 is a communication unit 131 that transmits and receives Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) beacon signals, the distance measurement unit 132A measures distance using signals other than advertising packets transmitted and received by the communication unit 131, and the angle measurement unit 132B calculates angles using signals other than advertising packets transmitted and received by the communication unit 131. Therefore, the communication unit 131 of the BLE module 130 measures distance using signals that can be transmitted and received, and the angle measurement unit 132B calculates angles using signals that can be transmitted and received by the communication unit 131. Both communication of position information and distance and angle measurement can be realized using signals that can be transmitted and received by the communication unit 131.

[0111] The drone 100 is a drone 100 that is remotely controlled wirelessly. Because the drone 100 is remotely controlled wirelessly by a user using a remote controller or the like, unlike vehicles that are driven by the user, location information is extremely important. Since the GNSS module 120 may fail to perform positioning, in such cases the positioning system 10, which can determine the positional relationship with other drones 100 by measuring distance and angle, is extremely useful.

[0112] The above describes a configuration in which the GNSS module 120 acquires the location information. However, the GNSS module 120 may receive a GPS signal, and the control unit 110 may acquire the location information based on the GPS signal.

[0113] In the above description, the BLE module 130 performs distance measurement and angle measurement. However, the BLE module 130 may transmit and receive signals for distance measurement and angle measurement, and the control unit 110 may measure the distance and calculate the angles (elevation angle and azimuth angle).

[0114] The above describes a positioning system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0115] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-003668, filed on January 13, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0116] 10 Positioning system 100, 100A to 100D Drone (an example of a moving body) 110 Control unit 120 GNSS module (an example of a positioning unit) 130 BLE module 130A Antenna 131 Communication unit 132 MCU 132A Distance measurement unit 132B Angle measurement unit

Claims

1. A positioning system including a plurality of moving bodies for measuring positions of the plurality of moving bodies, Each mobile unit is a positioning unit that performs positioning based on a positioning signal transmitted from a positioning satellite; a communication unit for performing wireless communication; a distance measuring unit that measures the distance to another mobile body based on a propagation time or a phase of a signal communicated with a communication unit of the other mobile body; an angle measurement unit that calculates an angle of the own moving body relative to the other moving body based on the phase of a signal communicated with a communication unit of the other moving body; a plurality of antennas shared by the communication unit, the distance measurement unit, and the angle measurement unit; a control unit that controls the positioning unit, the communication unit, the distance measuring unit, and the angle measuring unit; and the control unit of the moving body from which the positioning unit cannot receive the positioning signal switches to a first mode in which a request signal is transmitted; the control unit of the mobile body from which the positioning unit has received the positioning signal switches to a second mode in which it waits for reception of the request signal from another mobile body from which the positioning signal cannot be received; In a mobile body where the positioning unit cannot receive the positioning signal, the ranging unit transmits the request signal from the communication unit, and when the communication unit receives a response signal from another mobile body that has received the positioning signal, the ranging unit measures the distance and the angle measurement unit calculates the angle, and determines the location information by adding the distance and the angle to the location information represented by the positioning signal received via the communication unit from the mobile body that received the positioning signal.

2. the plurality of moving bodies are N (N is an integer of 3 or more) moving bodies, the control unit of each moving body transmits from the communication unit its own identifier and location information determined by its own positioning unit or location information indicated by a positioning signal received via the communication unit from a moving body that has received the positioning signal, plus the distance and the angle; The positioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit of each mobile body transmits, from the communication unit, the position information of the other mobile body that the communication unit has received from the other mobile body.

3. (delete)

4. the communication unit transmits and receives advertisement packets of Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark); the distance measurement unit measures the distance to the other mobile body based on a propagation time or a phase when a modulated signal having the same frequency as the advertising packet transmitted and received by the communication unit is communicated between the communication unit and the other mobile body; 3. The positioning system according to claim 2, wherein the angle measurement unit calculates an angle of the own moving body relative to the other moving body based on a phase of the modulated signal transmitted and received by the communication unit when the modulated signal is communicated between the communication unit and the communication unit of the other moving body.

5. 5. The positioning system of claim 4, wherein the control unit of each moving body transmits its own identifier and location information measured by its own positioning unit, or location information represented by the distance and the angle acquired by the distance measuring unit and the angle measuring unit, together with the identifiers and location information of the other moving bodies, from the communication unit.

6. The positioning system according to claim 4 , wherein the mobile object is a mobile object remotely controlled by radio.

7. A positioning system including a plurality of moving bodies for measuring positions of the plurality of moving bodies, Each mobile unit is a positioning unit that performs positioning based on a positioning signal transmitted from a positioning satellite; a communication unit for performing wireless communication; a distance measuring unit that measures the distance to another mobile body based on a propagation time or a phase of a signal communicated with a communication unit of the other mobile body; an angle measurement unit that calculates an angle of the own moving body relative to the other moving body based on the phase of a signal communicated with a communication unit of the other moving body; a plurality of antennas shared by the communication unit, the distance measurement unit, and the angle measurement unit; a control unit that controls the positioning unit, the communication unit, the distance measuring unit, and the angle measuring unit; and the control unit of the moving body, in which the positioning unit has received the positioning signal, switches to a first mode for transmitting a request signal; the control unit of the moving body from which the positioning unit cannot receive the positioning signal switches to a second mode in which the control unit waits for reception of the request signal from another moving body that has received the positioning signal; In a mobile body in which the positioning unit cannot receive the positioning signal, when the communication unit receives the request signal, the control unit transmits a response signal from the communication unit to the other mobile body, the ranging unit measures the distance, and the angle measurement unit calculates the angle, and the position information is obtained by adding the distance and the angle to the position information represented by the positioning signal received via the communication unit from the mobile body that received the positioning signal.

8. the plurality of moving bodies are N (N is an integer of 3 or more) moving bodies, the control unit of each moving body transmits from the communication unit its own identifier and location information determined by its own positioning unit or location information indicated by a positioning signal received via the communication unit from a moving body that has received the positioning signal, plus the distance and the angle; The positioning system according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit of each mobile body transmits, from the communication unit, the position information of the other mobile body that the communication unit has received from the other mobile body.

9. the communication unit transmits and receives advertisement packets of Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark); the distance measurement unit measures the distance to the other mobile body based on a propagation time or a phase when a modulated signal having the same frequency as the advertising packet transmitted and received by the communication unit is communicated between the communication unit and the other mobile body; 9. The positioning system according to claim 8, wherein the angle measurement unit calculates an angle of the own moving body relative to the other moving body based on a phase of the modulated signal transmitted and received by the communication unit when the modulated signal is communicated between the communication unit and the communication unit of the other moving body.

10. 10. The positioning system of claim 9, wherein the control unit of each moving body transmits its own identifier and location information measured by its own positioning unit, or location information represented by the distance and the angle acquired by the distance measuring unit and the angle measuring unit, together with the identifiers and location information of the other moving bodies, from the communication unit.

11. The positioning system according to claim 9 , wherein the mobile object is a mobile object remotely controlled by radio.