Positioning system, vehicle drive testing device, and moving body
The positioning system addresses the challenge of accurate positioning inside and outside buildings by using pseudosatellite signals generated by a communication device on mobile objects, ensuring reliable detection and control of their positions, even in environments with weak satellite signals.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/JP2024/003888
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-06-16
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-06
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing positioning systems struggle to achieve accurate positioning of mobile objects, such as vehicles, both inside and outside buildings, especially when satellite signals are attenuated, leading to unreliable detection of their positions.
A positioning system comprising a first communication device inside a building and a second communication device on the mobile object, which generates a pseudosatellite signal containing the same information as satellite signals, allowing for accurate positioning using both satellite and relative positioning signals, even in environments with weak satellite signal reception.
Enables highly accurate positioning of mobile objects inside and outside buildings by generating pseudosatellite signals, ensuring reliable detection and control of the object's position, even in areas with attenuated satellite signals.
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Figure JP2024003888_19122024_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Positioning system, vehicle driving test device and moving body
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a positioning system, a vehicle driving test device, and a moving body.
[0002] When positioning a mobile object outside a building, it is possible to measure the absolute position using satellite signals from, for example, GNSS satellites or GPS satellites. Also, when positioning a mobile object inside a building, it is possible to measure the relative position using relative positioning signals such as beacon signals because satellite signals are attenuated inside the building (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
[0003] Patent No. 4461235 Patent No. 7257166
[0004] For example, when a moving object such as a vehicle is driven autonomously, positioning using satellite signals is required to detect the position of the moving object.Even in environments where satellite signals are attenuated and cannot be received with sufficient strength, such as inside a building, it is necessary to accurately detect the position of the moving object using satellite signals.
[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a positioning system, a vehicle driving test device, and a moving body that are capable of performing highly accurate positioning using satellite signals both inside and outside a building.
[0006] The positioning system according to the present disclosure includes a first communication device disposed inside a building, a second communication device mounted on a mobile body that moves inside and outside the building and capable of communicating with the first communication device, and a pseudo signal generating device that acquires a communication result between the first communication device and the second communication device and generates a pseudo satellite signal containing the same type of information as a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite based on the acquired communication result.
[0007] The vehicle driving test device according to the present disclosure includes a travel path along which a test vehicle, which is a moving body, travels, a condition reproduction mechanism that reproduces the test conditions of the test vehicle, a building that covers at least a portion of the travel path and the condition reproduction mechanism, and the above-mentioned positioning system, wherein the positioning system is mounted on the moving body and calculates the position of the moving body moving inside the building based on the generated pseudolite signal.
[0008] The mobile body according to the present disclosure has a main body and a driving device, and is capable of moving along a continuous path inside and outside a building. The mobile body is equipped with a second communication device capable of communicating with a first communication device located inside the building, a pseudo signal generation device that acquires communication results between the first communication device and the second communication device and generates a pseudo satellite signal containing the same type of information as a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite based on the acquired communication result, a position calculation device that calculates the position of the mobile body moving along the path inside the building based on the generated pseudo satellite signal, and a control device that controls the operation of the driving device based on the position calculated by the position calculation device.
[0009] According to the present disclosure, highly accurate positioning using satellite signals becomes possible both inside and outside a building.
[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a positioning system according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a positioning system according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of a building. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the positioning system. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the positioning system. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the operation of the positioning system.
[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a positioning system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical.
[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a positioning system 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the positioning system 100 according to this embodiment.
[0013] 1 and 2 , the positioning system 100 is capable of performing positioning using satellite signals transmitted from satellites 80. Examples of the satellites 80 include GNSS satellites and GPS satellites. Examples of the satellite signals include GNSS signals and GPS signals.
[0014] The positioning system 100 includes a first communication device 10, a second communication device 20, a pseudo signal generating device 30, and a position calculation device 40. The positioning system 100 measures the position of a mobile object 50 moving inside and outside a building 60. In this embodiment, the mobile object 50 is a vehicle such as an automobile, and includes a vehicle body 51, a driving device 52, a communication unit 53, and a control device 55. The driving device 52 includes various devices and sensors used to drive the mobile object 50, such as a traveling device that causes the mobile object 50 to travel and an operating device that operates the traveling device. The communication unit 53 transmits and receives information to and from the positioning system 100. The communication unit 53 is capable of receiving information related to the position of the mobile object 50 measured by the positioning system 100. The control device 55 controls the operation of the driving device 52. The control device 55 is capable of controlling the operation of the driving device 52 based on the position of the mobile object 50 received by the communication unit 53.
[0015] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the positioning system 100 is used in a vehicle driving test device 200. The vehicle driving test device 200 reproduces the surrounding environment and driving state of a test vehicle, which is a moving object 50, and acquires vehicle operation information of the test vehicle. The vehicle driving test device 200 performs a driving test of the moving object 50 inside a building 60. The vehicle driving test device 200 runs the moving object 50 inside the building 60, processes information acquired from the moving object 50 and information about the surroundings of the moving object 50, and calculates test conditions and test results. The vehicle driving test device 200 includes a travel path 71 along which the moving object 50 travels, a condition reproduction mechanism 72 that reproduces test conditions for the moving object, and the building 60 that covers at least a portion of the travel path 71 and the condition reproduction mechanism 72. The condition reproduction mechanism 72 adjusts the environment inside the building 60 to make the surrounding environment of the moving object 50 an environment of test conditions. The condition reproduction mechanism 72 includes various types of equipment such as precipitation equipment to reproduce rain, snowfall equipment to reproduce snow, sunlight equipment to reproduce the daytime environment, temperature, humidity, and air pressure adjustment equipment to adjust temperature and humidity, fog generation equipment to generate fog, ventilation equipment to generate wind, dust generation equipment to generate dust, hailfall equipment to reproduce hail, electromagnetic noise generation equipment to generate electromagnetic noise, and electromagnetic noise reduction equipment to reduce electromagnetic noise.
[0016] The first communication device 10 is arranged inside a building 60. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the building 60. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of first communication devices 10 are arranged inside the building 60 at predetermined intervals along a movement path 71. The plurality of first communication devices 10 are arranged on both sides of the movement path 71 in the width direction, at positions facing each other in the width direction. Furthermore, inside the building 60, a pair of first communication devices 10 are arranged at positions corresponding to ends 71a of the movement path 71 so as to face each other in the width direction. When the movement path 71 crosses the building 60, a pair of first communication devices 10 can also be arranged at the end opposite the end 71a so as to face each other in the width direction. Note that inside the building 60, the movement path 71 may have a bent or curved configuration. Among the plurality of first communication devices 10, some of the first communication devices 10 are set so that the communication range SA with the second communication device 20 extends from the inside to the outside of the building 60. In this embodiment, the description will be given taking as an example a case where each first communication device 10 is a transmitting device that transmits a relative positioning signal including device identification information. In this case, each first communication device 10 transmits a relative positioning signal at a predetermined period. The first communication devices 10 are arranged so that the transmission ranges (communicable ranges) SA of the relative positioning signals from the first communication devices 10 overlap. Furthermore, the first communication devices 10 are arranged so that an overlapping transmission range SB, where the transmission ranges SA of the relative positioning signals of the multiple first communication devices 10 overlap, partially extends outside the building 60. Note that examples of relative positioning signals include signals using UWB (Ultra Wide Band), beacon signals, motion capture signals, etc. When performing positioning by triangulation using, for example, beacon signals as relative positioning signals, at least two first communication devices 10 are used. Furthermore, when positioning is performed without using a beacon signal using a motion capture signal or the like from a camera installed in the building 60, it is sufficient to have one or more first communication devices 10 for transmitting the motion capture signal or the like from the camera.
[0017] The second communication device 20 is capable of communicating with the outside, including the first communication device 10. The second communication device 20 is mounted on a mobile object 50. In this embodiment, the second communication device 20 is described as a receiving device that receives a relative positioning signal transmitted from the first communication device 10. When the second communication device 20 receives a relative positioning signal, it transmits the received relative positioning signal to the pseudo signal generator 30. When the second communication device 20 receives a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite 80, it transmits the received satellite signal to the pseudo signal generator 30. Note that the satellite signal from the satellite 80 does not necessarily have to be received by the second communication device 20. For example, a satellite signal receiving device capable of receiving the satellite signal from the satellite 80 may be separately provided, and the satellite signal receiving device may be configured to transmit the satellite signal to the pseudo signal generator 30. The second communication device 20 is also capable of receiving a pseudo satellite signal, which will be described later. The second communication device 20 transmits the received satellite signal or pseudo satellite signal to the position calculation device 40.
[0018] The pseudo signal generator 30 performs various information processing to generate a pseudo satellite signal. The pseudo signal generator 30 has a communication unit 31, a processing unit 32, and a storage unit 33. The communication unit 31 communicates with external devices via wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 31 includes an interface such as a network interface card.
[0019] The processing unit 32 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).
[0020] The processing unit 32 includes an information acquisition unit 34 , an absolute position calculation unit 35 , a pseudo signal generation unit 36 , and a communication control unit 37 .
[0021] The information acquisition unit 34 acquires various types of information. The information acquisition unit 34 acquires communication results between the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20. The information acquisition unit 34 also receives satellite signals from the second communication device 20. If a satellite signal reception device capable of receiving satellite signals is separately provided, the information acquisition unit 34 can receive satellite signals from the satellite signal reception device. In this embodiment, when the second communication device 20 receives a relative positioning signal transmitted from the first communication device 10, the information acquisition unit 34 acquires information included in the relative positioning signal received by the second communication device 20. The information acquisition unit 34 acquires time information indicating the time and satellite position information indicating the position of the satellite. The information acquisition unit 34 can acquire the time information and satellite position information from a network such as the Internet via the communication unit 31, for example.
[0022] The absolute position calculation unit 35 calculates absolute position information indicating the absolute position of the mobile object 50 based on the communication result between the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20. Here, the absolute position may be the position of the mobile object 50 on Earth. Examples of the absolute position information include coordinates using latitude, longitude, and altitude. In the present embodiment, the absolute position calculation unit 35 can calculate the position of the second communication device 20 by, for example, having the second communication device 20 receive a relative positioning signal transmitted from the first communication device 10, and use the position of the second communication device 20 as absolute position information of the mobile object 50. Note that the method of calculating the absolute position information is not limited to the above.
[0023] The pseudo signal generator 36 generates a pseudo satellite signal containing the same type of information as the satellite signal transmitted from the satellite, based on the time information and satellite position information acquired by the information acquirer 34 and the absolute position information calculated by the absolute position calculator 35. The pseudo signal generator 36 also generates a pseudo satellite signal from the satellite signal acquired by the information acquirer 34. The pseudo satellite signal is information indicating the position of the mobile object 50.
[0024] The communication control unit 37 controls the information transmission and reception operations in the communication unit 31. The communication control unit 37 can cause the communication unit 31 to transmit, for example, the pseudo satellite signal generated by the pseudo signal generation unit .
[0025] The storage unit 33 stores information such as various programs and data related to the operation of the positioning system 100. The storage unit 33 includes storage such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD).
[0026] The position calculation device 40 is mounted on the mobile body 50. The position calculation device 40 calculates the position of the mobile body 50 based on the pseudo satellite signal generated by the pseudo signal generation device 30 or the satellite signal received by the second communication device 20. The position calculation device 40 has a communication unit 41, a processing unit 42, and a storage unit 43. The communication unit 41 communicates with an external device via wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 41 includes an interface such as a network interface card. The communication unit 41 receives the satellite signal from the second communication device 20 and the pseudo satellite signal from the pseudo signal generation device 30.
[0027] The processing unit 42 includes a processor such as a CPU and a memory such as a ROM. The processing unit 42 calculates the position of the mobile object 50 based on the satellite signal or pseudo satellite signal received by the communication unit 41. The processing unit 42 can determine that the position of the mobile object 50 is outside the building 60 based on the communication result between the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20. In this case, when a satellite signal is received, the processing unit 42 can calculate the position of the mobile object 50 based on the satellite signal. The processing unit 42 can transmit the calculated position of the mobile object 50 from the communication unit 41 to an outside (for example, a communication unit 53 of the mobile object 50, etc.).
[0028] In the pseudo signal generator 30 and the position calculation device 40 described above, the processors in the processing units 32 and 42 read out various programs and load them into memory, thereby executing information processing corresponding to the functions of the above units. Examples of the various programs include programs received by the communication units 31 and 41, programs stored in the storage units 33 and 43, and programs recorded on external recording media. The pseudo signal generator 30 and the position calculation device 40 function as processing devices (computers) that execute various information processes. Note that the various programs may be executed by processing devices other than the pseudo signal generator 30 and the position calculation device 40, or the pseudo signal generator 30 and the position calculation device 40 may execute the various programs in cooperation with the other processing devices.
[0029] Next, the operation of the positioning system 100 configured as described above will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the positioning system 100. Figure 5 shows a state in which a portion of a building 60 is cut away so that the interior of the building 60 can be seen. In the positioning system 100, each first communication device 10 arranged inside the building 60 transmits a relative positioning signal at a predetermined period. The second communication device 20 mounted on the mobile object 50 is set to a state in which it can receive the relative positioning signal transmitted from the first communication device 10. Furthermore, the second communication device 20 is set to a state in which it can receive a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite 80. In this state, the mobile object 50 travels along the travel route 71 by, for example, automatic driving or the like.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 4 , when the mobile body 50 travels outside the building 60, the mobile body 50 can receive satellite signals from a satellite 80 using the second communication device 20. The second communication device 20 transmits the received satellite signals to the position calculation device 40 and the pseudo signal generator 30. The second communication device 20 also transmits the pseudo satellite signal received from the pseudo signal generator 36 to the position calculation device 40. In this case, the position calculation device 40 may calculate the position information of the mobile body 50 based on the satellite signals, or may calculate the position information of the mobile body 50 based on the generated pseudo satellite signal. Note that even when the mobile body 50 travels outside the building 60, the position information of the mobile body 50 can be calculated based on the pseudo satellite signal. In this case, when the mobile body 50 travels from outside the building 60 to inside the building 60, there is no need to switch the signals input to the position calculation device 40, thereby stabilizing operation. The processing unit 42 can cause the communication unit 41 to transmit the calculated position of the moving body 50 to an external device (for example, a communication unit 53 of the moving body 50, etc.).
[0031] 5 , when the mobile object 50 travels inside the building 60, the second communication device 20 can receive the relative positioning signal transmitted from the first communication device 10. The second communication device 20 transmits the received relative positioning signal to the pseudo signal generating device 30. The information acquiring unit 34 acquires information included in the relative positioning signal from the second communication device 20.
[0032] When the information acquisition unit 34 acquires the relative positioning signals transmitted from the first communication device 10, the absolute position calculation unit 35 calculates the position of the second communication device 20 as absolute position information of the mobile body 50 based on the relative positioning signals transmitted from the three first communication devices 10.
[0033] When the absolute position information is calculated, the information acquisition unit 34 acquires time information corresponding to the time when the absolute position is calculated. The information acquisition unit 34 also acquires satellite position information indicating the position of the satellite 80 at the time indicated by the acquired time information.
[0034] The pseudo signal generator 36 generates a pseudo satellite signal based on the time information and satellite position information acquired by the information acquirer 34 and the absolute position information calculated by the absolute position calculator 35. The pseudo satellite signal is a signal containing the same type of information as the satellite signal transmitted from the satellite 80. The pseudo satellite signal contains information for identifying the position information of the mobile object 50. The pseudo signal generator 36 transmits the generated pseudo satellite signal to the second communication device 20. If the relative positioning signal is not acquired, the pseudo satellite signal can be generated using absolute position information indicating that the absolute position cannot be measured and using a time corresponding to a predetermined period as time information.
[0035] When the second communication device 20 receives the pseudo satellite signal, it transmits the received pseudo satellite signal to the position calculation device 40. Note that the pseudo satellite signal may be transmitted from the pseudo signal generator 36 to the position calculation device 40 without passing through the second communication device 20.
[0036] In the position calculation device 40, the communication unit 41 receives the pseudo satellite signal from the second communication device 20. The processing unit 42 calculates the position of the mobile object 50 moving inside the building 60 based on the received pseudo satellite signal. The processing unit 42 can transmit the calculated position of the mobile object 50 from the communication unit 41 to an external device (for example, a communication unit 53 of the mobile object 50).
[0037] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the operation of the positioning system 100. In FIG. 6, a portion of the building 60 is shown cut out so that the interior of the building 60 can be seen. In this embodiment, the overlapping communication range SB of the first communication device 10 is set to extend beyond the building 60 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the mobile object 50 enters the building 60 from the outside or when the mobile object 50 leaves the building 60, the second communication device 20 may be able to receive both the satellite signal from the satellite 80 and the relative positioning signal from the first communication device 10. In this case, the positioning system 100 may calculate the position information of the mobile object 50 based on the satellite signal, or may generate a pseudosatellite signal based on the relative positioning signal and calculate the position information of the mobile object 50 based on the generated pseudosatellite signal.
[0038] In the positioning system 100, it is possible to switch between an operation of calculating the position information of the mobile unit 50 based on satellite signals and an operation of generating a pseudosatellite signal and calculating the position information of the mobile unit 50 based on the pseudosatellite signal. In this case, the above operation can be switched, for example, at the timing when the second communication device 20 receives a relative positioning signal. Furthermore, when it is possible to receive both satellite signals and relative positioning signals, it is also possible to switch between the above operations during a period when both signals can be received.
[0039] Depending on the setting of the communication range of the first communication device 10, it is expected that a period of time will occur during which neither the satellite signal nor the relative positioning signal can be received when the mobile body 50 enters or leaves the building 60. In such a case, for example, by providing an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor in the mobile body 50, the position of the mobile body 50 can be determined by inertial navigation using the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor.
[0040] As described above, according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a positioning system 100 including: a first communication device 10 arranged inside a building 60; a second communication device 20 mounted on a mobile body 50 moving inside and outside the building 60 and capable of communicating with the first communication device 10; and a pseudo signal generating device 30 that acquires a communication result between the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20 and generates a pseudo satellite signal including the same type of information as the satellite signal transmitted from a satellite 80 based on the acquired communication result.
[0041] According to this configuration, by generating a pseudo satellite signal containing the same type of information as the satellite signal inside the building 60, the position of the moving body 50 can be detected with high accuracy by using the pseudo satellite signal even in an environment such as inside the building 60 where the satellite signal is attenuated and cannot be received with sufficient strength.
[0042] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, in the positioning system related to the first aspect, a plurality of first communication devices 10 are provided, the communication result is the communication result between the second communication device 20 and the first communication device 10, and the pseudo signal generating device 30 calculates the absolute position of the moving body 50 based on the communication result, acquires time information corresponding to the time when the absolute position was calculated and satellite position information indicating the position of the satellite 80 at the time indicated by the time information, and generates a pseudo satellite signal based on the absolute position, the time information, and the satellite position information.
[0043] According to this configuration, the absolute position of the moving body 50 can be determined with high precision, and the pseudolite signal can be generated with high precision.
[0044] According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, in a positioning system relating to the first or second aspect, the first communication device 10 is set so that an overlapping communication range SB, in which the communication range SA of the first communication device 10 overlaps with the second communication device 20, extends from the inside to the outside of the building 60.
[0045] According to this configuration, when the mobile object 50 moves from the inside to the outside of the building 60 or from the outside to the inside, it is possible to realize a situation in which positioning can be performed based on both the satellite signal and the pseudo satellite signal.
[0046] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in a positioning system relating to any of the first to third aspects, the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20 are one transmitting device that transmits a relative positioning signal including device identification information, and the other is a receiving device that receives the relative positioning signal.
[0047] According to this configuration, positioning is performed between the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20 using relative positioning signals, and a pseudo satellite signal is generated based on the positioning result, so that the pseudo satellite signal can be generated efficiently.
[0048] According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in a positioning system relating to any of the first to fourth aspects, a movement path 71 along which the mobile body 50 moves is provided in the building 60, and multiple first communication devices 10 are arranged at predetermined intervals inside the building 60 along the movement path 71 of the mobile body 50.
[0049] According to this configuration, pseudo satellite signals can be generated with high accuracy as the mobile object 50 moves.
[0050] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the positioning system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects further comprises a position calculation device 40 mounted on the mobile body 50 and configured to calculate the position of the mobile body 50 moving inside the building 60 based on the generated pseudo satellite signal.
[0051] According to this configuration, the position calculation device 40 can calculate the position of the moving body 50 with high accuracy based on the pseudo satellite signal.
[0052] According to this configuration, it is possible to detect that the mobile object 50 is outside the building 60 in response to the communication result obtained by the pseudo signal generating device 30 .
[0053] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the positioning system according to the sixth aspect, the position calculation device 40 is mounted on a moving object 50 .
[0054] According to this configuration, since the position calculation device 40 is mounted on the moving body 50 , the position information of the moving body 50 calculated by the position calculation device 40 can be efficiently used in the moving body 50 .
[0055] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in a positioning system according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the second communication device (20) is capable of receiving satellite signals and pseudo satellite signals and transmits the received satellite signals and pseudo satellite signals to the position calculation device (40), the position calculation device (40) calculates the position of the mobile object (50) based on the satellite signals and pseudo satellite signals from the second communication device (20), and the pseudo signal generation device (30) transmits the generated pseudo satellite signals to the second communication device (20).
[0056] According to this configuration, when the mobile object 50 moves from the inside to the outside of the building 60 or from the outside to the inside, the position of the mobile object 50 can be smoothly determined based on the satellite signals and pseudo satellite signals.
[0057] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle driving test device 200 including a travel path 71 along which a test vehicle, which is a moving body 50, travels, a condition reproduction mechanism 72 that reproduces test conditions of the test vehicle, a building 60 that covers at least a portion of the travel path 71 and the condition reproduction mechanism 72, and a positioning system 100 according to any of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the positioning system 100 is mounted on the moving body 50 and calculates the position of the moving body 50 moving inside the building 60 based on the generated pseudo satellite signal.
[0058] According to this configuration, the position of the mobile body 50 can be detected with high accuracy even inside the building 60 using the pseudo satellite signal, so that the mobile body 50 can be automatically driven while the test is being carried out.
[0059] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a positioning system according to the first aspect, comprising a mobile body 50 having a vehicle body (main body) 51 and a driving device 52, and capable of moving along a travel path 71 that is continuous inside and outside a building 60, the mobile body 50 including: a second communication device 20 capable of communicating with a first communication device 10 disposed inside the building 60; a pseudo signal generating device 30 that acquires communication results between the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20 and generates, based on the acquired communication results, a pseudo satellite signal including the same type of information as the satellite signal transmitted from a satellite 80; a position calculation device 40 that calculates, based on the generated pseudo satellite signal, the position of the mobile body 50 moving along the travel path 71 inside the building 60; and a control device 55 that controls the operation of the driving device 52 based on the position calculated by the position calculation device 40.
[0060] According to this configuration, the position of the mobile body 50 can be accurately determined using pseudo satellite signals even inside the building 60, and the results of this positioning can be used to control the operation of the driving device 52, thereby providing a mobile body 50 that can be driven automatically with high accuracy.
[0061] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first communication device 10 is a relative positioning signal transmitting device and the second communication device 20 is a relative positioning signal receiving device. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The first communication device 10 may be a relative positioning signal receiving device and the second communication device 20 may be a relative positioning signal transmitting device. In this case, the pseudo signal generating device 30 may be configured to be located inside a building 60. In this configuration, the first communication device 10 transmits a relative positioning signal to the pseudo signal generating device 30. The pseudo signal generating device 30 generates a pseudo satellite signal and transmits it to the second communication device 20 mounted on the mobile object 50. This configuration allows the amount of equipment mounted on the mobile object 50 to be reduced.
[0062] In the above embodiment, the building 60 is a building that constitutes the driving test device 200, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The building 60 may be a structure such as a tunnel.
[0063] 10 First communication device 20 Second communication device 30 Pseudo signal generator 31, 41, 53 Communication unit 32, 42 Processing unit 33, 43 Storage unit 34 Information acquisition unit 35 Absolute position calculation unit 36 Pseudo signal generator 37 Communication control unit 40 Position calculation device 50 Mobile body 51 Vehicle body 52 Driving device 55 Control device 60 Building 71 Travel path 71a End 72 Condition reproduction mechanism 80 Satellite 100 Positioning system 200 Vehicle driving test device SA Transmission range (communicable range) SB Overlapping measurement range
Claims
1. A positioning system comprising: a first communication device arranged inside a building; a second communication device mounted on a mobile body that moves inside and outside the building and capable of communicating with the first communication device; and a pseudo signal generating device that acquires a communication result between the first communication device and the second communication device, and generates a pseudo satellite signal including the same type of information as a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite based on the acquired communication result.
2. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first communication devices are provided, the communication result is a communication result between the second communication device and the first communication device, and the pseudo signal generating device calculates an absolute position of the moving body based on the communication result, acquires time information corresponding to the time when the absolute position was calculated and satellite position information indicating the position of the satellite at the time indicated by the time information, and generates the pseudo satellite signal based on the absolute position, the time information and the satellite position information.
3. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication device is set so that an overlapping communication range between the first communication device and the second communication device extends from the inside of the building to the outside.
4. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein one of the first communication device and the second communication device is a transmitting device that transmits a relative positioning signal including device identification information, and the other is a receiving device that receives the relative positioning signal.
5. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the building has a path along which the moving object moves, and the first communication devices are arranged at predetermined intervals inside the building along the path along which the moving object moves.
6. The positioning system according to claim 1, further comprising a position calculation device mounted on the moving body and configured to calculate a position of the moving body moving inside the building based on the generated pseudo satellite signal.
7. The positioning system according to claim 6, wherein the position calculation device is mounted on the moving body.
8. The positioning system according to claim 6, wherein the second communication device is capable of receiving the satellite signals and the pseudo satellite signals and transmits the received satellite signals and the pseudo satellite signals to the position calculation device, the position calculation device calculates the position of the moving body based on the satellite signals and the pseudo satellite signals from the second communication device, and the pseudo signal generating device transmits the generated pseudo satellite signals to the second communication device.
9. A vehicle driving test device comprising: a travel path along which a test vehicle, which is a moving body, travels; a condition reproduction mechanism that reproduces test conditions for the test vehicle; a building that covers at least a portion of the travel path and the condition reproduction mechanism; and the positioning system described in claim 1, wherein the positioning system is mounted on the moving body and calculates a position of the moving body moving inside the building based on the generated pseudo satellite signal.
10. A mobile body having a main body and a driving device, and capable of moving along a continuous path of movement inside and outside a building, comprising: a second communication device capable of communicating with a first communication device located inside the building; a pseudo signal generating device that acquires a communication result between the first communication device and the second communication device, and generates a pseudo satellite signal containing the same type of information as a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite based on the acquired communication result; a position calculation device that calculates a position of the mobile body moving along the path of movement inside the building based on the generated pseudo satellite signal; and a control device that controls the operation of the driving device based on the position calculated by the position calculation device.
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