Positioning Control Method for Battery-Constrained GPS Loggers
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Solution Overview
Problem
GPS loggers face battery life reduction due to high power consumption during continuous GPS signal reception, limiting their ability for long-term logging and accurate positioning, especially in poor signal conditions and when new satellites appear.
Innovation Solution
A positioning control method that determines the battery charge level and requests positioning satellite information from an external device only when necessary, allowing for intermittent GPS signal reception and adaptive ephemeris data acquisition to reduce power consumption while maintaining accurate short-time positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS signal reception is performed continuously to maintain short-time positioning capability, then positioning accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases and battery life shortens
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs GPS signal reception intermittently at predetermined intervals rather than continuously. The control unit activates the reception unit only during scheduled time windows to update ephemeris data, maintaining positioning capability while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system acquires and stores ephemeris data in advance during intermittent reception periods. This preliminary acquisition of satellite orbital information allows the positioning unit to perform accurate positioning calculations later without requiring continuous signal reception, thus preserving battery life while maintaining positioning accuracy.
2Duration of action of moving object
If GPS signal reception is performed intermittently to reduce power consumption, then battery life is extended, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to outdated ephemeris data
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the interval between intermittent GPS receptions based on the age of stored ephemeris data. When ephemeris data approaches expiration, the control unit shortens the reception interval or triggers an immediate reception to update the data, ensuring positioning accuracy is maintained while still extending battery life compared to continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit monitors the validity period of stored ephemeris data and uses this feedback to determine when next to perform GPS signal reception. This feedback mechanism ensures that ephemeris data is renewed before it becomes outdated, maintaining positioning accuracy while optimizing power consumption through appropriately timed intermittent receptions.
3Device complexity
If ephemeris data is acquired only from visible satellites to reduce data processing, then device complexity is reduced, but positioning accuracy deteriorates when new satellites appear
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning unit is designed to process ephemeris data from multiple satellites simultaneously, not just currently visible ones. When new satellites become visible, the system can immediately utilize their ephemeris data for positioning calculations, improving accuracy without requiring complex real-time satellite tracking or data acquisition mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A positioning control method includes: determining whether a battery charge level is equal to or lower than a threshold; requesting an external device to acquire at least one positioning satellite information item according to a signal reception state of positioning satellites at a current location, from among positioning satellite information items of detectable positioning satellites, within a valid period of the positioning satellite information items, when the determining determines that the battery charge level is equal to or lower than the threshold; acquiring the at least one positioning satellite information item according to the requesting; and positioning the current location based on the acquired positioning satellite information item.