JP2014190827A - Positioning device, positioning method, and positioning program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To contribute to the improvement of positioning accuracy while reducing power consumption for positioning.SOLUTION: A positioning device includes: an absolute position information acquisition unit which acquires absolute position information relating to the position of the device itself with a prescribed first positioning period; a positioning accuracy estimation unit which estimates positioning accuracy information on the basis of the absolute position information; an absolute position settlement determination unit which changes at least one of a trial time and a trial frequency of acquisition of the absolute position information in the absolute position information acquisition unit, on the basis of the positioning accuracy information; a relative position information acquisition unit which acquires relative position information with a second positioning period shorter than the first positioning period; and an estimated absolute position calculation unit which calculates an estimated absolute position on the basis of the absolute position information and the relative position information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a positioning device, a positioning method, and a positioning program.

  As a positioning method, autonomous navigation using a change amount of position, posture, etc., radio navigation using a radio wave transmitted from a known position, and the like are known. For example, radio navigation includes a positioning method using radio waves transmitted from a GPS (Global Positioning System). In addition, autonomous navigation includes a positioning method that calculates and uses a change in position based on an output value of an angular velocity sensor or the like.

  Radio navigation is often more stable in positioning accuracy for a longer time than autonomous navigation. However, radio navigation often consumes more power than autonomous navigation. On the other hand, autonomous navigation often has lower positioning accuracy than radio navigation. In particular, in autonomous navigation, when positioning is continued for a long time, errors often accumulate and positioning accuracy is often lowered.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the respective disadvantages of radio navigation and autonomous navigation, positioning methods combining radio navigation and autonomous navigation have been proposed (Patent Documents 1 to 3). Specifically, in the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, positioning is performed intermittently based on radio waves from GPS satellites. In the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, autonomous navigation is performed with reference to a position measured based on radio waves from GPS satellites.

JP 2012-173020 A JP2012-122892A JP 2009-216484 A

  Each disclosure of the above prior art document is incorporated herein by reference. The following analysis has been made from the viewpoint of the present invention.

  When combining radio navigation and autonomous navigation, high positioning accuracy of radio navigation is required. However, in radio navigation, an error may occur depending on the positioning environment. For example, in urban areas, radio waves from GPS satellites and the like are blocked by high-rise buildings, and electronic devices that perform positioning may not be able to receive radio waves. As a result, the positioning accuracy may be reduced in radio navigation.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, accurate position information is registered in advance from a positioning result of radio navigation for a predetermined point. Therefore, in a situation where a point whose position is known cannot be registered, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot be used.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is assumed that the positioning accuracy of radio navigation is sufficiently high (the positioning accuracy is sufficiently reliable). However, Patent Document 2 does not describe the case where the positioning accuracy is lowered.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, when the positioning accuracy of radio navigation is lowered, the positioning process is stopped. Therefore, even in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, it is required that the positioning accuracy of radio navigation is sufficiently high (the positioning accuracy is sufficiently reliable).

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a positioning device, a positioning method, and a positioning program that contribute to improving positioning accuracy while suppressing power consumption due to positioning.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the absolute position information acquisition unit that acquires the absolute position information related to the position of the own device at a predetermined first positioning cycle, and the positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information. A positioning accuracy estimation unit to estimate, an absolute position determination determination unit that changes at least one of the trial time and the number of trials in which the absolute position information acquisition unit acquires the absolute position information based on the positioning accuracy information; and A relative position information acquisition unit that acquires relative position information in a second positioning cycle that is shorter than the first positioning cycle, an estimated absolute position that calculates an estimated absolute position based on the absolute position information and the relative position information And a position calculating unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the absolute position information acquisition step of acquiring absolute position information related to the position of the own device at a predetermined first positioning cycle, and the positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information. An estimation step, an absolute position determination step for changing at least one of the trial time for obtaining the absolute position information and the number of trials based on the positioning accuracy information, and a second time shorter than the first positioning cycle, A positioning method is provided that includes the steps of acquiring relative position information at the positioning cycle, and calculating the estimated absolute position based on the absolute position information and the relative position information.
Note that this method is linked to a specific machine called a positioning device that measures the position of the device itself.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the absolute position information acquisition process for acquiring the absolute position information related to the position of the own device in the predetermined first positioning cycle, and the positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information. A process for estimating, an absolute position determination process for changing at least one of the trial time for acquiring the absolute position information and the number of trials based on the positioning accuracy information, a second shorter than the first positioning cycle, Provided is a program that causes a computer that controls a positioning device to execute processing for acquiring relative position information in the positioning cycle and processing for calculating an estimated absolute position based on the absolute position information and the relative position information. Is done.
This program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may be non-transient such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or the like. The present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product.

  According to each aspect of the present invention, a positioning device, a positioning method, and a positioning program that contribute to improving positioning accuracy while suppressing power consumption due to positioning are provided.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the internal structure of the positioning apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the positioning apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the determination process for determining a reference | standard absolute position. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which calculates an estimated absolute position. It is a figure which shows an example of a reference | standard absolute position and an estimated absolute position. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the case of performing positioning for the first time in the positioning apparatus 1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the case of performing positioning for the first time in the positioning apparatus 1 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the internal structure of the positioning apparatus 1a which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

  First, an outline of an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the reference numerals of the drawings attached to the outline are attached to the respective elements for convenience as an example for facilitating understanding, and the description of the outline is not intended to be any limitation.

  As described above, a positioning device that contributes to improving positioning accuracy while suppressing power consumption due to positioning is desired.

  Therefore, as an example, the positioning device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The positioning device 100 includes an absolute position information acquisition unit 101, a positioning accuracy estimation unit 102, an absolute position confirmation determination unit 103, a relative position information acquisition unit 104, and an estimated absolute position calculation unit 105.

  The absolute position information acquisition unit 101 acquires absolute position information related to the position of the own device at a predetermined first positioning cycle (step S1001). The absolute position information means information necessary for estimating the latitude and longitude. For example, the absolute position information acquisition unit 101 may acquire absolute position information based on radio navigation. In the following description, latitude and longitude are referred to as absolute positions.

  Then, the positioning accuracy estimation unit 102 estimates positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information (step S1002). The positioning accuracy information means information related to positioning accuracy. When the absolute position information acquisition unit 101 acquires absolute position information based on radio navigation, it is preferable that the positioning accuracy information includes information regarding an error or the like when radio navigation is performed.

  Here, as described above, when radio navigation is performed, an error may occur depending on the positioning environment. However, in radio navigation, if the absolute position is repeatedly estimated, positioning accuracy may be improved. Therefore, the absolute position determination determination unit 103 changes at least one of the trial time and the number of trials for the absolute position information acquisition unit 101 to acquire the absolute position information based on the positioning accuracy information (step 1003).

  Then, the relative position information acquisition unit 104 acquires the relative position information at a second positioning cycle that is shorter than the first positioning cycle (step S1004). Relative position information means information regarding the amount of change from a predetermined reference position. The reference position is preferably position information such as latitude and longitude that is estimated based on the absolute position information acquired by the absolute position information acquisition unit 101. The relative position information acquisition unit 104 may acquire relative position information based on autonomous navigation.

  Then, the estimated absolute position calculation unit 105 calculates the estimated absolute position based on the absolute position information and the relative position information (step 1005). The estimated absolute position means an estimated value of the latitude and longitude of the positioning device 100.

  Here, as described above, radio navigation often consumes more power than autonomous navigation. For this reason, the positioning device 100 saves power as the number of acquisition times of the absolute position information is reduced. That is, the positioning apparatus 100 is more power-saving as the positioning period (first positioning period) of the absolute position information is longer.

  However, as described above, autonomous navigation often has lower positioning accuracy than radio wave navigation. Therefore, in the autonomous navigation, it is necessary to improve the positioning accuracy of the absolute position as a reference and suppress the decrease in positioning accuracy. Therefore, when acquiring the absolute position information, the positioning device 100 repeats the acquisition of the absolute position information based on the positioning accuracy information. And the positioning apparatus 100 improves the positioning accuracy of the absolute position used as a reference in autonomous navigation. Therefore, the positioning device 100 contributes to improving positioning accuracy while suppressing power consumption due to positioning.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the amount of change from the reference absolute position is referred to as a relative position with a predetermined absolute position as a reference. In the following description, a reference absolute position is referred to as a reference absolute position. In the following description, the absolute position estimated based on the reference absolute position and the relative position is referred to as an estimated absolute position. That is, the estimated absolute position means an absolute position estimated using autonomous navigation.

  The positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as the positioning device 1 can acquire information on the absolute position and motion of the device itself. For example, the positioning device 1 may be a smartphone, a mobile phone, a game machine, a tablet PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, a PDA (Personal Data Assistants), a digital camera, a wristwatch, a navigation device, or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the positioning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The positioning device 1 includes an absolute position information acquisition unit 10, a relative position information acquisition unit 20, a storage unit 30, a timer 40, and a control unit 50. The absolute position information acquisition unit 10 includes a candidate absolute position calculation unit 11. The relative position information acquisition unit 20 includes a relative position calculation unit 21. The control unit 50 includes a positioning accuracy estimation unit 51, an absolute position confirmation determination unit 52, a positioning processing unit 53, and an estimated absolute position calculation unit 54. Note that FIG. 2 mainly describes modules related to the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The absolute position information acquisition unit 10 acquires absolute position information regarding the position of the device itself. The candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates a reference absolute position candidate (hereinafter referred to as a candidate absolute position) of the positioning device 1 based on the absolute position information.

  The absolute position information acquisition unit 10 may calculate the candidate absolute position based on radio navigation. For example, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 may include a GPS receiver (not shown). The GPS receiver receives radio waves from GPS satellites. The radio wave from the GPS satellite includes GPS satellite position information and the like. Therefore, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 acquires position information of GPS satellites as absolute position information.

  When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 includes a GPS receiver, the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the absolute position of the positioning device 1 based on the position information of the GPS satellites and the like. Then, the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 may determine the calculated absolute position as a candidate absolute position.

  In addition, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 calculates a candidate absolute position based on wireless LAN (Local Area Network) positioning, positioning using Bluetooth (registered trademark), positioning using a base station such as a mobile phone, and the like. May be. There are various types of radio navigation, but the details are not questioned. Of course, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 may include two or more types of receivers, and two or more positioning methods may be possible.

  The relative position information acquisition unit 20 acquires relative position information related to the motion of the device itself. Here, the relative position information acquisition unit 20 preferably includes a sensor such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or a geomagnetic sensor. Then, the relative position information acquisition unit 20 acquires the output value of the sensor as relative position information. Further, the relative position information acquisition unit 20 may include two or more sensors.

  The relative position calculation unit 21 calculates the relative position based on the relative position information. Specifically, the relative position calculation unit 21 calculates the movement amount based on the output of the acceleration sensor or the like. Then, the relative position calculation unit 21 may calculate the movement amount from the predetermined reference absolute position as the relative position.

  For example, when the relative position information acquisition unit 20 includes an acceleration sensor, the relative position calculation unit 21 calculates a speed based on the acceleration. Then, the relative position calculation unit 21 may calculate the movement amount based on the speed. Alternatively, the amount of movement may be calculated based on the number of steps by detecting the number of steps from the vibration of acceleration. Further, when the relative position information acquisition unit 20 includes a gyro sensor, the relative position calculation unit 21 may calculate the traveling direction based on the angular velocity. When the relative position information acquisition unit 20 includes a geomagnetic sensor, the relative position calculation unit 21 may calculate the traveling direction based on the amount of change in the absolute amount of the azimuth. There are various methods for calculating the movement amount and the traveling direction, but the details are not limited.

  The storage unit 30 stores information necessary for the operation of the positioning device 1. In particular, the storage unit 30 stores the candidate absolute position calculated by the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11. The storage unit 30 stores the relative position calculated by the relative position calculation unit 21.

  The timer 40 measures time. For example, the timer 40 preferably measures a positioning cycle time during which the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 acquires absolute position information. Moreover, it is preferable that the timer 40 measures the positioning period time when the relative position information acquisition unit 20 acquires the relative position information.

  The control unit 50 controls the entire positioning device 1 and also controls each unit shown in FIG. The control unit 50 can also be realized by a computer program that causes a computer mounted on the positioning device 1 to execute processing of the positioning device 1 using its hardware.

  The positioning accuracy estimation unit 51 estimates positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information. Here, it is preferable that the positioning accuracy information includes at least one of estimation error, radio wave level, and positioning time information.

  The estimation error means the calculation accuracy of the candidate absolute position that is estimated based on the number or arrangement of GPS satellites used for calculating the candidate absolute position. Specifically, the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates an estimation error based on the number of GPS satellites and the arrangement of GPS satellites used for calculating the candidate absolute position. Alternatively, the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 may calculate the estimation error based on the number of access points and the access point arrangement used for calculating the candidate absolute position. The smaller the estimation error, the higher the accuracy of calculating the candidate absolute position.

  The radio wave level means the strength of a signal when a GPS receiver, a wireless LAN receiver, or the like receives radio waves. Generally, it is a value such as electric field strength, RSSI, SNR. The higher the radio wave level, the better the radio wave reception. Therefore, the higher the radio wave level, the higher the accuracy of calculating the candidate absolute position.

  In addition, the positioning time means the time from when the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 starts positioning until the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the candidate absolute position (so-called TTFF (Time to First Fix)). To do. For example, in an environment where radio waves from GPS satellites are reflected, the positioning time is often long. On the other hand, in the opposite environment, the positioning time is often short. And as the positioning time is shorter, the calculation accuracy of the candidate absolute position is higher.

  The absolute position confirmation determination unit 52 changes at least one of the trial time and the number of trials for the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 to acquire the absolute value information based on the positioning accuracy information. Specifically, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position when the positioning accuracy information satisfies a predetermined determination condition. On the other hand, when the positioning accuracy information does not satisfy a predetermined determination condition, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 does not determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position. Then, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 reacquires the absolute position information when the absolute position determination determination unit 52 does not determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the positioning accuracy information. In addition, the memory | storage part 30 may memorize | store the threshold value used as a determination criterion in determination conditions previously.

  Here, when the positioning accuracy information includes information on the estimation error, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine whether the estimation error is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Then, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position when the estimation error is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

  Further, when the positioning accuracy information includes information related to the radio wave level, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine whether the radio wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold. Then, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position when the radio wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold.

  Further, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine whether or not the positioning time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold when the positioning accuracy information includes information related to the positioning time. Specifically, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position. Alternatively, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine whether or not to determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position by combining determination conditions regarding the estimation error, the radio wave level, and the positioning time.

  The positioning processing unit 53 controls processing in which the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 acquires absolute position information. In addition, the positioning processing unit 53 controls processing in which the relative position information acquisition unit 20 acquires relative position information.

  Hereinafter, the positioning processing unit 53 will be described in detail.

  The positioning processing unit 53 notifies the absolute position information acquiring unit 10 to acquire the absolute position information at the first positioning cycle. And the absolute position information acquisition part 10 acquires absolute position information, when the notification from the positioning process part 53 is received. That is, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 acquires absolute position information at the first positioning cycle.

  Here, when receiving the notification from the positioning processing unit 53, the absolute position information acquiring unit 10 preferably transitions to a state in which radio waves from a GPS satellite, a wireless LAN access point, or the like can be received. Then, it is assumed that the absolute position determination determination unit 52 has determined the reference absolute position. In that case, it is preferable that the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 transitions to a state in which radio waves from GPS satellites, wireless LAN access points, and the like cannot be received. As a result, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 can contribute to power saving of the positioning device 1.

  In addition, the positioning processing unit 53 notifies the relative position information acquiring unit 20 to acquire the relative position information at the second positioning cycle. Here, it is assumed that the second positioning cycle is shorter than the positioning cycle of the absolute position. For example, the time interval of the first positioning period may be 5 minutes, and the time interval of the second positioning time may be 1 second.

  And the relative position information acquisition part 20 acquires relative position information, when the notification from the positioning process part 53 is received. That is, the relative position information acquisition unit 20 acquires the relative position information in the second positioning cycle that is shorter than the first positioning cycle. In the following description, the first positioning cycle is referred to as an absolute position positioning cycle. In the following description, the second positioning cycle is referred to as a relative position positioning cycle.

  The estimated absolute position calculation unit 54 calculates an estimated absolute position based on the absolute position information and the relative position information. Specifically, the estimated absolute position calculation unit 54 calculates the estimated absolute position based on the reference absolute position and the relative position. More specifically, the estimated absolute position calculation unit 54 adds the relative position calculated by the relative position calculation unit 21 to the reference absolute position to calculate the estimated absolute position.

  Next, the operation of the positioning device 1 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the positioning device 1.

  In step S1, the positioning processing unit 53 determines whether or not the reference absolute position is fixed. When the reference absolute position is fixed (Yes branch in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, when the reference absolute position is not fixed (No branch in step S1), the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S2, the positioning processing unit 53 determines whether or not the positioning cycle of the absolute position has elapsed since the reference absolute position is determined.

  If the positioning cycle of the absolute position has elapsed after the reference absolute position is determined (Yes branch of step S2), the process proceeds to step S3. At that time, the positioning processing unit 53 notifies the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 to acquire the absolute position information. Here, when receiving the notification from the positioning processing unit 53, the absolute position information acquiring unit 10 may start receiving radio waves from a GPS satellite, an access point, or the like.

  On the other hand, if the positioning cycle of the absolute position has not elapsed since the reference absolute position is determined (No branch in step S2), the process proceeds to step S201 shown in FIG.

  In step S3, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 determines whether or not absolute position information can be acquired. When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 can acquire the absolute position information (Yes branch in step S3), the process proceeds to step S6. When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 cannot acquire the absolute position information (No branch in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4.

  If the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 cannot acquire the absolute position information (No branch in step S3), whether or not the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 has attempted to acquire the absolute position information beyond a predetermined number of times. Is determined by the positioning processing unit 53 (step S4). Here, the predetermined number of times in step S4 may be one time or two or more times.

  When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 exceeds the predetermined number of times and attempts to acquire absolute position information (Yes branch in step S4), the positioning processing unit 53 determines that positioning is impossible (step S5). . And the positioning process part 53 complete | finishes a positioning process. At that time, it is preferable that the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 terminates reception of radio waves from GPS satellites, access points, and the like.

  On the other hand, if the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 has not attempted to acquire absolute position information beyond the predetermined number of times (No branch in step S4), the process returns to step S3 and the positioning process is continued.

  On the other hand, when the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 can acquire the absolute position information (Yes branch in step S3), the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the candidate absolute position based on the absolute position information ( Step S6). And the positioning accuracy estimation part 51 estimates positioning accuracy information (step S7). And it changes to step S8.

  In step S8, the absolute position confirmation determination unit 52 determines whether or not the reference absolute position can be confirmed based on the positioning accuracy information. Details of the determination process for determining the reference absolute position will be described later with reference to FIG. If the absolute position determination determination unit 52 can determine the reference absolute position (Yes branch of step S8), the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if the absolute position determination determination unit 52 cannot determine the reference absolute position (No branch in step S8), the process returns to step S3 and the positioning process is continued.

  In step S9, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position. Then, the estimated absolute position calculation unit 54 determines the reference absolute position as the estimated absolute position (step S10). Here, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 may end reception of radio waves from a GPS satellite, an access point, or the like. And it returns to step S2 and continues a positioning process.

  In addition, when the absolute position information acquisition part 10 cannot acquire absolute position information (No branch of step S3), it replaces with step S4 and the absolute position information acquisition part 10 exceeds absolute time and exceeds absolute position information. It may be determined whether or not information acquisition has been attempted. When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 tries to acquire absolute position information beyond a predetermined time, the positioning processing unit 53 may determine that positioning is impossible (step S5). On the other hand, if the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 has not attempted acquisition of absolute position information beyond a predetermined time, the process may return to step S3 and continue the positioning process.

  Next, the determination process for determining the reference absolute position will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a determination process for determining the reference absolute position.

  Here, it is assumed that the positioning accuracy estimation unit 51 estimates the positioning accuracy information (step S7). In that case, in step S101, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines whether or not the estimation error is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. When the estimation error is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold (Yes branch in step S101), the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, when the estimation error exceeds the predetermined threshold (No branch in step S101), the process proceeds to step S3 shown in FIG. 3, and the positioning process is continued.

  In step S102, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines whether or not the radio wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold value. If the radio wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold (Yes branch in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, when the radio wave level is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold value (No branch in step 102), the process proceeds to step S3 shown in FIG.

  In step S103, the absolute position confirmation determination unit 52 determines whether or not the positioning time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. If the positioning time is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold (Yes branch in step S103), the process proceeds to step S9 shown in FIG. That is, when the positioning accuracy information satisfies the determination conditions of step S101 to step S103, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position (step S9 shown in FIG. 3). On the other hand, when the positioning time exceeds the predetermined threshold value (No branch in step S103), the process proceeds to step S3 shown in FIG. 3, and the positioning process is continued.

  Note that the above steps S101 to S103 are not intended to limit the positioning accuracy information to the estimation error, the radio wave level, and the positioning time. Further, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may determine whether or not to determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on at least one of the determination conditions from step S101 to step S103.

  Next, a process for calculating the estimated absolute position will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for calculating the estimated absolute position.

  Here, it is assumed that the absolute position measurement cycle has not elapsed since the absolute position determination determination unit 52 has determined the reference absolute position (No branch in step S2 shown in FIG. 3). In that case, the positioning processing unit 53 notifies the relative position information acquisition unit 20 to acquire the relative position information. In step S201, the relative position information acquisition unit 20 determines whether or not the relative position information can be acquired. When the relative position information acquisition unit 20 can acquire the relative position information (Yes branch of step S201), the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, when the relative position information acquisition unit 20 cannot acquire the relative position information (No branch in step S201), the process proceeds to step S204.

  In step S202, the relative position calculation unit 21 calculates a relative position based on the relative position information. Then, the estimated absolute position calculation unit 54 calculates the estimated absolute position based on the reference absolute position and the relative position (step S203). And it changes to step S204.

  In step S204, the positioning processing unit 53 determines whether or not the relative position positioning cycle has elapsed. If the positioning cycle of the relative position has elapsed (Yes branch of step S204), the process proceeds to step S205. If the positioning cycle of the relative position has not elapsed (No branch in step S204), the positioning processing unit 53 repeats the determination in step S204 until the positioning cycle of the relative position has elapsed.

  In step S205, the positioning processing unit 53 determines whether the positioning cycle of the absolute position has elapsed after the reference absolute position is determined.

  When the positioning cycle of the absolute position has elapsed after the reference absolute position is determined (Yes branch of step S205), the process proceeds to step S3 shown in FIG. At that time, the positioning processing unit 53 notifies the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 to acquire the absolute position information. And the absolute position information acquisition part 10 may start reception of the electromagnetic wave from a GPS satellite, an access point, etc.

  On the other hand, if the positioning cycle of the absolute position has not elapsed since the reference absolute position has been determined (No branch in step S205), the process returns to step S201 and the positioning process is continued.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the reference absolute position and the estimated absolute position. Specifically, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of moving from point A to point B illustrated in FIG. And point a1-point a3 shown in FIG. 6 shall show a reference | standard absolute position. A broken line L1 and a broken line L2 indicate the locus of the estimated absolute position. Further, it is assumed that a circle b11, a circle b21 to a circle b24, and a circle b31 to b34 indicate the magnitudes of estimation errors. That is, it is assumed that the smaller the circle diameter is, the smaller the estimation error is.

  First, it is assumed that the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the position indicated by the point a1 as the candidate absolute position. The magnitude of the estimation error is indicated by the diameter of the circle b11. Then, it is assumed that the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines that the estimation error (the diameter of the circle b11) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. In that case, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the position indicated by the point a1 as the first reference absolute position. Then, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 stops acquiring the absolute position information until the absolute position positioning cycle time elapses. Until the positioning cycle time of the absolute position elapses, the positioning processing unit 53 calculates the estimated absolute position as indicated by the broken line L1 with the position indicated by the point a1 as the reference absolute position.

  Next, it is assumed that the positioning cycle time of the absolute position has elapsed since the positioning processing unit 53 determined the position indicated by the point a1 as the first reference absolute position. In that case, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 resumes acquisition of absolute position information.

  For example, it is assumed that the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the center position of the circle b21 as the candidate absolute position. However, it is assumed that the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines that the estimation error (the diameter of the circle b21) exceeds a predetermined threshold. In that case, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 acquires absolute position information again.

  Then, it is assumed that the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the center position of the circle b22 as the candidate absolute position. However, it is assumed that the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines that the estimation error (the diameter of the circle b22) exceeds a predetermined threshold. In that case, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 acquires absolute position information again.

  Thus, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 repeats acquisition of absolute position information until the positioning accuracy information satisfies a predetermined determination condition. That is, the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 repeats the calculation of the candidate absolute position until the absolute position confirmation determination unit 52 satisfies the predetermined determination condition in the positioning accuracy information.

  In the case of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the candidate absolute position in the order of the center position of the circle b21, the center position of the circle b22, the center position of the circle b23, and the center position of the circle b24. Then, it is assumed that the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the center position of the circle b24 as the candidate absolute position. Then, it is assumed that the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines that the estimation error (the diameter of the circle b24) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. In that case, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the position indicated by the point a2 as the reference absolute position. Then, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 stops acquiring the absolute position information until the absolute position positioning cycle time elapses. Then, until the positioning cycle time of the absolute position elapses, the estimated absolute position calculation unit calculates the estimated absolute position as indicated by a broken line L2 with the position indicated by the point a2 as the reference absolute position.

  In this way, the absolute value information acquisition unit 10 acquires absolute position information at the absolute position positioning cycle. For example, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the position indicated by the point a2 as the reference absolute position and considers after the positioning cycle of the absolute position has elapsed. In this case, it is assumed that the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the center position of the circle b31, the center position of the circle b32, the center position of the circle b33, and the center position of the circle b34 as candidate absolute positions. Then, it is assumed that the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines that the estimation error (the diameter of the circle b34) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. In that case, the positioning processing unit 53 determines the position indicated by the point a3 as the reference absolute position.

[Modification 1]
As a first modification of the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment, the relative position information acquisition unit 20 may include an estimated absolute position calculation unit 54. In that case, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 may notify the relative position information acquisition unit 20 of the reference absolute position.

  As described above, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment acquires radio waves from GPS satellites, access points, etc. at a predetermined positioning cycle, and estimates a reference absolute position as a reference in autonomous navigation. Between the reference absolute positions, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment calculates a relative position from the reference absolute position based on the output of the acceleration sensor or the like. Here, the electric power required for acquiring the output of the acceleration sensor or the like is smaller than the electric power required for acquiring the radio wave from the GPS satellite or the like. Therefore, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment can suppress power consumption due to positioning.

  Here, in autonomous navigation, the higher the positioning accuracy of the reference absolute position, the higher the positioning accuracy of the estimated absolute position. Therefore, when determining the reference absolute position, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment changes the trial time and the number of trials for positioning the absolute position based on the estimation error, the radio wave level, the positioning time, and the like. Then, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment determines the reference absolute position when the estimation error, the radio wave level, the positioning time, and the like satisfy predetermined determination conditions. That is, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment can guarantee a reference absolute position with positioning accuracy exceeding a predetermined threshold. Therefore, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment contributes to improving positioning accuracy while suppressing power consumption due to positioning.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the time for determining the first reference absolute position is reduced. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment is omitted. Further, in the description of the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The internal configuration of the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment is the same as the internal configuration of the positioning device 1 shown in FIG.

  The positioning accuracy estimation unit 51 according to the present embodiment does not estimate the positioning accuracy information when determining the reference absolute position for the first time. Then, when determining the reference absolute position for the first time, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 according to the present embodiment determines the candidate absolute position acquired by the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 for the first time as the reference absolute position. Then, when the reference absolute position is determined after the second time, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the above-described determination conditions.

  Therefore, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 according to the present embodiment does not need to repeatedly acquire absolute position information when determining the reference absolute position for the first time. That is, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 according to the present embodiment may acquire the absolute position information once when determining the reference absolute position for the first time.

  Next, the operation of the positioning device 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when positioning is performed for the first time in the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In step S301, the positioning processing unit 53 determines whether or not it is the first positioning. If it is the first positioning (Yes branch of step S301), the process proceeds to step S302. On the other hand, when it is not the first positioning (No branch of step S301), it is the process similar to the positioning apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Therefore, when it is not the first positioning (No branch of step S301), it changes to step S2 shown in FIG.

  In step S302, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 determines whether or not absolute position information can be acquired. When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 can acquire the absolute position information (Yes branch in step S302), the process proceeds to step S305. On the other hand, when the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 cannot acquire the absolute position information (No branch in step S302), the process proceeds to step S303.

  If the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 cannot acquire the absolute position information (No branch in step S302), whether or not the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 has tried to acquire the absolute position information more than a predetermined number of times. Is determined by the positioning processing unit 53 (step S303). When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 tries to acquire absolute position information beyond the predetermined number of times (Yes branch in step S303), the positioning processing unit 53 determines that positioning is impossible (step S304). ). On the other hand, when the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 has not attempted to acquire absolute position information beyond the predetermined number of times (No branch in step S303), the process returns to step S302 and continues the positioning process. Steps S303 and S304 are the same processes as steps S4 and S5 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 can acquire the absolute position information (Yes branch in step S302), the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the candidate absolute position based on the absolute position information ( Step S305). Then, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position (step S306). The subsequent processing is the same processing as that of the positioning device 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S10 shown in FIG. 3, and the positioning process is continued.

  As described above, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment determines the candidate absolute position acquired for the first time as the reference absolute position. Therefore, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment contributes to reducing the time required for positioning. In addition, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment can reduce the number of times radio waves are received from GPS satellites or the like, compared with the positioning device 1 according to the first embodiment. The positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment further contributes to suppressing power consumption due to positioning.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  This embodiment is a form that contributes to power saving while reducing the time required for positioning. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same part as the above embodiment is omitted. Further, in the description of the present embodiment, the same components as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  The internal configuration of the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment is the same as the internal configuration of the positioning device 1 shown in FIG.

  When the reference absolute position is determined for the first time, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 according to the present embodiment determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the first determination condition. Then, when the reference absolute position is determined after the second time, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the second determination condition. Here, it is preferable that the first determination condition is a gentler determination criterion than the second determination condition. Therefore, there is a possibility that the absolute position determination determination unit 52 can determine the first reference absolute position earlier than in the second and subsequent cases.

  For example, when the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the reference absolute position for the first time, the allowable estimation error may be larger than when the reference absolute position is determined for the second time or later. Alternatively, when the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the reference absolute position for the first time, a lower radio wave level may be permitted than when the reference absolute position is determined for the second time or later. Alternatively, when the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the reference absolute position for the first time, a longer positioning time may be allowed than when the reference absolute position is determined after the second time.

  Next, the operation of the positioning device 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when positioning is performed for the first time in the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In step S401, the positioning processing unit 53 determines whether or not it is the first positioning. If it is the first measurement (Yes branch in step S401), the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, when it is not the first positioning (No branch of step S401), it is the process similar to the positioning apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Therefore, when it is not the first positioning (No branch of step S401), it changes to step S2 shown in FIG.

  In step S402, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 determines whether or not absolute position information can be acquired. When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 can acquire the absolute position information (Yes branch of step S402), the process proceeds to step S405. On the other hand, when the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 cannot acquire the absolute position information (No branch in step S402), the process proceeds to step S403.

  If the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 cannot acquire the absolute position information (No branch in step S402), whether or not the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 has tried to acquire the absolute position information more than a predetermined number of times. Is determined by the positioning processing unit 53 (step S403). When the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 tries to acquire absolute position information beyond the predetermined number of times (Yes branch in step S403), the positioning processing unit 53 determines that positioning is impossible (step S404). ). On the other hand, if the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 has not attempted to acquire absolute position information beyond the predetermined number of times (Yes branch of step S403), the process returns to step S402 and the positioning process is continued. Steps S403 and S404 are the same processes as steps S4 and S5 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 can acquire the absolute position information (Yes branch in step S402), the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 calculates the candidate absolute position based on the absolute position information ( Step S405). Then, the positioning accuracy estimation unit 51 estimates positioning accuracy information (step S406).

  In step S407, based on the first determination condition, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines whether the candidate absolute position can be determined as the reference absolute position. If the absolute position determination determination unit 52 can determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the first determination condition (Yes branch of step S407), the process proceeds to step S408. On the other hand, if the absolute position determination determination unit 52 cannot determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the first determination condition (No branch in step S407), the process returns to step S402 and the positioning process is continued. To do.

  In step S408, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position. The subsequent processing is the same processing as that of the positioning device 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S10 shown in FIG. 3, and the positioning process is continued. However, as described above, the absolute position determination determination unit 52 determines the reference absolute position based on the second determination condition when determining the reference absolute position for the second and subsequent times.

  As described above, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment determines the reference absolute position based on a gentler determination condition when determining the reference absolute position for the first time than when determining the reference absolute position after the second time. Determine. Therefore, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment may be able to reduce the time required for positioning as compared with the positioning device 1 according to the first embodiment. In addition, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment can reduce the number of times radio waves are received from GPS satellites or the like, compared with the positioning device 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment further contributes to suppressing power consumption due to positioning.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 50 calculates a candidate absolute position and a relative position. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same part as the above embodiment is omitted. Further, in the description of the present embodiment, the same components as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the positioning device 1a according to the present embodiment. The difference between the positioning device 1 shown in FIG. 2 and the positioning device 1a shown in FIG. 9 is that, in the positioning device 1a shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 50a includes a candidate absolute position calculation unit 11 and a relative position calculation unit 21. Is a point.

  As described above, the control unit 50a includes the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11. That is, the absolute position information acquisition unit 10a according to the present embodiment does not include the candidate absolute position calculation unit 11. Therefore, the processing speed of the absolute position information acquisition unit 10a is higher than that of the absolute position information acquisition unit 10 according to the first embodiment.

  Further, as described above, the control unit 50 a includes the relative position calculation unit 21. That is, the relative position information acquisition unit 20a according to the present embodiment does not include the relative position calculation unit 21. Therefore, the relative position information acquisition unit 20a has a higher processing speed than the relative position information acquisition unit 20 according to the first embodiment.

  Further, it is assumed that the control unit 50a has a higher processing speed than the absolute position information acquisition unit 10a and the relative position information acquisition unit 20a. In that case, the processing speed of the entire positioning apparatus 1a according to the present embodiment is higher than the processing speed of the positioning apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

  In addition, since the positioning device 1a according to the present embodiment improves the processing speed of the relative position information acquisition unit 20a, there is a possibility that the sampling rate of the relative position can be improved compared to the positioning device 1 according to the first embodiment. . In that case, the positioning device 1a according to the present embodiment contributes to further improving the positioning accuracy.

  A part or all of the above embodiments can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but is not limited thereto.

  (Additional remark 1) It is as the positioning apparatus which concerns on a said 1st viewpoint.

  (Supplementary Note 2) A candidate absolute position calculation unit that calculates a candidate absolute position based on the absolute position information is provided, and the absolute position determination determination unit, when the positioning accuracy information satisfies a predetermined determination condition, The positioning apparatus according to supplementary note 1, wherein a position is determined as a reference absolute position, and the candidate absolute position is not determined as the reference absolute position when the positioning accuracy information does not satisfy the determination condition.

  (Additional remark 3) The said absolute position information acquisition part reacquires the said absolute position information, when the said absolute position confirmation determination part does not determine the said candidate absolute position as the said reference absolute position based on the said positioning accuracy information. The positioning device according to attachment 2.

  (Additional remark 4) When the said positioning accuracy information contains the information regarding estimation error, the said absolute position confirmation determination part determines whether the said estimation error is below a predetermined threshold value in any one of Additional remark 1 thru | or 3. The described positioning device.

  (Additional remark 5) The said absolute position determination determination part is described in any one of additional remarks 1 thru | or 4 which determines whether the said electromagnetic wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold, when the said positioning accuracy information contains the information regarding an electromagnetic wave level. Positioning device.

  (Additional remark 6) The said absolute position confirmation determination part determines whether the said positioning time is below a predetermined threshold value, when the said positioning accuracy information contains the information regarding positioning time. The described positioning device.

  (Supplementary note 7) When the absolute position determination determination unit determines the reference absolute position for the first time, the absolute position determination unit determines the candidate absolute position acquired by the candidate absolute position calculation unit for the first time as the reference absolute position. The positioning device according to any one of appendices 2 to 6, wherein when determining the reference absolute position thereafter, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the determination condition.

  (Supplementary note 8) When the reference absolute position is determined for the first time, the absolute position determination determination unit determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the first determination condition, and the second and subsequent times The positioning device according to any one of supplementary notes 2 to 7, wherein when determining the reference absolute position, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the second determination condition.

  (Supplementary note 9) The positioning device according to supplementary note 8, wherein the first determination condition is a gradual determination criterion than the second determination condition.

  (Additional remark 10) It is as the positioning method which concerns on a said 2nd viewpoint.

  (Supplementary Note 11) Including a step of calculating a candidate absolute position based on the absolute position information, and when the positioning accuracy information satisfies a predetermined determination condition in the absolute position determination determination step, the candidate absolute position is determined as a reference absolute The positioning method according to appendix 10, wherein the candidate absolute position is not determined as the reference absolute position when the position is determined and the positioning accuracy information does not satisfy the determination condition.

  (Supplementary note 12) The positioning method according to supplementary note 11, wherein in the absolute position information acquisition step, the absolute position information is reacquired when the candidate absolute position is not determined as the reference absolute position based on the positioning accuracy information.

  (Supplementary note 13) In the absolute position determination step, if the positioning accuracy information includes information on an estimation error, it is determined as one of Supplementary notes 10 to 12 that determines whether the estimation error is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. The positioning method described.

  (Supplementary note 14) In the absolute position determination determination step, if the positioning accuracy information includes information on a radio wave level, it is determined whether the radio wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Positioning method.

  (Supplementary Note 15) In any one of Supplementary Notes 10 to 14, for determining whether the positioning time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold when the positioning accuracy information includes information related to the positioning time in the absolute position determination determination step. The positioning method described.

  (Supplementary Note 16) In the absolute position determination step, when the reference absolute position is determined for the first time, the candidate absolute position acquired for the first time is determined as the reference absolute position, and the reference absolute position is determined after the second time. The positioning method according to any one of supplementary notes 11 to 15, wherein the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the determination condition.

  (Supplementary Note 17) In the absolute position determination step, when the reference absolute position is determined for the first time, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the first determination condition, and the second and subsequent times The positioning method according to any one of appendices 11 to 16, wherein when the reference absolute position is determined, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the second determination condition.

  (Additional remark 18) It is as the program which concerns on the said 3rd viewpoint.

  (Supplementary Note 19) When a process of calculating a candidate absolute position is executed based on the absolute position information, and the positioning accuracy information satisfies a predetermined determination condition in the absolute position determination determination process, the candidate absolute position is used as a reference. The program according to appendix 18, wherein the absolute position is confirmed and the candidate absolute position is not confirmed as the reference absolute position when the positioning accuracy information does not satisfy the determination condition.

  (Supplementary note 20) The program according to supplementary note 19, wherein, in the absolute position information acquisition process, when the candidate absolute position is not determined as the reference absolute position based on the positioning accuracy information, the absolute position information is reacquired.

  (Supplementary note 21) In the absolute position determination determination process, if the positioning accuracy information includes information on an estimation error, it is determined as one of supplementary notes 18 to 20 for determining whether the estimation error is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. The listed program.

  (Supplementary note 22) In the absolute position determination determination process, if the positioning accuracy information includes information on a radio wave level, it is determined whether the radio wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Program.

  (Supplementary Note 23) In the absolute position determination determination process, if the positioning accuracy information includes information related to the positioning time, it is determined according to any one of Supplementary Notes 18 to 22 for determining whether the positioning time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. The listed program.

  (Supplementary Note 24) In the absolute position determination processing, when the reference absolute position is determined for the first time, the candidate absolute position acquired for the first time is determined as the reference absolute position, and the reference absolute position is determined after the second time. 24. The program according to any one of supplementary notes 19 to 23, wherein the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the determination condition.

  (Supplementary Note 25) In the absolute position determination processing, when the reference absolute position is determined for the first time, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the first determination condition, and the second and subsequent times 25. The program according to any one of appendices 19 to 24, wherein when determining the reference absolute position, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the second determination condition.

  In addition, each disclosure of the cited patent document is incorporated herein by reference. Within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims) of the present invention, the embodiments and examples can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. In addition, various combinations of various indication elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) within the scope of the claims of the present invention, Selection is possible. That is, the present invention of course includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical ranges described in this document, any numerical value or small range included in the range should be construed as being specifically described even if there is no specific description.

1, 1a, 100 Positioning device 10, 10a, 101 Absolute position information acquisition unit 11 Candidate absolute position calculation unit 20, 20a, 104 Relative position information acquisition unit 21 Relative position calculation unit 30 Storage unit 40 Timer 50, 50a Control unit 51, 102 Positioning Accuracy Estimation Units 52 and 103 Absolute Position Confirmation Determination Unit 53 Positioning Processing Units 54 and 105 Estimated Absolute Position Calculation Unit

Claims (10)

An absolute position information acquisition unit that acquires absolute position information related to the position of the device at a predetermined first positioning cycle;
A positioning accuracy estimation unit that estimates positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information;
Based on the positioning accuracy information, an absolute position determination determination unit that changes at least one of the trial time and the number of trials by which the absolute position information acquisition unit acquires the absolute position information;
A relative position information acquisition unit that acquires relative position information in a second positioning cycle shorter than the first positioning cycle;
Based on the absolute position information and the relative position information, an estimated absolute position calculation unit that calculates an estimated absolute position;
A positioning device comprising: A candidate absolute position calculation unit that calculates a candidate absolute position based on the absolute position information,
The absolute position determination determination unit determines the candidate absolute position as a reference absolute position when the positioning accuracy information satisfies a predetermined determination condition, and the candidate absolute position when the positioning accuracy information does not satisfy the determination condition. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the position is not fixed as the reference absolute position.   The absolute position information acquisition unit re-acquires the absolute position information when the absolute position determination determination unit does not determine the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the positioning accuracy information. The described positioning device.   The positioning according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the absolute position determination determination unit determines whether or not the estimation error is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold when the positioning accuracy information includes information on the estimation error. apparatus.   The positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the absolute position determination determination unit determines whether the radio wave level exceeds a predetermined threshold when the positioning accuracy information includes information on the radio wave level. .   The positioning according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the absolute position determination determination unit determines whether or not the positioning time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold when the positioning accuracy information includes information on positioning time. apparatus.   When determining the reference absolute position for the first time, the absolute position determination determining unit determines the candidate absolute position acquired by the candidate absolute position calculation unit for the first time as the reference absolute position, and the reference absolute position is determined for the second time and thereafter. The positioning device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein when the absolute position is determined, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the determination condition.   When determining the reference absolute position for the first time, the absolute position determination determination unit determines the candidate absolute position as the reference absolute position based on the first determination condition, and the reference absolute position is determined from the second time onward. The positioning device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein when the position is determined, the candidate absolute position is determined as the reference absolute position based on the second determination condition. An absolute position information acquisition step of acquiring absolute position information related to the position of the device at a predetermined first positioning cycle;
Estimating positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information;
Based on the positioning accuracy information, an absolute position confirmation determination step of changing at least one of the trial time and the number of trials to acquire the absolute position information;
Obtaining relative position information at a second positioning cycle shorter than the first positioning cycle;
Calculating an estimated absolute position based on the absolute position information and the relative position information;
A positioning method comprising: Absolute position information acquisition processing for acquiring absolute position information related to the position of the own device at a predetermined first positioning cycle;
A process of estimating positioning accuracy information based on the absolute position information;
Based on the positioning accuracy information, an absolute position determination process for changing at least one of the trial time and the number of trials to acquire the absolute position information;
A process of acquiring relative position information in a second positioning cycle shorter than the first positioning cycle;
A process of calculating an estimated absolute position based on the absolute position information and the relative position information;
Is a program that causes a computer that controls the positioning device to execute.

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