# US 11,994,600 B2 · Reception apparatus and reception method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,994,600 B2 - Document ID: US11994600B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/289,048 - Filed: 2019-09-30 - Published: 2021-12-30 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-07 - Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Inventors: Hidetoshi Kawauchi; Toru Katsumoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11994600B2 ## CPC - G01S 19/45: by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement - G01S 5/011: {Identifying the radio environment} - G01S 19/03: Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers - G01S 19/22: Multipath-related issues - G01S 19/396: {Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements} - G01S 19/426: {by combining or switching between position solutions or signals derived from different modes of operation in a single system} - G06F 1/163: {Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt} - G01S 19/42: Determining position - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Provided are a reception apparatus and a reception method that are capable of acquiring altitude information by a method suitable for a wearable device and improving position calculation accuracy. The reception apparatus includes an altitude information acquisition unit and a positioning calculation unit. The altitude information acquisition unit acquires altitude information externally calculated via proximity wireless communication. The positioning calculation unit performs positioning computation on the basis of a received global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal and the altitude information supplied from the altitude information acquisition unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A first reception apparatus, comprising: a positioning calculation unit; and an altitude information acquisition unit configured to: acquire, from a plurality of reception apparatuses via proximity wireless communication, a plurality of pieces of altitude information calculated in the plurality of reception apparatuses, wherein the plurality of reception apparatuses excludes the first reception apparatus, and each of the plurality of pieces of altitude information indicates an altitude of a corresponding reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses; acquire a plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information from the plurality of reception apparatuses via the proximity wireless communication, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information indicates a reliability of the altitude of the corresponding reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses; select, based on the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information, a second reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses having a highest reliability of the altitude among the plurality of reception apparatuses; and supply a piece of altitude information of the plurality of pieces of altitude information of the selected second reception apparatus to the positioning calculation unit, wherein the positioning calculation unit is configured to: compute, in a case where four or more global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals have been received, positioning based on the GNSS signals; and compute, in a case where three or less of the GNSS signals have been received, the positioning based on the GNSS signals and the piece of altitude information of the selected second reception apparatus supplied from the altitude information acquisition unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The first reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of reception apparatuses has a GNSS positioning function and a proximity wireless communication function. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The first reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information includes information indicating a satellite signal arrangement. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The first reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information includes information indicating a GNSS signal level determined from signal power and noise power of the GNSS signals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The first reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positioning calculation unit is further configured to: compute, in a case where the first reception apparatus is not in a multipath environment, the positioning based on the GNSS signals; and compute, in a case where the first reception apparatus is in the multipath environment, the positioning based on the GNSS signals and the piece of altitude information supplied from the altitude information acquisition unit. ### Claim 6 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor of a first reception apparatus, cause the processor to execute operations, the operations comprising: acquiring, from a plurality of reception apparatuses via proximity wireless communication, a plurality of pieces of altitude information calculated in the plurality of reception apparatuses, wherein the plurality of reception apparatuses excludes the first reception apparatus, and each of the plurality of pieces of altitude information indicates an altitude of a corresponding reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses; acquiring a plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information from the plurality of reception apparatuses via the proximity wireless communication, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information indicates a reliability of the altitude of the corresponding reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses; selecting, based on the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information, a second reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses having a highest reliability of the altitude among the plurality of reception apparatuses; computing, in a case where four or more global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals have been received, positioning based on the GNSS signals; and computing, in a case where three or less of the GNSS signals have been received, the positioning based on the GNSS signals and a piece of altitude information of the plurality of pieces of altitude information of the selected second reception apparatus. ### Claim 7 A reception method, comprising: acquiring, by an altitude information acquisition unit of a first reception apparatus, a plurality of pieces of altitude information from a plurality of reception apparatuses via proximity wireless communication, wherein the plurality of reception apparatuses excludes the first reception apparatus, and each of the plurality of pieces of altitude information indicates an altitude of a corresponding reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses; acquiring, by the altitude information acquisition unit, a plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information from the plurality of reception apparatuses via the proximity wireless communication, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information indicates a reliability of the altitude of the corresponding reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses; selecting, by the altitude information acquisition unit, based on the plurality of pieces of altitude reliability information, a second reception apparatus of the plurality of reception apparatuses having a highest reliability of the altitude among the plurality of reception apparatuses; in a case where four or more global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals have been received, computing, by a positioning calculation unit of the first reception apparatus, positioning based on the GNSS signals; and in a case where three or less of the GNSS signals have been received, computing, by the positioning calculation unit, the positioning based on the GNSS signals and a piece of altitude information of the plurality of pieces of altitude information of the selected second reception apparatus.