Vehicle location information based on multiple sources

Abstract

A device for determining position information includes: a detector configured to detect the position of the device; and a processor configured to determine the position information based on a primary position indicator from the detector and a secondary position indicator from a second detector different from the first detector. The processor determines the position information by aligning the primary position indicator with the secondary position indicator based on identifying a pattern of the primary position indicator corresponding to the pattern of the secondary position indicator.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Modern motor vehicles include more and more electronic technologies, such as sensors or detectors that provide driver assistance or autonomous vehicle control. For such assistance or control, information related to the movement or heading direction of the vehicle is useful or necessary. There are various methods to obtain such information. For example, GNSS satellite technology allows detection and tracking of vehicle location, movement or direction information based on detecting multiple satellites and using known algorithms. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are useful for tracking vehicle movement in some cases.

[0002] However, many GNSS or IMU devices also have limitations. For example, the amount of noise is often very significant, and known methods for compensating for or reducing this noise are often expensive. Cost is often a primary concern for vehicle manufacturers or component suppliers, making expensive solutions undesirable. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An illustrative example of a device for determining position information includes: a detector configured to detect a position of the device; and a processor configured to determine the position information based on a primary position indicator from the detector and a secondary position indicator from a second detector different from the detector. The processor determines the position information by aligning the primary position indicator with the secondary position indicator based on a pattern identifying the primary position indicator corresponding to the pattern of the secondary position indicator.

[0004] In an embodiment having at least one of the features of the device of the preceding paragraph, the processor corrects the difference in timing of the position indication and the secondary position indication by alignment.

[0005] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to determine the position information by removing noise from the primary position indication using the secondary position indication.

[0006] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to determine the position information by averaging at least one feature of the primary position indication and at least one corresponding feature of the secondary position indication.

[0007] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, a pattern of position indicators appears in the respective position indicators over time.

[0008] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the patterns respectively comprise waveforms of outputs of the respective detectors.

[0009] In an embodiment of a device having at least one feature of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to determine position information based on a primary position indication, a secondary position indication, and at least one additional position indication from at least one additional detector different from the detector, and by identifying a pattern in the additional position indication that corresponds to the identified pattern of the primary position indication and the secondary position indication.

[0010] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to determine the position information by averaging at least one feature of the position indication.

[0011] In an embodiment of at least one feature of a device having any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to exclude one of the position indications from determining the position information based on the one of the position indications having at least a portion that is inconsistent with corresponding portions of other position indications that are consistent with each other.

[0012] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to provide an output based on the location information, and the output is indicative of a location of the device.

[0013] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to provide an output based on the position information, and the output is indicative of a movement of the device.

[0014] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the detector comprises a GNSS receiver or an inertial measurement unit.

[0015] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to determine a location of the secondary detector relative to the detector and to use the determined location of the secondary detector when determining the position information.

[0016] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the secondary detector is movable relative to the detector, and the processor is configured to update the determined location of the secondary detector based on the secondary position indication.

[0017] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the device of any of the preceding paragraphs, the processor is configured to: monitor the secondary position indication, determine whether the movement pattern of the secondary position indication corresponds to repeated movement of the secondary detector relative to the detector, and exclude the secondary position indication from determining the position information if the repeated movement of the secondary detector exceeds a threshold.

[0018] An illustrative example embodiment of a system includes an apparatus including any of the preceding paragraphs and a secondary detector.

[0019] An illustrative example embodiment of a vehicle includes the apparatus of any of the preceding paragraphs, the primary detector being located at a fixed position on the vehicle, and the secondary detector being movable relative to the vehicle.

[0020] In an embodiment of the vehicle having at least one of the features of the preceding paragraph, the position information corresponds to vehicle position information.

[0021] An illustrative embodiment of a method for determining position information includes detecting a position using a detector that provides a primary position indication, obtaining a secondary position indication from a second detector that is different from the detector, identifying a pattern of the primary position indication that corresponds to a pattern of the secondary position indication, and determining the position information by aligning the primary position indication with the secondary position indication based on the identified pattern.

[0022] An embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the preceding paragraph comprises correcting differences in the timing of the position indication and the secondary position indication by alignment.

[0023] In an embodiment having at least one of the features of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, determining the position information comprises using the secondary position indication to remove noise from the primary position indication.

[0024] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, determining the position information comprises combining at least one feature of the primary position indication and at least one corresponding feature of the secondary position indication.

[0025] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, determining the position information is based on a primary position indication, a secondary position indication, and at least one additional position indication from at least one additional detector different from the detector, and determining the position information includes: identifying a pattern in the additional position indication corresponding to the identified pattern of the primary position indication and the secondary position indication.

[0026] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, determining the location information includes excluding one of the location indications from determining the location information based on the one of the location indications having at least a portion that is inconsistent with corresponding portions of other location indications that are consistent with each other.

[0027] An embodiment having at least one feature of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs comprises determining a location of the secondary detector relative to the detector and using the determined location of the secondary detector when determining the position information.

[0028] In an embodiment having at least one feature of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, the secondary detector is movable relative to the detector, and the method includes monitoring the secondary position indication, determining whether a movement pattern of the secondary position indication corresponds to repeated movement of the secondary detector relative to the detector, and excluding the secondary position indication from determining the position information if the repeated movement of the secondary detector exceeds a threshold.

[0029] The various features and advantages of at least one disclosed example embodiment will become apparent to those skilled in the art through the following detailed description, which is briefly described below.

[0030] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 An example system for determining position information based on outputs of multiple detectors is schematically illustrated.

[0032] Figure 2 is a flow chart outlining an example method of determining location information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Figure 1 Schematically, a device 20 for determining position information is shown. The device 20 includes a detector 22 that provides a primary position indication to a processor 24. The processor 24 is configured to determine position information related to the position of the device 20 based at least on the primary position indication. The device 20 in the illustrated embodiment is associated with a vehicle 28, for example, the device 20 is fixed to a predetermined and fixed position on the vehicle, and the device 20 provides position information related to the position of the vehicle 28.

[0034] In this description, the term location information is used in a general sense. For example, location information may be or include location information at a particular moment (such as geographic coordinates). In addition, location information may be or include motion or direction information (such as changes in location over time). Figure 1 In the example embodiment shown, the position information indicates a location (such as a position or movement) of the vehicle 28 .

[0035] Detector 22 in this example embodiment is configured to detect GNSS satellite signals (not shown) and generate an output that is an indication of a primary position and is used by processor 24 to determine position information regarding the position of vehicle 28. There are known algorithms for determining position information based on GNSS satellite signals, and in some embodiments, processor 24 determines the vehicle position using known techniques.

[0036] The detector 22 in this example embodiment also includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that provides an indication of the movement of the detector 22, which corresponds to the movement of the vehicle 28. The processor 24 is configured to determine position information using the indication from the IMU of the detector 22, where appropriate. The primary position indication from the detector 22 may be based on IMU output, GNSS satellite detection, or both.

[0037] Processor 24 is configured to use the position indications from the multiple detectors to determine position information. Using the position indications from the multiple detectors allows the effects of noise within the primary position indication from detector 22 to be reduced or eliminated. Figure 1 In the example of FIG, the second detector 30 is located on or in the vehicle 28. The second detector 30 in this example is configured to detect GNSS satellite signals and provide a corresponding position indication. The processor 24 receives and uses the position indication from the second detector 30 as a secondary position indication.

[0038] In the example shown, an additional or third detector 32 is located in or on the vehicle 28. The third detector 32 also provides a position indication based on detecting GNSS satellite signals. The processor 24 receives and uses the additional position indication from the third detector when determining position information related to the position of the vehicle 28.

[0039] In some embodiments, one or all of the additional detectors include an IMU that provides indications that processor 24 can use for at least one purpose (such as determining position information).

[0040] The detector 22 in the illustrated example is maintained at a predetermined and fixed position relative to the vehicle 28 or the vehicle coordinate system. The position indication of the detector 22 is considered primary because the detector 22 is a permanent part of the device 20, while the other detectors 30, 32 in the illustrated example may not always be present (or reliable). In one sense, the detector 22 and the processor 24 are considered to be the location determination hub of the self-organizing system or network that includes the other detectors 30, 32.

[0041] Detectors 30 and 32 may be associated with components of vehicle 28 or may be part of a portable device brought into vehicle 28 by the driver or passenger. In the case of a vehicle component, the corresponding detector 30 or 32 may be maintained at a fixed location relative to detector 22 or the vehicle coordinate system. Processor 24 uses this relative location when determining vehicle position information based at least in part on the position indication from the corresponding detector 30, 32. In the case of a portable device, when using the position indication from detector 30, 32 as part of determining vehicle position information, processor 24 is configured to determine the current location of detector 30, 32 relative to detector 22 or relative to the vehicle coordinate system.

[0042] Figure 1 , the relative locations of detectors 30, 32 are schematically indicated at 34 and 36, respectively. Because each of detectors 22, 30, and 32 can provide a different position indication for a single location of vehicle 28 based on their different locations in or on the vehicle (or vehicle coordinate system), processor 24 is configured to take the relative locations 34, 36 of detectors 30, 32 into account when using the respective position indications.

[0043] Figure 2 4 is a flow chart outlining an example method of determining position information based on position indications from detectors 22, 30, and 32. At 42, processor 24 receives a primary position indication from detector 22. At 44, the processor receives additional position indications, or secondary position indications, from detectors 30 and 32, respectively.

[0044] The position indications from detectors 22, 30 and 32 include delays. The illustrated example embodiment includes aligning the timing of the position indications as a prerequisite for determining position information based on the multiple detector indications. Figure 2 , the processor 24 identifies patterns of corresponding position indications at 46. The position indication of each detector will have a pattern that depends on the position of the vehicle 28. For example, when the vehicle 28 moves, the IMU from each detector 22, 30, 32 will include a waveform pattern based on the movement of the vehicle, such as a series of peaks and valleys. Since all detectors move with the vehicle 28, the waveform patterns of different detectors will correspond in some respects. The processor 24 is configured to identify or recognize the pattern(s) of position indications of each detector.

[0045] At 48, processor 24 aligns the position indications based on the identified patterns. Aligning the position indications based on the identified respective patterns aligns the timing of the position indications and accounts for or takes into account any differences in the delay of each indication. For example, if the delay of the position indication from detector 30 is less than the delay of the indication from detector 22, the IMU output from detector 30 will have a pattern that corresponds to, but precedes in time, the pattern of the IMU output from detector 22. Similarly, if the indication from detector 32 has the greatest delay, the IMU output pattern from that detector 32 will be delayed compared to the pattern from detector 22.

[0046] Processor 24 aligns the IMU output patterns so that the corresponding detector position indications associated with a particular moment in time or time period are synchronized. In the example currently under consideration, processor 24 effectively shifts the indication from detector 30 in one direction (to compensate for the higher latency of detector 22) and shifts the indication from detector 32 in the opposite direction (to compensate for the even higher latency of detector 32) so that all three indications provide position information associated with the same moment in time. In other words, each position indication includes a pattern based on the vehicle's position at a particular time, and processor 24 aligns the position indications so that a delay in any detector output does not adversely affect the aggregate position determination based on all detector position indications.

[0047] One feature of aligning the detector indications in this manner is that any IMU dead reckoning performed by the processor 24 can have greater accuracy and reliability than dead reckoning using the output of a single IMU.

[0048] In an example embodiment, the processor 24 also performs alignment at 48 using corresponding GNSS-based indications from the detector. In some embodiments, the processor 24 processes the IMU indications and the GNSS indications separately and performs two different alignments, while in other embodiments, the processor 24 aligns the detector indications based on both the IMU pattern and the GNSS pattern. Some embodiments of the processor 24 perform alignment at 48 based on the corresponding detector GNSS pattern without considering the IMU-based data.

[0049] In some cases, the detector's position indication may not be reliable or useful. At 50, processor 24 determines whether any of the detector indications are unreliable and excludes any such position indications from the process of determining the position information. An unreliable detector indication will have at least one characteristic that is inconsistent with a corresponding characteristic of the primary position indication, and such inconsistency may introduce additional error into the determined position information rather than being useful for reducing or eliminating the error.

[0050] For example, detector 32 may be located in a vehicle such that the roof of the vehicle blocks the direct line of sight between detector 32 and the satellites detected by detectors 22 and 30. The GNSS-based information from detector 32 may be the result of multipath reflections of the satellite signals, which increases the distance traveled by the signals and the corresponding error in the pseudorange of the position indication from detector 32.

[0051] In some embodiments, processor 24 determines which of the pseudoranges is shortest and uses that pseudorange as a baseline. Processor 24 compares the difference between the shortest pseudorange and the pseudorange of each additional detector to a threshold. If the difference exceeds the threshold, the pseudorange is deemed to be flawed or inconsistent, and the position indication from the corresponding detector is excluded from the determination of position information for at least a preselected period of time, or until the difference in subsequently reported pseudoranges from the corresponding detector falls below the threshold.

[0052] The processor 24 in the example embodiment is configured to determine when the pseudorange is based on a reflected signal or a multipath signal using the techniques taught in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 788,567, filed on Feb. 12, 2020. The disclosure of that application is incorporated herein by reference.

[0053] Another example scenario in which a detector may be unreliable is when a detector 30 or 32 is moving relative to the detector 22. For example, the IMU of the detector 30 may indicate that the device of which the detector 30 is a part is being manipulated or moved within the vehicle in a manner that makes the position indication from the detector unreliable. This may occur when an individual is moving a device such as a smartphone, or when the device is on a relatively low friction surface and slides in response to the acceleration of the vehicle 28. Such movement may introduce errors because the relative location 34 of the detector 30 changes in a manner that may introduce unwanted errors.

[0054] The manner in which the processor 24 determines whether to exclude a position indication from the detector may vary to meet the needs of a particular implementation of the teachings of this description. Those skilled in the art, having benefit of this description, will be able to determine how to program or otherwise configure the processor to make exclusion decisions to meet their specific needs.

[0055] At 52, processor 24 determines a combination of at least one characteristic of the position indications from detectors 22, 30, and 32. For example, the locations in the geographic coordinates of vehicle 28 based on the outputs of individual detectors may differ slightly. Processor 24 determines an average of these locations as the determined combination and uses this as the geographic coordinate for the vehicle position information. Processor 24 considers the relative positions of detectors 30, 32 when determining the corresponding geographic coordinate indications.

[0056] Another example feature that the processor 24 may determine a combination of is an indication of the trajectory angle or speed of the vehicle 28. For example, the combination may be an average, a weighted average, or the output of a Kalman filter.

[0057] Regardless of the feature(s) that processor 24 uses in combination, the combination(s) used by processor 24 produces refined or corrected position information compared to relying solely on detector 22. Once the position indications from the other detectors 30, 32 are aligned with the primary position indication, noise in the primary position indication output of detector 22 can be reduced or removed based on these indications.

[0058] In some embodiments, when the position indications from detectors 22 , 30 , and 32 differ, processor 24 converts at least one of the position indications so that they all indicate the same position before combining the selected characteristics at 52 .

[0059] The processor provides the position information as an output of the device at 54. The position information can be used in a variety of ways, such as to locate the vehicle 28, provide driver assistance to control the movement of the vehicle 28, or for autonomous control of the vehicle 28.

[0060] Some embodiments include refining the position information based on the position indications from the secondary or additional detectors without determining a combination of features of the corresponding position indications (such as an average). For example, when the position indications over time indicate consistency between the detectors and the pseudorange reported by detector 22 is anomalous compared to the pseudoranges of the other detectors, processor 24 may ignore the anomalous pseudorange or otherwise remove it from the position information output by device 20.

[0061] Devices providing location information consistent with the above description provide refined or improved location information based on an ad hoc network or system comprising multiple detectors that are generally not necessarily interconnected in any manner. Example embodiments include utilizing available IMU or GNSS data from multiple detectors to reduce or remove noise and errors in the detector outputs used to determine location information. Additionally, the disclosed device 20 and the above example techniques improve location information without increasing costs by relying on more expensive or additional installed components.

[0062] The foregoing description is illustrative rather than restrictive in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of the invention. The scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.

Claims

1. A device for determining location information, the device comprising: a detector configured to detect a position of the device; as well as a processor configured to determine the position information based on a primary position indication from the detector and a secondary position indication from a second detector different from the detector, the processor determining the position information by aligning the primary position indication with the secondary position indication based on a pattern identifying the primary position indication that corresponds to a pattern of the secondary position indication. The second detector is movable relative to the detector, and The processor is configured to: determining a location of the second detector relative to the detector, and using the determined location of the second detector in determining the position information; updating the determined location of the second detector based on the secondary position indication; monitoring the secondary position indication; determining whether the movement pattern of the secondary position indication corresponds to repeated movement of the second detector relative to the detector; and If the repetitive movement of the second detector exceeds a threshold, the secondary position indication is excluded from determining the position information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein The processor corrects a difference in timing of the position indication and the secondary position indication through the alignment.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein The processor is configured to determine the position information by removing noise from the primary position indication using the secondary position indication.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein The processor is configured to determine the position information by combining at least one characteristic of the primary position indication with at least one corresponding characteristic of the secondary position indication.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein The patterns of the position indicators appear in the corresponding position indicators over time.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that The patterns respectively include waveforms of outputs of corresponding detectors.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein The processor is configured to determine the position information based on the primary position indication, the secondary position indication, and at least one additional position indication from at least one additional detector different from the detector, and by identifying a pattern in the additional position indication corresponding to the identified pattern of the primary position indication and the secondary position indication.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The processor is configured to exclude one of the position indications from determining the position information based on the one of the position indications having at least a portion that is inconsistent with corresponding portions of other position indications that are consistent with each other.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein The processor is configured to provide an output based on the position information, and The output indicates at least one of a location or a motion of the device.

10. A method for determining location information, the method comprising: detecting the position using a detector that provides a primary position indication; obtaining a secondary position indication from a second detector different from the detector; a pattern identifying the primary position indication corresponding to the pattern of the secondary position indication; as well as determining the position information by aligning the primary position indication with the secondary position indication based on the identified pattern, The second detector is movable relative to the detector, and The method further comprises: determining a location of the second detector relative to the detector, and using the determined location of the second detector in determining the position information; updating the determined location of the second detector based on the secondary position indication; monitoring the secondary position indication; determining whether the movement pattern of the secondary position indication corresponds to repeated movement of the second detector relative to the detector; and If the repetitive movement of the second detector exceeds a threshold, the secondary position indication is excluded from determining the position information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein include: The difference in timing between the position indication and the sub-position indication is corrected by the alignment.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein Determining the position information includes using the secondary position indication to remove noise from the primary position indication.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein Determining the position information comprises combining at least one characteristic of the primary position indication with at least one corresponding characteristic of the secondary position indication.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein Determining the position information is based on the primary position indication, the secondary position indication, and at least one additional position indication from at least one additional detector different from the detector, and determining the position indication includes identifying a pattern in the additional position indication corresponding to the identified pattern of the primary position indication and the secondary position indication.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein Determining the position information includes excluding one of the position indications from determining the position information based on the one of the position indications having at least a portion that is inconsistent with corresponding portions of other position indications that are consistent with each other.

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