Method and apparatus for determining relative position using GNSS carrier phase

Abstract

Techniques are provided that can be implemented in a vehicle using various methods and / or devices to determine a position relative to a roadside unit (RSU) or other nearby reference point. Vehicles within a pre-specified range or within a broadcast distance or otherwise geographically proximate to a roadside unit can share carrier GNSS phase measurement data using broadcast or other messages sent by the vehicle and / or the RSU, wherein the shared GNSS carrier phase measurement data can be used by the RSU to control and coordinate vehicle movement, speed and / or positioning, and / or determine the position of each vehicle relative to the RSU and / or other vehicles, or determine the absolute position of each vehicle. The RSU can coordinate vehicle entry into intersections, manage vehicle speeds, and coordinate or control vehicle actions (such as slowing down, braking, and changing lanes or sending vehicles to specific locations).

Description

[0001] Priority claim

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 16 / 797,381, filed on Feb. 21, 2020, and entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS TO DETERMINERELATIVE LOCATION USING GNSS CARRIER PHASE,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. background 1. Technical Field

[0004] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to onboard devices and vehicles, and more particularly to methods, messaging, and apparatus for use in or with vehicles to determine relative position using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) carrier phase from other vehicles.

[0005] 2. information

[0006] Autonomous or partially autonomous cars require accurate prompting positions of surrounding vehicles to achieve autonomous driving and enhance the safety, efficiency and convenience of vehicle transportation. For example, the path and maneuver planning for vehicles with vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities (such as, for example, vehicles with cellular vehicle-to-everything (CV2X) capabilities, referred to herein as vehicles) depends on knowing the accurate distance and relative position between vehicles. The capabilities and behaviors of surrounding vehicles help determine, for example, safe vehicle-to-vehicle spacing and lane change maneuvers. The positions of surrounding vehicles and location-related measurements will need to be communicated, for example, via data element (DE) sets through V2X application layer standards for vehicles to exchange capability information. However, the capabilities and methods for determining the position of each vehicle may vary based on model, brand and other factors. In addition, when using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) for positioning, GNSS signals may be subject to various error factors (such as multipath errors, ionospheric errors and tropospheric errors), which may affect the accuracy of the absolute position that can be shared by each vehicle. However, given that one of the primary goals of each vehicle is to avoid collisions and maintain a safe distance relative to other vehicles, in some situations, the availability of relative position data (distance and direction between vehicles) may be more useful than absolute position (latitude / longitude), especially when absolute position suffers from significant errors from external factors (such as dense urban reflections of GNSS signals). Therefore, adding V2X data elements to enable the calculation of relative distances may enable vehicles to optimize time and distance to achieve safe inter-vehicle spacing and maneuvers. Overview

[0007] Some example techniques are presented herein that can be implemented in various methods and apparatuses in a vehicle to determine a position relative to a vehicle and / or a roadside unit (RSU) or other nearby reference point by using broadcast or other messages sent by the vehicle and / or the RSU through shared carrier GNSS phase measurement data, wherein the shared GNSS carrier phase measurement data can be used by the RSU to control and coordinate vehicle movement, speed and / or positioning, and / or determine the position of each vehicle relative to the RSU and / or other vehicles, or determine the absolute position of each vehicle. The RSU can also coordinate vehicle entry into intersections, manage vehicle speeds, and coordinate or control vehicle actions (such as slowing down, braking, and changing lanes or sending vehicles to specific locations).

[0008] In one embodiment, a method for interacting with a roadside unit may include: broadcasting location information and identification information from a vehicle; receiving a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof from the roadside unit at the vehicle; sending the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof from the vehicle to the roadside unit; receiving at least one action request from the roadside unit at the vehicle; and performing at least one requested action.

[0009] In one embodiment, a vehicle may include: a wireless transceiver; a GNSS receiver; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver, the GNSS receiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: broadcast location information and identification information via the wireless transceiver; receive a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof from the roadside unit via the wireless transceiver; send the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof to the roadside unit via the wireless transceiver; receive at least one action request from the roadside unit via the wireless transceiver; and perform at least one requested action.

[0010] In one embodiment, a vehicle may include: a device for broadcasting location information and identification information; a device for receiving a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof from a roadside unit; a device for sending the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof to the roadside unit; a device for receiving at least one action request from the roadside unit; and a device for performing at least one requested action.

[0011] In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon causes one or more processors on a vehicle to: broadcast location information and identification information from the vehicle; receive a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data, or a combination thereof, from a roadside unit at the vehicle; send the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data, or a combination thereof, to the roadside unit; receive at least one action request from the roadside unit at the vehicle; and perform at least one requested action by the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive aspects are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified.

[0013] Figure 1Block diagrams illustrating various components and / or systems implemented in an exemplary vehicle.

[0014] Figure 2 Illustrations of exemplary vehicles configured with various sensor and communication components and / or systems are illustrated.

[0015] Figure 3 A functional block level embodiment of a vehicle using V2X to obtain GNSS measurement data for nearby cars is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 4 An exemplary system is illustrated for a vehicle to use V2X data elements to perform V2X vehicle sensing, prediction, planning, and execution.

[0017] Figure 5 The use of carrier phase and / or other relative positioning methods between vehicles is explained, as well as using vehicles with high accuracy positioning capabilities as references for the absolute positioning of other vehicles.

[0018] Figure 6 The use of relative positioning between vehicles that do not have clear line of sight to each other is explained.

[0019] Figure 7 A vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) based embodiment for determining relative positioning is illustrated.

[0020] Figure 8 A sample embodiment of a process for V2V based relative positioning is illustrated.

[0021] Fig. 9 Broadcast-based embodiments for determining relative positioning are illustrated.

[0022] Fig.10

[0013] A sample embodiment of a process for broadcast-based relative positioning determination is illustrated.

[0023] Fig.11 An embodiment of a hybrid system for utilizing both broadcast information and V2V based information to determine relative positioning is illustrated.

[0024] Fig.12 A sample embodiment of a process for a hybrid system that utilizes both broadcast information and V2V-based information to determine relative positioning is illustrated.

[0025] Fig.13 Messaging for use by a hybrid system to determine relative positioning is illustrated.

[0026] Fig.14 Messaging of a system for interacting with a roadside unit performing traffic control and / or intersection control is illustrated.

[0027] Fig.15 A sample embodiment of a process for determining relative positions between vehicles is illustrated.

[0028] Fig.16 A sample embodiment of a process for using relative position in interacting with a roadside unit is illustrated.

[0029] Fig.17 The vectors between the three receivers are explained.

[0030] Detailed Description

[0031] Some example techniques that can be implemented in various methods, devices and apparatuses in vehicles are presented herein. The example techniques presented herein address various methods and devices in vehicles to provide or otherwise support determining vehicle-to-everything (V2X) data elements and using the data elements to determine relative positions. The techniques described herein are generally applicable to V2X capability data elements (DE) that describe V2X-enabled vehicle capabilities that are not currently defined in the V2X application layer standard, including global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurement information, demodulated GNSS information, and / or other GNSS-related information as will be discussed herein. These DEs can be provided via V2X messages (such as, for example, those defined in the Ground Vehicle Standard (SVS) from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), or / and those defined in the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) standard from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)) and are used for relative positioning between vehicles. Example techniques and embodiments for determining and providing these data elements are provided. In one embodiment, a vehicle is able to dynamically update or adjust the values ​​of GNSS measurement data elements using vehicle GNSS receiver data and using external V2X inputs (such as data elements from other vehicles) to determine the relative position of vehicle to vehicle or vehicle to roadside unit or vehicle to other equipment and provide the latest data elements to nearby vehicles or devices over the air (OTA).

[0032] In the case of knowing the accurate relative positioning of nearby vehicles, the accurate positioning can be used to enhance safety by improving accuracy and reducing uncertainty about vehicle spacing, lane changes and maneuvers in the presence of other vehicles, thereby avoiding collisions. Accurate positioning of neighboring cars (e.g., in front of the vehicle, behind the vehicle, and on either side of the vehicle (if present)) thus improves safety and prevents accidents. Relative positioning can be determined by various devices (such as LIDAR, radar and cameras). However, LIDAR systems are expensive and may be blocked by bad weather, cameras are more widely used, but are similarly blocked by bad weather, and radars tend to be forward and blocked. Relative positioning using carrier phase observations based on GNSS can be completed quickly and inexpensively, and can be used to verify, supplement and replace some of the aforementioned systems in some cases. This is particularly attractive because GNSS receivers are widely installed on vehicles for navigation purposes and can therefore be used for relative positioning at a very low cost by adding GNSS-based carrier phase difference technology (both for sharing / communicating GNSS-based carrier phase information and for determining relative positioning solutions between vehicles).

[0033] GNSS-based positions are subject to various factors, such as multipath errors, ionospheric errors, and tropospheric errors. Therefore, GNSS-based absolute positions will typically have some associated uncertainty and / or errors associated with them, particularly in dense cities or other high-blockage areas. GNSS-based absolute positions may be verified and / or corrected using other techniques, such as dead reckoning information from distance sensors (wheel ticks, etc.), accelerometer and gyroscope measurements, camera information, sonar (SONAR), radar and / or LIDAR or other absolute and relative positioning technologies, which may be used in conjunction with reference points, such as landmarks or roadside units. The implementation of some of these measurement systems, such as LIDAR, radar, and sonar systems, may be expensive and may not be present on every vehicle model. Some older vehicles may also not have some of the redundant position determination technologies.

[0034] However, GNSS-based carrier phase observations can be used to determine very accurate relative positioning between two receiving antennas. In some embodiments, the accuracy can be in the centimeter (cm) level. This is particularly true in cases where the two antennas are relatively close together and therefore subject to the same multipath and other error effects (such as ionospheric and tropospheric delays), where the error effects can be calculated / minimized by using two or more measurements. In this case, the two receiving antennas (e.g., located adjacent or otherwise located on cars in close proximity) will experience some of the same error effects, so that those error effects can be canceled out when calculating the relative position of the two antennas (and therefore the two cars).

[0035] The carrier phase measurement can be very accurate; however, it can contain very large errors, as explained by looking at the components that contribute to the carrier phase. However, many, if not most, of these errors will be shared by the two adjacent antennas. The carrier phase can be represented by the following equation, where represents the carrier phase change measurement (in meters) between antenna α and satellite j at time t. is the phase of the carrier transmitted from the satellite vehicle (SV j). λ is the wavelength corresponding to the frequency of the band transmission. is the integer carrier phase ambiguity between antenna α and satellite j. is due to noise and carrier phase multipath The carrier phase measurement error caused by this is the geometric range from antenna α to satellite j at time t. dt j is the SV j clock error. dT α is the receiver α clock error. is the SV j orbit error. is the ionospheric delay (multiplied by the speed of light c, to convert to distance). is the tropospheric delay (multiplied by the speed of light c, to convert to distance).

[0036]

[0037] Double differences can be used to reduce the effects of the above-mentioned error sources on the carrier phase measurement. In one embodiment, the carrier phase single difference can be determined by differentiating the carrier phase measurement obtained at the first vehicle with the carrier phase measurement obtained from the second vehicle. Spatially common errors (i.e., those errors associated with the approximate positions of both the first vehicle and the second vehicle (assuming they are reasonably close to each other), such as satellite clock errors, satellite orbit errors, tropospheric errors, and ionospheric errors) can be removed or greatly reduced. The carrier phase double difference can be determined by differentiating the single difference carrier phase measurement for the first satellite with the single difference carrier phase measurement for the second satellite. The double difference will enable common errors to the receiver (such as receiver frequency bias) to be eliminated. This two-step difference process is called double difference. And it will achieve the resolution of carrier phase integer ambiguity and thereafter achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy.

[0038] If we introduce a third GNSS receiver that performs carrier phase measurements (thus, having receivers 1, 2, and 3), as Fig.17 As shown in , we can further constrain the ambiguity. With three GNSS receivers, we can determine three baselines between any two receivers (i.e., ) and thus the three corresponding double-difference ambiguities. The ambiguities constrained according to the following equation can be used for integer ambiguity resolution, thereby reducing the resolution time and improving reliability: Similarly, if we process the measurements from three GNSS receivers together, we can form three positioning vectors between the three receivers (1, 2, and 3): in This vector relationship is Fig.17 Position vector constraints can be used to speed up baseline / ambiguity resolution and improve reliability.

[0039] With the advent of 5G V2X (fifth generation radio that connects cars to everything; V2X stands for vehicle-to-everything) technology, V2X-enabled vehicles will connect to each other, enabling the sharing of information (such as status, capabilities, and measurement data) with low latency. In one embodiment, vehicles may share GNSS pseudoranges and carrier phase measurements, and in one embodiment, location information. For example, vehicles may send GNSS pseudoranges and / or carrier phase measurements between vehicles or broadcast GNSS pseudoranges and / or carrier phase measurements from each vehicle to nearby vehicles and, in some embodiments, other GNSS information, or some combination thereof.

[0040] As discussed above, the exchange of GNSS pseudorange and carrier phase information greatly improves the accuracy of vehicle-to-vehicle distance and vector determination. This information may be broadcast to vehicles within reception range or transmitted between vehicles (point-to-point) (possibly in response to the reception of a capability broadcast), or a combination of broadcast and vehicle-to-vehicle information may be utilized to reduce messaging overhead. For example, in one embodiment, a location may be broadcast to vehicles within reception range, where vehicles that meet proximity constraints based on the broadcasted target vehicle positioning may request GNSS measurement information. In one embodiment, the request may trigger sequential GNSS measurement transmissions, which are subject to termination based on movement across a distance threshold, and / or re-requests for exceeding a time threshold, and / or transmissions are maintained as long as the broadcast messaging signal strength is greater than a threshold signal strength. By using double difference ranging between vehicles, ranging may be determined with centimeter-level accuracy depending on the context.

[0041] In one embodiment, the messaging elements and / or content sent are similar to the following. The message may include both vehicle-specific but satellite-independent variables (as illustrated in Table 1) and satellite-dependent variables (as illustrated in Table 2), where the variables of Table 2 may be transmitted for each visible satellite (for a given vehicle) or a subset thereof. In one embodiment, criteria (such as signal strength or multipath measurements) may also be used to select the satellite with the strongest signal or least multipath for double difference calculations between vehicles. Similarly, in one embodiment, a vehicle may request GNSS measurement information generally or specifically (e.g., regarding which satellites).

[0042]

[0043]

[0044] Table 1. GNSS measurement API, shared data

[0045]

[0046] Table 2. GNSS Measurement API, data per satellite vehicle (SV)

[0047] Some of the benefits of GNSS-based relative positioning include: low cost and utilization of pre-existing GNSS receivers, high accuracy in open sky environments (such as highways), all-weather operation (not obscured by rain or snow), operation even at a distance, operation even beyond line of sight (far away, around a corner, blocked by one or more objects or one or more vehicles), and no inherent interference (e.g., GNSS receivers are passive, so GNSS measurements do not interfere with other transmissions and / or measurements, as opposed to radar). In addition, highly accurate GNSS carrier phase-based relative positioning can be used alone or in combination with other technologies (such as radar, LIDAR, and cameras), which can improve positioning robustness and redundancy. GNSS carrier phase-based relative positioning (especially in clear sky highway conditions) can be used to calibrate other systems (such as radar, LIDAR, and camera systems) by the following operations: using GNSS carrier phase-based relative positioning to determine the relative position to a remote object to determine the true value for calibrating the camera, radar, or LIDAR system. This is particularly useful in correcting alignment problems, such as might occur if a camera or radar unit integrated into a bumper is hit and pushed out of alignment. Similarly, relative positioning based on GNSS carrier phase can also be used to calibrate distance estimates for radar, LIDAR and camera systems.

[0048] In one embodiment, some or all of the GNSS measurement information from Table 1 and Table 2 may be sent as V2X data elements. In one embodiment, V2X data elements (DE) describing GNSS measurements and data, such as decoded GNSS satellite identification information and / or time information and / or other information mentioned in Tables 1 and 2 above, including global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurement information, demodulated GNSS information, and / or other GNSS-related information may be sent. These data elements (DE) may be provided via V2X messages such as, for example, those defined in the Surface Vehicle Standard (SVS) from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), or / and those defined in the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) standard from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). In one embodiment, shared GNSS information such as the information contained in the above data elements may be used for relative positioning between vehicles and / or for vehicle control and manipulation.

[0049] In one embodiment, the data element may be Figure 1 The GNSS receiver 170 may be located at Figure 2 In one embodiment, the GNSS receiver and processor may be Figure 3The received GNSS data may be stored and / or processed in a memory 160 (such as a non-volatile RAM / ROM or hard drive) in the vehicle and shared via the wireless transceiver(s) 130. In one embodiment, the GNSS data may be broadcast or sent point-to-point to other vehicles.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown in , in one embodiment, a vehicle 100 (e.g., a car, truck, motorcycle, and / or other motor vehicle) may transmit and receive radio signals to and from other vehicles 100, for example, via V2X vehicle-to-vehicle communication (e.g., using one of the CV2X vehicle-to-vehicle communication protocols), and / or in one embodiment, transmit and receive radio signals to and from a wireless communication network 470 via a wide area network (WAN) base station (BTS) and / or wireless access point 430, and / or transmit and receive radio signals to and from a roadside unit (RSU or roadside equipment) 425. In one example, a vehicle 100 (e.g., vehicle 480) may communicate with other vehicles (e.g., vehicle 490) and / or a wireless communication network via wireless transceiver(s) 130 and wireless antenna(s) 132 by transmitting wireless signals to or receiving wireless signals from a remote wireless transceiver over a wireless communication link, wherein the remote wireless transceiver may include another vehicle 490, a wireless base station transceiver subsystem (BTS) 420 (e.g., a Node B, or an evolved Node B (eNodeB) or a next generation Node B (gNodeB)), or a wireless access point 430.

[0051] Similarly, the vehicle 100 may transmit or receive wireless signals to or from a local transceiver over a wireless communication link, for example, by using a wireless local area network (WLAN) and / or personal area network (PAN) wireless transceiver (represented here by one of the wireless transceiver(s) 130 and the wireless antenna(s) 132. In one embodiment, the wireless transceiver(s) 130 may include various combinations of WAN, WLAN, and / or PAN transceivers. In one embodiment, the local transceiver may also include a Bluetooth transceiver, a ZigBee transceiver, or other PAN transceivers. In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 may transmit or receive wireless signals to or from a wireless transceiver 130 on the vehicle 100 over a wireless communication link 134. The local transceiver, WAN wireless transceiver and / or mobile wireless transceiver may include a WAN transceiver, an access point (AP), a femtocell, a home base station, a small cell base station, a home NodeB (HNB), a home eNodeB (HeNB) or a next generation NodeB (gNodeB) and may provide access to a wireless local area network (WLAN, e.g., an IEEE 802.11 network), a wireless personal area network (PAN, e.g., 100). In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 may be used for passenger transportation, package transportation, or other purposes. In one embodiment, GNSS signals 174 from GNSS satellites are used by the vehicle 100 for position determination and / or for determination of GNSS signal parameters and demodulated data. In one embodiment, signals 134 from WAN transceiver(s), WLAN, and / or PAN local transceivers are used for position determination, either alone or in combination with GNSS signals 174.

[0052] Examples of network technologies that may support wireless transceiver 130 are Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fifth Generation Wireless (5G) or New Radio Access Technology (NR), High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), and V2X vehicle-to-vehicle communications. V2X communication protocols may be defined in various standards such as SAE and ETS-ITS standards. GSM, WCDMA, and LTE are technologies defined by 3GPP. CDMA and HRPD are technologies defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). WCDMA is also part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and may be supported by the HNB.

[0053] The wireless transceiver 130 may communicate with the communication network via WAN wireless base stations, which may include deployment of equipment that provides subscribers with access to a wireless telecommunications network for service (e.g., under a service contract). Here, the WAN wireless base station may perform the functions of a WAN or cell base station when serving subscriber devices within a cell determined at least in part based on the range to which the wide area network (WAN) wireless base station is able to provide access service. Examples of WAN base stations include GSM, WCDMA, LTE, CDMA, HRPD, WiFi, BT, WiMAX, and / or fifth generation (5G) NR base stations. In an embodiment, further wireless base stations may include wireless LAN (WLAN) and / or PAN transceivers.

[0054] In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 may include multiple wireless transceivers, including WAN, WLAN, and / or PAN transceivers. In one embodiment, the radio technology that can support one or more wireless communication links further includes wireless local area network (e.g., WLAN, e.g., IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth (BT), and / or ZigBee.

[0055] In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 may include one or more cameras 135. In one embodiment, the camera may include a camera sensor and a mounting assembly. Different mounting assemblies may be used for different cameras on the vehicle 100. For example, a front camera may be mounted in a front bumper, in a rod of a rearview mirror assembly, or in other front areas of the vehicle 100. A rear camera may be mounted in a rear bumper / fender, on a rear windshield, in a trunk, or on other rear areas of the vehicle. Side mirrors may be mounted on the sides of the vehicle, such as integrated into a mirror assembly or a door assembly. The camera may provide object detection and distance estimation (especially for objects of known size and / or shape (e.g., both stop signs and license plates have standardized sizes and shapes)), and may also provide information about rotational motion relative to the axis of the vehicle (such as during a turn). When used in conjunction with other sensors, the camera may be calibrated to verify travel distance and angular orientation by using other systems (such as by using LIDAR, wheel tick / distance sensors, and / or GNSS). Cameras may similarly be used to verify and calibrate other systems to verify that distance measurements are correct (e.g., by calibrating against known distances between known objects (landmarks, roadside markings, road mile markers, etc.) and also to verify that object detection is performed accurately so that objects are mapped accordingly by LIDAR and other systems to the correct position relative to the car. Similarly, when combined with, for example, an accelerometer, the time to impact with a road hazard obstacle may be estimated (e.g., the time elapsed before hitting a pothole), which may be verified against the actual impact time and / or against a braking model (e.g., compared to an estimated braking distance if the car were to attempt to stop before impacting the object) and / or against a handling model (verifying that the current estimate of the turning radius at the current speed and / or the maneuverability metric at the current speed is accurate under the current conditions and modified accordingly based on the camera and other sensor measurements to update the estimated parameters).

[0056] In one embodiment, the accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer 140 can be used to provide and / or verify motion and direction information. The accelerometer and gyroscope can be used to monitor wheel and driveline performance. In one embodiment, the accelerometer can also be used to verify the actual collision time of road hazard obstacles (such as potholes) relative to the predicted time based on existing braking and acceleration models and steering models. In one embodiment, the gyroscope and magnetometer can be used to measure the rotation state of the vehicle and the orientation relative to magnetic north, respectively, and to measure and calibrate the estimation and / or model of the turning radius at the current speed and / or the maneuverability metric at the current speed (especially when used in conjunction with measurements from other external and internal sensors (such as other sensors 145, such as speed sensors, wheel tick sensors and / or odometer measurements)).

[0057] Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems 150 use pulsed lasers to measure the distance to an object. While cameras can be used for object detection, LIDAR systems 150 provide a means to more confidently detect the distance (and orientation) of an object, especially with respect to objects of unknown size and shape. LIDAR system 150 measurements can also be used to estimate travel rate, vector direction, relative positioning, and braking distance by providing accurate distance measurements and incremental distance measurements.

[0058] The memory 160 may be used with the processor 110 and / or the DSP 120, and the memory may include flash memory, RAM, ROM, a disk drive, or a flash memory card or other memory device, or various combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the memory 160 may include instructions for implementing various methods described throughout this specification, including, for example, processes for implementing the use of relative positioning between vehicles and between vehicles and external reference objects (such as roadside units). In one embodiment, the memory may include instructions for the following operations: operating and calibrating sensors, and receiving map, weather, vehicle (both vehicle 100 and surrounding vehicles) and other data, and determining driving parameters (such as relative positioning, absolute positioning, braking distance, acceleration and turning radius at current speed and / or maneuverability at current speed, vehicle distance, turn initiation / timing and execution, and initiation / timing of driving operations) using various internal and external sensor measurements and received data and measurements.

[0059] In one embodiment, the power and drive systems (generator, battery, transmission, engine) and related systems 175 and systems 155 (brakes, actuators, throttle control, steering and electrical) may be controlled by processor(s) and / or hardware or software or by the operator of the vehicle or by some combination thereof. The systems 155 (brakes, actuators, throttle control, steering and electrical, etc.) and power and drive or other systems 175 may be utilized in conjunction with performance parameters and operating parameters to enable autonomous (and manual, with respect to alarms and emergency overrides / brakes / stopping) safe and accurate driving and operation of the vehicle 100, such as to merge into traffic, park, accelerate and otherwise operate the vehicle 100 safely, effectively and efficiently. In one embodiment, inputs from various sensor systems (such as cameras 135, accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers 140, LIDAR 150, GNSS receivers 170, radar 153, inputs, messaging and / or measurements from wireless transceiver(s) 130 and / or other sensors 145, or various combinations thereof) may be used by the processor 110 and / or DSP 120 or other processing system to control the power and drive system 175 as well as the systems (brakes, actuators, throttle control, steering and electrical) 155.

[0060] Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers can be used to determine positioning relative to the ground (absolute positioning) and, when used with other information (such as measurements and / or mapping data from other objects), can be used to determine positioning relative to other objects (such as relative to other vehicles and / or relative to the road).

[0061] In one embodiment, the GNSS receiver 170 may support one or more GNSS constellations and other satellite-based navigation systems. For example, in one embodiment, the GNSS receiver 170 may support global navigation satellite systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, and / or BeiDou, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the GNSS receiver 170 may support regional navigation satellite systems (such as NAVIC or QZSS or a combination thereof) and various augmentation systems (e.g., satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) or ground-based augmentation systems (GBAS)), such as Doppler orbit diagrams and radio positioning integrated by satellite (DORIS) or wide area augmentation system (WAAS) or European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) or Multi-Function Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS) or Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS). In one embodiment, the GNSS receiver(s) 130 and the antenna(s) 132 may support multiple frequency bands and sub-bands, such as GPS L1, L2, and L5 bands, Galileo E1, E5, and E6 bands, Compass (Beidou) B1, B3, and B2 bands, GLONASS G1, G2, and G3 bands, and QZSS L1C, L2C, and L5-Q bands.

[0062] The GNSS receiver 170 may be used to determine position and relative position that may be used for positioning, navigation, and for calibrating other sensors where appropriate, such as for determining the distance between two points in time under clear sky conditions and using the distance data to calibrate other sensors (such as odometers and / or LIDAR). In one embodiment, GNSS-based relative position based on, for example, Doppler and / or pseudorange measurements shared between vehicles may be used to determine a highly accurate distance between two vehicles, and when combined with vehicle information (such as shape and model information and GNSS antenna position) may be used to calibrate, verify, and / or influence the confidence level associated with information from LIDAR, cameras, radar, sonar, and other distance estimation techniques. GNSS Doppler measurements may also be used to determine the linear and rotational motion of a vehicle or vehicles relative to another vehicle, which may be used in conjunction with gyroscopes and / or magnetometers and other sensor systems to maintain calibration of those systems based on measured position data. The relative GNSS positioning data may also be combined with a high confidence absolute position from a roadside device 425 (also referred to as a roadside unit or RSU) to determine a high confidence absolute position of the vehicle. Additionally, during inclement weather that may obscure LIDAR and / or camera-based data sources, relative GNSS positioning data may be used to avoid other vehicles and remain in lanes or other assigned road areas. For example, using an RSU equipped with a GNSS receiver and V2X capabilities, a vehicle may be provided with GNSS measurement data that, when provided along with the absolute position of the RSU, may be used to navigate the vehicle relative to a map, thereby keeping the vehicle in a lane and / or road despite lack of visibility.

[0063] Radio detection and ranging (radar 153) uses transmitted radio waves reflected from an object. The reflected radio waves are analyzed based on the time required for the reflection to arrive and other signal characteristics of the reflected waves to determine the location of nearby objects. Radar 153 can be used to detect the location of nearby cars, roadside objects (signs, other vehicles, pedestrians, etc.), and can usually detect objects even in the presence of ambiguous weather (such as snow, rain or hail). Thus, the radar system 153 can be used to supplement the LIDAR150 system and camera 135 when providing ranging information to other objects by providing ranging and distance measurements and information when vision-based systems usually fail. In addition, radar 153 can be used to calibrate and / or sanity check other systems (such as LIDAR system 150 and camera 135). The ranging measurements from radar 153 can be used to determine / measure braking distance at the current speed, acceleration, maneuverability at the current speed, and / or turning radius at the current speed and / or maneuverability metrics at the current speed. In some systems, ground penetrating radar can also be used to track the road surface via, for example, radar reflection marks on the road surface or terrain features such as ditches.

[0064] like Figure 2As shown in , in one embodiment, the vehicle 100 may have camera(s), such as a camera 1006 mounted on a rearview mirror, a camera mounted on a front fender (not shown), a camera mounted on a side mirror (not shown), and a rear camera (not shown, but typically on a trunk, hatch, or rear bumper). The vehicle 100 may also have a LIDAR system 204 for detecting objects and measuring distances to those objects; the LIDAR system 204 is typically mounted on the roof, however, if there are multiple LIDAR units 204, they may be oriented around the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle. The vehicle 100 may have various other location-related systems, such as a GNSS receiver 170 (typically located in a shark fin unit at the rear of the roof), various wireless transceivers 202 (such as WAN, WLAN, V2X; typically but not necessarily located in a shark fin)), a radar system 208 (typically in the front bumper), and a sonar 210 (typically located on both sides of the vehicle, if present). There may also be various wheel 212 and driveline sensors, such as tire pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and wheel rotation detection and / or counters. In one embodiment, distance measurements and relative positions determined via various sensors (such as LIDAR, radar, camera, GNSS, and sonar) may be combined with car size and shape information and information about sensor locations to determine distances and relative positions between surfaces of different vehicles, so that the distance or vector from a sensor to another vehicle or between two different sensors (such as two GNSS receivers) is incrementally increased to account for the location of the sensor on each vehicle. Therefore, the accurate GNSS distance and vector between two GNSS receivers will need to be modified based on the relative position of each vehicle surface to the GNSS receiver. For example, when determining the distance between the front bumper of a rear vehicle and the rear bumper of a front vehicle, the distance will need to be adjusted based on the distance between the GNSS receiver on the rear vehicle and the front bumper and the distance between the GNSS receiver of the front vehicle and the rear bumper of the front vehicle. As an example, the distance between the rear bumper of the leading vehicle and the front bumper of the trailing vehicle is the relative distance between the two GNSS receivers minus the distance from the trailing vehicle's GNSS receiver to the front bumper, minus the distance from the leading vehicle's GNSS receiver to the rear bumper. It is recognized that this list is not intended to be limiting, and Figure 2 The present invention is intended to provide exemplary locations of various sensors in embodiments of vehicle 100. Additionally, further details regarding specific sensors are provided with respect to Figure 1 to describe.

[0065] like Figure 3As shown in , in one embodiment, the vehicle 100 may receive vehicle and environment information from vehicle external sensors 302, vehicle internal sensors 304, vehicle capabilities 306, external wireless information (such as the location of adjacent vehicles), and GNSS measurement information 308 (from the environment, from other vehicles, from roadside equipment / units (RSU), from system servers), and / or from vehicle motion state 310 (describing current and / or future motion state). In one embodiment, the received vehicle, sensor, and environment information may be processed in one or more processors 110, DSP 120, and memory, which are connected and configured to provide external object sensing and classification, prediction and planning, and maneuver execution, as well as determine and update V2X or other wireless data element values ​​(including GNSS data element values), and transmit message reception and transmission including the determined data elements via one or more wireless transceivers 130. The messaging and data elements may be sent and received via various devices, protocols, and standards, such as via SAE or ETSI CV2X messages and data elements or other wireless and wireless V2X protocols supported by the wireless transceiver(s) 130. Additionally, note that the term ego-vehicle, when used in the context of this specification, refers to the vehicle 100.

[0066] The inter-vehicle relative position determination block 328 includes: a block 330 for determining which vehicles are within the processing range and a block 332 for determining the relative position of the vehicles in the processing range. In one embodiment, GNSS data is exchanged with vehicles or other devices (such as roadside units) within the processing range as determined by block 330, wherein the GNSS data received from the vehicles within the processing range is used to determine and / or verify and / or improve the accuracy of the relative position associated with other vehicles or devices in the processing map in block 332. In one embodiment, the vehicles (or other devices) within the processing range determined by block 330 can use the broadcast position information (such as the broadcast latitude and longitude) from nearby vehicles or other devices and the position information of the vehicle 100 to determine the approximate relative position and / or approximate distance between the vehicles, such as can be used to determine whether the vehicle is within a threshold range. For vehicles within the threshold range, shared GNSS measurements and / or other sensors on the vehicle can be used to calculate a more accurate relative position. The threshold range can be preset, or it can be dynamic based on speed, road conditions, and other factors. The threshold range may be an estimated distance, or may be based on other factors related to distance, such as a threshold signal strength, or timing-related measurements based on round trip time (RTT) or time of arrival (TOA) of the wireless signal. A more accurate relative position and distance to each nearby vehicle in the processing range may be determined using GNSS data received from vehicles in the processing range as described above, such as via carrier phase double difference and / or by using constraint relationships, such as three-way vehicle constraint vector relationships. The measurements may also be modified to account for the distance between the vehicle surface and the mounting location of the GNSS antenna on the vehicle. In one embodiment, wireless information from other vehicles, such as V2X information, may be provided via the wireless transceiver(s) 130, and in one embodiment, may be received and / or exchanged with other vehicles via inter-vehicle negotiations.

[0067] In various embodiments, the processing range can be determined in a variable and / or multiple ways, for example, depending on the processing power of the receiving party's vehicle or equipment and the safety and information requirements of the receiving party's vehicle or equipment. In one embodiment, the processing range can be determined by a threshold distance or range, within which the vehicle or equipment will send and / or exchange GNSS data and use the GNSS data to calculate the precise relative distance between the vehicle and / or equipment. In one embodiment, the processing range can be selected to cover nearby or adjacent vehicles. In one embodiment, the processing range can be selected to cover any vehicle (such as the vehicle on either side of the vehicle and the vehicle in front and behind) that may cause a potential collision risk and / or include vehicles that may be further away in non-parallel paths (such as those vehicles on vertical and cross streets, or those vehicles on the same street but traveling in opposite directions, and those vehicles directly adjacent to the vehicle). In some embodiments, mapping data will also be considered so that vehicles traveling in opposite directions on the same road can be monitored, even if the road may turn and their current direction is not vertical. In some embodiments, GNSS information may be broadcast to all vehicles and / or devices within reception range, where the reception range becomes equivalent to the processing range; in such embodiments, the receiving device may still apply range or other selection criteria to decide whether a more accurate relative position should be calculated based on GNSS measurements. In one embodiment, the processing range may be variable, increasing when there are fewer vehicles nearby and decreasing when there are many vehicles nearby, in one embodiment, possibly based on the maximum processing burden imposed by the receiving device regarding how many ranges will be tracked simultaneously. In one embodiment, a vehicle may request GNSS measurement information for vehicles or devices outside the nominal processing range, such as to monitor traffic at a distance or to track erratic vehicles or other more specific requests.

[0068] In an embodiment, other vehicle-related input sources, such as servers 455, 445, 460, 450, and 440, may provide information, such as vehicle information, routing, location assistance, map data, and environmental data, and provide input and / or supplement and / or be used in conjunction with other inputs, such as road position data, map data, driving condition data, and other vehicle-related data inputs used in conjunction with inter-vehicle maneuver coordination 324 to determine maneuver execution 326. In an embodiment, map data may include the position of the roadside unit relative to the road position, wherein the vehicle may utilize GNSS-based relative positioning between the roadside equipment / roadside unit in conjunction with the map data to determine the position relative to the road surface, particularly in situations where other systems may fail, such as due to low visibility weather conditions (snow, rain, sandstorms, etc.). It will be understood that the terms roadside unit and roadside equipment may be used interchangeably to refer to a stationary reference, control, and / or messaging device. In one embodiment, map data from a map server 450 may be used in conjunction with relative and / or absolute data from neighboring vehicles and / or from a roadside unit (RSU) 425 to determine high confidence absolute positions and relative positions with respect to roads / maps for multiple vehicles. For example, if vehicle A 480 has a higher accuracy / confidence position than other vehicles in communication with vehicle A 480, such as vehicle B 490, GNSS information for a highly accurate relative position and a highly accurate position sent from vehicle A 480 to vehicle B 490 may be used to determine a highly accurate position for vehicle B 490, even if the system of vehicle B 490 would otherwise be unable to calculate a highly accurate position in a particular situation or environment. In this scenario, the presence of vehicle A having a highly accurate position determination system provides a benefit to all surrounding vehicles by sharing one or more highly accurate positions along with ongoing relative position information. Furthermore, assuming the map data from the map server 450 is accurate, the ability to propagate highly accurate location data from vehicle A 480 to surrounding vehicles (such as vehicle B 490) enables surrounding vehicles to accurately determine their relative locations to the map data, even in otherwise troublesome signal / location environments. The vehicle information server 455 may provide vehicle information (such as size, shape, and antenna location) that may be used by, for example, vehicle A or other vehicles to determine not only the relative location between a GNSS receiver on vehicle A 480 and, for example, vehicle B 490, but also the distance between the closest points of vehicle A 480 and vehicle B 490. In one embodiment, traffic information from the traffic control and optimization server 465 may be used to determine overall path selection and rerouting, used in conjunction with the routing server 445 (in one embodiment).In one embodiment, the environmental data server 440 may provide input of road conditions, black ice on the road, snow, water, and other environmental conditions, which may also affect the decisions and decision criteria in the inter-vehicle maneuver coordination block 325 and the maneuver execution block 326. For example, in icy or rainy conditions, the vehicle 100 may execute and / or request an increased inter-vehicle distance with adjacent vehicles or may select a routing option that avoids hazardous road conditions such as black ice and standing water.

[0069] Blocks 330 and 332 may be implemented using various dedicated or general purpose hardware and software (such as using processor 110 and / or DSP 120 and memory 160), or in one embodiment, implemented in a dedicated hardware block (such as a dedicated sensor processing and / or vehicle messaging core). As previously discussed, in block 330, vehicles within the processing range may be determined by various means such as based on: signal-based timing measurements (such as RTT and TOA), signal strength of a broadcast signal of another vehicle, and distance determined based on latitude and longitude broadcast from adjacent vehicles and the current position of the vehicle. In block 332, the relative position of other vehicles relative to the vehicle's position may be determined based on various sensor measurements (including but not necessarily limited to GNSS measurements (such as Doppler and phase measurements) from other vehicles), and other sensor measurements (such as LIDAR, radar, sonar, and camera measurements) may also be utilized. In one embodiment, some or all of blocks 302, 304, 306, 308 and / or 310 may have dedicated processing cores, for example to improve performance and reduce measurement latency. In one embodiment, some or all of blocks 302, 304, 306, 308 and / or 310 may share processing with blocks 330 and 332.

[0070] In some embodiments, vehicle external sensors 302 may include camera 206, LIDAR system 204, radar system 208, proximity sensors, rain sensors, weather sensors, GNSS receiver 170, and received data used with the sensors (such as map data, environmental data, location, route), and / or other vehicle information (such as information that may be received from other vehicles, devices, and servers (in one embodiment, such as map server 450, route server 445, vehicle information server 455, environmental data server 440, location server 460) and / or from associated devices (such as mobile device 400) that may be present in or near a vehicle (such as vehicle A 480). For example, in one embodiment, mobile device 400 may provide an additional source of GNSS measurements, may provide an additional source of motion sensor measurements, or may provide network access as a communication portal to a WAN, WiFi or other network, and as a gateway to various information servers (such as servers 440, 445, 450, 455, 460 and / or 465). It will be understood that vehicle 100 may include one or more cameras. In one embodiment, the camera may be forward facing, side facing, back facing, or have an adjustable field of view (such as a rotatable camera). In one embodiment, there may be multiple cameras 206 facing the same plane. For example, the camera 206 and the bumper mounted camera 208 may include two forward facing cameras, one focused on lower objects and / or lower viewpoints (such as mounted on the bumper) for parking purposes, and one focused on higher viewpoints (such as tracking traffic, other vehicles, pedestrians, and distant objects). In one embodiment, the various views may be stitched and / or may be associated with other inputs (such as V2X inputs from other vehicles) to optimize tracking of other vehicles and external entities and objects and / or calibrate the sensor systems against each other. The LIDAR system 204 may be mounted on the top and rotate or may be focused on a specific viewpoint (such as forward, back, sideways). The LIDAR system 204 may be solid state or mechanical. The proximity sensor may be ultrasonic, radar based, light based (such as infrared ranging based), and / or capacitive (capacitive detection of surface facing touch or metal body). The rain and weather sensor may include various sensing capabilities and technologies, such as a barometric pressure sensor, a humidity detector, a rain sensor, and / or a light sensor and / or may utilize other pre-existing sensor systems. The GNSS receiver may be mounted overhead, such as in a fin-type antenna assembly at the rear of the roof, hood or mounted on the dashboard or otherwise placed outside or inside the vehicle.

[0071] In one embodiment, the vehicle internal sensors 304 may include wheel sensors 212 (such as tire pressure sensors, brake pad sensors, brake status sensors), speedometers and other speed sensors, heading sensors and / or orientation sensors (such as magnetometers and geomagnetic compasses), distance sensors (such as odometers and wheel tick sensors), inertial sensors (such as accelerometers and gyroscopes and inertial positioning results using the above-mentioned sensors), and yaw, pitch and / or roll sensors (as can be determined individually or as determined using other sensor systems (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and tilt sensors)).

[0072] Both the vehicle internal sensor 304 and the vehicle external sensor 302 may have shared or dedicated processing capabilities. For example, a sensor system or subsystem may have a sensor processing core or multiple cores that determine vehicle state values ​​(such as yaw, pitch, roll, heading, speed, acceleration capability and / or distance, and / or braking distance) based on measurements and other inputs from accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and / or other sensing systems. Different sensing systems may communicate with each other to determine measurements or send values ​​to block 330 to combine measurements and determine (capacity values) as a function of input. The vehicle state values ​​derived from measurements of internal and external sensors may be further combined with vehicle state values ​​and / or measurements from other sensor systems using general or application processors. For example, blocks 330, 332, and / or 324 may be implemented on a dedicated or centralized processor to determine data element values ​​for V2X message transmission, which may be sent using wireless transceiver 130 or via other communication transceivers. In one embodiment, the sensors may be grouped into related systems, e.g., LIDAR, radar, motion, wheel systems, etc., which operate through dedicated core processing of raw results to output vehicle state values ​​from each core, which are combined and interpreted to derive combined vehicle state values, including capability data elements and state data elements, which may be used to control or otherwise affect vehicle operation and / or as a messaging step shared with other vehicles and / or systems via V2X or other messaging capabilities. In one embodiment, these messaging capabilities may be based on various wireless-related, optical-related, or other communication standards (such as those supported by the wireless transceiver(s) 130 and antenna(s) 132).

[0073] In one embodiment, the vehicle capabilities 306 may include performance estimates for braking, braking, acceleration and turning radius, as well as autonomous and / or non-autonomous states and / or one or more capabilities. The capability estimates may be based on stored estimates, which in one embodiment may be loaded into memory. These estimates may be based on empirical performance numbers, or for a specific vehicle, or for an average across one or more vehicles, and / or for one or more models of a given performance map. In the case where the performance estimates of multiple models are averaged or otherwise combined, they may be selected based on similar or common features. For example, vehicles with similar or identical weights and identical or similar transmission systems may share performance estimates for estimates related to driving performance (such as braking / braking distance, turning radius, and acceleration performance). The vehicle performance estimates may also be obtained from a vehicle data server on the network over a wireless network, for example using an external V2X(s) input 308. This is particularly helpful for vehicles without wireless capabilities and that cannot directly provide vehicle information to obtain information. In one embodiment, the vehicle capabilities 306 may also be affected by the state of the vehicle components, such as tire wear, tire brand capability, brake pad wear, brake brand and capability, and engine status. In one embodiment, vehicle capability 306 may also be affected by overall vehicle state (such as speed, heading) and external factors (such as road surface, road conditions (wet, dry, slippery / traction), weather (windy, rainy, snowy, black ice, slippery roads, etc.). In many cases, wear or other system degradation, as well as external factors (such as weather, road surface, road conditions, etc.) may be used to reduce, verify, or improve performance estimates when determining capability values ​​as a function of inputs at 330. In some embodiments, actual measured vehicle performance (such as measured vehicle braking distance and / or acceleration per distance) may be used to reduce, verify, or improve performance estimates. Speed ​​time) may be measured and / or estimated based on actual vehicle driving related performance. In one embodiment, if the measurements are inconsistent, the most recently measured performance may be weighted more heavily or given preference over older measurements. Similarly, in one embodiment, measurements taken during similar conditions (such as in the same type of weather or on the same type of road surface as currently detected by the vehicle (such as via vehicle external sensors 302 and / or vehicle internal sensors 304)) may be weighted more heavily and / or given preference when determining the capability value as a function of the input at 330.

[0074] The determined capability value (as determined as a function of the input in block 330) is provided to block 332 (update V2X capability data element), and in one embodiment, the position information and / or GNSS measurement data may be sent via block 324 ((V2X inter-vehicle negotiation, as may be implemented via various means), such as via communication through the wireless transceiver 130 and utilizing various V2X messaging standards (such as via SAE or ETSIC V2X messages and data elements). In one embodiment, one or more processors 30 and / or DSP 120 and memory 160, and the systems or devices described herein, may be connected and configured to perform the operations related to Figure 3 and processes described throughout this specification. The input capability values ​​at 330 may be modified to a different data format and / or units before being used as V2X capability data elements and / or other conversion or combination of one or more capability values ​​may be required. In an embodiment, adjusting the data format and / or units and / or conversion or combination of one or more capability values ​​may be performed in the processor 110 and the update V2X capability data element block 332 or elsewhere in the architecture.

[0075] V2X vehicle sensing, prediction, planning execution 312 handles the receipt and processing of information from blocks 302, 304, 308, 310, and 314 via external object sensing and classification block 306, in part utilizing sensor fusion and object classification block 316 to correlate, corroborate, and / or combine data from input blocks 302, 304, 306, 308, and 310. Block 314 external object sensing and classification determines the objects present, determines the type of object (car, truck, bicycle, motorcycle, pedestrian, animal, etc.) and / or the state of the object relative to the vehicle, such as movement state, proximity, heading, and / or position relative to the vehicle, size, threat level, and vulnerability priority (e.g., a pedestrian will have a higher vulnerability priority than road debris). In one embodiment, block 314 may utilize GNSS measurements from other vehicles to determine relative positioning to other vehicles. This output from block 314 may be provided to a prediction and planning block 318 which determines detected objects and vehicles and their associated trajectories via block 320 and determines vehicle maneuvers and path plans in block 322, the output of which is utilized directly in vehicle maneuver execution at block 326 or via a V2X inter-vehicle negotiation block 324 which integrates and takes into account maneuver plans, positions, and states received from other vehicles. V2X inter-vehicle negotiation takes into account the states of neighboring vehicles and enables negotiation and coordination between neighboring or otherwise affected vehicles based on vehicle priority, vehicle capabilities (such as the ability to stop, slow down, or speed up to avoid collisions), and in some embodiments, various states such as weather conditions (rain, fog, snow, wind), road conditions (dry, wet, icy, slippery). These include, for example, negotiation for the timing and order of passing an intersection between cars approaching an intersection, negotiation for lane changes between adjacent cars, negotiation for parking spaces, negotiation for entering directional travel on a single lane road, or negotiation for passing another vehicle. Inter-vehicle negotiation may also include time-based and / or distance-based factors, such as the appointment time, the distance to the destination, and the estimated route time to the destination, and in some embodiments, the type of appointment and the importance of the appointment.

[0076] As in Figure 4As highlighted in FIG, vehicles may communicate with various devices and servers over various networks. In one embodiment, V2X vehicle A 480 may communicate with V2X or otherwise communication transceiver-enabled vehicle B 490 using a V2X or other wireless communication transceiver over link 423, for example, in one embodiment, to perform inter-vehicle relative positioning, negotiation regarding lane changes or crossing intersections, and exchange V2X data elements (such as GNSS measurements, vehicle status, vehicle position and vehicle capabilities, measurement data and / or calculated status), and exchange other V2X vehicle status steps not covered in the V2X capabilities data element. In one embodiment, vehicle A may also communicate with vehicle B over a network, for example, via base station 420 and / or access point 430, or via communication-enabled roadside equipment (RSU) 425, any of which may relay communications, information, and / or convert protocols for use by other vehicles, such as vehicle B, particularly in embodiments where vehicle B is unable to communicate directly with vehicle A 480 using a common protocol. In one embodiment, vehicle A 480 may also communicate with roadside equipment 425, such as, in various embodiments, various roadside beacons, traffic and / or vehicle monitors, traffic control devices, and location beacons.

[0077] In one embodiment, the roadside unit (RSU) 425 may have a processor 425A configured to operate a wireless transceiver 425E to send / receive wireless messages (e.g., basic safety messages (BSM) or cooperative awareness messages (CAM) or other V2X messages) to / from vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490, to / from a base station 420 and / or an access point 430. For example, the wireless transceiver 425E may send and / or receive wireless messages in various protocols (such as V2X communication with vehicles), and / or communicate on a wireless communication network using various WAN, WLAN, and / or PAN protocols. In one embodiment, the RSU 425 may include one or more processors 425A communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver 425E and the memory, and may include instructions and / or hardware to perform and / or provide and / or process environmental and roadside sensor information 425D as a traffic control unit 425C or act as a location reference for the GNSS relative position between it and the vehicle. In one embodiment, the RSU 425 may include a network interface 425B (and / or wireless transceiver 425E), which in one embodiment may communicate with an external server (such as a traffic optimization server 465, a vehicle information server 455, and / or an environmental data server 440). In one embodiment, the wireless transceiver 425E may communicate through a wireless communication network by transmitting or receiving wireless signals from a wireless base transceiver subsystem (BTS), a Node B or an evolved Node B (eNodeB) or a next generation Node B (gNodeB) over a wireless communication link. In one embodiment, the wireless transceiver(s) 425E may include various combinations of WAN, WLAN and / or PAN transceivers. In one embodiment, the local transceiver may also include a Bluetooth transceiver, a ZigBee transceiver, or other PAN transceivers. The local transceiver, WAN wireless transceiver and / or mobile wireless transceiver may include a WAN transceiver, an access point (AP), a femtocell, a home base station, a small cell base station, a home B node (HNB), a home e B node (HeNB) or a next generation B node (gNodeB) and may provide access to a wireless local area network (WLAN, e.g., an IEEE 802.11 network), a wireless personal area network (PAN, e.g., a Bluetooth network) or a cellular network (e.g., an LTE network or other wireless wide area network, such as those discussed in the next paragraph). It should be understood that these are merely examples of networks that can communicate with the RSU 425 over a wireless link, and the claimed subject matter is not limited in this regard.

[0078] The RSU 425 may receive location, status, GNSS and other sensor measurements, and capability information from vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490, such as GNSS measurements, sensor measurements, speed, heading, location, braking distance, priority or emergency status, and other vehicle related information. In one embodiment, environmental information (such as road surface information / status, weather conditions, and camera information) may be collected and shared with vehicles via point-to-point or broadcast messages. The RSU 425 may utilize information received from vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490, environmental and roadside sensors 425D via wireless transceiver 425E, and network information and control messages from, for example, traffic control and optimization server 465 to coordinate and direct traffic flow or vehicle speed or vehicle positioning and provide environmental, vehicle, safety, and announcement messages to vehicle A 480 and vehicle B 490.

[0079] In one embodiment, the processor 425A may be configured to operate a network interface 425B, which may be connected to the network 470 via a backhaul, and in one embodiment, may be used to communicate and coordinate with various centralized servers (such as a centralized traffic control and optimization server 465) that monitor and optimize traffic flow in an area (such as a city or a part of a city or in an area). The network interface 425B may also be used for remote access to the roadside unit (RSU) 425 for crowdsourcing of vehicle data, maintenance of the roadside unit (RSU) 425, and / or coordination with other roadside units 425, or other purposes. The roadside unit (RSU) 42 may have a processor 425A configured to operate a traffic control unit 425C, which may be configured to process data received from vehicles (such as vehicle A 480 and vehicle B 490) (such as location data, braking distance data, road condition data, identification data, and other information related to the status and location of nearby vehicles and the environment). The roadside unit (RSU) 425 may have a processor 425A that is configured to obtain data from environmental and roadside sensors 425D, which may include temperature, weather, cameras, pressure sensors, road sensors (e.g., for car detection), accident detection, motion detection, speed detection, and other vehicle and environment monitoring sensors.

[0080] In an embodiment, vehicle A 480 may also communicate with mobile device 400 using short-range communications and personal networks (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, or Zigbee) or via V2X or other vehicle-related communication protocols, for example, accessing a WAN and / or WiFi network in an embodiment and / or obtaining sensor and / or location measurements from mobile device 400 in an embodiment. In an embodiment, vehicle A 480 may communicate with mobile device 400 using WAN-related protocols through a WAN network (such as via a WAN base station 420) or using WiFi directly peer-to-peer or via WiFi access points. Vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490 may communicate using various communication protocols. In an embodiment, vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490 may support various and multiple wireless communication modes, such as, for example, using V2X, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, CDMA, HRPD, Wi-Fi, BT, WiMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth generation wireless (5G) new radio access technology (NR) communication protocols, etc.

[0081] In one embodiment, vehicle A may communicate using a WAN protocol over a WAN network via base station 420 or using a wireless LAN protocol such as WiFi with a wireless LAN access point 430. The vehicle may also support wireless communications using, for example, a wireless LAN (WLAN), a personal area network (PAN) such as Bluetooth or ZigBee, DSL, or packet cable.

[0082] In one embodiment, vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490 may include one or more GNSS receivers (such as GNSS receiver 170) for receiving GNSS signals 412 from GNSS satellites 410 for position determination, time acquisition, and time maintenance. Various GNSS systems may be supported using GNSS receiver 170 or other receivers, either alone or in combination, to receive signals from BeiDou, Galileo, Glonass, and / or GPS, as well as various regional navigation systems (such as QZSS and NavIC or IRNSS). Other wireless systems (such as those that rely on beacons) may be utilized, such as one or more roadside units (RSUs) 425, one or more wireless LAN access points 430, or one or more base stations 420, in one example. Various GNSS signals 412 may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle sensors 140 and / or 145 to determine position, speed, proximity to other vehicles (such as between vehicle A 480 and vehicle B 490).

[0083] In one embodiment, vehicle A and / or vehicle B may have access to GNSS measurements and / or position determined at least in part using GNSS as provided by mobile device 400, which in one embodiment also has GNSS, WAN, WiFi, and other communications receivers and / or transceivers. In one embodiment, vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490 may have access to GNSS measurements (such as pseudorange measurements, Doppler measurements, and satellite IDs) and / or position determined at least in part using GNSS as provided by mobile device 400 as a fallback in the event that GNSS receiver 170 fails or provides less than a threshold level of position accuracy.

[0084] Vehicle A 480 and / or vehicle B 490 may access various servers on the network (such as a vehicle information server 455, a routing server 445, a location server 460, a map server 450, and an environmental data server 440).

[0085] The vehicle information server 455 may provide information describing various vehicles (such as antenna location, vehicle size, and vehicle capabilities) that may be used to make decisions about maneuvers relative to nearby cars (such as whether they can brake or accelerate in time, whether they are autonomous, autonomous driving capabilities, communication capabilities). In one embodiment, the vehicle information server 455 may also provide information about vehicle size, shape, capabilities, identification, ownership, occupancy, and / or determined location points (such as, for example, the location of a GNSS receiver) and the location of the vehicle boundaries relative to the determined location points.

[0086] Routing server 445 may receive current location and destination information and provide routing information, map data, alternate routing data, and / or traffic and street condition data for a vehicle.

[0087] In one embodiment, the location server 460 may provide location determination capabilities, transmitter signal acquisition assistance (such as GNS satellite orbit prediction information, time information approximate location information and / or approximate time information), transceiver almanacs (such as those containing identification and locations for WiFi access points and base stations), and in some embodiments, additional information about routing (such as speed limits, traffic and road status / construction status). The map server 450 may provide map data (such as road locations, points of interest along roads, address locations along roads, road sizes, road speed limits, traffic conditions and / or road conditions (wet, slippery, snow / ice, etc.), road status (open, under construction, accident, etc.)). In one embodiment, the environmental data server 440 may provide weather and / or road related information, traffic information, terrain information and / or road quality and speed information and / or other relevant environmental data.

[0088] In one embodiment, Figure 4 The vehicles 480 and 490 and the mobile device 400 can communicate on the network 470 via various network access points (such as the wireless LAN access point 430 or the wireless WAN base station 420 on the network 470). In some embodiments, Fig.12 The vehicles 480 and 490 and the mobile device 400 may also communicate directly between devices, between vehicles, and between devices and vehicles, and between vehicles and devices, without going through the network 470, using various short-range communication mechanisms, such as via Bluetooth, Zigbee, and 5G new radio standards.

[0089] Figure 5 The invention illustrates the use of high accuracy relative positioning between various vehicles and / or devices in one embodiment, which is determined using shared GNSS measurements, as discussed above. The above embodiments discuss the use of double differences using shared measurements of signals from two or more satellites. The above embodiments also discuss constraining the results, for example, by utilizing vectors between multiple vehicles, such as Fig.17 In Figure 5 In the present disclosure, some of the vehicles and devices (vehicle and device are used interchangeably herein) are referred to as vehicles and / or devices with high accuracy positioning and are capable of determining a high accuracy absolute positioning, for example with meter-level or even centimeter-level accuracy.

[0090] In one embodiment, a vehicle having an opportunity to obtain a high-accuracy absolute position may, for example, have a clear view of the sky so that it can measure GNSS satellite signals without being so affected by multipath and signal degradation. In one embodiment, a vehicle having an opportunity to obtain a high-accuracy absolute position may utilize other sensor systems (such as a vehicle dead reckoning system (e.g., using wheel ticks and measurements from gyroscopes and accelerometers), camera-based positioning, LIDAR, radar and / or sonar, or some combination thereof) to improve the accuracy and confidence level associated with its positioning. In one embodiment, a vehicle or device having an opportunity to obtain a high-accuracy absolute position may be located / installed in a fixed location, such as a roadside unit (RSU), where the exact location is known or can be calculated by repeated position determination over time); or a vehicle that remains parked in a fixed location for a longer period of time so that it can improve its position accuracy over time (such as through repeated position determination over time and / or through relative positioning with other vehicles and / or devices).

[0091] In one embodiment, a vehicle that does not have the opportunity to obtain a high-accuracy absolute position fix may, for example, have an obstructed view of the sky (e.g., in a dense urban scene suffering from signal blockage caused by large buildings), such that the GNSS satellite signals measured at the affected GNSS receiver suffer significant effects from multipath and signal degradation. However, it is noted that nearby vehicles may suffer from the same GNSS signal degradation (multipath, signal blockage, ionospheric errors, tropospheric errors, etc.), such that a double difference of satellite signals received at two nearby receivers may result in a highly accurate relative position fix, even in cases where a highly accurate absolute position fix is ​​not readily available. In one embodiment, vehicles that have access to other relative positioning related sensor systems (such as camera-based positioning, LIDAR, radar and / or sonar) can also combine the accurate relative positions between vehicles or devices with the highly accurate absolute positioning from one of these vehicles or devices to propagate highly accurate absolute positioning between devices and vehicles (which otherwise would not have had access to highly accurate absolute positioning at that moment); however, this relative positioning may be less accurate than the relative positioning determined using shared GNSS measurement information.

[0092] In one embodiment, vehicles and / or equipment can share vehicles or equipment ID, GNSS measurement, vehicles or equipment position, and / or (in some embodiments) position, confidence measure of measurement and / or error estimate, or position, some combination of measurement and / or its confidence or error, so that vehicles and equipment can determine high-accuracy relative positioning, and also propagate high-accuracy absolute positioning when available. In one embodiment, vehicles and / or equipment can broadcast its position and / or its GNSS measurement to other vehicles and / or nearby equipment. In some embodiments, there may be a mixture of the following: broadcast and point-to-point communication and information sharing (such as by broadcasting the position of vehicles or equipment), and in some embodiments, error estimation and / or uncertainty estimation (but by only sending GNSS signal measurement to vehicles and / or equipment (such as vehicles and / or equipment that can be determined as being within a threshold range using broadcast position) that request GNSS signal measurement). Vehicles that originally did not have the opportunity to obtain highly accurate absolute positioning but had the opportunity to obtain highly accurate relative positioning can thus increase the accuracy and confidence level associated with their positioning.

[0093] In one embodiment, vehicles or devices that have access to high accuracy absolute positioning may be located / mounted at fixed locations (such as roadside units (RSUs), where the exact location is known or can be calculated through repeated location determinations over time). Similarly, vehicles that remain parked at fixed locations for longer periods of time may improve the accuracy of their location over time, such as through repeated location determinations over time and / or through relative positioning with other vehicles and / or devices (that are able to determine and, in one embodiment, share highly accurate absolute locations with other devices and vehicles). In one embodiment, roadside units RSUs may also manage traffic or manage and control access to intersections (such as traffic lights or traffic controllers), and may use relative positioning with nearby vehicles to determine and control vehicle flow and vehicle access to intersections, exits, and other road resources.

[0094] Whether mobile or stationary, a vehicle or device that has an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position can be used as a reference point so that other vehicles and / or devices that have an opportunity to obtain shared GNSS measurements can combine the highly accurate absolute position from the reference vehicle or device with the highly accurate relative position determined using the GNSS measurements shared between the devices to propagate the highly accurate absolute position to vehicles and devices that would otherwise only have an opportunity to obtain an accurate relative position. By sharing the absolute position from a vehicle or device that has an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position and also sharing the GNSS measurements between a vehicle or device that has an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position and a vehicle or device that does not have an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position, the highly accurate relative position between the vehicle or device that has an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position and the vehicle or device that does not have an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position determined using the GNSS measurements, the accurate absolute position from the vehicle or device that has an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position, and the accurate relative position between the two vehicles can be combined to determine the accurate absolute position of the vehicle that would otherwise not have an opportunity to obtain a highly accurate absolute position.

[0095] Figure 6A use scenario for a vehicle with high-accuracy relative positioning capability is explained. Here, the vehicle is approaching a blind curve. Vehicle R3 does not see vehicles R1 and R2 until it may be too late to avoid a collision. This is certainly true for human drivers, but it may also be the case for forward-looking camera systems, radars, LIDARs, and other relative positioning systems. In addition, the curve may be blocked by plants or other materials, so that drivers on either side cannot see around the curve. However, the GNSS system signals sent down to the ground from each constellation do not suffer from side-view obstruction. Therefore, any or all of the vehicles R1, R2, and R3 can share position and GNSS information with each other, thereby implementing instructions and / or warnings for R1 to pull back to the right lane, and / or instructions and / or warnings for R3 to slow down to allow R1 to complete the lane change back to the right lane. Similarly, if there is a roadside unit at the curve, the roadside unit can be used to determine the relative position between the approaching vehicles and / or between all nearby vehicles. The roadside units (RSUs) may also act as traffic controllers to determine where nearby vehicles are located and provide approach and departure management and instructions.

[0096] Figure 7 The vehicle / device to vehicle / device communication architecture is explained, where vehicles and / or devices use peer-to-peer communication to share GNSS measurement information, location, identification information, and other information. In a peer-to-peer model, the information flow between peers may be consistent across peers, or may differ based on proximity, or may differ based on collision risk / threat (a vehicle approaching has a higher risk than a vehicle moving away; an adjacent vehicle may have a higher risk of collision than a vehicle leaving two lanes or crossing a concrete guardrail). Here, for example, the vehicle closest to the center vehicle and / or adjacent to the center vehicle (e.g., within ring 710) may share GNSS measurement information more frequently, as indicated by the black arrow. A vehicle slightly away from the center vehicle (e.g., not directly adjacent but within the field of view), or away from more than one vehicle, or away from a determined radius (e.g., ring 720) receives GNSS measurement updates at a slower rate. Vehicles that are significantly farther away, e.g., more than two vehicles or greater than some even wider radius (e.g., ring 730), may not receive peer GNSS updates at all. However, even at ring 730, vehicles and / or devices may still periodically broadcast locations and IDs so that neighboring vehicles know they are there and can query for further information to improve the accuracy of relative position when needed or desired.

[0097] Figure 8An example decision tree for peer messaging including sharing GNSS measurement information to be used for relative positioning is illustrated. In step 810, a vehicle ID provided by a server or base station or received in an over-the-air broadcast from other vehicles may be selected. In one embodiment, the broadcast ID may also be associated with the location of the source vehicle. In box 820, it is determined whether a connection has been established, and if not, a connection may be established in box 860. The connection may depend on the possibility that the other vehicles are within a certain range or there is a risk of collision. Similarly, if a connection already exists, the connection may be disconnected in box 850 if the distance is greater than a threshold (i.e., the other vehicles are farther away than the threshold distance). If a connection already exists, the GNSS measurement information and / or other information discussed above may be exchanged and processed in box 840 if the distance is less than a threshold. The process may be repeated at box 820 for repeated relative position determination, so that box 860 may be input to box 830 (rather than ending at box 870), and box 840 is fed back to box 820. It will also be understood that there may be alternative embodiments to implement the peer model. For example, at block 830, there may be multiple threshold distances (e.g. Figure 7 ), and at block 840, measurements may be requested and processed at different rates depending on the threshold distance within which the target vehicle is located. Figure 7 Those vehicles within the inner circle 710 in are associated with the smallest threshold and provide GNSS measurements most frequently, which are also processed most frequently. Figure 7 Those vehicles within the middle circle 720 but outside the inner circle 710 are associated with a range that falls between the first and second larger thresholds and provide GNSS measurements less frequently, which are also processed less frequently. Figure 7 Those vehicles within the outer circle 730 but outside the middle circle 720 are associated with a range between the second larger threshold and the third maximum threshold and do not provide GNSS measurements.

[0098] Fig. 9The broadcast positioning model for determining the relative positioning between vehicles, other vehicles and / or various devices is explained. In the broadcast model, vehicles and devices broadcast their positioning and GNSS and / or other measurements. The broadcast positioning of nearby vehicles can be used for the initial positioning of adjacent vehicles, and depending on its accuracy, it can also be used to determine relative positioning. In one embodiment, broadcast positioning can be used to provide error estimates or other accuracy metrics and / or confidence levels. In one embodiment, GNSS measurement information can be used to calculate a more accurate position, especially for nearby vehicles that may need a higher accuracy level to avoid collisions and / or optimize traffic. In one embodiment, the broadcast may include vehicle identification, vehicle location (possibly accompanied by error estimates or accuracy information and / or confidence levels), vehicle GNSS measurement information and / or other vehicles and location information. In the broadcast model, there may also be a mechanism (such as intermittent broadcasting, frequency division, time division and / or code division) that is adopted to minimize cross interference between vehicle communications, so as to allow many vehicles and devices to broadcast information while minimizing interference. In the broadcast model, in order to reduce the processing overhead on each vehicle, the vehicles may process the GNSS measurement information to determine a highly accurate relative position of a subset of vehicles. For example, a vehicle may use the broadcast positioning to determine the approximate distance and / or relative position between it and neighboring vehicles, and may use the GNSS measurements provided by vehicles within the approximate distance to determine a more precise relative position. In one embodiment, there may be multiple threshold distances, such as Figure 7 In such embodiments, the vehicle may process GNSS measurements from the vehicle within different threshold levels at different rates, and outside the maximum level, may not process GNSS measurements at all, or may only process GNSS measurements upon specific events or requests. The processing rate levels are similar to Figure 7 In addition to some broadcast embodiments, GNSS measurement information may be broadcasted along with location and identification information, while Figure 7Some embodiments of the peer-to-peer model in may provide GNSS measurement information only upon request from other vehicles. Thus, in embodiments of the broadcast model, GNSS measurement information broadcast by vehicles within ring 910 is processed at the fastest rate (e.g., once per second or multiple times per second), while GNSS measurement information broadcast from vehicles between ring 910 and ring 920 is processed at a slower rate (e.g., once per minute or once every 30 seconds), and GNSS measurement information broadcast from vehicles outside ring 920 may be ignored or processed only on demand or triggered by an event (such as an accident or speeding). In the broadcast model, each vehicle may broadcast information including GNSS measurement information at a fairly high rate (possibly corresponding to the GNSS measurement rate at the vehicle's GNSS receiver or possibly a subset thereof). For example, if a vehicle determines that it measures a GNSS signal once per second, the GNSS measurements may be broadcast no faster than once per second, but may be broadcast at a slower rate (such as once every five seconds) or at a variable rate depending on the signal noise floor, broadcasting less frequently if the noise floor is higher and more frequently if the noise floor is lower to avoid causing excessive interference in the spectrum.

[0099] Fig.10The decision diagram of the embodiment based on broadcast is explained. In step 1010, broadcast positioning and GNSS measurement and / or other positioning measurement are received from the surrounding vehicles. In step 1020, the distance (i.e., range) between the vehicle and the source vehicle of the broadcast positioning is determined using the received broadcast positioning and position of the vehicle. If the distance is less than the threshold range, then in box 1030, GNSS and / or other positioning measurements are processed to determine the relative positioning of the source vehicle of the broadcast positioning relative to the vehicle. Other actions and / or applications can also be triggered, for example, based on a distance less than a threshold or a specific position (such as in front of, behind, or on either side of the vehicle). For example, in one embodiment, the relative positioning in front of and / or behind the vehicle can trigger the routine and car movement of managing the safe following distance between vehicles to manage the spacing between vehicles. For example, the vehicle can accelerate, decelerate or request an action from an adjacent vehicle to increase or reduce the spacing between vehicles, and / or the lane can be switched to avoid the situation where insufficient vehicle spacing is available (for example, being followed closely by a manually driven vehicle at the rear). If the distance is not less than the threshold distance, then in box 1040, the vehicle may be monitored, or in some embodiments, the vehicle may be ignored. The process may be triggered by receiving broadcast positioning and vehicle ID information in box 1010. In one embodiment, the processing of broadcast measurements for a specific vehicle ID may also be determined at different rates depending on the distance from the vehicle so that box 1020 may compare the distance with multiple threshold ranges (such as less than threshold A, between threshold A and threshold B, and greater than threshold B) so that each condition enters a different box 1030, which processes GNSS measurement information and / or other positioning measurement information at different rates depending on the band in which the source vehicle of the broadcast positioning is located. In one embodiment, for a specific vehicle in a specific band, the positioning measurement information between the rate boundaries may be ignored or discarded or saved until newer information or a calculated rate boundary appears.

[0100] Fig.11 An embodiment of determining relative positioning in a hybrid mode is described in which all cars exchange (e.g., via broadcast) VID (user and / or vehicle identification information) and positioning information. However, vehicle information is requested by and / or sent only to cars that meet certain relative position criteria. For example, Fig.11As shown in , a vehicle (here, with a star on it) may choose to request GNSS measurement information only from vehicles within a specific range, or only from vehicles in front of, behind, or on either side thereof, or only from vehicles in a specific geometric boundary (ring, rectangle, square). As with the peer-to-peer and broadcast models, there may be multiple nested boundaries, which may have different shapes and / or criteria associated with them (such as an inner boundary corresponding only to the car in front of, behind, and on either side of the vehicle and an outer boundary based on a threshold distance), wherein the GNSS measurement information from the car in the inner boundary is requested and processed at a faster rate than the GNSS measurement information from the car between the inner boundary and the outer boundary. In some embodiments, there may be multiple threshold boundaries. In some embodiments, the boundaries may be concentric. In some embodiments, the boundaries may be aligned. In some embodiments, some or all of the boundaries in the boundaries may be asymmetric or may be modified depending on various conditions. For example, it may be selected to not monitor or locate the vehicle on the other side of the physical median or to locate only the boundaries of the car causing a collision risk or a risk higher than a threshold. For example, if the left side of the vehicle is occupied by a physical median or guardrail (e.g., the vehicle is in the leftmost lane of a physically separated highway), the boundary may only monitor cars behind, in front of, and to the right of the vehicle. Fig.11 , the solid bidirectional arrows represent the exchange of GNSS and / or other positioning measurement information between vehicles within a specific geographic boundary.

[0101] Fig.12Explain an exemplary embodiment of a decision tree for determining an embodiment of relative positioning in a hybrid mode, wherein all cars exchange (e.g., via broadcast) VID (user and / or vehicle identification information) and positioning information, but wherein GNSS measurement information and / or other position measurement information is exchanged and / or processed based on a distance criterion. Various vehicles broadcast vehicle ID information and position information. In step 1210, the vehicle receives broadcast positioning and measurement information from other vehicles. In step 1220, the vehicle determines whether an existing vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) connection (e.g., a connection to a vehicle with a distance less than a threshold) may have been established. If a V2V connection has been established, and if the distance is less than a threshold range in box 1230, GNSS measurement information and / or other measurement information related to positioning may be requested and processed in box 1260. In box 1260, in one embodiment, relative positioning may also trigger other applications and / or actions performed by the vehicle, such as to realign the spacing between cars behind, in front of, or on either side of the vehicle. If the vehicle is not already connected at decision block 1220, and the distance is less than a threshold range at block 1240, a connection may be established to request GNSS measurement information and / or other location measurement information (as may be received in block 1210). Additionally, if the distance is greater than a threshold at block 1230, the V2V connection may be disconnected. At block 1255, the distance of the broadcasting vehicle that is not less than one or more threshold ranges may be monitored so that if the distance drops below a threshold at block 1240, a new V2V connection may be established at block 1270. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, there may be multiple threshold ranges (e.g., as previously discussed), wherein GNSS measurement information from vehicles in different threshold bands is processed at different rates. In multiple threshold range embodiments, a maximum threshold may be used to determine whether a connection should be made and / or whether GNSS and / or other location measurement information should be processed. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, in the presence of multiple threshold ranges (e.g., as previously discussed), the rate at which GNSS and other location measurement information may be processed may be determined by the threshold band within which the vehicle is located.

[0102] Fig.13A message receiving and sending diagram for a hybrid embodiment is illustrated in which a vehicle and / or device ID is broadcast along with positioning information, and GNSS measurement information and other positioning-related measurement information are exchanged between vehicles to determine the accurate relative position between the vehicles. In step 1310, vehicle 1 (V1) 1302, vehicle 2 (V2) 1304, and vehicle 3 (V3) 1306 broadcast vehicle identifiers and their corresponding positions. It will be understood that in some embodiments, position accuracy / error information and / or confidence may also be broadcast to avoid vehicle collisions based on high error positions. It will also be understood that in some vehicles, sensor systems (such as LIDAR or camera-based systems) may provide additional information to correct, confirm, or replace broadcast position information to avoid collisions based on inaccurate broadcast position information and / or prevent attempts based on deception that cause vehicle collisions. In steps 1318, 1320, and 1322, each vehicle determines which other vehicles are adjacent or otherwise within the processing range. Thus, in step 2018, V1 1302 monitors the location of V2 1304 because V2 1304 is within the processing range of V1. In step 1320, V2 1304 monitors the location of V1 1302 because V1 1302 is within the processing range of V2. Similarly, in step 1322, based at least in part on the broadcast information received from V1 1302 and V2 1304, V3 1306 determines that V1 1302 and V2 1304 are outside its processing range and do not need to be monitored. In step 1324, V1 and V2 send requests for GNSS measurement data and / or other positioning location measurement data to each other, and in step 1326, V1 1302 and V2 1304 share location measurement information including GNSS measurement information between each other. In steps 1328 and 1330, vehicle V1 1302 and vehicle V2 1304 respectively process GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data from each other and use the measurement data to determine a relative position with respect to the other vehicle V1 1302 and / or vehicle V2 1304. Thus, vehicle V1 1302 may use GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data from vehicle V2 1304 to calculate a relative position to determine the relative position of vehicle V2 1304, and vehicle V2 1304 may use GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data from vehicle V1 1302 to calculate the relative position of vehicle V1 1302. In one embodiment, the relative position may be used to trigger or support an action or application, such as an action to adjust the inter-vehicle spacing (here, for example, between V1 1302 and V2 1304).

[0103] Fig.14 A message receiving and sending diagram for an embodiment in which broadcast location is utilized in the interaction with a roadside unit (RSU) that controls access to an area (such as crossing an intersection) is illustrated. In step 1410, both vehicle V1 1402 and vehicle V2 1404 broadcast the vehicle ID and the location of the corresponding vehicle. In some embodiments, GNSS measurement information and other measurement information related to positioning are also broadcast, in which case steps 1424 and 1426 for requesting and receiving GNSS measurement information and other location measurement information may be unnecessary and, in one embodiment, are not performed. In step 1420, the roadside unit 1406 monitors broadcast information from vehicles within the communication range and / or other threshold ranges (such as a pre-specified distance or control area). In a non-broadcast embodiment, a message notifying the RU 1406 of their presence may be sent to the roadside unit 1406 from a vehicle entering the area of ​​influence of the roadside unit. In a server coordinated embodiment, messaging may be coordinated by a server which notifies or otherwise causes vehicles entering the roadside unit's area of ​​influence to share location and GNSS measurement data with RU 1406. In a map coordinated embodiment, the area of ​​influence of RU 1406 may be specified on a map as metadata associated with the area. Entering the area of ​​influence may cause the vehicle to share location and GNSS measurement data with RU 1406 in the area of ​​influence. In step 1422, based on location information of V1 1402 and typically provided by V1 1402 (such as the vehicle ID and location from step 1410 or otherwise sent from V1 1402), the roadside unit 1406 determines that V1 1402 is in the control area, or in one embodiment, is near the control area. Similarly, although not in Fig.14 Chinese explanation (for Fig.141404 may be outside the broadcast range), but at step 1422, if messaging (including location and vehicle identification) is received from V2 1404 (whether as a broadcast message or a direct message from V2 1404), the roadside unit 1406 will similarly determine whether V2 1404 is in the area of ​​influence. In various embodiments, the messaging (including location and vehicle identification) of step 1410 may be sent directly to the roadside unit as an alternative or in addition to the broadcast. At step 1424, the roadside unit 1406 (responsive to determining that V1 is in or near the control area or the area of ​​influence) requests GNSS measurement information and / or other positioning measurement information from V1 1402. The roadside unit 1406 will similarly request GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data from vehicles determined to be in the area of ​​influence of the roadside unit 1406. Note that in some embodiments, particularly those where the vehicle is aware that it is entering the area of ​​influence of a roadside unit, the vehicle may automatically send GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data without the roadside unit 1406 sending a request (i.e., steps 1424 and potentially also step 1422 may be optional in some embodiments where the vehicle determines whether it is in the area of ​​influence and initiates communication with the roadside unit). In step 1426, the vehicle V1 1402 responds by sending GNSS measurement information and / or other positioning measurement information to the roadside unit 1406, and in step 1428, the roadside unit 1406 processes the received GNSS data and / or other positioning-related measurement data and determines the relative position of the vehicle V1 1402. The relative position of the vehicle in the impact area can be used by the roadside unit to influence and / or control the vehicle in the impact area, for example, by sending driving instructions and / or entry permission (such as entry to an intersection or lane) to the vehicle, requesting the vehicle to change speed or drive at a specific speed, requesting the vehicle to change lanes or drive in a specific lane, requesting the vehicle to change direction, turn or stop, or other operation instructions and / or requests. Based on the determined relative position of the vehicle V1 1402 and in some embodiments, the movement information of the vehicle V1 1402 (such as direction, heading and speed), the roadside unit 1406 determines and sends a request related to the action, entry permission, entry denial and / or other instructions to the vehicle V1 1402. For example, the action request or instruction may include the granting or denial of entry to the intersection, instructions to stop, start, accelerate or decelerate, instructions to change lanes and / or instructions for changing lanes or other vehicle actions for the vehicle V1 1402.

[0104] Fig.15An embodiment for determining the relative positioning of a vehicle within a processing range is explained. In step 1510, the vehicle sends one or more broadcast messages, whereby broadcasting its position and vehicle identification (ID). In one embodiment, other information may also be broadcast, for example, an error estimate associated with the position (such as can be determined using a least squares fit of measurement information (such as GNSS pseudorange and / or various sensor data)), a timestamp associated with the position (such as the GNSS time associated with the position determination) and / or uncertainty associated with the position. In some embodiments, the position may be considered current, and time information may be unnecessary. In step 1520, the vehicle receives broadcast position information and vehicle ID from a plurality of vehicles. In an alternative embodiment, the vehicle may receive the position and ID of adjacent and / or nearby vehicles from a server. In step 1530, the vehicle uses the received position and the position of the vehicle and determines which transmitting party vehicles are within a threshold range from the vehicle. In one embodiment, the distance may be determined using a simple distance formula, where point 1 is represented by coordinates X1, Y1, and point 2 is represented by coordinates X2, Y2, and the distance between the two points may be given by [(x2-x1) 2 +(Y2-Y1) 2 ] 1 / 2 express.

[0105] In step 1540, the vehicle may request and receive GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data from vehicles within (these) threshold ranges. In various embodiments, there may be multiple threshold ranges, each threshold range corresponding to a different relative position determination rate. For example, within a first threshold T1, GNSS measurements and other position-related data may be requested at a first rate R1. Between the first threshold T1 and the second threshold T2, GNSS measurements and other position-related data may be requested at a second rate. Outside the second threshold T2, GNSS measurements and other position-related data may be requested at a third rate R3 or not requested at all. In one embodiment, the rate of requesting GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data may decrease as the distance of the vehicle from the center vehicle increases, so that R1>R2>R3. It will also be understood that in various embodiments, the threshold area may have various shapes; for example, Fig.11As shown in , the inner area is a rectangle, while the outer area is an ellipse. Similarly, the area may follow a lane or a group of lanes, or be located around an intersection. In addition, in some embodiments, GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data may be automatically sent to the vehicle by the surrounding vehicles. For example, if the vehicle determines that it is within the threshold range of another vehicle, it may automatically start to send ongoing measurements of GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data to the other vehicle, and vice versa. That is, the exchange of GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data may be automatically triggered by each vehicle to provide data to another vehicle. In one embodiment, if the other vehicles are within the threshold range, it may be used to trigger the ongoing broadcast of GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data, which will have the advantage of reducing or eliminating the request message sending and receiving overhead.

[0106] At step 1550, the vehicle may determine a relative position of at least one vehicle within a threshold range based at least in part on the GNSS measurement data. In one embodiment, the vehicle may determine the relative positions of all vehicles within a threshold range, or based on the received position(s) and vehicle identification(s), the vehicle may only process GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data for vehicles directly adjacent to it, or based on the received position(s) and vehicle identification(s), the vehicle may only process GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data for vehicles with a probability above a threshold for collision or interaction, or based on the received position(s) and vehicle identification(s), the vehicle may only process GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data for vehicles approaching in opposite or intersecting lanes, vehicles in front, vehicles behind, and / or vehicles on either side, or various combinations thereof, or based on the received position(s) and vehicle identification(s), the vehicle may only process GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data for vehicles with which requests and / or interactions will be made (e.g., to adjust the spacing between the requesting and receiving vehicles or to request space for a lane change or merge).

[0107] In one embodiment, the relative position of the adjacent vehicle can be used to trigger and / or notify the interaction with the adjacent vehicle or other vehicles that can interact with the vehicle. For example, the vehicle approaching on the relative or cross lane, the vehicle in front, the vehicle behind and / or the vehicle on either side may interact with the vehicle. For example, the vehicle may request the vehicle on the adjacent lane to create a space for the vehicle to merge into. For example, the vehicle may request the vehicle in front of it and / or behind it to adjust the spacing between the vehicle and the vehicle in front of it and / or behind it. For example, the vehicle may notify the vehicle behind it of the upcoming parking, deceleration or lane change. For example, the vehicle may notify the vehicle behind it of the upcoming road hazard. In one embodiment, the vehicle may send instructions or requests for spacing adjustment, lane change and emergency maneuvering to the vehicles around it. The vehicle can also use the determined relative positioning to notify how it reacts to requests and notifications from adjacent vehicles.

[0108] exist Fig.16 , an embodiment for a vehicle to interact with a roadside unit within the area of ​​influence of a roadside unit is explained. In step 1610, the vehicle or other mobile device broadcasts location information and identification information. It will be understood that in similar embodiments, mobile phones or other pedestrian devices may similarly broadcast or otherwise send location information and identification information, and the embodiments described below may also be implemented in mobile phones and / or other pedestrian devices. In various embodiments, the vehicle may also send location information and identification directly to the roadside unit instead of broadcasting it. In scenarios where the vehicle sends directly to the roadside, the vehicle may be triggered to send location information and vehicle ID based on the following various triggers: for example, entering an area of ​​influence that can be determined by metadata and / or a marked area on a map, or, for example, based on a request from a roadside unit; or, for example, based on a request from a server that monitors the location of the vehicle relative to the area of ​​influence of the roadside unit; or based on the detection of a broadcast signal from a roadside unit (e.g., a broadcast signal from a roadside unit announcing that the roadside unit controls the entry of an intersection).

[0109] In one embodiment, the roadside unit may broadcast or otherwise send its location and identification. The roadside unit may also send a request for location information to a mobile within the transmission range. The requested location information may include latitude and longitude, phase offset, heading, speed, the ability to stop or otherwise maneuver at an intersection or pedestrian, or other location-related information. The roadside unit may also provide absolute or relative positioning information for vehicles and pedestrians within the impact zone of the roadside unit. For example, the roadside unit may determine or update the location of cars and pedestrians within the impact zone (such as within a specific radius of the roadside unit, or within a specific distance from the intersection, or within a specific distance of the crosswalk). This is particularly useful when tracking the movement of pedestrians and vehicles that have not published their locations. The location of pedestrians and / or vehicles can be determined and / or verified using their broadcast location (if available) and sensor data (such as cameras, radars, sonars, LIDARs, infrared or other light-based ranging systems, road-based magnetic sensors, and / or other sensor inputs that can determine the location of objects in the impact zone). The roadside unit may also be able to actively query vehicles and / or pedestrian devices (such as smart phones) for location information (which may include absolute information (such as latitude and longitude) or relative location information (such as distance and heading or GNSS or other measurement information (such as phase offset measurements)).

[0110] In step 1620, the vehicle may receive a request for periodic GNSS measurement data and / or sensor-based measurement data from the roadside unit. The measurement data may include calculated latitude, longitude, heading and / or speed, or may include raw measurement data, such as pseudorange measurements and / or phase offset data for various satellite vehicles or various combinations thereof. The measurement data may also be sensor measurement data, such as acceleration and vehicle and / or wheel rotation information. In one embodiment, the wheel rotation data may be used by the roadside unit to determine the road surface condition. It will be understood that in various embodiments, a collection of GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data may be requested and sent separately; or in one embodiment, the roadside unit may send a request to continuously turn on / broadcast GNSS measurement data and / or other position measurement data to vehicles and / or other devices in or near the impact area (and the vehicle and / or pedestrian device responds to the request). The roadside unit may also request repeated requests for GNSS information from vehicles or pedestrian devices, which may be sent directly to the roadside unit from the vehicle or pedestrian device point-to-point. In some embodiments, the data requested may vary from request to request. For example, in some embodiments, an initial request may include a request for an absolute position (such as latitude and longitude), while subsequent requests may request only phase offset information or pseudorange information or relative position information or various combinations thereof; similarly, in some embodiments, in response to a request from a roadside unit, a vehicle or pedestrian device may include an absolute position (such as latitude and longitude), and subsequent responses may provide phase offset information or pseudorange information or relative position information or various combinations thereof, with or without absolute position information.

[0111] In one embodiment, a request for GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data from a roadside unit to a vehicle or pedestrian device may specify that the GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data be sent within a specified time period or within a specific geographic boundary. In one embodiment, a request for GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data from a roadside unit to a vehicle and / or pedestrian device may specify that the GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data be sent at a specified time interval / rate, and the time interval / rate may be fixed or may vary, for example, with the distance or position relative to the roadside unit, or the direction / heading relative to the roadside unit or other geographic reference point.

[0112] In one embodiment, a request for location information (e.g., periodic GNSS measurement data or absolute location information) may also be accompanied by location information of vehicles and / or pedestrian devices (such as mobile devices) within the area of ​​influence of the roadside unit. In one embodiment, the roadside unit may provide information about vehicles and / or pedestrian devices within the area of ​​influence to the vehicle or other mobile device as part of the request for information or repeatedly or in combination thereof. The location information about vehicles and / or pedestrian devices within the area of ​​influence may be unsolicited. The location information about vehicles and / or pedestrian devices within the area of ​​influence may be limited to information about vehicles and / or pedestrian devices within the area of ​​influence that are close to or may intersect with the direction of travel of the vehicle or other mobile device within the area of ​​influence. In some embodiments, the location information about vehicles and / or pedestrian devices within the area of ​​influence may be broadcast by the roadside unit and received by vehicles and / or pedestrian devices within the area of ​​influence. In some embodiments, the location information sent by the roadside unit and received by the vehicle and / or mobile device may be limited to information about vehicles and / or mobile devices and / or objects and / or pedestrians that do not broadcast or otherwise self-advertise their locations; for example, so that the location of pedestrians and / or animals and / or obstacles can be made known to the vehicle, regardless of whether they are able to and / or are currently sending and / or broadcasting their current location. Thus, the vehicle can receive the location of pedestrians and pets or other animals that are within the impact area and / or that may affect the passage of the vehicle, and can use the location information provided by the roadside unit to determine the maneuvering and passage control of the vehicle. For example, the vehicle can determine that it should stop for the pedestrian based on the direction of travel of the pedestrian and the location provided or supplemented by the roadside unit. This may be particularly useful for pedestrians, bicycles, pets, etc. that may not be detected by the vehicle due to darkness, occlusion caused by fixed objects (such as buildings, fences, bushes and / or shrubs), lack of visual / camera contrast, or other detection failure scenarios.

[0113] In step 1630, the vehicle sends periodic GNSS measurement data and / or sensor-based measurement data and / or other location measurement data to the roadside unit. It will be understood that in various embodiments, each GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data set may be requested and sent individually; or in one embodiment, the roadside unit may send a request to the vehicle in or near the impact area for the vehicle to continuously turn on / broadcast GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data. In one embodiment, the GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data may be sent to the roadside unit within a specified time period or may be sent within a specific geographic boundary. In one embodiment, the GNSS measurement data and / or other location measurement data may be sent at a specific time interval or rate, and the time interval or rate may be fixed or may vary, for example, with the distance or position relative to the roadside unit, or with the direction / heading relative to the roadside unit or other geographic reference point. In various embodiments, the GNSS measurement data may include absolute position or phase offset data of a GNSS satellite or other signal, or may include pseudo-range measurements for a GNSS satellite or other signal. Signal sources may include satellite signals, communication transceiver and / or beacon signals and / or signals from the roadside unit itself. In some embodiments, the signal measurement data may also include round trip time measurements and / or angle of arrival measurements (particularly of signals sent by ground signal sources).

[0114] In step 1640, the vehicle receives at least one action request sent by the roadside unit. For example, the vehicle may receive instructions or requests from the roadside unit for affecting and / or controlling its actions and movements in the area of ​​influence. In one embodiment, the vehicle may receive driving instructions and / or entry permission (such as permission to enter an intersection or lane), or a request to change speed or drive at a specific speed, or a request to change lanes or drive on a specific lane, or a request to change direction, turn or stop, or a request for other operations. In one embodiment, the requested action may be associated with one or more coordinates (such as the location to be parked), and / or the distance to be moved and / or the measurement and / or number of lanes, and the direction or vector (e.g., left or right or angle) of movement. In one embodiment, the braking position may be absolute (such as specified by latitude and longitude (or other location designation or marking)), or the braking position may be relative to another vehicle, person, mobile device, stationary device and / or object. In one embodiment, a vehicle may receive action requests to coordinate lane changes, braking, starting, and other actions directly with other vehicles and / or devices, and may receive identification of other vehicles and / or other devices (such as mobile phones or Internet of Things devices) with which to coordinate movement so that traffic flow safety is maintained and / or optimized and / or pedestrians can safely cross a traffic area, whether or not crosswalks or light indicators are present. Coordination may be determined by the roadside equipment, or may be determined by individual devices, or may be a combination of both, with some actions delegated by the roadside unit to vehicles and / or other mobile devices. In one embodiment, at least one action request may be confirmed to the roadside unit, where the confirmation may include whether the vehicle or other mobile device will and / or is able to follow the action request, or whether the roadside unit should request an action from other vehicles and / or pedestrians / mobile devices to compensate for the vehicle or other device's inability to follow the action request. For example, a truck moving at a speed may be unable to stop before an intersection and may issue a no-follow response to at least one action request, thereby forcing the roadside unit to instead direct intersection traffic to stop (if possible) or to direct an evasive maneuver by a vehicle and / or device that would otherwise be at risk of colliding with or otherwise interacting unsafely with the truck or other vehicle that issued the no-follow response. A vehicle or other device may also determine that it can follow and may issue a follow response. In one embodiment, a vehicle that would otherwise be able to follow a roadside unit may issue a request not to follow an action request, for example for priority or time-critical passage reasons (such as for an emergency vehicle (ambulance, fire truck, or other emergency vehicle) or for a person requiring emergency transportation to a hospital or other emergency destination), and await permission from the roadside unit to not follow.In response to the request and / or potential non-compliance by another vehicle or vehicles, the roadside unit may send an alternate action request to the other vehicles requesting a change of action or revocation of a grant (such as permission to proceed through an intersection).

[0115] In step 1650, the vehicle may perform at least one requested action, such as but not limited to those described in step 1640. For example, the vehicle may stop or enter an intersection or start moving in a specific direction, or accelerate or decelerate, or change lanes, or change lanes or initiate coordination with other vehicles to change lanes or pass through an intersection, or take other vehicle actions. In one embodiment, in response to the action request, the vehicle (or other device) may interact and / or coordinate with other nearby vehicles and / or devices, such as to coordinate to provide space in the lane for the requested lane change. In one embodiment, a mobile phone acting as a pedestrian device may issue an audible request to the pedestrian to take a specific action (such as stopping or crossing the street or staying on the sidewalk or avoiding the street); such a request may be in response to avoiding oncoming traffic or safely crossing the street, or providing additional street buffering from the street (such as to avoid splashing from puddles) or providing additional safety buffering from a vehicle that loses control in slippery road conditions). In one embodiment, the vehicle or other mobile device, pedestrian device and / or device may also provide a status response to the roadside unit during the requested action or after the requested action is completed.

[0116] Fig.17 The three vectors between the three vehicles are explained, where the three vectors can be used to mathematically constrain the solution of the positions of the three vehicles. As discussed above, using three GNSS receivers, we can determine three baselines between any two receivers (i.e., ) and thus the three corresponding double-difference ambiguities. The ambiguities constrained according to the following equation can be used for integer ambiguity resolution, thereby reducing the resolution time and improving reliability: Similarly, if we process the measurements from three GNSS receivers together, we can form three positioning vectors between the three receivers (1, 2, and 3): in This vector relationship is Fig.17 Position vector constraints can be used to speed up baseline and / or ambiguity resolution and improve reliability.

[0117] It will be understood that various embodiments may be utilized to implement the above disclosed processes and methods, and that various means may be used to implement the disclosed processes and methods, which means may include various combinations of hardware and software.

[0118] In various embodiments and as discussed above, the vehicle 100 may utilize a positioning system to determine a location that may be communicated to adjacent and / or nearby vehicles in a location data element. The vehicle 100 may use the location when determining vehicle movement (e.g., when merging lanes) or when determining spacing between vehicles. The vehicle 100 may exchange location information with adjacent or nearby vehicles to negotiate and coordinate movement (such as changing lanes) and adjust spacing between vehicles.

[0119] Herein, it will be understood that the terms ID and identification may be used interchangeably.

[0120] In various embodiments and as discussed above, vehicles 100 (e.g., vehicle A 480 and vehicle B 490) may have circuitry and processing resources capable of obtaining location-related measurements (e.g., for signals received from GPS, GNSS, or other satellite positioning system (SPS) satellites 410, WAN wireless transceivers 420, or WLAN or PAN local transceivers 430), and possibly calculating a position fix or estimated position of vehicle 100 based on these location-related measurements. In the presently illustrated example, the location-related measurements obtained by vehicle 100 may include measurements of signals (412) received from satellites belonging to an SPS or global navigation satellite system (GNSS) (410) such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou, and / or may include measurements of signals (such as 422 and / or 432) received from ground-based transmitters fixed at known locations (such as, for example, WAN wireless transceivers 420). The vehicle 100 or the location server 460 may then use any of a number of positioning methods, such as, for example, GNSS, Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) or Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), network triangulation, received signal strength indication (RSSI), or a combination thereof, based on these location-related measurements to obtain a position estimate for the vehicle 100. In some of these techniques (e.g., A-GNSS, AFLT and OTDOA, RSSI), pseudoranges, distances, or timing differences relative to three or more ground-based transmitters at known locations or relative to four or more satellites with accurate known orbital data, or a combination thereof, may be measured at the vehicle 100 based at least in part on pilots, positioning reference signals (PRS), or other positioning-related signals transmitted by transmitters or satellites and received at the vehicle 100. The server may provide positioning assistance data (including, for example, information about signals to be measured (such as signal timing and / or signal strength), the location and identity of ground transmitters, and / or signal, timing, and orbit information of GNSS satellites) to the vehicle 100 to facilitate positioning technologies (such as A-GNSS, AFLT, OTDOA, and E-CID). For example, the location server 460 may include an almanac indicating the location and identity of wireless transceivers and / or local transceivers in one or more specific areas (such as a specific place), and may provide information describing signals transmitted by cellular base stations or APs or mobile ground transceivers (such as transmission power and signal timing).In the case of an E-CID, the vehicle 100 may obtain measurements of signal strength of signals received from the WAN wireless transceiver 420 and / or the wireless local area network (WLAN) or PAN local transceiver 430, and / or may obtain round-trip signal propagation time (RTT) between the vehicle 100 and the WAN wireless transceiver 420 or the wireless local transceiver 430. The vehicle 100 may use these measurements along with assistance data (e.g., terrestrial almanac data or GNSS satellite data, such as GNSS almanac and / or GNSS ephemeris information) received from the location server 460 to determine the location of the vehicle 100, or may transmit these measurements to the location server 460 to perform the same determination.

[0121] In various embodiments, the position can be determined by various means, as described above. For example, in one embodiment, the vehicle 100 can determine its position using GNSS satellite signal measurements, ground transmitter signal measurements, or some combination thereof. In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 can determine its position using LIDAR, radar, GNSS, sensors, and various combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 can determine its position using accelerometers and / or gyroscopes and various sensors (wheel ticks, steering direction, etc.) to determine the distance and direction of travel from the last determined positioning via dead reckoning. In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 can determine its position using a combination of signals and sensors; for example, various signal measurements from GNSS and ground transmitters can be used to determine the position, and then updated using dead reckoning. Depending on the determined position, various signal measurements can be obtained from visible transmitters to obtain an indication of the distance of the transmitter from the determined position. The indication of the distance may include signal strength or round trip time or arrival time or other distance estimation methods. New signal measurements can be obtained at the newly determined position. By combining indications of the distance to any given transmitter obtained from multiple locations (whether obtained by one device or multiple devices), the location of a transmitter such as a WAN wireless transceiver 420 or a WLAN or PAN local transceiver 430 can be determined. The location of the transmitter can be determined on the vehicle 100 or on a crowd-sourced server or on a location server 460 or other network-based server.

[0122] Transportation (e.g. Figure 2The vehicles 100 in FIG. 1 (e.g., vehicle A 480 and vehicle B 490) may be referred to as devices, cars, trucks, motorcycles, flying devices (such as airplanes or drones), wireless devices, mobile terminals, terminals, mobile stations (MS), user equipment (UE), SUPL-enabled terminals (SETs). Typically, although not necessarily, the vehicles may support wireless communications, such as using V2X, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, CDMA, HRPD, Wi-Fi, BT, WiMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth generation wireless (5G) or new radio access technology (NR), V2X communication protocols, etc. The vehicles may also support wireless communications using, for example, wireless LAN (WLAN), personal area network (PAN) (such as Bluetooth or ZigBee), DSL, or packet cable. In an embodiment, the vehicles may support transmission of basic safety messages (BSMs), including various data elements (such as data elements depicting that the corresponding vehicle is being autonomously driven). In an embodiment, a vehicle may support transmission of an ETSI Collaborative Awareness Message (CAM), for example, including, in an embodiment, various data elements (such as data elements depicting that the respective vehicle is being driven autonomously).

[0123] An estimate of the position of a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 100) may be referred to as a position, position estimate, position fix, fix, position fix, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic, providing position coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) for the vehicle, which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the position of the vehicle may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., expressed as a postal address or a designation of a point or smaller area in a building (such as a particular room or floor)). The position of the vehicle may also be expressed as an area or volume (geographically or civically defined) within which the vehicle is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence (e.g., 67% or 95%). The position of a vehicle may further be a relative position including, for example, a distance and direction or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates defined relative to some origin at a known location, which may be defined geographically, or in municipal terms, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the descriptions contained herein, the use of the term position may include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated.

[0124] References throughout this specification to "one example," "an example," "some examples," "in one embodiment," or "exemplary implementation" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the feature and / or example may be included in at least one feature and / or example of the claimed subject matter. Thus, the phrases "in one example," "an example," "in some examples," "in some implementations," or "in one embodiment," or other similar phrases appearing throughout the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same features, examples, and / or limitations. Furthermore, these particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined or modified in one or more examples and / or features and across various embodiments. Furthermore, in various embodiments, references to carrier phase, GNSS carrier phase, and / or GNSS phase measurements may apply to GNSS carrier phase and GNSS carrier phase measurements. However, in one embodiment, these techniques may also be applied to other signal sources, such as ground base stations and access points. Furthermore, in various embodiments, other phase differences (such as code phase differences) may be utilized in alternatives or in combination with carrier phase. The specified embodiments are not intended to be limiting with respect to implementations, which may vary in detail; one skilled in the art will recognize that other, non-specified embodiments may be used with or modify the described embodiments.

[0125] Some parts of the detailed description included herein are presented in the form of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on binary digital signals stored in the memory of a specific device or a dedicated computing device or platform. In the context of this particular specification, the term specific device, etc., once programmed to perform specific operations according to instructions from program software, includes a general-purpose computer. Algorithmic descriptions or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by ordinary technicians in signal processing or related fields to convey the essence of their work to other technicians in the field. The algorithm here is generally considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations or similar signal processing that leads to a desired result. In this context, operations or processing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities can take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transferred, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. Mainly for reasons of common use, it has been proven that it is sometimes convenient to refer to such signals as bits, data, values, steps, code elements, characters, items, numbers, numerical values, etc. However, it should be understood that all of these or similar terms are associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as is apparent from the discussion herein, it should be appreciated that throughout this specification, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," etc. refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus such as a special purpose computer, a special purpose computing apparatus, or a similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals that are typically represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities within a memory, register, or other information storage device, transmission device, or display device of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0126] The wireless communication technology described herein can be combined with various wireless communication networks, such as a wireless wide area network ("WAN"), a wireless local area network ("WLAN"), a wireless personal area network (PAN), etc. The terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably herein. A WAN can be a code division multiple access ("CDMA") network, a time division multiple access ("TDMA") network, a frequency division multiple access ("FDMA") network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access ("OFDMA") network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access ("SC-FDMA") network, a long term evolution ("LTE"), a fifth generation ("5G"), or any combination of the above networks, etc. A CDMA network can implement one or more radio access technologies ("RAT"), such as cdma2000, wideband CDMA ("W-CDMA"), to name just a few examples of radio technologies. Here, cdma2000 may include technologies implemented according to IS-95, IS-2000, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement a Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM"), a Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System ("D-AMPS"), or some other RAT. GSM and W-CDMA are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" ("3GPP"). CDMA2000 is described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" ("3GPP2"). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. In one aspect, a 4G Long Term Evolution ("LTE") communication network may also be implemented in accordance with the claimed subject matter. A WLAN may include an IEEE 802.11x network, while a PAN may include a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x (e.g., including a Zigbee network). The wireless communication implementations described herein may also be used with any combination of a WAN, a WLAN, or a PAN.

[0127] On the other hand, as previously mentioned, a wireless transmitter or access point may include a wireless transceiver device for extending cellular telephone service into a business or home or vehicle. In such an implementation, for example, one or more vehicles may communicate with the wireless transceiver device via a code division multiple access ("CDMA") cellular communication protocol.

[0128] The techniques described herein may be used with a satellite positioning system ("SPS"), including any of several global navigation satellite systems ("GNSS", such as the Global Positioning System "GPS", Russia's GLONASS system and the European Union's Galileo system, and China's BeiDou and BeiDou-2 systems) and / or a combination of GNSS. In addition, such techniques may be used with positioning systems that utilize ground-based transmitters that act as "pseudolites" or a combination of SVs and such ground-based transmitters. For example, a ground-based transmitter may include a ground-based transmitter that broadcasts a PN code or other ranging code (e.g., similar to a GPS or CDMA cellular signal). Such a transmitter may be assigned a unique PN code to permit identification by a remote receiver. For example, in scenarios where SPS signals from an orbiting SV may not be available (such as in tunnels, mines, buildings, urban canyons, or other enclosed areas), ground-based transmitters may be useful, for example, to enhance SPS. Another implementation of a pseudolite is known as a radio beacon. The term "SV" as used herein is intended to include ground-based transmitters that act as pseudolites, equivalents of pseudolites, and possibly other items. The terms "SPS signal" and / or "SV signal" as used herein are intended to include SPS-like signals from ground-based transmitters (including ground-based transmitters that act as pseudolites or equivalents of pseudolites).

[0129] In the above detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the art are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the claimed subject matter.

[0130] As used herein, the terms "and," "or," and "and / or" may include various meanings that are also intended to depend, at least in part, on the context in which such terms are used. In general, "or," if used in connection with a list, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C (where used in an inclusive sense) as well as A, B, or C (where used in an exclusive sense). Additionally, the terms "one or more," as used herein, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular, or may be used to describe a plurality of features, structures, or characteristics, or some other combination thereof. It should be noted, however, that this is merely an illustrative example, and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example.

[0131] While what is presently considered to be example features has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various other modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted, without departing from the claimed subject matter. Additionally, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular scenario to the teachings of the claimed subject matter without departing from the central concept described herein.

[0132] Therefore, it is intended that the claimed subject matter not be limited to the particular examples disclosed, but that the claimed subject matter may also include all aspects falling within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0133] For implementations involving firmware and / or software, these methodologies can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions can be used to implement the methodologies described herein. For example, software code can be stored in a memory and executed by a processor unit. The memory can be implemented within the processor unit or outside the processor unit. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or the type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0134] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the function may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable storage medium. Examples include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer programs. Computer-readable media include physical computer storage media. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, FLASH, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, semiconductor storage or other storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where the disks often reproduce data magnetically, while the discs reproduce data optically with lasers. The above combination should also be included in the scope of computer-readable media.

[0135] In addition to being stored on a computer-readable storage medium, instructions and / or data may also be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in a communication device. For example, the communication device may include a transceiver having signals indicating instructions and data. These instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communication device includes a transmission medium having signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions. At a first time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a first portion of information for performing the disclosed functions, and at a second time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a second portion of information for performing the disclosed functions.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a roadside unit, comprising: broadcasting location information and identification information from a vehicle; receiving, at the vehicle, from the roadside unit a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data, or a combination thereof; sending the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof from the vehicle to the roadside unit; receiving at least one action request from the roadside unit at the vehicle; as well as Perform at least one of the requested actions. The method of claim 1 , wherein the broadcasted location information includes latitude and longitude information. The method of claim 1 , wherein the broadcasted position information includes speed and heading information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Broadcast status information or priority information or a combination thereof. The method of claim 1 , wherein the periodic GNSS measurement data comprises phase offset information about at least one GNSS satellite signal. The method of claim 1 , wherein the periodic GNSS measurement data comprises pseudorange information about at least one GNSS satellite signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor-based measurement data includes vehicle acceleration data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor-based measurement data includes wheel rotation information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action request includes a request to park and a parking location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the parking position is relative to another vehicle, a pedestrian, or an object. The method of claim 9 , wherein the parking location is relative to an intersection. 12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one action request includes a request to change lanes and a lane change direction.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action request comprises a request to coordinate an action with at least one vehicle or to drive at a specified speed, or a combination thereof.

14. A means of transport, comprising: Wireless transceiver; GNSS receiver; Memory; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver, the GNSS receiver, and the memory; wherein the one or more processors are configured to: broadcasting location information and identification information via the wireless transceiver; receiving, via the wireless transceiver, a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof from a roadside unit; sending the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof to the roadside unit via the wireless transceiver; receiving at least one action request from the roadside unit via the wireless transceiver; as well as Perform at least one of the requested actions.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the broadcasted location information includes latitude and longitude information.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the broadcasted position information includes speed and heading information.

17. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to broadcast status information or priority information or a combination thereof.

18. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the periodic GNSS measurement data includes phase offset information regarding at least one GNSS satellite signal.

19. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the periodic GNSS measurement data includes pseudorange information about at least one GNSS satellite signal.

20. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the sensor-based measurement data includes vehicle acceleration data.

21. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the sensor-based measurement data includes wheel rotation information.

22. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the at least one action request includes a request to park and a parking location.

23. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein the parking position is relative to another vehicle, a pedestrian, or an object.

24. The vehicle of claim 22, wherein the parking location is relative to an intersection.

25. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the at least one action request includes a request to change lanes and a direction of the lane change.

26. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the at least one maneuver request comprises a request to coordinate maneuvers with at least one vehicle or to drive at a specified speed, or a combination thereof.

27. A means of transport, comprising: means for broadcasting location information and identification information; means for receiving a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof from a roadside unit; means for sending the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof to the roadside unit; means for receiving at least one action request from said roadside unit; as well as Means for performing at least one requested action.

28. The vehicle of claim 27, wherein the periodic GNSS measurement data includes phase offset information regarding at least one GNSS satellite signal.

29. The vehicle of claim 27, wherein the periodic GNSS measurement data includes pseudorange information about at least one GNSS satellite signal.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions causing one or more processors on a vehicle to: broadcasting location information and identification information from the vehicle; receiving, at the vehicle, from a roadside unit, a request for periodic GNSS measurement data or sensor-based measurement data, or a combination thereof; sending the periodic GNSS measurement data or the sensor-based measurement data or a combination thereof to the roadside unit; receiving at least one action request from the roadside unit at the vehicle; as well as At least one requested action is performed by the vehicle.

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