Positioning system and method

Abstract

A positioning system and method are used for providing positioning information with different precisions, can meet positioning requirements of different application functions, and meanwhile saves hardware cost. The positioning system comprises a first GNSS antenna (11), a vehicle-mounted communication device (12) and a controller (13). The first GNSS antenna (11) is used for acquiring satellite data and transmitting the satellite data to the vehicle-mounted communication device (12); the vehicle-mounted communication device (12) is used for determining first positioning information according to satellite data and / or first IMU data and transmitting the satellite data to the controller (13); the controller (13) is used for determining second positioning information according to the satellite data and the second IMU data; wherein the precision of the second positioning information is higher than that of the first positioning information. The positioning system not only can perform low-precision positioning, but also can perform high-precision positioning, can meet the positioning requirements of different application functions in a vehicle-mounted scene, and only needs to design one set of GNSS antenna, so that the hardware cost can be reduced.

Description

Positioning system and method Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of smart car technology, and in particular to a positioning system and method. Background Art

[0002] Positioning and timing systems are key components of smart cars, used for functions such as emergency calls (ecalls), map navigation, and smart driving. With the rapid development of smart driving technology, the demand for high-performance navigation and positioning technology is becoming increasingly strong.

[0003] In the absence of high-precision positioning requirements (such as intelligent driving requirements), positioning can be achieved through a low-precision algorithm module carried by the vehicle communication device (such as T-Box). In the case of high-precision positioning requirements, positioning can be achieved through a high-precision algorithm module carried by the combined positioning module, where the combined positioning module is deployed independently of the vehicle communication device.

[0004] However, when high-precision positioning is required, two independent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna systems need to be deployed, one for the combined positioning module and the other for the on-board communication device, which leads to high hardware costs.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a positioning system and method for providing positioning information of different accuracies, which can meet the positioning requirements of different application functions while saving hardware costs.

[0007] In a first aspect, a positioning system is provided, comprising a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna, a vehicle-mounted communication device, and a controller, wherein the first GNSS antenna is connected to the vehicle-mounted communication device, and the controller is connected to the vehicle-mounted communication device; the first GNSS antenna is used to: acquire satellite data and transmit the satellite data to the vehicle-mounted communication device; the vehicle-mounted communication device is used to: determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data; and transmit the satellite data to the controller; the controller is used to: determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data; wherein the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information.

[0008] The positioning system provided in the embodiment of the present application can perform both low-precision positioning (such as the first positioning information) and high-precision positioning (such as the second positioning information), so it can meet the positioning requirements of different application functions in vehicle-mounted scenarios. In addition, the positioning system only needs to design a set of GNSS antennas. Compared with the existing technology, it can save a set of GNSS antennas, coaxial cables, connectors, power splitters and other devices, thereby reducing the hardware cost of the positioning system.

[0009] In one possible design, the controller is configured to determine second positioning information based on satellite data, second IMU data, and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) data. The second IMU data may be the same as or different from the first IMU data (or, the second IMU data may come from the same or different sources as the first IMU data).

[0010] In this design, the controller further integrates RTK data for positioning calculation based on satellite data and second IMU data, which can further improve the positioning accuracy of the controller.

[0011] In one possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that integrates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

[0012] In this way, the controller can be integrated into an existing controller that requires high-precision positioning, without the need to set up a separate module specifically for high-precision positioning, which can further reduce hardware costs.

[0013] In one possible design, the on-board communication device is further used to: determine time information based on satellite data; distribute the time information to the controller, and then the controller can determine the local reference time based on the time information distributed by the on-board communication device.

[0014] In this way, the controller and the vehicle-mounted communication device can unify the time reference, which can simplify the time management solution of the positioning system.

[0015] In one possible design, the controller and the on-board communication device are connected via a Controller Area Network-Flexible Data-Rate (CAN-FD) communication link or an on-board Ethernet communication link; the on-board communication device is used to transmit satellite data to the controller via the CAN-FD communication link or the on-board Ethernet communication link.

[0016] In this way, the transmission delay of satellite data can be reduced, the reliability of data transmission can be improved, and the positioning efficiency of the controller can be improved.

[0017] In one possible design, the on-board communication device is used to transmit satellite data to the controller when the controller is turned on, initialized and functions normally.

[0018] In this way, in scenarios where the controller initialization is not complete or not turned on, or the function is abnormal, the on-board communication device does not need to send satellite data to the controller, which can avoid invalid transmission of satellite data in the above scenarios, save equipment energy consumption, and improve data transmission reliability.

[0019] In one possible design, the vehicle-mounted communication device is further used to provide a first positioning service based on the first positioning information; and the controller is further used to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information.

[0020] In this way, the positioning system can provide positioning services with different positioning accuracy to meet the application requirements of different application functions.

[0021] In one possible design, the system further includes: an application function module, configured to provide application functions according to the second positioning service when the first positioning service and the second positioning service are received.

[0022] In this way, when the application function receives two positioning services, it will give priority to the high-precision positioning service to provide the application function to ensure the positioning capability.

[0023] In one possible design, the application functions include one or more of map navigation, vehicle to everything (V2X) wireless communication, smart driving, and emergency calls.

[0024] Of course, this is only an example and not a limitation, and other application functions may actually be included.

[0025] In a second aspect, a positioning method is provided, including: an on-board communication device for acquiring satellite data from a first GNSS antenna; the on-board communication device for determining first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data; the on-board communication device for transmitting the satellite data to a controller; wherein the satellite data is used to determine second positioning information, and the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than that of the first positioning information.

[0026] In one possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that integrates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

[0027] In one possible design, the method further includes: the on-board communication device is used to determine time information based on satellite data; and the on-board communication device is used to distribute the time information to the controller.

[0028] In one possible design, the controller is connected to the on-board communication device via a CAN-FD communication link or an on-board Ethernet communication link; the on-board communication device is used to transmit satellite data to the controller, including: the on-board communication device is used to transmit satellite data to the controller via a CAN-FD communication link or an on-board Ethernet communication link.

[0029] In one possible design, the on-board communication device is used to transmit satellite data to the controller, including: when the controller is turned on, initialized and functions normally, the on-board communication device transmits the satellite data to the controller.

[0030] In one possible design, the method further includes:

[0031] The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to provide a first positioning service according to the first positioning information.

[0032] In a third aspect, a positioning method is provided, including: a controller for receiving satellite data from a vehicle-mounted communication device; the controller for determining second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data; wherein the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is positioning information determined by the vehicle-mounted communication device.

[0033] In one possible design, the controller is used to determine the second positioning information based on satellite data and second IMU data, including: the controller is used to determine the second positioning information based on satellite data, second IMU data and RTK data.

[0034] In one possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that integrates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

[0035] In one possible design, the method further includes: the controller is used to receive time information from the vehicle-mounted communication device.

[0036] In one possible design, the controller is connected to the on-board communication device via a CAN-FD communication link or an on-board Ethernet communication link; the controller is used to receive satellite data from the on-board communication device, including: the controller is used to receive satellite data from the on-board communication device via a CAN-FD communication link or an on-board Ethernet communication link.

[0037] In one possible design, the controller is used to receive satellite data from the on-board communication device, including: when the controller is turned on, initialized and functions normally, the controller is used to receive satellite data from the on-board communication device.

[0038] In one possible design, the method also includes: the controller is used to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information.

[0039] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising modules / units / technical means for implementing the method described in the second aspect. Exemplarily, the communication device includes: a receiving module for acquiring satellite data from a first GNSS antenna; a processing module for determining first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or data from a first inertial measurement unit (IMU); and a transmitting module for transmitting the satellite data to a controller; wherein the satellite data is used to determine second positioning information, the second positioning information having a higher accuracy than the first positioning information.

[0040] In one possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that integrates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

[0041] In one possible design, the processing module is further used to determine time information based on satellite data; and the sending module is further used to distribute the time information to the controller.

[0042] In one possible design, the communication device is connected to the controller via a CAN-FD communication link or an on-board Ethernet communication link; the sending module is used to transmit satellite data to the controller via the CAN-FD communication link or the on-board Ethernet communication link.

[0043] In one possible design, the sending module is used to transmit satellite data to the controller when the controller is turned on, initialized and functions normally.

[0044] In one possible design, the processing module is further used to provide a first positioning service based on the first positioning information.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, a controller is provided, comprising modules / units / technical means for implementing the method described in the third aspect. Exemplarily, the controller includes: a receiving module for receiving satellite data from an onboard communication device; a processing module for determining second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data; wherein the second positioning information has a higher accuracy than the first positioning information, which is the positioning information determined by the onboard communication device.

[0046] In one possible design, the processing module is used to determine the second positioning information based on satellite data, second IMU data and RTK data.

[0047] In one possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that integrates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

[0048] In one possible design, the receiving module is further used to receive time information from the vehicle-mounted communication device.

[0049] In one possible design, the controller is connected to the on-board communication device via a CAN-FD communication link or an on-board Ethernet communication link; the receiving module is used to receive satellite data from the on-board communication device via the CAN-FD communication link or the on-board Ethernet communication link.

[0050] In one possible design, the receiving module is used to receive satellite data from the on-board communication device when the controller is turned on, initialized, and functions normally.

[0051] In one possible design, the processing module is further used to: provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information.

[0052] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other devices outside the device and send or receive signals to the processor or send signals from the processor to other devices outside the device, and the processor is used to implement the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect or the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0053] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect or the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect is implemented.

[0054] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer program product, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect or the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect.

[0055] In a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising a positioning system as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0056] The specific designs and beneficial effects of the above-mentioned second to ninth aspects can be referred to the corresponding designs and beneficial effects in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of two possible vehicle-mounted positioning systems;

[0059] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a specific positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of another specific positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of another specific positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG7 is a flow chart of a method for switching between a high-precision positioning mode and a low-precision positioning mode provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG8 is a flowchart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a controller provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to terminal devices with positioning functions. Among them, the terminal devices can be intelligent devices with positioning functions, for example, including but not limited to: intelligent transportation equipment, such as cars, ships, drones, trains, vans, trucks, etc.; intelligent manufacturing equipment, such as robots, industrial equipment, intelligent logistics, smart factories, etc.; smart home devices, such as televisions, sweeping robots, etc. Alternatively, the terminal device can also be a computer device with positioning functions, such as desktop computers, personal computers, servers, etc. It should also be understood that the terminal device can also be a portable electronic device with positioning capabilities, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, PDAs, headphones, speakers, wearable devices (such as smart watches), vehicle-mounted devices, virtual reality devices, augmented reality devices, etc.

[0070] The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on the specific type of terminal device. For the convenience of description, this article mainly takes the terminal device as a vehicle-mounted device as an example.

[0071] For example, referring to FIG1 , an application scenario diagram is provided for an embodiment of the present application. In a vehicle-mounted scenario, functions such as emergency call (ecall), map navigation, and intelligent driving all need to rely on the vehicle-mounted positioning system.

[0072] See Figure 2A, which is a schematic diagram of a possible in-vehicle positioning system. The system includes: a communication box (T-Box), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna, a gateway, an airbag, an in-vehicle infotainment system (IVI) navigation module, etc. The T-Box includes an MCU and a GNSS chip. The GNSS chip can process the analog satellite signals received by the GNSS antenna to obtain digital satellite signals. The MCU can perform positioning calculations based on the digital satellite signals output by the GNSS chip to obtain information such as position, speed, and time. In addition, the T-Box can also obtain IMU information from a local (such as an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU)) or an airbag's IMU module (the airbag's IMU module is used as an example in Figure 2A), and then combine the IMU information for fusion positioning. In the system shown in Figure 2A, the positioning and timing of the entire in-vehicle positioning system are distributed by the T-Box.

[0073] However, due to the performance limitations of the T-Box, the system shown in Figure 2A can only perform low-precision positioning (i.e., the GNSS chip in the T-Box is a low-precision GNSS chip), which cannot meet the high-precision positioning requirements of application functions such as intelligent driving.

[0074] See Figure 2B, which is a schematic diagram of another possible vehicle-mounted positioning system. This system differs from the system shown in Figure 2A in that: 1. This system adds an additional combined positioning module (including a microcontroller unit (MCU) or system on chip (SOC), as well as a high-precision GNSS chip, etc.) specifically for carrying high-precision positioning functions. The combined positioning module and the T-BOX are deployed independently; 2. Two independent GNSS antennas are deployed, specifically using dual GNSS antennas or a single antenna + power splitter + coaxial cable (Figure 2B uses the deployment of two independent GNSS antennas as an example). One GNSS antenna is responsible for transmitting satellite signals to the T-Box for low-precision positioning, and the other GNSS antenna is responsible for transmitting satellite signals to the combined positioning module for high-precision positioning.

[0075] Among them, the GNSS chip in the T-Box can be called a low-precision GNSS chip, and the GNSS chip in the combined positioning module can be called a high-precision GNSS chip.

[0076] It is understandable that the terms "high-precision" and "low-precision" in this article are relative. In one possible implementation, the main difference between high-precision GNSS chips and low-precision GNSS chips is that they have more satellites to search for. For example, low-precision GNSS chips generally support the single-frequency L1 of the Global Positioning System (GPS), while high-precision GNSS chips can support dual-frequency or multi-frequency, such as GPS L1 / L2 / L5 and BeiDou B1 / B2 / B3. L1, L2, and L5 represent the three frequency bands in GPS, and B1, B2, and B3 represent the three frequency bands in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). For details, see the relevant definitions in GPS and BDS.

[0077] However, the system shown in Figure 2B requires additional computing chips (such as an MCU / SOC) and a GNSS antenna to implement the combined positioning module, resulting in high hardware costs. Furthermore, the T-BOX and combined positioning module each generate a different time, resulting in two reference times in the system. (For example, after both the T-BOX and combined positioning module distribute time to the intelligent driving controller, the intelligent driving controller now has two different times: the business side of the intelligent driving controller uses the time generated by the combined positioning module as the reference time, while the management side uses the time generated by the T-BOX as the reference time.) This complicates system time management.

[0078] In order to solve one or more of the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a positioning system and method.

[0079] Refer to Figure 3, which is a structural diagram of a positioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The system includes a first global navigation satellite system GNSS antenna 11, a vehicle-mounted communication device 12, and a controller 13, wherein the first GNSS antenna 11 is connected to the vehicle-mounted communication device 12, and the controller 13 is connected to the vehicle-mounted communication device 12.

[0080] 1. First GNSS antenna 11:

[0081] The first GNSS antenna 11 is used to acquire satellite data. For example, the first GNSS antenna 11 can receive satellite signals transmitted by satellites, which are analog signals. Specifically, for example, satellites periodically broadcast their own ephemeris information, and the first GNSS antenna 11 can receive ephemeris information broadcast by one or more satellites.

[0082] It will be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number and type of satellites. For example, the types of satellites include but are not limited to GPS, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and / or Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS).

[0083] After acquiring satellite data, the first GNSS antenna 11 may transmit the satellite data to the in-vehicle communication device 12 .

[0084] 2. Vehicle-mounted communication device 12:

[0085] The vehicle-mounted communication device 12 is configured to determine first positioning information based on satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data.

[0086] In a specific implementation, as shown in FIG4 , the vehicle-mounted communication device 12 includes a GNSS chip 121 and a processing chip, and the processing chip is specifically, for example, an MCU 122 .

[0087] The satellite data output by the first GNSS antenna 11 is an analog signal. The GNSS chip 121 is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion, ephemeris analysis, and other processing on the satellite data output by the first GNSS antenna 11 to obtain the satellite data in the form of a digital signal.

[0088] In one possible design, the number of satellites searched by the GNSS chip 121 is greater than a preset value. In this way, the satellite data output by the GNSS chip 121 can be guaranteed to have high accuracy and can simultaneously meet the positioning requirements of the on-board communication device 12 and the controller 13.

[0089] The MCU 122 is provided with a first position, velocity, and time (PVT) calculation module (the specific implementation of this module can be a computer program or instruction, etc.), which is used to calculate the satellite data output by the GNSS chip 121 to obtain the position, velocity, time and other information of the positioned device (such as the terminal device where the positioning system is located, such as a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted terminal).

[0090] Optionally, as shown in FIG4 , a first dead reckoning (DR) module may also be provided in the MCU 122 for performing positioning calculations based on the first IMU data to obtain information such as position and driving trajectory. Specifically, dead reckoning is to obtain the displacement and heading of the vehicle from the previous position based on the vehicle speed and the vehicle angular velocity, and to infer the current position of the vehicle in combination with the previous position. The first IMU data may be obtained from the IMU in the airbag, or from a local location (such as an onboard IMU), and this application does not impose any restrictions. Setting the first DR module can ensure that positioning calculations can be achieved even when the satellite signal quality is poor (for example, when the satellite signal is affected by factors such as wireless signal obstruction and multipath interference in tunnels, jungles, and high-rise buildings).

[0091] It is understandable that, in specific implementation, MCU122 can perform positioning based on PVT technology, or based on DR technology, or based on fusion positioning of PVT technology and DR technology, and this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0092] Optionally, as shown in FIG4 , MCU 122 may also include a communication module (e.g., a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) wireless communication technology module) for enabling communication between the vehicle and other devices. V2X is a new generation of information and communication technology that connects vehicles to everything, where V represents the vehicle and X represents any object that interacts with the vehicle. Currently, X primarily includes vehicles, people, roadside infrastructure, and networks. Of course, in actual applications, the communication module can also be implemented based on other technologies, such as cellular communication technology, and this application does not impose any limitations.

[0093] In one possible example, the in-vehicle communication device 12 may be a T-Box.

[0094] In an embodiment of the present application, the controller 13 is connected to the vehicle-mounted communication device 12, and the vehicle-mounted communication device 12 can also transmit satellite data (specifically, satellite data in the form of digital signals output by the GNSS chip 121) to the controller 13 for positioning by the controller 13.

[0095] 3. Controller 13:

[0096] The controller 13 is used to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data (e.g., in the form of digital signals) and / or the second IMU data transmitted by the on-board communication device 12. The sources of the second IMU data and the first IMU data may be the same or different. In one possible example, the first IMU data comes from the airbag and the first IMU data comes from the local onboard IMU, which is not limited in this application. The local onboard IMU can be integrated into the controller 13 or be set outside the controller 13 without limitation.

[0097] In a specific implementation, as shown in FIG4 , the controller 13 may be provided with a second PVT solution module and a second DR module, which are respectively used to calculate the satellite data and the second IMU data, perform a fusion positioning calculation using PVT technology and DR technology, and then output the second positioning information. The specific implementation of the second PVT solution module can refer to the first PVT solution module above, and the specific implementation of the second DR module can refer to the first DR module above, and will not be repeated here.

[0098] In one possible design, the source of the satellite data used by the controller 13 and the on-board communication device 12 for positioning calculations is the satellite data acquired by the first GNSS antenna 11, but the difference is that the controller 13 and the on-board communication device 12 can select different data from the satellite data for positioning calculations when performing positioning calculations. For example, the accuracy of the data part used by the controller 13 is higher than the accuracy of the data part used by the on-board communication device 12. Specifically, the data used by the controller 13 corresponds to more satellite searches. In this way, the accuracy of the second positioning information determined by the controller 13 is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information determined by the on-board communication device 12.

[0099] For example, the satellite data output by the GNSS chip 121 in the vehicle communication device 12 includes data from the GPS L1 frequency band, data from the Beidou B1 frequency band, and data from the Beidou B2 frequency band. The vehicle communication device 12 determines first positioning information based on the GPS L1 frequency band data (i.e., single frequency), and the controller 13 determines second positioning information based on the GPS L1 frequency band data, the Beidou B1 frequency band data, and the Beidou B2 frequency band data (i.e., multi-frequency).

[0100] In one possible design, the accuracy of the first IMU data is lower than the accuracy of the second IMU data. In this way, the accuracy of the second positioning information determined by the controller 13 is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information determined by the on-board communication device 12.

[0101] From the above description, it can be seen that the positioning system provided in the embodiment of the present application can perform both low-precision positioning and high-precision positioning, so it can meet the positioning requirements of different application functions in vehicle-mounted scenarios, and the entire positioning system only needs to design one set of GNSS antennas (i.e., the first GNSS antenna 11). Compared with the existing technology, it can save a set of GNSS antennas, coaxial cables, connectors, power splitters and other devices, thereby also reducing the hardware cost of the positioning system.

[0102] It should be noted that this article takes the provision of two types of positioning information with different accuracies (i.e., the first positioning information and the second positioning information) as an example. In actual applications, it can also be expanded to a solution that provides more than two types of positioning information with different accuracies. For example, referring to the deployment method of controller 13, another controller is deployed, which can provide third positioning information. The accuracy of the third positioning information is not used for the accuracy of the second positioning information, and is different from the accuracy of the first positioning service.

[0103] In one possible design, the controller 13 can specifically determine the second positioning information based on satellite data, the second IMU data, and real-time kinematic (RTK) data. In other words, the controller 13 can combine PCT technology, DR technology, and RTK technology for fusion positioning. For example, as shown in FIG4 , an RTK module can also be provided in the controller 13 for calculating the RTK data. The RTK data can be obtained by the vehicle-mounted communication device 12 from a ground station (such as a reference station, a central station, etc.) and forwarded to the controller 13.

[0104] It can be understood that RTK positioning technology is a real-time dynamic positioning technology based on carrier phase difference, including conventional RTK positioning technology and network RTK technology.

[0105] The implementation of RTK positioning technology requires a reference station, which continuously receives GNSS satellite information and can provide its own high-precision position information in real time. RTK positioning technology can achieve centimeter-level positioning in open, unobstructed outdoor environments. In conventional RTK positioning technology, the reference station continuously observes GNSS satellite information and transmits the observation results to the terminal device where the positioning system is located (such as a vehicle-mounted terminal). The vehicle-mounted terminal uses the Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS) algorithm to calculate its own precise position based on the GNSS satellite information from the reference station and its own GNSS observation results, with centimeter-level accuracy.

[0106] Network RTK technology is a positioning technology based on conventional RTK technology. The basic principle of Network RTK technology is to set up multiple reference stations and a central station within a large area. The central station is a device with data calculation and processing capabilities. The reference station continuously observes GNSS satellite information as required and sends the observation results to the central station. The central station determines the differential correction information based on the initial position information sent by the vehicle-mounted terminal and sends it to the vehicle-mounted terminal. The initial position information is the position information initially determined by the vehicle-mounted terminal based on satellite signals. According to the technical algorithm, Network RTK positioning technology can be divided into Virtual Reference Station (VRS), Master-Auxiliary Concept (MAC), and Regional Correction Number (FKP) technology.

[0107] In this way, the controller 13 performs fusion positioning calculation based on satellite data, the second IMU data and the RTK data, which can further improve the positioning accuracy of the controller 13.

[0108] In one possible design, controller 13 can be integrated into an existing controller that requires high-precision positioning. This allows such controllers to obtain high-precision positioning information more quickly, thereby improving service quality. For example, controller 13 can be an intelligent driving controller, an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that integrates multiple functions such as driving control, cockpit control, or body control. In a specific example, as shown in Figure 5, controller 13 is integrated into the intelligent driving controller 14.

[0109] In this way, there is no need to set up a separate module specifically for high-precision positioning, which can further reduce hardware costs.

[0110] In one possible design, the onboard communication device 12 is further configured to determine time information based on satellite data and distribute this time information to vehicle components. These vehicle components include those requiring time information, such as, but not limited to, the intelligent driving controller 14 (or controller 13), the intelligent cockpit controller, and the gateway. Accordingly, these vehicle components can determine their local reference time based on the time information distributed by the onboard communication device 12.

[0111] The reference time includes management plane time and business plane time. The management plane time is mainly used to record the event processing of each processing module within the controller 13, such as the time when the Over the Air Technology (OTA) upgrade was performed and the time when the fault was discovered. The data plane time is mainly used for the time synchronization of the controller 13 (for example, the timestamp management of radar and camera), the fusion processing of various sensors, path planning and vehicle control, etc., mainly providing time for the business layer.

[0112] In specific implementation, time information can be distributed to vehicle components through the gateway for timing through the Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet (Eth) interface, or the Controller Area Network (CAN) (specifically, for example, the Controller Area Network-Flexible Data-Rate (CAN-FD)) + Pulse per second (PPS) interface. It can be understood that the interface in this article can also be described as a communication link or transmission channel (for example, the CAN-FD interface can be described as a CAN-FD communication link). In addition, this article takes the in-vehicle scenario as an example, and the Ethernet in the in-vehicle scenario can also be called in-vehicle Ethernet.

[0113] For example, as shown in Figure 6 , the positioning system may also include a gateway 15, an airbag 16, an IVI navigation module 17, and the like. Two communication links exist between the gateway and the in-vehicle communication device 12: a CAN-FD communication link and an Ethernet communication link. CAN-FD or Ethernet communication links are used between the gateway 15 and the airbag 16, the IVI navigation module 17, the controller 13, and the like. The in-vehicle communication device 12 can distribute time information to the airbag 16, the IVI navigation module 17, the controller 13, and the like via the gateway. It should be understood that Figure 6 is merely an example and not a specific limitation.

[0114] In this way, each component in the vehicle positioning system can achieve a unified time base, simplifying the time management scheme for vehicle-mounted equipment. Taking controller 13 as an example, after receiving the time information distributed by the vehicle-mounted communication device 12, controller 13 determines the local reference time based on the time information distributed by the vehicle-mounted communication device 12. When performing PVT settlement on satellite data, controller 13 can omit the relevant calculations of the time information or discard the time information obtained after performing PVT settlement on the satellite data, thereby ensuring the consistency of the reference time of controller 13 and the reference time of the vehicle-mounted communication device 12. Furthermore, because the time information is generated by the vehicle-mounted communication device 12, it has high real-time performance. Compared with the controller 13 determining the time information based on the satellite data after receiving it, it can avoid the problem of inaccurate time information caused by the delay of satellite data in link forwarding, and can improve the accuracy of the entire vehicle time.

[0115] In one possible design, a dedicated transmission channel is provided between the controller 13 and the onboard communication device 12 for the onboard communication device 12 to transmit satellite data to the controller 13. Examples include, but are not limited to, a CAN-FD communication link, an onboard Ethernet communication link, and the like. For example, FIG6 shows a dedicated transmission channel between the controller 13 and the onboard communication device 12 being a CAN-FD or Ethernet communication link.

[0116] In this way, the transmission delay of satellite data can be reduced, the reliability of data transmission can be improved, and the positioning efficiency of the controller 13 can be improved.

[0117] In one possible design, considering that the initialization speed of the controller 13 (such as SOC) is slower than that of the on-board communication device 12 (such as T-Box), and some scenarios (such as insufficient battery power and the start of extreme power saving scenarios) cause the controller 13 to not turn on or malfunction, the on-board communication device 12 specifically transmits satellite data to the controller 13 when the controller 13 is turned on, initialized, and functions normally.

[0118] In this way, invalid transmission of satellite data can be avoided, energy consumption can be saved, and the reliability of data transmission can be improved.

[0119] In one possible design, the on-board communication device 12 is further used to provide a first positioning service based on the first positioning information (for example, generating a first positioning service based on the first positioning information and time information); the controller 13 is further used to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information (for example, generating a second positioning service based on the second positioning information and time information). The application function module on the on-board device can subscribe to the first positioning service from the on-board communication device 12 and / or subscribe to the second positioning service from the controller 13, and then provide corresponding application functions based on the first positioning service and / or the second positioning service. Among them, the application functions include but are not limited to one or more of map navigation, vehicle wireless communication V2X, intelligent driving, emergency calls, etc.

[0120] For example, taking the application function as intelligent driving as an example, the application function module may be the intelligent driving controller 14, and the intelligent driving controller 14 may provide the user with intelligent driving services (such as automatic driving, or assisted driving, etc.) based on the second positioning service.

[0121] For example, taking the application function as map navigation, the application function module may be a vehicle navigation system (for example, the vehicle navigation system is integrated in the smart cockpit controller), and the vehicle navigation system may provide map navigation services to users based on the first positioning service.

[0122] In this way, the positioning system can provide positioning services with different positioning accuracies to the vehicle-mounted equipment to meet the application requirements of different application functions.

[0123] In one possible design, when the application function module receives only the first positioning service, it provides the application function based on the first positioning service; when the application function module receives both the first and second positioning services, it provides the application function based on the second positioning service. In other words, when the application function receives only one positioning service, it provides the application function based on the received positioning service. When it receives two or more positioning services, it prioritizes the high-precision positioning service for providing the application function.

[0124] As a specific example, referring to FIG. 7 , a method for switching between a high-precision positioning mode and a low-precision positioning mode is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The process includes:

[0125] S701. After the vehicle is started, the T-Box (corresponding to the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted communication device 12) generates low-precision positioning information (corresponding to the above-mentioned first positioning information) and time information; the time information is distributed to the vehicle components through the gateway for timing; the T-Box generates a low-precision positioning service (corresponding to the above-mentioned first positioning service) to ensure the vehicle's emergency call function. In addition, the T-Box can also provide low-precision positioning services to application function modules such as the IVI navigation module to meet the vehicle's basic navigation and positioning functions;

[0126] S702, the T-Box monitors the status of the intelligent driving controller (corresponding to the above-mentioned controller 13) and determines whether the intelligent driving controller is initialized; if so, proceed to S703, otherwise return to S701;

[0127] S703, T-Box transmits satellite data to the intelligent driving controller through a dedicated transmission channel; T-Box distributes time information to the intelligent driving controller through the gateway; RTK data from the ground station is forwarded to the intelligent driving controller via the T-Box;

[0128] S704: The intelligent driving controller generates high-precision positioning information (corresponding to the second positioning information) based on satellite data, IMU data, RTK data, etc., and generates a high-precision positioning service (corresponding to the second positioning service) based on the high-precision positioning information and time information. Application function modules such as the T-Box and IVI navigation module switch to high-precision positioning mode and call the high-precision positioning service provided by the intelligent driving device to provide vehicle positioning, V2X, IVI navigation and other functions.

[0129] S705: When the vehicle is in an extreme power-saving scenario or the intelligent driving controller malfunctions, application function modules such as the T-Box and IVI navigation module switch to low-precision positioning mode, and the low-precision positioning service based on the T-Box provides functions such as emergency calls and basic navigation positioning.

[0130] In this way, vehicle-level positioning redundancy design can be achieved, positioning modes can be switched according to scenarios, and solution availability can be improved.

[0131] It is understandable that the above-mentioned design methods can be implemented separately or in combination with each other.

[0132] Based on the same technical concept, referring to FIG8 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a positioning method, including:

[0133] S801: The first GNSS antenna 11 acquires satellite data and transmits the satellite data to the vehicle-mounted communication device 12; accordingly, the vehicle-mounted communication device 12 receives the satellite data;

[0134] S802, the vehicle communication device 12 determines first positioning information based on satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit IMU data;

[0135] S803, the vehicle-mounted communication device 12 is used to transmit satellite data to the controller 13; accordingly, the controller 13 receives the satellite data;

[0136] It should be noted that this application does not limit the order of S802 and S803. For example, the vehicle-mounted communication device 12 may transmit the satellite data to the controller 13 after determining the first positioning information, or may transmit the satellite data to the controller 13 and then determine the first positioning information, or may transmit the satellite data to the controller 13 while determining the first positioning information.

[0137] S804. The controller 13 determines second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data; wherein the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information.

[0138] The specific implementation of each of the above method steps can be referred to the relevant description above and will not be repeated here.

[0139] Based on the same technical concept, referring to FIG9 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes modules / units / technical means for implementing the method performed by the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted communication device 12 . The device includes:

[0140] Receiving module 901, configured to obtain satellite data from a first GNSS antenna;

[0141] A processing module 902 is configured to determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data;

[0142] The sending module 903 is configured to transmit the satellite data to a controller; wherein the satellite data is used to determine second positioning information, and the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information.

[0143] Based on the same technical concept, referring to FIG10 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a controller, including modules / units / technical means for implementing the method executed by the above-mentioned controller 13 . The controller includes:

[0144] Receiving module 1001, used to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device;

[0145] A processing module 1002 is configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data;

[0146] The accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is the positioning information determined by the vehicle-mounted communication device.

[0147] The specific implementation methods of the above modules to perform corresponding functions refer to the relevant description in the above positioning system, which will not be repeated here.

[0148] Based on the same technical concept, referring to Figure 11, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which includes: at least one processor 1101 and an interface circuit 1102; the interface circuit 1102 is used to receive signals from other devices outside the device 1100 and transmit them to the processor 1101 or send signals from the processor 1101 to other devices outside the device, and the processor 1101 is used to implement the method executed by the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted communication device 12 or controller 13 through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0149] It should be understood that the processors mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that is implemented by reading software code stored in a memory.

[0150] Exemplarily, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0151] It should be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM).

[0152] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0153] It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0154] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including a program or instruction. When the program or instruction runs on a computer, the method executed by the above-mentioned vehicle communication device 12 or controller 13 is executed.

[0155] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product containing instructions. The computer program product stores instructions that, when run on a computer, enable the method executed by the above-mentioned vehicle communication device 12 or controller 13 to be executed.

[0156] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application also provide a terminal device including the aforementioned positioning system. The terminal device can be a vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, intelligent transportation equipment, or smart home device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific form of the terminal device.

[0157] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0158] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0159] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0160] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0161] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of protection of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

[0162] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

Claims

1. A positioning system, characterized in that: The vehicle comprises a first global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna, an on-vehicle communication device, and a controller, wherein the first GNSS antenna is connected to the on-vehicle communication device, and the controller is connected to the on-vehicle communication device; The first GNSS antenna is used to: acquire satellite data and transmit the satellite data to the vehicle-mounted communication device; The vehicle-mounted communication device is configured to: determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data; and transmit the satellite data to the controller; The controller is used to: determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data; The accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than that of the first positioning information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein The controller is used to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data, the second IMU data and real-time dynamic carrier phase difference technology RTK data.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller integrating multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The vehicle-mounted communication device is further configured to: determine time information based on the satellite data; and distribute the time information to the controller.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The controller is connected to the vehicle via a Controller Area Network (CAN)-FD communication link with flexible data rate or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link; The on-vehicle communication device is used to transmit the satellite data to the controller via the CAN-FD communication link or the on-vehicle Ethernet communication link.

6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to transmit the satellite data to the controller when the controller is turned on, initialized and functions normally.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The vehicle-mounted communication device is further configured to: provide a first positioning service according to the first positioning information; The controller is further configured to provide a second positioning service according to the second positioning information.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The system further comprises: The application function module is configured to: upon receiving the first positioning service and the second positioning service, provide an application function according to the second positioning service.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein The application functions include one or more of map navigation, vehicle wireless communication V2X, intelligent driving, and emergency call.

10. A positioning method, characterized in that: include: The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to obtain satellite data from the first GNSS antenna; The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit IMU data; The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to transmit the satellite data to a controller; wherein the satellite data is used to determine second positioning information, and the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller integrating multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein: Also includes: The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to determine time information based on the satellite data; The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to distribute the time information to the controller.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The controller is connected to the communication link via a CAN-FD communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link; The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to transmit the satellite data to the controller, including: The on-vehicle communication device is used to transmit the satellite data to the controller via the CAN-FD communication link or the on-vehicle Ethernet communication link.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: The vehicle-mounted communication device is used to transmit the satellite data to the controller, including: When the controller is turned on and initialized and functions normally, the vehicle-mounted communication device transmits the satellite data to the controller.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further comprises: The vehicle-mounted communication device is configured to provide a first positioning service according to the first positioning information.

16. A positioning method, characterized in that: include: The controller is used to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device; The controller is used to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data; The accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is the positioning information determined by the vehicle-mounted communication device.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The controller is configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data, including: The controller is used to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data, the second IMU data and the RTK data.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller integrating multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or body control.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein: The method further comprises: The controller is used to receive time information from the vehicle-mounted communication device.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein: The controller is connected to the communication link via a CAN-FD communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link; The controller is used to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device, including: The controller is configured to receive the satellite data from the on-vehicle communication device via the CAN-FD communication link or the on-vehicle Ethernet communication link.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein: The controller is used to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device, including: When the controller is turned on and initialized and functions normally, the controller is used to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein The method further comprises: The controller is configured to provide a second positioning service according to the second positioning information.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A receiving module, configured to obtain satellite data from a first GNSS antenna; a processing module, configured to determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data; A sending module is used to transmit the satellite data to a controller; wherein the satellite data is used to determine second positioning information, and the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information.

24. A controller, characterized in that: include: a receiving module, configured to receive satellite data from an on-board communication device; a processing module, configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data; The accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is the positioning information determined by the vehicle-mounted communication device.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor and interface circuitry; The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other devices outside the device and send or receive signals to the processor or send signals from the processor to other devices outside the device. The processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 10-15 through logic circuits or execute code instructions, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 16-22.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 16 to 22 is implemented.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product stores instructions, and when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, or the method according to any one of claims 16 to 22.

28. A terminal device, characterized in that: The method comprises the positioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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