Position Determination System and Method

Abstract

The present application discloses a positioning system and method that provide positioning information of various accuracies in order to satisfy the positioning requirements of various application functions and reduce hardware costs. The positioning system includes a first GNSS antenna, an in-vehicle communication device, and a controller. The first GNSS antenna is configured to acquire satellite data and transmit the satellite data to the in-vehicle communication device. The in-vehicle communication device is configured to determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first IMU data and transmit the satellite data to the controller. The controller is configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data. The accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information. The positioning system can perform both low-accuracy positioning and high-accuracy positioning, and can satisfy the positioning requirements of various application functions in an in-vehicle scenario. Also, only one GNSS antenna needs to be designed. Therefore, the hardware cost can be further reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent vehicle technology, and in particular, to positioning systems and methods.

Background Art

[0002] Positioning and timing systems are important components of intelligent vehicles, and functions including emergency call (ecall), map navigation, intelligent driving, etc. all require such systems. Due to the rapid development of intelligent driving technology, high-performance navigation and positioning technologies are becoming increasingly necessary.

[0003] In the case of no high-precision positioning requirements (e.g., intelligent driving requirements), positioning can be implemented by using a low-precision algorithm module carried by an in-vehicle communication device (e.g., T-Box). In the case of high-precision positioning requirements, positioning can be implemented by using a high-precision algorithm module carried by a composite positioning module. The composite positioning module and the in-vehicle communication device are arranged independently.

[0004] However, in the case of high-precision positioning requirements, two independent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna systems need to be arranged and used individually by the composite positioning module and the in-vehicle communication device. This causes the problem of high hardware costs.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a positioning system and method that provide positioning information of various accuracies to meet the positioning requirements of various application functions and reduce hardware costs.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a positioning system is provided that includes a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna, an in-vehicle communication device, and a controller. The first GNSS antenna is connected to the in-vehicle communication device, and the controller is connected to the in-vehicle communication device. The first GNSS antenna is configured to acquire satellite data and transmit the satellite data to the in-vehicle communication device. The in-vehicle 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 configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data, and the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information.

[0007] The positioning system provided in this embodiment of the present application can perform both low-accuracy positioning (e.g., the first positioning information) and high-accuracy positioning (e.g., the second positioning information). Therefore, the positioning requirements of various application functions in the in-vehicle scenario can be satisfied. Also, only one GNSS antenna needs to be designed for the positioning system. Compared with the prior art, components such as GNSS antennas, coaxial cables, connectors, and power splitters can be reduced, and the hardware cost of the positioning system can be further reduced.

[0008] In a possible design, the controller is particularly configured to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data, the second IMU data, and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) data. The second IMU data and the first IMU data may be the same or different (alternatively, the sources of the second IMU data and the first IMU data may be the same or different).

[0009] In this design, based on satellite data and the second IMU data, the controller further combines RTK data to perform positioning calculations, whereby the positioning accuracy of the controller can be further enhanced.

[0010] In a possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller incorporating multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or vehicle body control.

[0011] In this way, the controller can be incorporated into existing controllers that require high-precision positioning, eliminating the need to separately arrange dedicated modules for high-precision positioning, thereby further reducing hardware costs.

[0012] In a possible design, the in-vehicle communication device is further configured to determine time information based on satellite data and distribute the time information to the controller, whereby the controller can determine a local reference time based on the time information distributed by the in-vehicle communication device.

[0013] In this way, the controller and the in-vehicle communication device can unify the time reference, and the time management solution of the positioning system can be simplified.

[0014] In a possible design, the controller is connected to the in-vehicle communication device through a Controller Area Network-Flexible Data-Rate (CAN-FD) or in-vehicle Ethernet communication link, and the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit satellite data to the controller through the CAN-FD communication link or the in-vehicle Ethernet communication link.

[0015] 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.

[0016] In a possible design, when the in-vehicle communication device has its controller enabled, initialization completed, and functions normal, it is configured to transmit satellite data to the controller.

[0017] Thus, in scenarios where the controller initialization is not completed, the controller is not enabled, or the functions are abnormal, the in-vehicle communication device does not need to transmit satellite data to the controller. This can avoid invalid transmission of satellite data in the above scenarios, reduce device energy consumption, and improve the reliability of data transmission.

[0018] In a possible design, the in-vehicle communication device is further configured to provide a first positioning service based on first positioning information, and the controller is further configured to provide a second positioning service based on second positioning information.

[0019] Thus, the positioning system can provide positioning services with different positioning accuracies to meet the application requirements of various application functions.

[0020] In a possible design, when the system is receiving the first positioning service and the second positioning service, the system further includes an application function module configured to provide an application function based on the second positioning service.

[0021] Thus, when receiving two positioning services, the application function preferentially selects a high-accuracy positioning service to ensure the positioning ability for providing the application function.

[0022] In a possible design, the application function includes one or more of map navigation, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), intelligent driving, and emergency call.

[0023] Certainly, this is only an example and not a limitation, and actually, other application functions may be further included.

[0024] According to a second aspect, a positioning method is provided, wherein the in-vehicle communication device is configured to obtain satellite data from a first GNSS antenna, the in-vehicle communication device is configured to determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, and the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to a controller, the satellite data being used to determine second positioning information, the accuracy of the second positioning information being higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information.

[0025] In a possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller integrating multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or vehicle body control.

[0026] In a possible design, the method further includes that the in-vehicle communication device is configured to determine time information based on the satellite data and the in-vehicle communication device is configured to distribute the time information to the controller.

[0027] In a possible design, the controller is connected to the in-vehicle communication device through a CAN-FD communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link, and the fact that the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller includes that the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller through the CAN-FD communication link or the in-vehicle Ethernet communication link.

[0028] In a possible design, the fact that the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller includes that the in-vehicle communication device transmits the satellite data to the controller when the controller is enabled, the initialization is completed, and the functions are normal.

[0029] In a possible design, the method further includes the in-vehicle communication device being configured to provide a first positioning service based on first positioning information.

[0030] According to a third aspect, there is provided a positioning method including: a controller being configured to receive satellite data from an in-vehicle communication device, and the controller being configured 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 that of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is positioning information determined by the in-vehicle communication device.

[0031] In a possible design, the controller being configured to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data includes the controller being configured to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data, the second IMU data, and RTK data.

[0032] In a possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller integrating multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or vehicle body control.

[0033] In a possible design, the method further includes the controller being configured to receive time information from the in-vehicle communication device.

[0034] In a possible design, the controller is connected to the in-vehicle communication device through a CAN-FD communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link, and the controller being configured to receive satellite data from the in-vehicle communication device includes the controller being configured to receive satellite data from the in-vehicle communication device through the CAN-FD communication link or the in-vehicle Ethernet communication link.

[0035] In a possible design, the fact that the controller is configured to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device includes that the controller is enabled, the initialization is completed, and the functions are normal when the controller is configured to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device.

[0036] In a possible design, the method further includes that the controller is configured to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information.

[0037] According to a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided that includes a module / unit / technical means configured to implement the method of the second aspect. For example, the communication device includes 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, and a transmitting module configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller, where 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.

[0038] In a possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that incorporates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or vehicle body control.

[0039] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine time information based on the satellite data, and the transmitting module is further configured to distribute the time information to the controller.

[0040] In a possible design, the communication device is connected to the controller through a CAN-FD communication link or a vehicle-mounted Ethernet communication link, and the transmitting module is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller through the CAN-FD communication link or the vehicle-mounted Ethernet communication link.

[0041] In a possible design, the transmission module is configured to transmit satellite data to the controller when the controller is enabled, initialization is complete, and the function is normal.

[0042] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to provide a first positioning service based on the first positioning information.

[0043] According to a fifth aspect, a controller is provided that includes a module / unit / technical means configured to implement the method of the third aspect. For example, the controller includes a receiving module configured to receive satellite data from an in-vehicle communication device, and 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 that of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is the positioning information determined by the in-vehicle communication device.

[0044] In a possible design, the processing module is configured to determine second positioning information based on satellite data, second IMU data, and RTK data.

[0045] In a possible design, the controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that incorporates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or vehicle body control.

[0046] In a possible design, the receiving module is further configured to receive time information from the in-vehicle communication device.

[0047] In a possible design, the controller is connected to the in-vehicle communication device through a CAN-FD communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link, and the receiving module is configured to receive satellite data from the in-vehicle communication device through the CAN-FD communication link or the in-vehicle Ethernet communication link.

[0048] In a possible design, the receiving module is configured to receive satellite data from the vehicle-mounted communication device when the controller is enabled, the initialization is completed, and the function is normal.

[0049] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information.

[0050] According to a sixth aspect, a communication device including at least one processor and an interface circuit is provided. The interface circuit is configured to receive a signal from a device other than the said device, transmit or receive the signal to / from the processor, or transmit a signal from the processor to a device other than the said device. The processor is configured to implement a method according to any one of the second aspect, any one of the possible designs of the second aspect, the third aspect, or any one of the possible designs of the third aspect by using a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0051] According to a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, a method according to any one of the second aspect, any one of the possible designs of the second aspect, the third aspect, or any one of the possible designs of the third aspect is implemented.

[0052] According to an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product stores instructions. When the computer program product is executed by a computer, the computer can execute a method according to any one of the second aspect, any one of the possible designs of the second aspect, the third aspect, or any one of the possible designs of the third aspect.

[0053] According to a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a positioning system according to any one of the first aspect or any one of the possible designs of the first aspect.

[0054] For the advantageous effects of the second to ninth sides, refer to the corresponding design and advantageous effects in the first side. Details will not be described again.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0055]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0056] The following will describe in detail the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a terminal device with a positioning function. The terminal device may be an intelligent device with a positioning function, for example, intelligent transportation devices such as cars, ships, unmanned aerial vehicles, trains, freight trucks, or trucks; intelligent manufacturing devices such as robots, industrial equipment, smart logistics, or smart factories; and smart home appliances such as televisions or floor cleaning robots, but not limited thereto. Alternatively, the terminal device may be a computer device with a positioning function, for example, a desktop computer, a personal computer, or a server. It should be further understood that the terminal device may alternatively be a portable electronic device with a positioning function, for example, a form phone, a tablet computer, a palmtop computer, a headset, an audio device, a wearable device (for example, a smart watch), an in-vehicle device, a virtual reality device, or an augmented reality device.

[0058] The specific type of the terminal device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of easy description, an example where the terminal device is an in-vehicle device is merely used in the present application.

[0059] For example, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. In the in-vehicle scenario, functions such as emergency call (ecall), map navigation, and intelligent driving all need to be implemented by using an in-vehicle positioning system.

[0060] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of a possible in-vehicle positioning system. The system includes a Telematics Box (T-box), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna, a gateway, an airbag, an In-Vehicle Infotainment (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. Also, the T-box can further obtain Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) information locally (e.g., from an on-board inertial measurement device) or from the IMU module of the airbag (in Figure 2A, the IMU module of the airbag is used as an example), and perform fusion positioning based on the IMU information. In the system shown in Figure 2A, the positioning and timing of the entire in-vehicle positioning system are distributed by the T-box.

[0061] However, limited by the execution 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), and cannot meet the high-precision positioning requirements of application functions such as intelligent driving.

[0062] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of another possible in-vehicle positioning system. The differences from the system shown in Figure 2A are as follows: 1. A composite positioning module (Microcontroller Unit (MCU) or System-On-a-Chip (SoC), high-precision GNSS chip, etc.) is further added to the system and is specifically configured to handle high-precision positioning functions. The composite positioning module and the T-box are arranged separately. 2. Two independent GNSS antennas are arranged. Specific implementations are, for example, the arrangement pattern of dual GNSS antennas or the arrangement pattern of a terminal antenna + a power splitter + a coaxial cable (in Figure 2B, an example of the arrangement of two independent GNSS antennas is used). One GNSS antenna is involved in transmitting satellite signals to the T-box for low-precision positioning, and the other GNSS antenna is involved in transmitting satellite signals to the composite positioning module for high-precision positioning.

[0063] The GNSS chip in the T-box can be called a low-precision GNSS chip, and the GNSS chip in the composite positioning module can be called a high-precision GNSS chip.

[0064] It can be understood that high precision and low precision in this specification are relative concepts. In a possible implementation, the difference between a high-precision GNSS chip and a low-precision GNSS chip is simply that the high-precision GNSS chip corresponds to more satellites to be searched (i.e., satellites to be retrieved). For example, a low-precision GNSS chip generally supports the single frequency L1 of the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a high-precision GNSS chip can support dual frequencies or multi-frequencies, such as GPS L1 / L2 / L5 and BeiDou B1 / B2 / B3. L1, L2, and L5 indicate three frequency bands in GPS, and B1, B2, and B3 indicate three frequency bands in the BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS). For details, refer to the relevant definitions of GPS and BDS.

[0065] However, in the system shown in Figure 2B, a computing chip (e.g., MCS / SoC) and a GNSS antenna need to be added to implement the composite positioning module, and the hardware cost of the system becomes high. Furthermore, the T-box and the composite positioning module each generate one type of time. As a result, the system has two types of reference times (for example, after the T-box and the composite positioning module both distribute time to the intelligent driving controller, the intelligent driving controller has two types of time, and the service plane of the intelligent driving controller uses the time generated by the composite positioning module as the reference time, and the management plane of the intelligent driving controller uses the time generated by the T-box as the reference time), and the system time management becomes relatively complicated.

[0066] To solve one or more of the above technical problems, embodiments of the present application provide a positioning system and method.

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a positioning system according to an embodiment of the present application. The system includes a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna 11, an in-vehicle communication device 12, and a controller 13. The first GNSS antenna 11 is connected to the in-vehicle communication device 12, and the controller 13 is connected to the in-vehicle communication device 12.

[0068] 1. The first GNSS antenna 11

[0069] The first GNSS antenna 11 is configured to acquire satellite data. For example, the first GNSS antenna 11 may receive satellite signals transmitted by satellites, and the satellite signals are analog signals. Specifically, for example, a satellite periodically broadcasts ephemeris data of the satellite, and the first GNSS antenna 11 may receive ephemeris data broadcast by one or more satellites.

[0070] It can be understood that the number and type of satellites are not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, the types of satellites include, but are not limited to, GPS satellites, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) satellites, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) satellites, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) satellites, and / or Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) satellites.

[0071] After acquiring the satellite data, the first GNSS antenna 11 may transmit the satellite data to the in-vehicle communication device 12.

[0072] 2. The in-vehicle communication device 12

[0073] The in-vehicle communication device 12 is configured to determine first positioning information based on satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit (IMU) data.

[0074] During a specific implementation, as shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle communication device 12 includes one GNSS chip 121 and one processing chip, and specifically, the processing chip is, for example, an MCU 122.

[0075] The satellite data output by the first GNSS antenna 11 is an analog signal. The GNSS chip 121 is configured to perform processing such as analog-to-digital conversion and ephemeris sparsing on the satellite data output by the first GNSS antenna 11 to obtain the satellite data in digital signal format.

[0076] In a possible design, the number of satellites searched by the GNSS chip 121 is more than a preset value. In this way, it can be ensured that the satellite data output by the GNSS chip 121 has high accuracy and the requirements of both the in-vehicle communication device 12 and the controller 13 can be satisfied.

[0077] The first position velocity time (PVT) decomposition module (the specific implementation of the module may be a computer program, instructions, etc.) is arranged in the MCI 122 and is configured to perform calculations on the satellite data output by the GNSS chip 121 to obtain information such as the position, velocity, and time of the device to be positioned (for example, the terminal device where the positioning system is placed, such as a vehicle or an in-vehicle terminal).

[0078] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 4, a first Dead Reckoning (DR) module may be further disposed in the MCI122, and is configured to execute a positioning calculation based on the first IMU data to obtain information such as a position and a movement trajectory. Specifically, dead reckoning is to obtain the displacement and course of the vehicle from a previous position based on the speed and angular velocity of the vehicle, and calculate the current position of the vehicle with reference to the previous position. The first IMU data may be obtained from an IMU in the airbag or locally (for example, from an on-board IMU). This is not limited in this application. The first DR module is disposed to ensure that positioning calculations can still be performed when satellite signals are poor (for example, affected by factors such as wireless signal blocking or multipath interference in tunnels, jungles, or high-rise building areas).

[0079] In a specific implementation, it can be understood that the MCU122 may perform positioning based on PVT technology, or based on DR technology, or perform integrated positioning based on PVT technology and DR technology. This is not limited in this application.

[0080] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 4, a communication module (for example, a vehicle to everything (V2X) module) may be further disposed in the MCU122 to implement communication between the vehicle and other devices. V2X is a next-generation information and communication technology that connects vehicles to everything. V represents a vehicle, and X represents any object that exchanges information with the vehicle. Currently, X mainly includes vehicles, people, roadside infrastructure, networks, etc. Certainly, in actual applications, the communication module may alternatively be implemented based on other technologies, such as cellular communication technology. This is not limited in this application.

[0081] In a possible example, the in-vehicle communication device 12 may be a T-box.

[0082] In this embodiment of the present application, the controller 13 is connected to the in-vehicle communication device 12, and the in-vehicle communication device 12 may further transmit satellite data (specifically, for example, satellite data in the form of a digital signal output by the GNSS chip 121) to the controller 13, whereby the controller 13 performs positioning.

[0083] 3. Controller 13

[0084] The controller 13 is configured to determine second positioning information based on satellite data (for example, in the form of a digital signal) transmitted by the in-vehicle communication device 12 and / or second IMU data. The sources of the second IMU data and the first IMU data may be the same or different. In a possible example, the first IMU data is from an airbag, and the first IMU data is from a local on-board IMU. This is not limited in the present application. The local on-board IMU may be incorporated into the controller 13 or arranged outside the controller 13. This is not limited.

[0085] In a specific implementation, as shown in FIG. 4, a second PVT decomposition module and a second DR module may be arranged in the controller 13, and are respectively configured to perform calculations on satellite data and second IMU data, and perform a fusion positioning calculation by using PVT technology and DR technology to output second positioning information. For the specific implementation of the second PVT decomposition module, refer to the above first PVT decomposition module. For the specific implementation of the second DR module, refer to the above first DR module. Details are not described again here.

[0086] In a possible design, the source of satellite data used by the controller 13 and the in-vehicle communication device 12 to perform positioning calculations is both the satellite data acquired by the first GNSS antenna 11. However, when performing the positioning calculation, there is a difference in that the controller 13 and the in-vehicle communication device 12 can select different data within the satellite data for performing the positioning calculation. For example, the accuracy of the data portion used by the controller 13 is higher than the accuracy of the data portion used by the in-vehicle communication device 12. Specifically, for example, the data used by the controller 13 corresponds to more satellites to be searched, so 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 in-vehicle communication device 12.

[0087] For example, the satellite data output by the GNSS chip 121 in the in-vehicle communication device 12 includes data in the GPS L1 frequency band, data in the BeiDou B1 frequency band, and data in the BeiDou B2 frequency band. The in-vehicle communication device 12 determines the first positioning information based on the data in the GPS L1 frequency band (i.e., single frequency), and the controller 13 determines the second positioning information based on the data in the GPS L1 frequency band, the data in the BeiDou B1 frequency band, and the data in the BeiDou B2 frequency band (i.e., multi-frequency).

[0088] In a 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 in-vehicle communication device 12.

[0089] From the above description, it can be seen that the positioning system provided in this embodiment of the present application can perform both low-precision positioning and high-precision positioning, so it can meet the positioning requirements of various application functions in the in-vehicle scenario. Also, as long as one GNSS antenna (that is, the first GNSS antenna 11) is designed for the entire positioning system. Compared with the prior art, components such as GNSS antennas, coaxial cables, connectors, and power splitters can be reduced, and the hardware cost of the positioning system can be further reduced.

[0090] It should be noted that this specification uses an example of supplying two positioning information with different accuracies (that is, the first positioning information and the second positioning information). In actual applications, solutions for supplying more than two positioning information with different accuracies can be further extended. For example, the controller is arranged with reference to the arrangement pattern of the controller 13. The controller may supply third positioning information. The accuracy of the third positioning information is different from the accuracy of the second positioning information and different from the accuracy of the first positioning information.

[0091] In a 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 perform integrated positioning with reference to PCT technology, DR technology, and RTK technology. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, an RTK module may be further arranged in the controller 13 and configured to calculate RTK data. The RTK data can be acquired by the in-vehicle communication device 12 from a ground station (for example, a reference station or a central station) and transferred to the controller 13.

[0092] The RTK positioning technology is a real-time dynamic positioning technology based on carrier phase difference, and it can be understood that it includes the conventional RTK positioning technology and the network RTK technology.

[0093] The implementation of RTK positioning technology requires a reference station. The reference station can continuously receive GNSS satellite information and supply high-precision position information of the reference station in real time. RTK positioning technology can achieve centimeter-level positioning in an open outdoor environment without obstacles. In the conventional RTK positioning technology, the reference station continuously observes GNSS satellite information and transmits the observation results to the terminal device (e.g., in-vehicle terminal) where the positioning system is located. The in-vehicle terminal uses the Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS) algorithm based on the GNSS satellite information of the reference station and the GNSS observation results of the in-vehicle terminal to determine the accurate position of the in-vehicle terminal, and the positioning accuracy can reach the centimeter level.

[0094] Network RTK technology is a positioning technology based on the conventional RTK technology. The basic principle of network RTK technology is to set up a plurality of reference stations and a central station over a wide area. The central station is a device with data calculation and processing capabilities. The reference station continuously observes GNSS satellite information as needed and transmits the observation results to the central station. The central station determines differential correction information based on the initial position information transmitted by the in-vehicle terminal, and transmits the differential correction information to the in-vehicle terminal. The initial position information is the position information pre-determined by the in-vehicle terminal based on satellite signals. According to the technical algorithm, network RTK positioning technology can be divided into Virtual Reference Station (VRS) technology, Master-Auxiliary Concept (MAC) technology, and Flachen Korrektur Parameter (FKP) technology.

[0095] In this way, the controller 13 can perform fusion positioning calculations based on satellite data, second IMU data, and RTK data, thereby further improving the positioning accuracy of the controller 13.

[0096] In a possible design, the controller 13 can be incorporated into an existing controller that requires high-precision positioning. In this way, this type of controller can obtain high-precision positioning information faster and improve service quality. For example, the controller 13 may be an intelligent driving controller, an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller that incorporates multiple functions of driving control, cockpit control, or vehicle body control. In a specific example, as shown in FIG. 5, the controller 13 is incorporated into the intelligent driving controller 14.

[0097] In this way, there is no need to separately arrange a module for high-precision positioning, and the hardware cost can be further reduced.

[0098] In a possible design, the vehicle-mounted communication device 12 is further configured to determine time information based on satellite data and distribute the time information to all components of the vehicle. All components of the vehicle include in-vehicle components that require time information about the vehicle, such as, for example, the intelligent driving controller 14 (or the controller 13), the intelligent cockpit controller, and the gateway, but are not limited thereto. Accordingly, all components of the vehicle can determine a local reference time based on the time information distributed by the vehicle-mounted communication device 12.

[0099] The reference time includes the time of the management plane and the time of the service plane. The time of the management plane is mainly used for event processing records of each processing module in the controller 13, for example, the time when an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade is performed and the time when a fault is detected. The time of the data plane is mainly used for time synchronization of the controller 13 (for example, radar or camera timestamp management), sensor convergence processing, route planning, vehicle control distribution, etc., and is mainly used to supply time to the service layer.

[0100] In a specific implementation, the time information can be distributed to all components of the vehicle by using a gateway through a Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet (Eth) interface, or a Controller Area Network (CAN) (specifically, for example, a Controller Area Network - Flexible Data-Rate (CAN-FD)) + Pulse per second (PPS) interface, etc. The interfaces in this specification may alternatively be described as communication links, transmission channels, etc. (for example, a CAN-FD interface may be described as a CAN-FD communication link), which can be understood. Also, an in-vehicle scenario is used as an example in this specification, and Ethernet in an in-vehicle scenario may sometimes be called in-vehicle Ethernet.

[0101] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the positioning system may further include a gateway 15, an airbag 16, an IVI navigation module 17, etc. There are two types of communication links, a CAN-FD communication link and an Eth communication link, between the gateway and the in-vehicle communication device 12. There is a CAN-FD communication link or an Eth communication link between the gateway 15 and the airbag 16, the IVI navigation module 17, the controller 13, etc. The in-vehicle communication device 12 can distribute the time information to the airbag 16, the IVI navigation module 17, the controller 13, etc. by using the gateway. It should be understood that FIG. 6 is only an example and not a specific limitation.

[0102] In this way, the components of the in-vehicle positioning system can unify the time reference, whereby the time management solution of the in-vehicle device can be simplified. The controller 13 is used as an example. After receiving the time information distributed by the in-vehicle communication device 12, the controller 13 determines the local reference time based on the time information distributed by the in-vehicle communication device 12. When performing PVT determination on satellite data, the controller 13 can omit the related calculations of the time information, or discard the time information after performing PVT determination on satellite data to obtain the time information, thereby ensuring the consistency between the reference time of the controller 13 and the reference time of the in-vehicle communication device 12. Furthermore, since the time information is generated by the in-vehicle communication device 12 and has high real-time performance, compared with the case where the controller 13 determines the time information based on satellite data after receiving the satellite data, the problem of inaccurate time caused by delay during the transfer of satellite data on the link can be avoided, and the accuracy of the time of the entire vehicle can be improved.

[0103] In a possible design, a dedicated transmission channel is arranged between the controller 13 and the in-vehicle communication device 12 and is used for the in-vehicle communication device 12 to send satellite data to the controller 13. For example, there are CAN-FD communication links and in-vehicle Ethernet communication links, but not limited to these. For example, in FIG. 6, the dedicated transmission channels between the controller 13 and the in-vehicle communication device 12 are CAN-FD communication links and Eth communication links.

[0104] 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.

[0105] In a possible design, the initialization acceleration of the controller 13 (e.g., SoC) is slower than the initialization acceleration of the in-vehicle communication device 12 (e.g., T-box). Considering that in some scenarios (such as scenarios where the battery power is insufficient and the ultimate power saving starts), the controller 13 may not be turned on or may have abnormal functions, specifically, when the controller 13 is turned on, the initialization is completed, and the function is normal, the in-vehicle communication device 12 transmits satellite signals to the controller 13.

[0106] In this way, invalid satellite data transmission can be avoided, energy consumption can be reduced, and the reliability of data transmission can be improved.

[0107] In a possible design, the in-vehicle communication device 12 is further configured to provide a first positioning service based on the first positioning information (for example, specifically, generate a first positioning service based on the first positioning information and time information). The controller 13 is further configured to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information (for example, specifically, generate a second positioning service based on the second positioning information and time information). The application function module of the in-vehicle device may subscribe to the first positioning service from the in-vehicle communication device 12 and / or subscribe to the second positioning service of the controller 13 in order to provide corresponding application functions based on the first positioning service and / or the second positioning service. The application functions include, but are not limited to, one or more of map navigation, vehicle wireless communication V2X, intelligent driving, emergency call, etc.

[0108] For example, the application function is intelligent driving. The application function module may be the intelligent driving controller 14, and the intelligent driving controller 14 may provide an intelligent driving service (such as autonomous driving or assisted driving) to the user based on the second positioning service.

[0109] For example, the application function is map navigation. The application function module may be an in-vehicle navigation system (for example, the in-vehicle navigation system is incorporated in an intelligent cockpit controller), and the in-vehicle navigation system may provide a map navigation service to the user based on the first positioning service.

[0110] In this way, the positioning system can provide positioning services with different positioning accuracies to the in-vehicle device so as to meet the application requirements of various application functions.

[0111] In a possible design, when only the first positioning service is received, the application function module provides the application function based on the first positioning service, or when both the first positioning service and the second positioning service are received, the application function module provides the application function based on the second positioning service. In other words, when only one positioning service is received, the application function provides the application function based on the received positioning service, and when two or more positioning services are received, the positioning service with high accuracy is preferentially selected to provide the application function.

[0112] In a specific example, FIG. 7 shows a method for switching between a high-precision positioning mode and a low-precision positioning mode according to an embodiment of the present application. The procedure includes the following steps.

[0113] After the entire vehicle starts, the T-box (corresponding to the in-vehicle communication device 12) generates low-precision positioning information (corresponding to the first positioning information) and time information. The time information is distributed to all components of the vehicle by using the gateway for timing purposes. The T-box generates a low-precision positioning service (corresponding to the above-mentioned first positioning service) to ensure the emergency call function of the vehicle. Also, the low-precision positioning service can be provided to an application function module, such as an IVI navigation module, to satisfy the basic navigation and positioning functions of the vehicle.

[0114] S702: The T-box monitors the status of the intelligent driving controller (corresponding to the controller 13), determines whether the initialization of the intelligent driving controller is completed. If the initialization is completed, S703 is executed subsequently; otherwise, it returns to S701.

[0115] S703: The T-box transmits satellite data to the intelligent driving controller by using a dedicated transmission channel. The T-box distributes time information to the intelligent driving controller by using the gateway. The RTK data of the ground station is transferred to the intelligent driving controller by using the T-box.

[0116] 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. It 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 the IVI navigation module switch to the high-precision positioning mode and call the high-precision positioning service provided by the intelligent driving device to provide functions such as vehicle positioning, V2X, and IVI navigation.

[0117] S705: If the entire vehicle is in the ultimate power-saving scenario or the function of the intelligent driving controller is abnormal, application function modules such as the T-box and the IVI navigation module will switch to the low-precision positioning mode, and based on the low-precision positioning service of the T-box, functions such as emergency calls and basic navigation positioning will be provided.

[0118] In this way, vehicle-level positioning redundancy design can be implemented, and the positioning mode can be switched based on the scenario, thereby improving the solution availability.

[0119] It can be understood that the above design modes may be implemented individually or in combination with each other.

[0120] Please refer to FIG. 8. Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a positioning method including the following steps.

[0121] S801: The first GNSS antenna 11 acquires satellite data and transmits the satellite data to the in-vehicle communication device 12. Correspondingly, the in-vehicle communication device 12 receives the satellite data.

[0122] S802: The in-vehicle communication device 12 determines the first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or the first inertial measurement unit IMU data.

[0123] S803: The in-vehicle communication device 12 is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller 13. Correspondingly, the controller 13 receives the satellite data.

[0124] It should be noted that the order of S802 and S803 is not limited in the present application. For example, after determining the first positioning information, the in-vehicle communication device 12 may transmit the satellite data to the controller 13, or before determining the first positioning information, the in-vehicle communication device 12 may transmit the satellite data to the controller 13, or during the determination of the first positioning information, the in-vehicle communication device 12 may transmit the satellite data to the controller 13.

[0125] S804: The controller 13 determines second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data, and the accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than that of the first positioning information.

[0126] For the specific implementation of the above method steps, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above. Details will not be described again here.

[0127] Please refer to FIG. 9. Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device. The device includes modules / units / technical means configured to implement the method executed by the above vehicle-mounted communication device 12. The device includes a receiving module 901 configured to obtain satellite data from a first GNSS antenna, a processing module 902 configured to determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit IMU data, a transmitting module 903 configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller, and includes 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.

[0128] Please refer to FIG. 10. Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application further provide a controller, and the controller includes modules / units / technical means configured to implement the method executed by the above controller 13. The controller includes a receiving module 1001 configured to receive satellite data from a vehicle-mounted communication device, a processing module 1002 configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and the second IMU data, and includes.

[0129] The accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than that of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is the positioning information determined by the vehicle-mounted communication device.

[0130] For the specific implementation of the functions corresponding to the above modules, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the above positioning system. Details will not be described again here.

[0131] Please refer to FIG. 11. Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device. The device includes at least one processor 1101 and an interface circuit 1102. The interface circuit 1102 is configured to receive a signal from a device other than the device 1100 and send the signal to the processor 1101, or send a signal from the processor 1101 to a device other than the device. The processor 1101 is configured to implement the methods executed by the in-vehicle communication device 12, the controller 13, etc. by using a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0132] It should be understood that the processor referred to in this embodiment of the present application may be implemented by hardware or by software. When the processor is implemented by using hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When the processor is implemented by using software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor and is implemented by reading software code stored in a memory.

[0133] For example, the processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or may be any other general-purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, and so on. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

[0134] The memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. It should be understood that the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM) may be used.

[0135] Note that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, it should be noted that the memory (memory module) may be incorporated into the processor.

[0136] Note that the memory described in this specification is intended to include these memories and any other suitable types of memory, but is not limited thereto.

[0137] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium including a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method executed by the in-vehicle communication device 12 or the controller 13 is executed.

[0138] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, and the computer program product stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by a computer, the method executed by the in-vehicle communication device 12 or the controller 13 is executed.

[0139] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a terminal device including the above positioning system. The terminal device may be a vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, an intelligent transportation device, a smart home device, etc. The specific form of the terminal device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] Those skilled in the art should understand that embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can use the form of an embodiment only of hardware, an embodiment only of software, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Further, the present application can use the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk memory, CD-ROM, optical memory, etc.) including computer-usable program code.

[0141] This application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems, and computer program products) according to the present application. It should be understood that computer program instructions can be used to implement each process and / or each block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or any other programmable data processing device to cause the machine to generate, so that the instructions executed by the computer or the processor of any other programmable data processing device implement the specific functions in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0142] These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable memory that can be instructed to operate in a specific manner on a computer or any other programmable data processing device, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory generate an artifact including an instruction device. The instruction device implements specific functions in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0143] Alternatively, the computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, so that a series of operations and steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to generate a process implemented by the computer. Therefore, the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing specific functions in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0144] Obviously, a person skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the protection scope of this application. This application is intended to cover these modifications and variations of this application on the condition that they are within the protection scope defined by the subsequent claims and their equivalent technologies.

[0145] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. The term "and / or" indicates the association relationship between related objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists. In the text description of this application, the character " / " indicates the "OR" relationship between related objects. In the formulas in this application, the character " / " indicates the "division" relationship between related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can represent including A, including B, including C, including A and B, including A and C, including B and C, and including A, B, and C.

Claims

1. A positioning system comprising a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna, an in-vehicle communication device, and a controller, wherein the first GNSS antenna is connected to the in-vehicle communication device, and the controller is connected to the in-vehicle communication device, the first GNSS antenna is configured to acquire satellite data and transmit the satellite data to the in-vehicle communication device, the in-vehicle 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 configured 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 that of the first positioning information, a system.

2. The controller is configured to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data, the second IMU data, and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) data. The system according to claim 1.

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

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

5. The controller is connected through a Controller Area Network - Flexible Data Rate (CAN - FD) communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link, and the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller through the CAN - FD communication link or the in-vehicle Ethernet communication link. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller when the controller is enabled, initialization is completed, and the functions are normal. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The in-vehicle communication device is further configured to provide a first positioning service based on the first positioning information. The controller is further configured to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information. The system according to claim 6. **Claim 8** The system is further provided with an application function module configured to provide an application function based on the second positioning service when receiving the first positioning service and the second positioning service. The system according to claim 6. **Claim 9** The application function includes one or more of map navigation, in-vehicle wireless communication V2X, intelligent driving, and emergency call. The system according to claim 8. **Claim 10** A positioning method, comprising: an in-vehicle communication device configured to obtain satellite data from a first GNSS antenna; the in-vehicle communication device configured to determine first positioning information based on the satellite data and / or first inertial measurement unit IMU data; the in-vehicle communication device configured to transmit the satellite data to a controller, the satellite data being used to determine second positioning information, the accuracy of the second positioning information being higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information. A method having this. **Claim 11** The controller is an intelligent driving controller or an intelligent cockpit controller, or a controller integrating a plurality of functions of driving control, cockpit control, or vehicle body control. The method according to claim 10. **Claim 12** The in-vehicle communication device is configured to determine time information based on the satellite data; the in-vehicle communication device is configured to distribute the time information to the controller. The method according to claim 10 or 11, further having this. **Claim 13** The controller is connected through a CAN-FD communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link; the fact that the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller includes that the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller through the CAN-FD communication link or the in-vehicle Ethernet communication link. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12. **Claim 14** The fact that the in-vehicle communication device is configured to transmit the satellite data to the controller When the controller is enabled, initialization is complete, and the functions are normal, the in-vehicle communication device transmits the satellite data to the controller, including The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. The method includes The in-vehicle communication device is further configured to provide a first positioning service based on the first positioning information. The method according to claim 14.

16. A positioning method, comprising The controller is configured to receive satellite data from an in-vehicle communication device. The controller is configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data. having The accuracy of the second positioning information is higher than that of the first positioning information, and the first positioning information is positioning information determined by the in-vehicle communication device. method

17. The controller being configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data means The controller being configured to determine the second positioning information based on the satellite data, the second IMU data, and RTK data is included. The method according to claim 16.

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

19. The method includes The controller is further configured to receive time information from the in-vehicle communication device. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18.

20. The controller is connected through a CAN-FD communication link or an in-vehicle Ethernet communication link. The controller being configured to receive satellite data from an in-vehicle communication device means The controller being configured to receive the satellite data from the in-vehicle communication device through the CAN-FD communication link or the in-vehicle Ethernet communication link is included. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

21. The controller being configured to receive satellite data from an in-vehicle communication device means When the controller is enabled, initialization is complete, and the functions are normal, the controller is configured to receive the satellite data from the in-vehicle communication device, including The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20.

22. The method includes The controller is further configured to provide a second positioning service based on the second positioning information. The method according to claim 21.

23. 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 transmitting module configured to transmit the satellite data to a controller, the satellite data being used to determine second positioning information, and the accuracy of the second positioning information being higher than the accuracy of the first positioning information A communication device having the above.

24. A receiving module configured to receive satellite data from an in-vehicle communication device, A processing module configured to determine second positioning information based on the satellite data and second IMU data Having the above, 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 in-vehicle communication device. A controller.

25. A communication device having at least one processor and an interface circuit, The interface circuit is configured to receive a signal from a device other than the device, transmit or receive the signal to or from the processor, or transmit a signal from the processor to a device other than the device, and the processor is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15 by using a logic circuit or executing code instructions, or is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 16 to 22. A communication device.

26. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, When the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15 or the method according to any one of claims 16 to 22 is implemented. A computer-readable storage medium.

27. A computer program product storing instructions, When the command is executed by a computer, the computer can execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15 or the method according to any one of claims 16 to 22. A computer program product. **Claim 28** A terminal device having a positioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images