Vehicle Navigation Accuracy Assessment via Lateral Offset Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle navigation systems, including GPS, have limited accuracy of up to 2-3 meters, which is impractical for applications like autonomous vehicle operation and may lead to unforeseen consequences due to potential flaws in navigation.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that assess the accuracy of navigation systems by comparing lateral offset values obtained from vehicle sensors with those from navigation system data, calculating differences, and providing an error notification when the difference exceeds a threshold, ensuring the system operates within acceptable error bounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS navigation systems are used for vehicle location tracking, then basic navigation functionality is provided, but accuracy is limited to 2-3 meters which is insufficient for autonomous vehicle operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary evaluation system that compares GPS-derived lateral offset values with sensor-derived lateral offset values. This intermediary comparison mechanism identifies when GPS accuracy degrades below acceptable thresholds, allowing the system to detect and flag unreliable navigation data without directly improving GPS hardware precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the difference between GPS-based lateral offset calculations and sensor-based lateral offset measurements. When the discrepancy exceeds a threshold, the system generates an error indication, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that alerts operators to navigation accuracy issues in real-time.
2Measurement precision
If higher accuracy navigation systems are implemented, then measurement precision improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The evaluation system uses the vehicle's existing sensors (cameras, lidars, radars) to perform self-validation of the GPS navigation system. Rather than requiring additional dedicated high-precision positioning hardware, the system leverages already-installed sensors to independently verify GPS accuracy, thereby avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing vehicle sensors serve multiple functions: they provide primary data for autonomous navigation decisions and simultaneously serve as reference instruments for evaluating GPS accuracy. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve high-precision verification without adding dedicated evaluation hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for assessing operation of a navigation system onboard a vehicle is provided. The method determines a sensor-based lateral offset change using vehicle onboard sensor data; determines a second lateral offset change using navigation system data; computes a difference between the sensor-based lateral offset change and the second lateral offset change; performs secondary calculations using the difference to produce a result; and when the result is greater than a threshold error value, provides an error notification.