Vehicle Positioning via Radio Triangulation in GNSS-Denied Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle positioning systems, such as dead-reckoning, become unreliable when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are unavailable, leading to inaccuracies in determining a vehicle's location, especially in tunnels or canyons where GNSS signals are blocked.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing stationary radio transmitters with known geographical locations and vehicle-mounted radio receivers to determine vehicle position through triangulation, processing phase differences in radio signals to calculate distances and accurately locate the vehicle, even in areas with compromised GNSS signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dead-reckoning is used to determine vehicle position when GNSS signals are unavailable, then the vehicle can maintain navigation capability, but the position accuracy deteriorates rapidly with distance traveled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces radio transmitters as intermediary objects deployed along the route to serve as reference points for triangulation. These transmitters enable position determination without relying on dead-reckoning accumulation, providing an external reference system that resets position accuracy periodically while maintaining navigation capability in GNSS-denied environments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical dead-reckoning system (which accumulates error over distance) with an electromagnetic-based triangulation system using radio transmitters and receivers. This substitution eliminates the cumulative error characteristic of mechanical inertial navigation by using electromagnetic signal propagation for periodic position verification
2Measurement precision
If radio transmitters are deployed along the route to enable triangulation, then position accuracy is improved, but the system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The radio transmitters are designed to serve multiple functions: they act as reference points for triangulation, provide route identification, and can communicate vehicle control signals. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated positioning infrastructure, thereby mitigating the increase in system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses existing radio communication infrastructure and protocols to provide positioning services, rather than requiring entirely new dedicated positioning hardware. The transmitters can be integrated with existing railway communication systems, allowing the positioning function to leverage existing infrastructure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method provides accurate and real-time vehicle location determination, reducing reliance on dead-reckoning and enabling safe vehicle control, even at high speeds, by using triangulation to calculate the vehicle's position with high precision, potentially better than GPS accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
radio transmitters may be provided... each radio transmitter having a geographical location... determining a distance between the radio receiver and each radio transmitter based on a phase difference between the radio signals
Implementation Method 2
determining the position of the vehicle based on triangulation distance determination... calculate distances and accurately locate the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for determining the location of a vehicle when GNSS signals are not available use triangulation between one or two radio transmitters and, respectively, two or one radio receivers mounted on the vehicle. The distance between each radio transmitter and/or each radio receiver can be determined according a phase difference between received radio signals. The radio signals can have the geographical location of the radio transmitter included therein. Utilizing the demodulated geographical location of each radio transmitter and the distance between the radio transmitter and each radio receiver, triangulation can be used to determine the geographical location of the vehicle.