UAV-Assisted GPS Positioning for Vehicles in Blocked Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
GPS signals used for vehicle positioning in V2X applications are often degraded by blockages such as stacked highways and urban canyons, leading to inaccurate positioning and potential collisions.
Innovation Solution
Deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to establish a direct line of sight with GPS satellites and provide short-range communications with vehicles, ensuring continuous and accurate GPS data even in obstructed areas by acting as a relay for GPS signals and maintaining vehicle positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS signals are used for vehicle positioning, then positioning data can be obtained, but signal accuracy is degraded by blockages such as stacked highways and urban canyons
Solution Approach 1:
A UAV is introduced as an intermediary carrier to receive GPS signals from satellites and relay them to vehicles in blockage areas. The UAV acts as a mediator that bridges the gap between GPS satellites and ground vehicles, enabling signal transmission through obstacles by transmitting signals via wireless communication channels that can penetrate or bypass blockages
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from ground-based GPS reception to aerial-based GPS reception by deploying a UAV in three-dimensional space. By moving the signal reception point from the ground plane to the aerial dimension, the system achieves line-of-sight connectivity with GPS satellites that is blocked at ground level, thereby resolving the signal blockage problem
2Reliability
If GPS signals are blocked in obstructed areas, then vehicle positioning accuracy degrades, but deploying a UAV adds system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV serves as a mobile intermediary that can be deployed on-demand to specific locations where GPS blockage is detected or anticipated. This targeted deployment approach maintains positioning reliability only where needed rather than requiring universal coverage, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity to specific high-value scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic deployment of the UAV based on real-time assessment of GPS signal quality and blockage conditions. The UAV is activated only when and where GPS signals are degraded, and can be repositioned or deactivated as conditions change, allowing the system to maintain reliability while minimizing the operational complexity and resource requirements
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for improving a vehicles access to GPS signals are discussed herein. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be configured to communicate with the vehicle, such as a V2X capable vehicle, and provide GPS line of sight connection to a GPS satellite, thereby avoiding any blocking issues while maintaining accurate positioning of the vehicle on the ground. Short-range communications (e.g., Wi-Fi, PC5, unicast, etc.) may be used to provide the connectivity between the vehicle and the UAV. In some cases, a vehicle may drive into a designated area and the UAV and/or the vehicle may initiate connectivity with the other and start UAV assisted positioning services within the designated area.