UWB Tag Ranging for Precise Vehicle Platoon Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle platooning techniques face challenges in accurately determining relative positions between vehicles due to limitations in GPS accuracy, environmental conditions, and complexities in feature extraction using radar, LIDAR, and camera-based systems, which can lead to unsafe situations.
Innovation Solution
The method employs at least two front tags and two back tags on each vehicle to perform ranging measurements using radio technology, specifically UWB, to determine pairwise distances and calculate the relative position, allowing for precise monitoring of the vehicle platoon geometry without relying on image processing or depth information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS positioning is used to determine relative position between vehicles, then the system is simple and provides global position information, but the accuracy is not high enough and may not be available in certain environments such as tunnels and canyons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces radio tags as intermediary devices mounted on vehicles to perform ranging measurements. These tags act as mediators between vehicles, enabling precise relative position determination through direct radio-based distance measurements rather than relying on GPS satellite signals that fail in certain environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the GPS satellite-based positioning system with a radio-based ranging system using time-of-flight measurements. This substitution eliminates dependence on satellite visibility and provides continuous positioning capability in all environments including tunnels and canyons where GPS signals are blocked.
2Measurement precision
If radar or LIDAR based techniques are used to scan the area in front of a vehicle, then the scanning accuracy is high, but the resulting image requires complex feature extraction which is challenging in platooning use cases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential ranging information directly from radio tag measurements without requiring complex image processing or feature extraction. By using predefined tag positions and direct distance measurements, the system extracts only the necessary relative position data, eliminating the complexity of processing full radar or LIDAR point clouds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses predefined geometrical arrangements of tags with known relative positions as templates. Each tag stores information about its position in the geometrical arrangement, allowing the system to copy and apply these known geometries to determine vehicle relative positions without needing to extract features from raw sensor data.
3Adaptability or versatility
If camera based solutions are used to detect vehicles, then the system can provide visual information, but without depth information the training of image processing algorithms is costly and the solutions suffer from limitations such as sensitivity to weather conditions and light changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces optical camera-based detection with radio-based ranging technology. This substitution provides direct depth information through time-of-flight measurements, eliminating the need for complex image processing algorithms and making the system immune to weather conditions and light changes that affect optical sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The radio tags serve as intermediaries that provide direct distance measurements between vehicles. These tags enable the system to obtain accurate relative position information without relying on visual recognition or image processing, thereby improving environmental adaptability while maintaining measurement precision.
4Measurement precision
If multiple tags are installed on each vehicle for ranging measurements, then the relative position determination accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides each vehicle into multiple measurement points by installing multiple tags at predefined positions. This segmentation allows the system to capture the spatial relationship between different parts of vehicles, improving relative position determination accuracy through multi-point ranging measurements while using simple, standardized tag units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses identical radio tags with standardized functions at multiple positions on each vehicle. Each tag performs the same ranging measurement function and stores the same type of position information, providing universality that simplifies the overall system architecture despite having multiple tags. The predefined geometrical arrangements ensure that these universal tags work together to provide accurate relative position determination.
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 approach provides high-precision, real-time monitoring of relative positions, is resistant to environmental factors, and reduces complexity and costs by using direct measurements with UWB technology, enabling safe and efficient vehicle platooning.
Implementation Method 1
The front and back tags are configured to perform ranging measurements among each other using radio technology
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for determining a relative position of a preceding vehicle with respect to a succeeding vehicle in a vehicle platoon is disclosed, wherein the succeeding vehicle comprises at least two front tags and the preceding vehicle comprises at least two back tags, the front and back tags being configured to perform ranging measurements among each other using radio technology. A method implementation of the technique comprises determining (S202) pairwise distances between the front and back tags using ranging measurements performed by the front and back tags using the radio technology, and determining (S204) the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the succeeding vehicle based on the determined pairwise distances.