Vehicle Positioning via Road-Side Object Matching in Signal-Denied Roads

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle positioning technologies face reliability and availability issues due to signal visibility problems and multipath effects in adverse weather conditions or dense city environments, such as tunnels and bad weather.

Innovation Solution

The method involves using road-side perception devices to collect object distribution information, matching it with vehicle-side information to determine the vehicle's location, improving accuracy through topological graph matching and vehicle tracking, and utilizing road-side perception data to assist in positioning, even in challenging conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If navigation positioning system is used for vehicle positioning, then positioning function is provided, but positioning reliability deteriorates in bad weather, tunnels, or dense city road conditions due to signal visibility problems and multipath effects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning reliabilityVSAvoidsignal visibility problems and multipath effects
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces road-side perception devices as intermediary elements that collect object distribution information and transmit it to vehicles. These devices act as mediators between the environment and the vehicle's positioning system, providing reference data about surrounding objects that helps vehicles determine their location independently of traditional navigation positioning signals, thereby resolving the reliability issues in adverse conditions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a virtual representation of the surrounding environment by collecting object distribution information from road-side perception devices. This copied environmental data serves as a reference model that vehicles can match with their own sensor data to determine position, replacing reliance on direct navigation positioning signals with an indirect copying-based positioning approach that works in signal-denied environments

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If road-side perception devices are deployed to improve positioning reliability, then positioning availability improves, but device complexity and infrastructure requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning availabilityVSAvoidroad-side infrastructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent designs road-side perception devices with multi-functionality, enabling them to serve both as positioning reference sources and as general traffic monitoring infrastructure. By making these devices universal, the patent reduces the need for dedicated positioning infrastructure and leverages existing road-side devices for multiple purposes, thereby improving positioning availability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables vehicles to perform self-positioning by matching object distribution information from road-side devices with their own sensor data. The vehicles independently determine their location without requiring complex centralized positioning infrastructure, allowing the system to scale without linearly increasing infrastructure complexity while maintaining improved positioning availability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3842753B1Method and apparatus for positioning a vehicle, vehicle, storage medium, and computer program product
Publication Date: 2023.08.09 APOLLO INTELLIGENT CONNECTIVITY (BEIJING) TECH CO LTD
  • EP3842753B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3842753B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3842753B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A method and apparatus for positioning a vehicle, a vehicle, a storage medium, and a computer program product are provided.. An implementation of the method may include: acquiring (S110) object distribution information collected by a road-side perception device, and determining road-side object distribution information based on the object distribution information collected by the road-side perception device; acquiring (S120) vehicle-side object distribution information, and matching the road-side object distribution information with the vehicle-side object distribution information, the vehicle-side object distribution information referring to distribution information of a surrounding object detected by a to-be-positioned target vehicle; and determining (S130) location information of the target vehicle according to the matching result.