Vehicle Positioning Using Environmental Sensor Anchors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining vehicle position data, such as the strapdown algorithm and GPS-based systems, face limitations in precision and reliability, especially in environments with poor GPS signal availability and lack of accurate external anchors.
Innovation Solution
The method utilizes environmental sensors to derive external anchors, combining GPS signals with data from sensors like cameras and distance sensors to enhance position and driving dynamics data accuracy, employing filtering techniques like Kalman or particle filters to improve data quality, and selectively using stationary objects as anchors based on their relevance and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GPS-based systems are used to determine vehicle position data, then the system can provide absolute position information, but the precision and reliability deteriorate in environments with poor GPS signal availability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing systems (GPS receivers, inertial sensors, wheel speed sensors, and environmental sensors) into an integrated position determination system. This merging allows the system to leverage the strengths of each sensor type while compensating for their individual weaknesses, particularly maintaining reliability when GPS signals are poor by using inertial and environmental sensor data.
Solution Approach 2:
Environmental sensors originally designed for safety or comfort purposes are repurposed to serve dual functions: their primary safety/comfort function and the additional function of deriving external anchors for position determination. This multi-functionality improves position data quality without requiring dedicated additional hardware.
2Measurement precision
If environmental sensors are used to derive external anchors, then the precision of position data improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages environmental sensors that are already present in modern vehicles for safety or comfort purposes. By repurposing these existing sensors to also serve as external anchor sources for position determination, the system achieves higher precision without adding dedicated hardware, thus minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the vehicle's own existing environmental sensors to provide the external anchor data needed for improved position determination. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate external reference systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high precision.
3Reliability
If filtering techniques like Kalman or particle filters are employed to improve data quality, then the reliability of position data increases, but the computational requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies filtering techniques selectively and appropriately to the data fusion process. By using filtering methods like Kalman or particle filters only where necessary to improve reliability, and by optimizing the filtering parameters, the system achieves high data reliability while minimizing unnecessary computational overhead and processing time delays.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A method for determining location data for a vehicle, a control apparatus for performing the method, and to a vehicle having the control apparatus. The method includes measuring the driving dynamics data for the vehicle, measuring at least one distance of the vehicle from a stationary object and recording a distance, and filtering the driving dynamics data on the basis of the recorded distance.