Vehicle Positioning Using Visible Marks to Correct IMU Drift
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle positioning systems face inaccuracies and reduced effectiveness in environments without or with weak GPS signals, such as under bridges or in buildings, due to accumulated sensing errors from Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) when GPS data is unavailable.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle positioning method and system that uses multiple visible marks with encoded position information, captured by a camera, and processed to calculate GPS coordinates, integrating image processing, local position calculation, and vehicle position correction to determine accurate vehicle location even without GPS signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GPS navigation system uses IMU module to generate GPS coordinates when GPS signals are unavailable, then the system can provide positioning information in GPS-deprived areas, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to accumulated sensing errors from the IMU module
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visible marks as intermediary objects that serve as reference points for position calculation. These marks are captured by the camera and used to correct the accumulated errors from the IMU module, acting as a mediator between the inertial navigation system and the actual position reference.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by using captured visible marks to verify and correct the position information generated by the IMU module. The calculated position based on visible marks feeds back to correct the accumulated errors in the inertial navigation system, improving overall positioning accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If conventional positioning apparatus uses reference patterns and barcode marks fixed on ceiling, then the apparatus can determine current position of moveable object indoors, but the positioning system cannot be integrated with GPS navigation system or cruise control system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the positioning system universal by enabling it to work in both GPS-available and GPS-deprived environments. The system can switch between GPS-based positioning and visible mark-based positioning, making it adaptable to different operational conditions and integrable with various navigation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional reference patterns fixed on the ceiling to three-dimensional visible marks that can be placed on various surfaces (walls, pillars, ground). This dimensional flexibility allows the system to be adapted to different indoor environments and integrated with GPS navigation systems.
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
Enhances positioning accuracy by correcting GPS coordinates using visible marks' position information and distance calculations, preventing error accumulation from IMUs and enabling reliable navigation in GPS-deprived areas.
Implementation Method 1
mounting multiple visible marks in a photographing-available range of a camera mounted in front of one vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle positioning method and its system are disclosed. The vehicle positioning method has a camera adapted to be mounted in front of a vehicle, multiple visible marks mounted in a photographing-available range of a camera, and a vehicle positioning system. Each visible mark contains a position information related to a location of the visible mark. The vehicle positioning system receives an image of the visible mark captured from the camera and image-processes the image to read the position information of the captured visible mark. The vehicle positioning system further calculates a distance between the captured visible mark and the vehicle and then further corrects the position information of the captured visible mark to have GPS coordinates of the vehicle.