System and method for terrestrial vehicle navigation

• US 10,042,361 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Unistrong Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Beijing Unistrong Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Collins, Dennis M., McClure, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/527,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20170364078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/004 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/04 by terrestrial means G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/06 involving measuring of drift angle; involving correction for drift
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/18 Stabilised platforms, e.g. by gyroscope
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A method for guiding a terrestrial vehicle along a desired path can include receiving a position signal from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna and a gyro signal from a gyro sensor that is indicative of: (i) at least one of a pitch and a roll of the terrestrial vehicle, and (ii) a gyro-based heading direction. A position of a point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle at a location different than the GNSS antenna can be determined based on the position signal, the gyro signal, and a positional relationship between the first location and the second location. A position-based heading direction of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle can be determined based on the determined position of the point of interest and at least one previously determined position of the point of interest.

Claims

1. A method for guiding a terrestrial vehicle along a desired path, comprising:

receiving a position signal from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna mounted at a first location on the terrestrial vehicle, the position signal being indicative of a spatial position of the GNSS antenna as indicated by the GNSS;

receiving a gyro signal from a gyro sensor, the gyro signal being indicative of;

(i) at least one of a pitch and a roll of the terrestrial vehicle, and (ii) a gyro-based heading direction;

determining a position of a point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle at a second location different than the first location based on the position signal, the gyro signal, and a positional relationship between the first location and the second location, the position of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle being determined with respect to a surface upon which the terrestrial vehicle is positioned and corrected for at least one of the pitch and the roll of the terrestrial vehicle;

determining a position-based heading direction of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle based on the determined position of the point of interest and at least one previously determined position of the point of interest;

determining a calibrated heading direction based on a combination of the gyro-based heading direction and the position-based heading direction; and

outputting a control signal based on the position of the point of interest, the calibrated heading direction, and the desired path, the control signal configured to be used to assist with guiding the terrestrial vehicle such that the position of the point of interest is on the desired path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal is output to an automatic steering system that guides the terrestrial vehicle along the desired path.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a wheel angle signal from a wheel angle sensor associated with one or more steering wheels of the terrestrial vehicle, the wheel angle signal being indicative of an angle of the one or more steering wheels,

wherein the control signal is further based on the wheel angle signal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a calibrated angle of the one or more steering wheels based on the received wheel angle signal and the calibrated heading direction,

wherein the control signal being further based on the wheel angle signal comprises the control signal being further based on the calibrated angle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an offset signal from a sensor associated with the point of interest, the offset signal being indicative of the positional relationship between the between the first location and the second location, wherein determining the position of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle is further based on the offset signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gyro sensor comprises a roll gyro, a pitch gyro, a yaw gyro, and a plurality of accelerometers, wherein the plurality of accelerometers are utilized to calibrate the roll gyro and the pitch gyro such that the gyro signal is indicative of the pitch and the roll of the terrestrial vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the GNSS antenna comprises a multi-antenna GNSS antenna system that determines an initial GNSS-based heading direction, and

the method further comprises, when the terrestrial vehicle begins moving at an initial time, calibrating the gyro-based heading direction indicated by the yaw gyro based on the initial GNSS-based heading direction.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising calibrating the gyro-based heading direction based on the calibrated heading direction to obtain a calibrated gyro-based heading direction, wherein determining the position of the point of interest based on the position signal, the gyro signal, and the positional relationship between the first location and the second location comprises determining the position of the point of interest based on the position signal, the calibrated gyro-based heading direction, and the positional relationship between the first location and the second location.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the terrestrial vehicle stops at a stop time, storing the gyro-based heading direction at the stop time as a stored gyro-based heading direction; and

when the terrestrial vehicle begins moving again at a start time after the stop time, initializing the gyro-based heading direction as the stored gyro-based heading direction to compensate for drift of the gyro sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a ground speed of the point of interest based on a plurality of determined positions of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle.

11. A navigation system for a terrestrial vehicle, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a position signal from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna mounted at a first location on the terrestrial vehicle, the position signal being indicative of a spatial position of the GNSS antenna as indicated by the GNSS;

receiving a gyro signal from a gyro sensor, the gyro signal being indicative of;

(i) at least one of a pitch and a roll of the terrestrial vehicle, and (ii) a gyro-based heading direction;

determining a position of a point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle at a second location different than the first location based on the position signal, the gyro signal, and a positional relationship between the first location and the second location, the position of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle being determined with respect to a surface upon which the terrestrial vehicle is positioned and corrected for at least one of the pitch and the roll of the terrestrial vehicle;

determining a position-based heading direction of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle based on the determined position of the point of interest and at least one previously determined position of the point of interest;

determining a calibrated heading direction based on a combination of the gyro-based heading direction and the position-based heading direction; and

outputting a control signal based on the position of the point of interest, the calibrated heading direction, and the desired path, the control signal configured to be used to assist with guiding the terrestrial vehicle such that the position of the point of interest is on the desired path.

12. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the control signal is output to an automatic steering system that guides the terrestrial vehicle along the desired path.

13. The navigation system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a wheel angle signal from a wheel angle sensor associated with one or more steering wheels of the terrestrial vehicle, the wheel angle signal being indicative of an angle of the one or more steering wheels,

wherein the control signal is further based on the wheel angle signal.

14. The navigation system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a calibrated angle of the one or more steering wheels based on the received wheel angle signal and the calibrated heading direction,

wherein the control signal being further based on the wheel angle signal comprises the control signal being further based on the calibrated angle.

15. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an offset signal from a sensor associated with the point of interest, the offset signal being indicative of the positional relationship between the between the first location and the second location, wherein determining the position of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle is further based on the offset signal.

16. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the gyro sensor comprises a roll gyro, a pitch gyro, a yaw gyro, and a plurality of accelerometers, wherein the plurality of accelerometers are utilized to calibrate the roll gyro and the pitch gyro such that the gyro signal is indicative of the pitch and the roll of the terrestrial vehicle.

17. The navigation system of claim 16, wherein:

the GNSS antenna comprises a multi-antenna GNSS antenna system that determines an initial GNSS-based heading direction, and

the operations further comprise, when the terrestrial vehicle begins moving at an initial time, calibrating the gyro-based heading direction indicated by the yaw gyro based on the initial GNSS-based heading direction.

18. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise calibrating the gyro-based heading direction based on the calibrated heading direction to obtain a calibrated gyro-based heading direction, wherein determining the position of the point of interest based on the position signal, the gyro signal, and the positional relationship between the first location and the second location comprises determining the position of the point of interest based on the position signal, the calibrated gyro-based heading direction, and the positional relationship between the first location and the second location.

19. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

when the terrestrial vehicle stops at a stop time, storing the gyro-based heading direction at the stop time as a stored gyro-based heading direction; and

when the terrestrial vehicle begins moving again at a start time after the stop time, initializing the gyro-based heading direction as the stored gyro-based heading direction to compensate for drift of the gyro sensor.

20. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise determining a ground speed of the point of interest based on a plurality of determined positions of the point of interest of the terrestrial vehicle.