Telematics system and associated method

• US 10,082,522 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quartix Limited (Quartix Technologies Plc)
• Original Assignee: Quartix Limited (Quartix Technologies Plc)
• Inventors: Dobra, Thomas, Bentham, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Yi, Roy Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): AIELLO, JEFFREY P
• Application Number:
  US14/497,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 73 138, 701 1, 702104, 702141, 702150, 702151
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P

Abstract

Telematics system wherein a data processor is configured to: calculate a first rotation to isolate horizontal components of orientation data obtained from a three-axis accelerometer; calculate a second rotation of the orientation data dependent on acceleration data obtained from the velocity measuring device; and perform the first and second rotations on the orientation data to calibrate the orientation of the accelerometer relative to a vehicle on which the accelerometer is mounted. An associated method of calibrating the orientation of accelerometer is also provided.

Claims

1. A telematics system, comprising:

a vehicle;

a three-axis accelerometer mounted on the vehicle and configured to generate orientation data;

a velocity measuring device mounted on the vehicle and configured to acquire velocity data; and

a data processor mounted on the vehicle, coupled to the three-axis accelerometer to receive the orientation data, coupled to the velocity measuring device to receive the velocity data, and configured to;

responsive to the vehicle moving between 5 km/hr and 80 km/hr;

receive and accumulate, from the three-axis accelerometer, the orientation data that describes the movement of the vehicle during the moving; and

receive and accumulate, from the velocity measuring device, the velocity data that describes the movement of the vehicle during the moving;

calculate, from the orientation data that (i) describes the movement of the vehicle during the moving and (ii) was acquired from the three-axis accelerometer, a first rotation to isolate horizontal components of the orientation data;

calculate, for the orientation data acquired from the three-axis accelerometer, a second rotation dependent on acceleration data obtained from the velocity data that (i) describes the movement of the vehicle during the moving and (ii) was acquired from the velocity measuring device; and

perform the first rotation and the second rotation on the orientation data of the three-axis accelerometer to undertake calibration of an orientation of the three-axis accelerometer while the vehicle is moving relative to the vehicle.

2. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to combine the first rotation and the second rotation to apply a single transformation to the orientation data.

3. The telematics system of claim 2, wherein the data processor is configured to:

identify at least one first value representative of a first angle of the orientation of the three-axis accelerometer relative to a first axis;

identify at least one second value representative of a second angle of the orientation of the three-axis accelerometer relative to a second axis, wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the second axis; and

use the first value and the second value to calculate the first rotation.

4. The telematics system of claim 3,

wherein the first angle is between a gravity vector and an x-axis of the three-axis accelerometer;

and

wherein the second angle is between the gravity vector and a z-axis of the three-axis accelerometer.

5. The telematics system of claim 3, wherein the data processor is configured to calculate the first angle and the second angle to identify the first value and the second value.

6. The telematics system of claim 3, wherein the first value and the second value are trigonometric functions only.

7. The telematics system of claim 3, wherein the data processor is configured to obtain the first angle and the second angle from look-up tables to identify the first value and the second value.

8. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the orientation data represents a gravity vector.

9. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to calculate the second rotation using vector and scalar products of the orientation data with acceleration data associated with the velocity data received from the velocity measuring device.

10. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to calculate the first rotation and the second rotation as rotational matrices applied to the orientation data.

11. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to receive and accumulate the orientation data and the velocity data for a set period of time.

12. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to sample the velocity measuring device and the three-axis accelerometer at different frequencies.

13. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the velocity measuring device is a GPS device.

14. A method of calibrating an orientation of a three-axis accelerometer relative to a moving object, the method comprising:

detecting when the moving object is moving between 5 km/hr and 80 km/hr

responsive to the detecting;

acquiring orientation data from the three-axis accelerometer that describes the movement of the object during the moving, wherein the three-axis accelerometer is mounted to the moving object; and

acquiring velocity data from a velocity measuring device that describes the movement of the object during the moving, wherein the velocity measuring device is mounted to the moving object;

supplying, by the three-axis accelerometer, the orientation data that describes the movement of the object during the moving to a data processor;

supplying, by the velocity measuring device, the velocity data that describes the movement of the object during the moving to the data processor;

calculating, by the data processor and from the orientation data, a first rotation to isolate horizontal components of the orientation data from the three-axis accelerometer;

calculating, by the data processor and from the orientation data, a second rotation of the orientation data from the three-axis accelerometer dependent on acceleration data derived from the velocity data of the velocity measuring device; and

performing, by the data processor, the first rotation and the second rotation on the orientation data to calibrate the orientation of the three-axis accelerometer relative to the moving object.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

combining, by the data processor, the first rotation and the second rotation to apply a single transformation to the orientation data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the orientation data represents a gravity vector.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying, by the data processor, at least one first value representing a first angle of the orientation of the three-axis accelerometer relative to a first axis;

identifying, by the data processor, at least one second value representing a second angle of the orientation of the three-axis accelerometer relative to a second axis, the first axis being orthogonal to the second axis; and

using, by the data processor, the first value and the second value to calculate the first rotation.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein the first angle is between the gravity vector and an x-axis of the three-axis accelerometer;

and

wherein the second angle is between the gravity vector and a z-axis of the three-axis accelerometer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

calculating, by the data processor, sines and cosines of angles between the gravity vector and an x-axis and a z-axis of the three-axis accelerometer by normalising vector components of the gravity vector; and

calculating, by the data processor the first rotation as a combination of rotation by the first angle about the z-axis followed by a rotation by the second angle about the x-axis.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

calculating, by the data processor, the first angle and the second angle to provide the first value and the second value.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

calculating, by the data processor, the first value and the second value as trigonometric functions only.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining, by the data processor, the first angle and the second angle from look-up tables to provide the first value and the second value.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

calculating, by the data processor, the second rotation using vector and scalar products of the orientation data with the acceleration data derived from the velocity data acquired by the velocity measuring device.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

calculating, by the data processor, the first rotation and the second rotation as rotational matrices to be applied to the orientation data.

25. The method of claim 14, further responsive to detecting while the moving object is moving:

accumulating, by the data processor, the orientation data and the velocity data for a set period of time.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the acquiring the orientation data and the acquiring the velocity data comprise sampling, by the data processor, the three-axis accelerometer and the velocity measurement device at different frequencies.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the velocity measuring device is a GPS device.

28. A telematics system, comprising:

a vehicle;

a three-axis accelerometer mounted on the vehicle and configured to generate orientation data in three dimensions;

a velocity measuring device mounted on the vehicle and configured to acquire velocity data in two dimensions; and

a data processor mounted on the vehicle, coupled to the three-axis accelerometer to receive the orientation data, coupled to the velocity measuring device to receive the velocity data, and configured to;

responsive to the vehicle moving faster than a threshold speed;

receive, from the three-axis accelerometer, orientation data that describes the moving of the vehicle in three dimensions; and

receive, from the velocity measuring device, velocity data that describes the moving of the vehicle in two dimensions;

calculate, from the orientation data that describes the moving of the vehicle, a first rotation to isolate horizontal components of the orientation data;

determine, based on the velocity data that describes the moving of the vehicle, acceleration data that describes moving of the vehicle in two dimensions;

calculate a second rotation based on the acceleration data and the horizontal components of the orientation data, wherein the second rotation is a horizontal rotation that aligns the horizontal components of the orientation data with the acceleration data that describes moving of the vehicle in two dimensions; and

perform the first rotation and the second rotation on the orientation data of the three-axis accelerometer to undertake calibration of an orientation of the three-axis accelerometer while the vehicle is moving relative to the vehicle.

29. The telematics system of claim 28, wherein the orientation data and the velocity data are sampled at different frequencies.