Position measurement method, own position measurement device, and on-board unit

• US 10,094,671 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Kazuumi, Murata, Hideaki, Adachi, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adnan, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/113,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20160341557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A vehicle position measurement method includes a process of determining whether or not position information of an own vehicle is able to be acquired with predetermined quality from the outside, a process of acquiring position information of a nearby vehicle present in an area in which the own vehicle is capable of acquiring information when the position information is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality, and a process of replacing the position information of the own vehicle with the acquired position information of the nearby vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle position measurement method, comprising:

a process of determining whether or not position information of an own vehicle is able to be acquired with predetermined quality from an outside;

a process of acquiring position information of a nearby vehicle present in an area in which the own vehicle is capable of acquiring information when the position information is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality; and

a process of replacing the position information of the own vehicle with the acquired position information of the nearby vehicle,

wherein a determination of the quality is performed according to whether or not there is a communication abnormality in acquisition of the position information from the outside when a quality prediction information, which is added to map information, for an estimated current position of the own vehicle is better than a predetermined reference.

2. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a plurality of pieces of position information of the nearby vehicles through communications, and calculating the position information of the own vehicle from the plurality of pieces of acquired position information and received signal strength indicators in the respective communications used for the acquisition.

3. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1,

wherein the process of acquiring the position information of the nearby vehicles further includes a process of:

acquiring information indicating reliability of the position information, and

selecting position information having a reliability equal to or higher than that of the own vehicle from the position information of the nearby vehicles when the position information of the own vehicle is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality.

4. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1,

wherein the process of acquiring the position information of the nearby vehicles further includes a process of:

acquiring information indicating reliability of the position information, and

weighting the position information of the own vehicle and the nearby vehicles, calculating the position information, and replacing the position information of the own vehicle with the calculated position information when the position information of the own vehicle is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality.

5. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1,

wherein a determination of the quality is performed according to whether a position information which is acquired from the outside while the own vehicle is stopped varies or not.

6. An on-board unit comprising an own position measurement device that measures a current position of an own vehicle using the position measurement method according to claim 1.

7. An own position measurement device, comprising:

a failure monitoring unit that determines whether or not position information of an own vehicle is able to be acquired with predetermined quality from an outside;

a nearby vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires position information of a nearby vehicle present in an area in which the own vehicle is capable of acquiring information when the position information is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality; and

a position estimation processing unit that estimates the position information of the own vehicle from the acquired position information of the nearby vehicle,

wherein the failure monitoring unit performs a determination of the quality according to whether or not there is a communication abnormality in acquisition of the position information from the outside when a quality prediction information, which is added to map information, for an estimated current position of the own vehicle is better than a predetermined reference.

8. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 7,

wherein the nearby vehicle position acquisition unit includes a radio wave intensity and position calculation unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of position information of the nearby vehicles through communications, and calculates the position information of the own vehicle from the plurality of pieces of acquired position information and received signal strength indicators in the respective communications used for the acquisition.

9. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a reliability level check unit that acquires information indicating reliability of the position information of the nearby vehicles, and selects position information having a reliability equal to or higher than that of the own vehicle from the position information of the nearby vehicles.

10. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 9,

wherein the reliability level check unit acquires a weight according to a reliability level, applies the weight to the position information of the own vehicle and the nearby vehicles, and calculates the position information.

11. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 7,

wherein the failure monitoring unit performs a determination of the quality according to whether a position information which is acquired from the outside while the own vehicle is stopped varies or not.