Apparatus and method for estimating direction of vehicle

• US 10,180,335 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2016
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Yoo, Kyung Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutchinson, Alan D
• Application Number:
  US15/358,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20180073892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/08 providing integrity information, e.g. health of satellites or quality of ephemeris data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/423 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from different satellite radio beacon positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/426 by combining or switching between position solutions or signals derived from different modes of operation in a single system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude

Abstract

An apparatus for estimating a direction of a vehicle includes: a vehicle position calculator calculating a current position of the vehicle and a current time using a received satellite signal; a satellite candidate predictor predicting satellite candidates that are observable at the calculated current position of the vehicle using ALMANAC data in which information about positions and azimuths of satellites is included and using the calculated current position of the vehicle and current time; a road candidate searcher searching road candidates positioned around the vehicle based on the calculated current position of the vehicle; and a direction estimator estimating the direction of the vehicle using information about the predicted satellite candidates and the searched road candidates.

Claims

1. An apparatus for estimating a direction of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a vehicle position calculator calculating a current position of the vehicle and a current time using triangulation on the basis of satellite signals received from satellites;

a satellite candidate predictor predicting satellite candidates that are observable at the calculated current position of the vehicle using ALMANAC data in which information about positions and azimuths of the satellites is included and using the calculated current position of the vehicle and current time;

a road candidate searcher searching road candidates positioned around the vehicle based on the calculated current position of the vehicle; and

a direction estimator estimating the direction of the vehicle using information about the predicted satellite candidates and the searched road candidates,

wherein the direction estimator estimates the direction of the vehicle by obtaining a difference value between an azimuth of the satellite candidates and an azimuth of the road candidates and comparing azimuth information of the satellites obtained from the satellite signals with the difference value.

2. The apparatus for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the road candidate searcher searches the road candidates positioned around the vehicle based on the calculated current position of the vehicle using a map database in which map data including information about positions and azimuths of roads is stored in advance.

3. The apparatus for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the direction estimator determines that the azimuth of the road candidates is any one of φ

and 180+φ

.

4. The apparatus for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

in a case in which a plurality of road candidates are searched by the road candidate searcher, the direction estimator selects one of the plurality of road candidates and determines the direction of the vehicle using the selected road candidate, and

a position error between the selected road candidate and an array of the predicted satellite candidates is minimized.

5. The apparatus for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a controller updating information stored in an ALMANAC database using corresponding ALMANAC data when the received satellite signal includes the ALMANAC data.

6. The apparatus for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the ALMANAC data includes one or more of satellite orbit information, Kepler parameter information, time correction information, atmosphere delay variable information, and satellite health state information about the satellites.

7. A method for estimating a direction of a vehicle, the method comprising:

calculating a current position of the vehicle and a current time using triangulation on the basis of satellite signals received from satellites;

predicting satellite candidates that are observable at the calculated current position of the vehicle using ALMANAC data in which information about positions and azimuths of the satellites is included and using the calculated current position of the vehicle and current time;

searching road candidates positioned around the vehicle based on the calculated current position of the vehicle; and

estimating the direction of the vehicle using information about the predicted satellite candidates and the searched road candidates,

wherein the estimating of the direction of the vehicle comprises obtaining a difference value between an azimuth of the satellite candidates and an azimuth of the road candidates and comparing azimuth information of the satellites obtained from the satellite signals with the difference value.

8. The method for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the searching of the road candidates comprises:

searching the road candidates positioned around the vehicle based on the calculated current position of the vehicle using a map database in which map data including information about positions and azimuths of roads is stored in advance.

9. The method for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the estimating of the direction of the vehicle comprises:

determining the azimuth of the road candidates searched around the calculated current position of the vehicle to be any one of φ and

180+φ

.

10. The method for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the estimating of the direction of the vehicle comprises:

in a case in which a plurality of road candidates are searched, selecting one of a plurality of road candidates; and

determining the direction of the vehicle using the selected road candidate,

wherein a position error between the selected road candidate and an array of the predicted satellite candidates is minimized.

11. The method for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the received satellite signal includes the ALMANAC data; and

updating information stored in an ALMANAC database using corresponding ALMANAC data when the received satellite signal includes the ALMANAC data.

12. The method for estimating the direction of the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the predicting of the satellite candidates comprises:

predicting the satellite candidates that are observable at the calculated current position of the vehicle based on the updated ALMANAC database.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for estimating a direction of a vehicle, the program instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

calculate a current position of the vehicle and a current time using triangulation on the basis of satellite signals received from satellites;

predict satellite candidates that are observable at the calculated current position of the vehicle using ALMANAC data in which information about positions and azimuths of the satellites is included and using the calculated current position of the vehicle and current time;

search road candidates positioned around the vehicle based on the calculated current position of the vehicle; and

estimate the direction of the vehicle using information about the predicted satellite candidates and the searched road candidates,

wherein the processor estimates the direction of the vehicle by obtaining a difference value between an azimuth of the satellite candidates and an azimuth of the road candidates and comparing azimuth information of the satellites obtained from the satellite signals with the difference value.