Location detecting system and location detecting method of the location detecting system

• US 10,228,253 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• 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: Murata, Hideaki, Kondo, Kazuumi, Adachi, Tetsuya, Hiura, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Harry K
• Application Number:
  US15/117,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20160370189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 34235742
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks

Abstract

In a location detecting system, an on-vehicle device is provided at each vehicle a location detecting unit detecting a location of the vehicle, a communication unit, and a CPU unit controlling the location detecting unit and the communication unit. Each of the on-vehicle devices includes a GPS trajectory information processing unit acquiring GPS trajectory information of each of the vehicles, the communication unit broadcasts requests for the GPS trajectory information, the communication units of other vehicles transmit the held GPS trajectory information to the communication unit of one vehicle when a distance to the vehicle is less than a predetermined value, the GPS trajectory information processing unit passes the GPS trajectory information from the other vehicles to the location detecting unit, and the location detecting unit of the vehicle outputs the location information of the vehicle based on the GPS trajectory information.

Claims

1. A location detecting system in which a location detecting apparatus is provided at each of one mobile object and other mobile objects, the location detecting apparatus being mounted on a mobile object and comprising:

a location detecting unit configured to detect a location of the mobile object,

a communication unit configured to perform communication, and

a CPU unit configured to control the location detecting unit and the communication unit,

the location detecting apparatus detecting the location of the mobile object upon power activation,

each of the location detecting apparatuses comprising a GPS trajectory information processing unit configured to acquire GPS trajectory information of each of the mobile objects,

the communication unit of the one mobile object broadcasting a request for the GPS trajectory information to the communication units of the other mobile objects,

the communication units of the other mobile objects transmitting the held GPS trajectory information to the communication unit of the one mobile object when a distance to the one mobile object is equal to or less than a predetermined value,

the GPS trajectory information processing unit of the one mobile object passing the GPS trajectory information from the other mobile objects to the location detecting unit,

the location detecting unit of the one mobile object outputting the location information of the one mobile object based on the GPS trajectory information from the other mobile objects, and

the GPS trajectory information processing unit setting a request time-out time period in the broadcasting, wherein when the GPS trajectory information of the other mobile objects cannot be obtained within the request time-out time period, the predetermined value is set larger upon next broadcasting.

2. The location detecting system according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit performs the broadcasting when the location detecting apparatus mounted on the mobile object cannot utilize the GPS trajectory information acquired before power shutdown.

3. The location detecting system according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined value is a response request distance which is a distance from the one mobile object, designated by the GPS trajectory information processing unit of the one mobile object.

4. The location detecting system according to claim 1,

wherein the GPS trajectory information processing unit sets a larger value for the request time-out time period in accordance with increase of the predetermined value.

5. The location detecting system according to claim 1,

wherein the GPS trajectory information processing unit selects the latest GPS trajectory information from all the GPS trajectory information from the other mobile objects acquired within the request time-out time period.

6. The location detecting system according to claim 1,

wherein the GPS trajectory information processing unit has an upper limit of the number of times of the broadcasting, and, when the GPS trajectory information of the other mobile objects cannot be obtained even when the broadcasting is executed up to the upper limit, the location detecting unit outputs the location information of the one mobile object based on the GPS trajectory information acquired using a GPS radio wave signal from a GPS satellite.

7. The location detecting system according to claim 1,

wherein the CPU unit executes acquisition of the GPS trajectory information of the other mobile objects by the GPS trajectory information processing unit and acquisition of the GPS trajectory information using the GPS radio wave signal from the GPS satellite by the location detecting unit in parallel, and repeats the acquisition until either of the GPS trajectory information can be acquired.

8. The location detecting system according to claim 1,

wherein the GPS trajectory information processing unit detects the number of the other mobile objects around the one mobile object and sets the predetermined value according to the number.

9. The location detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile object is a vehicle.

10. A location detecting method of a location detecting system in which a location detecting apparatus is provided at each of one mobile object and other mobile objects, the location detecting apparatus being mounted on a mobile object and comprising a location detecting unit configured to detect a location of the mobile object, a communication unit configured to perform communication, and a CPU unit configured to control the location detecting unit and the communication unit, the location detecting apparatus detecting the location of the mobile object upon power activation, each of the location detecting apparatuses comprising a GPS trajectory information processing unit configured to acquire GPS trajectory information of each of the mobile objects,

the location detecting method comprising:

a step of the communication unit of the one mobile object broadcasting requests for the GPS trajectory information to the communication units of the other mobile objects;

a step of the communication units of the other mobile objects transmitting the held GPS trajectory information to the communication unit of the one mobile object when a distance to the one mobile object is equal to or less than a predetermined value;

a step of the GPS trajectory information processing unit of the one mobile object passing the GPS trajectory information from the other mobile objects to the location detecting unit;

a step of the location detecting unit of the one mobile object outputting the location information of the one mobile object based on the GPS trajectory information from the other mobile objects; and

a step of the GPS trajectory information processing unit setting a request time-out time period in the broadcasting, wherein when the GPS trajectory information of the other mobile objects cannot be obtained within the request time-out time period, the predetermined value is set larger upon next broadcasting.