Position determination method, electronic control module and use thereof

• US 10,260,887 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG), Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG), Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Faisst, Holger, Zalewski, Michael, Winter, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Odeh, Nadeem
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kerrigan, Michael V
• Application Number:
  US15/485,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20170356745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01286 Electronic control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/00 Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels G01C3/20, G01C3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

A position determination method in a vehicle, which uses signals from a pressure-based collision sensor. In addition, an associated electronic control module and an associated use.

Claims

1. A method for determining a corrected altitude for a vehicle comprising:

receiving altitude information from a satellite navigation system of the vehicle;

receiving a signal from one or more pressure-based collision sensors of the vehicle, the signal corresponding to a change in altitude of the vehicle over a period of time; and

determining a corrected altitude of the vehicle based on the altitude information and the signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more pressured-based collision sensors comprise at least one of a side impact sensor and a pedestrian impact sensor.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the altitude information is a relative change in altitude over the period of time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the altitude information is a relative change in altitude over the period of time.

5. The method according to claim 1, additionally comprising:

determining a position of the vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5, additionally comprising:

merging the position with the corrected altitude of the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the position is at least partially determined by the satellite navigation system of the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the position is at least partially determined by odometry of the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the position is at least partially determined by inertial sensors of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal is a raw signal, without zero point correction.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more pressure-based collision sensors comprises a plurality of pressure-based signal sensors, the method further comprising:

determining the corrected altitude based on a plurality of signals from the plurality of pressure-based collision sensors.

12. The method according to claim 1, additionally comprising:

determining a temperature, and determining the corrected altitude of the vehicle further on the basis of the temperature.

13. The method according to claim 1, additionally comprising:

determining at least one of a route of the vehicle and a risk of a collision on the basis of the corrected altitude of the vehicle, wherein the risk of the collision is further established on the basis of the altitude information of another vehicle.

14. A non-volatile computer-readable storage medium on which program code is stored, the execution of said program code causing a processor of a vehicle to carry out the method according to claim 1.

15. A processor of a vehicle which is configured to carry out a method according to claim 1.