Method and device for determining the position of a vehicle

• US 10,698,100 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2016
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Becker, Jan, Pink, Oliver, Kammel, Soeren
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/576,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20180149739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 701400-533
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data

Abstract

A method for determining the position of a vehicle, including: determination of a GNS vehicle position by a GNS unit, sensor acquisition of a surrounding environment of the GNS vehicle position by a radar sensor unit of the vehicle in order to ascertain radar data corresponding to the acquired surrounding environment, detection of objects situated in the surrounding environment based on the radar data, ascertaining of a direction vector that points from a detected object to a reference point fixed to the vehicle, comparison of the radar data and the ascertained direction vector to a digital map that has objects and direction vectors assigned to the objects, the direction vectors assigned to the objects pointing to a position in the digital map from which the corresponding object was acquired by a radar sensor unit, and ascertaining of a corrected vehicle position based on the GNS vehicle position and the comparison.

Claims

1. A method for determining the position of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a GNS vehicle position by a GNS unit;

acquiring a surrounding environment of the GNS vehicle position by a radar sensor unit of the vehicle to ascertain radar data corresponding to the acquired surrounding environment;

detecting objects situated in the surrounding environment based on the radar data;

ascertaining, for each of the detected objects, a respective direction vector that points from the detected object to a reference point fixed to the vehicle;

comparing the radar data and the ascertained direction vectors to a digital map that has objects and direction vectors assigned to the objects, the direction vectors assigned to the objects pointing to a position in the digital map from which the corresponding object was acquired by a radar sensor unit; and

ascertaining a corrected vehicle position based on the GNS vehicle position and the comparison;

wherein the direction vector includes the angular direction from which the position at the object was acquired, and

wherein the comparison includes a fitting of the radar data to the digital map, and wherein the fitting is carried out using at least one of an iterative closest point algorithm and a particle-based fit algorithm.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining, based on the radar data, which detected objects are stationary objects and which detected objects are mobile objects, the mobile objects being ignored in the comparison.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the fitting is carried out using iterative closest point algorithm.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the fitting is carried out using the particle-based fit algorithm.

5. A device for determining the position of a vehicle, comprising:

a GNS unit for determining a GNS vehicle position;

a radar sensor unit for sensor acquisition of a surrounding environment of the GNS vehicle position to ascertain radar data corresponding to the acquired surrounding environment;

a processor to detect objects situated in the surrounding environment based on the radar data and to ascertain, for each of the detected objects, a respective direction vector that points from the detected object to a reference point fixed to the vehicle, wherein the processor is configured to compare the radar data and the ascertained direction vectors with a digital map that has objects and direction vectors assigned to the objects, the direction vectors assigned to the objects pointing to a position in the digital map from which the corresponding object was acquired by a radar sensor unit, and wherein the processor is configured to ascertain a corrected vehicle position based on the GNS vehicle position and the comparison;

wherein the direction vector includes an angular direction from which the position at the object was acquired, and

wherein the comparing includes a fitting of the radar data to the digital map, and wherein the fitting is carried out using at least one of an iterative closest point algorithm and a particle-based fit algorithm.

6. A method for creating a digital map, comprising:

determining a GNS vehicle position of a vehicle using a GNS unit;

acquiring a surrounding environment of the GNS vehicle position by a radar sensor unit of the vehicle to ascertain radar data corresponding to the acquired surrounding environment;

detecting objects situated in the surrounding environment based on the radar data;

ascertaining, for each of the detected objects, a respective direction vector that points from the detected object to the GNS vehicle position; and

creating the digital map based on the radar data and the ascertained direction vectors, so that the digital map includes detected objects and direction vectors assigned to the objects;

wherein the direction vector includes an angular direction from which the position at the object was acquired.

7. A device for creating a digital map, comprising:

a GNS unit for determining a GNS position of a vehicle;

a radar sensor unit for the sensor acquisition of a surrounding environment of the GNS vehicle position to ascertain radar data corresponding to the acquired surrounding environment; and

a processor that is fashioned to detect objects situated in the surrounding environment based on the radar data, and to ascertain, for each of the detected objects, a respective direction vector that points from the detected object to the GNS vehicle position, the processor further being fashioned to create the digital map based on the radar data and the ascertained direction vectors, so that the digital map includes detected objects and direction vectors assigned to the objects;

wherein the direction vector includes an angular direction from which the position at the object was acquired.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement including program code for determining the position of a vehicle, by performing the following;

determining a GNS vehicle position by a GNS unit;

acquiring a surrounding environment of the GNS vehicle position by a radar sensor unit of the vehicle to ascertain radar data corresponding to the acquired surrounding environment;

detecting objects situated in the surrounding environment based on the radar data;

ascertaining, for each of the detected objects, a respective direction vector that points from the detected object to a reference point fixed to the vehicle;

comparing the radar data and the ascertained direction vectors to a digital map that has objects and direction vectors assigned to the objects, the direction vectors assigned to the objects pointing to a position in the digital map from which the corresponding object was acquired by a radar sensor unit; and

ascertaining a corrected vehicle position based on the GNS vehicle position and the comparison;

wherein the direction vector includes an angular direction from which the position at the object was acquired, and

wherein the comparing includes a fitting of the radar data to the digital map, and wherein the fitting is carried out using at least one of an iterative closest point algorithm and a particle-based fit algorithm.