Vehicle on-board unit

• US 20080082261A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Heft, Ronald, Tengler, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/00 Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for devices for protecting vehicle occupants in case of accidents B60R21/00; safety belts B60R22/00; central door locking E05B49/00, E05B77/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/367 Latching bolt

Abstract

A vehicle on-board unit is configured to communicate with other vehicles to increase an accuracy of a lane centerline determination of a road that the vehicle is traveling. The vehicle on-board unit basically has a vehicle path history generating section, a two-way wireless communications section and a lane centerline determining section. The vehicle path history generating section generates a host vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of the host vehicle. The two-way wireless communications section receives a preceding vehicle message that at least includes a preceding vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of the preceding vehicle along a lane that the host vehicle is currently traveling. The lane centerline determining section determines a lane centerline of the lane that the host vehicle is currently traveling based on the host vehicle path history data and the preceding vehicle path history data.

Claims

1. A vehicle on-board unit comprising:

a vehicle path history generating section configured to generate a host vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of a host vehicle equipped with the vehicle on-board unit;

a two-way wireless communications section configured to receive a preceding vehicle message that at least includes a preceding vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of the preceding vehicle along a lane that the host vehicle is currently traveling; and

a lane centerline determining section configured to determine a lane centerline of the lane that the host vehicle is currently traveling based on the host vehicle path history data and the preceding vehicle path history data.

2. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 1, wherein

the lane centerline determining section is further configured to weight the preceding vehicle path history data more heavily than the host vehicle path history data in determining the centerline of the lane.

3. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 1, wherein

the two-way wireless communications section is further configured to receive statistical information as part of the preceding vehicle path history data;

and

the lane centerline determining section is further configured to adjust the host vehicle path history data based on the statistical information in determining the centerline of the lane.

4. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 3, wherein

the lane centerline determining section is further configured to increase a weight given to the preceding vehicle path history data in determining the centerline of the lane as the statistical information includes more vehicle path histories.

5. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 4, wherein

the lane centerline determining section is further configured to weight the preceding vehicle path history data more heavily than the host vehicle path history data in determining the centerline of the lane.

6. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 1, wherein

the two-way wireless communications section is further configured to broadcast a host vehicle message at least including the host vehicle path history data and the preceding vehicle path history data.

7. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 6, wherein

the two-way wireless communications section is further configured to broadcast the host vehicle path history data and the preceding vehicle path history data as a cumulative vehicle path history.

8. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 7, wherein

the two-way wireless communications section is further configured to broadcast a degree of uncertainty indicator associated with the cumulative vehicle path history.

9. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 6, wherein

the two-way wireless communications section is further configured to broadcast lane boundary data associated with the host vehicle path history data.

10. The vehicle on-board unit as recited in claim 1, wherein

the vehicle path history generating section includes using GPS data of the host vehicle to generate a host vehicle path history comprising a plurality of GPS points.

11. A lane centerline determination method comprising:

broadcasting a first vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of a first vehicle that has traveled along a vehicle lane;

receiving the first vehicle path history data in a second vehicle that subsequently travels the vehicle lane relative to the first vehicle;

establishing a second vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of the second vehicle along the vehicle lane; and

determining a centerline of the lane based on the first vehicle path history data and the second vehicle path history data.

12. The lane centerline determination method as recited in claim 11, further comprising

broadcasting cumulative vehicle path history data from the second vehicle to a third vehicle that subsequently travels the lane relative to the second vehicle;

establishing a third vehicle path history indicative of a travel path of the third vehicle along the vehicle lane; and

revising a position of the centerline of the lane based on the third vehicle path history data and the cumulative vehicle path history data.

13. The lane centerline determination method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the determining of the centerline of the lane includes more heavily weighting preceding vehicle path history data than the second vehicle path history data in determining the centerline of the lane.

14. The lane centerline determination method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the broadcasting of the first vehicle path history data includes broadcasting statistical information relating to a plurality of preceding vehicle path histories;

and

the determining of the centerline of the lane includes using the statistical information relating to the preceding vehicle path histories to adjust the second vehicle path history data in determining the centerline of the lane.

15. The lane centerline determination method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the broadcasting of the first vehicle path history data further includes broadcasting lane boundary data associated with the first vehicle path history data of the first vehicle.

16. The lane centerline determination method as recited in claim 12, wherein

the broadcasting of the cumulative vehicle path history data further includes broadcasting a degree of uncertainty indicator associated with the cumulative vehicle path history data.

17. The lane centerline determination method as recited in claim 12, wherein

the revising of the position of the centerline of the lane includes more heavily weighting the cumulative vehicle path history data than the third vehicle path history data in determining the centerline of the lane.