Vehicle position determination system

• US 20080125972A1
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software AB (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ryan A. Neff
• Inventors: Neff, Ryan A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/046 involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle, e.g. via telemetry, satellite, Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/52 Radar, Lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• 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: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions

Abstract

A vehicle position determination system can determine a position of a first moving vehicle relative to at least one other moving vehicle and to non-moving objects. An information communication system transported by a first moving vehicle can be operable to receive from the at least one other moving vehicle an estimate of such moving vehicle'"'"'s position relative to the first moving vehicle. Sensors of the first moving vehicle can be usable to obtain information relating to positions of other moving vehicles and non-moving objects in a vicinity of the first moving vehicle. A processor may then use the obtained information with the received estimate of the at least one other moving vehicle'"'"'s position to make a first estimate of a position of the first moving vehicle relative to the other moving vehicles and non-moving objects.

Claims

1. A system for determining a position of a first moving vehicle relative to at least one other moving vehicle and to non-moving objects, comprising:

an information communication system being transported by the first moving vehicle, the information communication system being operable to receive from the at least one other moving vehicle an estimate of a position of the at least one other moving vehicle in relation to the first moving vehicle; and

a position determining system being transported by the first moving vehicle, the position determining system having (i) a plurality of sensors operable to obtain information relating to positions of other moving vehicles and non-moving objects in a vicinity of the first moving vehicle, and (ii) a processor operable to determine a first estimate of a position of the first moving vehicle in relation to the other moving vehicles and non-moving objects from the information obtained by the plurality of sensors and from the received estimate of the position of the at least one other moving vehicle.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information is obtained via rays reflected off of the other moving vehicles and non-moving objects.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to determine a sensed position of the first moving vehicle relative to the other moving vehicles and non-moving vehicles from the information obtained by the plurality of sensors and is operable to determine the first estimate from the sensed position and the received estimate of the position of the at least one other moving vehicle.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information communication system is operable to receive estimates of positions of the other moving vehicles via vehicle position determining systems transported by the other moving vehicles.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the estimates of the positions of the other moving vehicles are determined at least in part by sensors included in the vehicle position determining systems transported by the other moving vehicles.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one of the estimates of the positions of the other moving vehicles is received at least once by a second vehicle of the other moving vehicles, and is received by the first moving vehicle after retransmission by the second vehicle.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position determining system of the first moving vehicle is operable to construct a view of a coordinate space over which the first moving vehicle is moving at a particular point in time and is operable to calibrate the view of the coordinate space using the received estimate of the position of the at least one other moving vehicle.