Method and apparatus for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction

• US 20090219194A1
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Menouar, Hamid, Lenardi, Massimiliano
• Granted Patent: US 8,330,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/146
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/04 Indicating positive or negative direction of a linear movement or clockwise or anti-clockwise direction of a rotational movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction. A moving entity being equipped with positioning means receives data from a sender comprising information about a position of a point of interest and a position of a reference point. Based on the received data, a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time, and a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time, it is determined whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction. Preferably, angular information is utilized to verify whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction.

Claims

1. Method for determining whether a moving entity (520;

701;

801;

901;

1001) is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising the steps of

providing a moving entity (1301) having positioning means and receiving means,

providing a sender (1302) sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest and a position of a reference point,

receiving said data sent by said sender on the moving entity (1303), and

determining on the moving entity whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction (1311) based on the received data, a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time, and a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the steps of

providing a first position (1304) of the moving entity at a first point in time by the positioning means,

calculating a first distance (1305) between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the first position,

calculating a second distance (1306) between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the first position,

providing a second position (1307) of the moving entity at a second point in time by the positioning means,

calculating a third distance (1308) between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the second position,

calculating a fourth distance (1309) between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the second position, and

determining on the moving entity whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the first, second, third, and fourth distance (1311).

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized by the step of determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance and second distance>

fourth distance.

4. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by the steps of

calculating verification data and

verifying whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the verification data.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized by the steps of

determining a reference distance (1310) between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point and

calculating verification data depending on an angle between the reference distance and a distance between the moving entity and the reference point.

6. Method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by the step of calculating verification data depending on an angle between the first distance and the second distance or calculating verification data depending on an angle between the third distance and the fourth distance.

7. Method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by the step of calculating verification data based on a comparison of (((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value or a comparison of (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value.

8. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by the step of determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].

9. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by the step of updating the data that is sent by the sender.

22. Method, Apparatus or Sender according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data comprises a predetermined value.

23. Method, Apparatus or Sender according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data comprises a plurality of positions relating to a plurality of points of interest and a plurality of positions of reference points each relating to at least one point of interest.

24. Method, Apparatus or Sender according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data comprises a plurality of predetermined values, each relating to a predetermined direction.

10. Method for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising the steps of

providing a moving entity having positioning means and receiving means,

providing a sender sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest, a position of a reference point, and a predetermined value,

receiving said data sent by said sender on the moving entity,

providing a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time by the positioning means,

calculating a first distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the first position,

calculating a second distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the first position,

providing a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time by the positioning means,

calculating a third distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the second position,

calculating a fourth distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the second position,

determining a reference distance between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point, and

determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

the predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].

11. Apparatus (1401) for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising

positioning means (1402) for positioning the moving entity,

receiving means (1403) for receiving data sent by a sender sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest and a position of a reference point, and

determination means (1410) for determining whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the data received by the receiving means, a first position of the moving entity provided by the positioning means at a first point in time, and a second position of the moving entity provided by the positioning means at a second point in time.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized by

means for providing a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time,

means for calculating a first distance (1411) between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving means and the first position,

means for calculating a second distance (1412) between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving means and the first position,

means for providing a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time,

means for calculating a third distance (1413) between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving means and the second position,

means for calculating a fourth distance (1414) between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving means and the second position, and

means for determining whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the first, second, third, and fourth distance (1416).

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, characterized by means for determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance and second distance>

fourth distance.

14. Apparatus according to at least one of the claims 11 to 13, characterized by

means for calculating verification data and

means for verifying whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the verification data.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized by

means for determining a reference distance (1415) between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point and

means for calculating verification data depending on an angle between the reference distance and a distance between the moving entity and the reference point.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, characterized by means for calculating verification data depending on an angle between the first distance and the second distance or means for calculating verification data depending on an angle between the third distance and the fourth distance.

17. Apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, characterized by means for calculating verification data based on a comparison of (((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value or a comparison of (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value.

18. Apparatus according to at least one of the claims 11 to 17, characterized by means for determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].

20. Sender (501) for sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest and a position of a reference point, wherein the data is to be received by an apparatus according to at least one of the claims 11 to 19.

21. Sender according to claim 20, characterized by means for updating the data that is sent by the sender.

25. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and a computer program recorded therein in form of a series of state elements corresponding to instructions which are adapted to be processed by a data processing means of a data processing apparatus being connectable to a positioning means for positioning a moving entity and a receiving means for receiving data dependent on positions of points of interest and positions of reference points, wherein, when the computer program is executed by the data processing means, an apparatus according to at least one of the claims 11 to 19 is formed.

19. Apparatus for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising

positioning means for positioning the moving entity,

receiving means for receiving data sent by a sender sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest, a position of a reference point, and a predetermined value,

means for providing a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time,

means for calculating a first distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving means and the first position,

means for calculating a second distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving means and the first position,

means for providing a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time,

means for calculating a third distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving means and the second position,

means for calculating a fourth distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving means and the second position, and

means for determining a reference distance between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point, and

means for determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

the predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].