CORRECTION OF A VEHICLE POSITION BY MEANS OF LANDMARKS

• US 20110161032A1
• Filed: 04/23/2008
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Stählin, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 8,442,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/94
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A position for a vehicle is corrected by detecting landmarks on the journey route and correcting the measured vehicle position when a landmark of this kind has been identified. The landmarks are stored in a database in the vehicle with associated exact GPS positions. When a landmark is reached, the associated exact GPS position is compared with the position measured in the vehicle, whereupon the measured position is corrected. In this way, the position finding can be improved.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A correction apparatus for correcting a position for a vehicle, said correction apparatus comprising:

a memory unit for storing data which correspond to a landmark on a journey route of the vehicle and for storing an accurate first position for the landmark;

a detection unit for detecting the landmark on the journey route; and

a correction unit for correcting a measured second position for the vehicle on the basis of the accurate first position of the landmark.

13. The correction apparatus as claimed in claim 12 further comprising:

a position-finding unit for measuring the second position of the vehicle.

14. The correction apparatus as claimed in claim 13,

wherein the position-finding unit has a GPS receiver for measuring the second position.

15. The correction apparatus as claimed in claim 13,

wherein the position-finding unit is configured to measure the second position on the basis of a model of driving dynamics.

16. The correction apparatus as claimed in claim 12,

wherein the detection unit has at least one sensor comprising either an ESP sensor or a camera.

17. The correction apparatus as claimed in claim 12 further comprising:

a communication unit for receiving update data which correspond to the landmarks.

18. A correction system for correcting a position for a vehicle, said correction system comprising:

a correction apparatus as claimed in claim 12; and

a control center with a communication unit for sending update data to the correction apparatus.

19. The use of a correction apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in a vehicle.

20. A method for correcting a position for a vehicle, said method comprising the following steps:

storing data which correspond to a landmark on a journey route of the vehicle and an accurate first position for the landmark;

detecting the landmark on the journey route; and

correcting a measured second position for the vehicle on the basis of the accurate first position of the landmark.

21. A computer program product which, when executed on a processor, instructs the processor to perform the following steps:

storing data which correspond to a landmark on a journey route of the vehicle and an accurate first position for the landmark;

detecting the landmark on the journey route; and

correcting a measured second position for the vehicle on the basis of the accurate first position of the landmark.

22. A computer-readable medium which stores a computer program product which, when executed on a processor, instructs the processor to perform the following steps:

storing data which correspond to a landmark on a journey route of the vehicle and an accurate first position for the landmark;

detecting the landmark on the journey route; and

correcting a measured second position for the vehicle on the basis of the accurate first position of the landmark.