GPS-Based Relative Positioning Enhancement Method Using Neighboring Entity Information

• US 20120089319A1
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Basnayake, Chaminda
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning

Abstract

A method and system is provided for determining a relative position between a host vehicle and a remote vehicle using an indirect assisting entity technique. A GPS position of the host vehicle and a remote vehicle are obtained. A number of common satellites providing GPS data to the host vehicle and the remote vehicle are determined. An indirect-assisting entity is identified having a common number of satellites in communication between the host vehicle and remote vehicle, respectively, which is greater than the number of common satellites between host vehicle and the remote vehicle. A relative position is determined between the host vehicle and the indirect-assisting entity, and the remote vehicle and the indirect-assisting entity. A position of the host vehicle relative to the remote vehicle is determined as a function of the determined position of the host vehicle and remote vehicle relative to the indirect-assisting entity.

Claims

1. A method of determining relative positioning between a host vehicle and a remote vehicle using an indirect assisting entity technique, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining GPS data of the host vehicle that includes a GPS position of the host vehicle;

the host vehicle obtaining GPS data of the remote vehicle that includes a GPS position of the remote vehicle and a confidence estimate of the GPS position of the remote vehicle;

determining a number of common satellites receiving GPS data between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle;

determining whether the number of common satellites exceeds a predetermined common satellite threshold;

identifying an indirect-assisting entity having a common number of satellites in communication with the host vehicle that is greater than the number of common satellites between host vehicle and the remote vehicle, and having a common number of satellites in communication with the remote vehicle greater than the number of common satellites between host vehicle and the remote vehicle;

determining a relative position between the host vehicle and the indirect-assisting entity and a relative position between the remote vehicle and the indirect-assisting entity; and

determining a position of the host vehicle relative to the remote vehicle as a function of the determined position of the host vehicle and remote vehicle relative to the indirect-assisting entity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of indirect-assisting entities is used to establish a relative position between the host vehicle and the remote entity, wherein the plurality of indirect-assisting entities establishes a common satellite communication chain between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle, wherein each respective indirect-assisting entity within the chain has a common number of satellites with a directly preceding entity in the chain, and a directly succeeding entity in the chain, wherein the common number of satellites between a respective preceding entity in the chain and a respective succeeding entity in the chain is each greater than the common number of satellites between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

the host vehicle determining whether the confidence estimate of the GPS position of the remote vehicle satisfies a predetermined confidence threshold;

determining the relative positions between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle using the GPS position as determined by the host vehicle and the GPS position as determined by the remote vehicle in response to the confidence estimate satisfying the predetermined confidence threshold, otherwise determining the relative positions of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle as a function of the position of the indirect-assisting entity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein communications between the host vehicle, remote vehicle, and indirect-assisting entity are communicated via an inter-vehicle ad hoc network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the indirect assisting entity functions as an intermediate position relative to the position of the host vehicle and the position of the remote vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the indirect-assisting entity is a vehicle for providing the intermediate position.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the indirect-assisting entity is a roadside equipment for providing the intermediate position.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the indirect-assisting entity is a pedestrian for providing the intermediate position.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined common satellite threshold is at least 3 satellites.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined common satellite threshold is at least 4 satellites.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined position of the remote vehicle relative to the host vehicle is displayed to a driver of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a control action is performed by a vehicle application that uses the determined position of the remote vehicle relative to the host vehicle.

13. The vehicle positioning system comprising:

a host vehicle global positioning system for determining a GPS position of a host vehicle;

a vehicle-to-entity communication system of the host vehicle for exchanging GPS data with a remote vehicle and an indirect-assisting entity, the GPS data of the remote vehicle including a GPS position of the remote vehicle and a confidence estimate of the remote vehicle GPS position; and

a processing unit of the host vehicle for determining relative positioning between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle as a function of a GPS data of the host vehicle, the GPS data of the remote vehicle, and the GPS data of the indirect-assisting entity;

wherein the processing unit determines a number of common satellites between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle receiving GPS data, wherein the processing unit determines whether the number of common satellites exceeds a predetermined common satellite threshold, wherein the processing unit identifies an indirect-assisting entity in response to the number of common satellites being less than the predetermined common satellite threshold, the indirect-assisting entity having a common number of satellites with the host vehicle that is greater than the number of common satellites between host vehicle and the remote vehicle, the indirect-assisting entity further having a common number of satellites with the remote vehicle that is greater than the number of common satellites between host vehicle and the remote vehicle, wherein the processing unit determines both a relative position of the remote vehicle in relation to the indirect-assisting entity and a relative position between host vehicle and the indirect-assisting entity, wherein a position of the host vehicle relative to the remote vehicle is determined as a function of the determined position of the host vehicle and the remote vehicle relative to the position of the indirect-assisting entity.

14. The vehicle positioning system of claim 13 wherein a plurality of indirect-assisting entities is used to establish a relative position between the host vehicle and the remote entity, wherein the plurality of indirect-assisting entities establishes a common satellite communication chain between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle, wherein each respective indirect-assisting entity within the chain has a common number of satellites with a directly preceding entity in the chain, and a directly succeeding entity in the chain, wherein the common number of satellites between a respective preceding entity in the chain and a respective succeeding entity in the chain is each greater than the common number of satellites between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle.

15. The vehicle positioning system of claim 13 wherein the vehicle-to-entity communication system is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system.

16. The vehicle positioning of claim 13 wherein the vehicle-to-entity communication system is a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication system.

17. The vehicle positioning system of claim 13 wherein the indirect-assisting entity is a remote vehicle.

18. The vehicle positioning system of claim 13 wherein the indirect-assisting entity is a roadside equipment.

19. The vehicle positioning system of claim 13 wherein the indirect-assisting entity is a device carried by a pedestrian.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the predetermined common satellite threshold is at least 3 satellites.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the predetermined common satellite threshold is at least 4 satellites.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein the processing unit determines whether the confidence estimate of the GPS position of the remote vehicle satisfies a predetermined confidence threshold, and wherein the relative positions of the host vehicle and remote vehicle are determined using the GPS position as determined by the host vehicle and the GPS position as determined by the remote vehicle in response to the confidence estimate satisfying the predetermined confidence threshold.