METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PRECISE VEHICLE LOCALIZATION USING RADAR MAPS

• US 20130103298A1
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Becker, Jan, Schwindt, Oliver, Kammel, Soeren
• Granted Patent: US 9,194,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/895 Side looking radar [SLR]

Abstract

A method for determining a location of a vehicle. The method includes steps of acquiring a plurality of sensor data from a radar sensor associated with the vehicle; obtaining an approximate location of the vehicle using a GPS unit; comparing the sensor data to a database of geo-referenced sensor data; and based on the comparison, determining a location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of a vehicle, comprising:

acquiring a plurality of sensor data from a radar sensor associated with the vehicle;

obtaining an approximate location of the vehicle using a GPS unit;

comparing the sensor data to a database of geo-referenced sensor data; and

based on the comparison, determining a location of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the sensor data to a database of geo-referenced sensor data further comprises identifying a portion of the database corresponding to the approximate location of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein comparing the sensor data to a database of geo-referenced sensor data comprises fitting the sensor data onto a portion of the database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein fitting the sensor data onto a portion of the database comprises fitting the sensor data onto a portion of the database using a cross correlation function.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring a plurality of sensor data comprises acquiring a plurality of sensor data from a plurality of radar sensors associated with the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring a plurality of sensor data comprises acquiring a plurality of sensor data from at least one of a video imaging system, a laser scanner system, a lidar system, and an inertial measurement unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring a plurality of sensor data from a radar sensor associated with the vehicle comprises

obtaining velocity information from the plurality of radar sensor data;

using the velocity information, identifying a portion of the plurality of radar sensor data corresponding to a moving object; and

removing the portion of the plurality of radar sensor data corresponding to a moving object from the plurality of radar sensor data.

8. A system for determining a location of a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle having at least one radar sensor and a GPS unit associated therewith;

a controller in communication with the at least one radar sensor and the GPS unit, the controller configured to

acquire a plurality of sensor data from a radar sensor associated with the vehicle;

compare the sensor data to a database of geo-referenced sensor data; and

based on the comparison, determine a location of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller, in order to compare the sensor data to a database of geo-referenced sensor data, is further configured to identify a portion of the database corresponding to the approximate location of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller, in order to compare the sensor data to a database of geo-referenced sensor data, is further configured to fit the sensor data onto a portion of the database.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller, in order to fit the sensor data onto a portion of the database, is further configured to fit the sensor data onto a portion of the database using a cross correlation function.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle further has a plurality of radar sensors associated therewith and wherein the controller, in order to acquire a plurality of sensor data, is further configured to acquire a plurality of sensor data from the plurality of radar sensors associated with the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle further has at least one of a video imaging system, a laser scanner system, a lidar system, and an inertial measurement unit associated therewith and wherein the controller, in order to acquire a plurality of sensor data, is further configured to acquire a plurality of sensor data from at least one of the video imaging system, the laser scanner system, the lidar system, and the inertial measurement unit.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller, in order to acquire a plurality of sensor data from a radar sensor associated with the vehicle, is further configured to

obtain velocity information from the plurality of radar sensor data;

using the velocity information, identify a portion of the plurality of radar sensor data corresponding to a moving object; and

remove the portion of the plurality of radar sensor data corresponding to a moving object from the plurality of radar sensor data.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising obtaining a plurality of data from at least one of a video imaging system, a laser scanner system, a lidar system, and an inertial measurement unit, and processing the plurality of data from the at least one of a video imaging system, a laser scanner system, a lidar system, and an inertial measurement unit and incorporating the plurality of data into the geo-referenced database of radar data.

15. A method of assembling a high-resolution database for precise vehicle localization, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of radar sensor readings from at least one vehicle;

obtaining a plurality of GPS unit readings from the at least one vehicle, where the GPS readings are correlated with the radar sensor readings; and

processing the radar sensor readings and the GPS unit readings to generate a geo-referenced database of radar data.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising obtaining a plurality of radar sensor readings and a plurality of GPS unit readings from a plurality of vehicles, wherein the GPS unit readings are correlated with the radar sensor readings, wherein the GPS unit readings and radar sensor readings are averaged together to provide GPS data with a higher resolution than a resolution of any of the plurality of GPS unit readings from the plurality of vehicles.

17. The method claim 15, wherein processing the radar sensor readings and the GPS unit readings to generate a geo-referenced database of radar data comprises formatting the geo-referenced database of radar data to match an output format of a radar sensor.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein obtaining a plurality of radar sensor readings from at least one vehicle comprises

obtaining velocity information from a plurality of radar sensor readings from at least one vehicle;

identifying a portion of at least one radar sensor reading corresponding to a moving object; and

removing the portion of the radar sensor reading corresponding to a moving object from the at least one radar sensor reading.