Method And Device For Determining The Speed And/Or Position Of A Vehicle

• US 20150025786A1
• Filed: 02/26/2013
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Hohm, Andree, Sthlin, Ulrich, Komar, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 9,162,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

A method for determining the speed of a vehicle equipped with at least one surround sensor that determines environment data of the vehicle relative to at least one motionless object includes: receiving, by the vehicle, through wireless vehicle-to-environment communication with the at least one motionless object, a transmitted piece of information about the motionlessness of the motionless object; determining the relative motion of the vehicle with respect to the motionless object from the environment data of the vehicle relative to the motionless object; and determining the speed of the vehicle and/or the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the motionless object from the determined relative motion.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method for determining the speed of a vehicle (1) equipped with at least one surround sensor that determines environment data of the vehicle (1) relative to at least one motionless object (4, 7, 8), the method comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle (1), through wireless vehicle-to-environment communication with the at least one motionless object (4, 7, 8), a transmitted piece of information about the motionlessness of the motionless object (4, 7, 8);

determining the relative motion of the vehicle (1) with respect to the motionless object (4, 7, 8) from the environment data of the vehicle (1) relative to the motionless object (4, 7, 8); and

determining the speed of the vehicle (1) and/or the relative position of the vehicle (1) with respect to the motionless object (4, 7, 8) from the determined relative motion.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle (1), from the motionless object (4, 7, 8), a transmitted piece of information about the position of the motionless object (4, 7, 8); and

determining the position of the vehicle (1) from the environment data of the vehicle (1) relating to the motionless object (4, 7, 8) and from the information about the position of the motionless object (4, 7, 8).

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

determining a velocity of the vehicle (1) from the positions of the vehicle (1) and of the motionless object (4, 7, 8) and from the relative motion of the vehicle (1) with respect to the motionless object (4, 7, 8).

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

determining the environment data of the vehicle (1) with respect to a plurality of motionless objects (4, 7, 8) by;

the vehicle (1) receiving, from the motionless objects (4, 7, 8), a transmitted piece of information about the motionlessness of the motionless objects (4, 7, 8),

determining the relative motion of the vehicle (1) with respect to the motionless objects (4, 7, 8) from the various environment data of the vehicle (1) relating to the motionless objects, and

determining the speed of the vehicle (1) from the determined relative motion.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

the vehicle (1) receiving, from the motionless objects (4, 7, 8), a transmitted piece of information about the position of the motionless objects (4, 7, 8); and

determining the position of the vehicle from the environment data of the vehicle relating to the motionless objects (4, 7, 8) and from the information on the position of the motionless objects.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein

the speed and/or position of the vehicle (1) is determined using statistical methods.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

fusing the determined position and/or speed of the vehicle (1) with position and speed values from in-vehicle sensors.

17. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein

the surround sensor comprises at least one of a radar sensor, a camera sensor, a laser scanner, a lidar and/or ultrasound sensors.

18. A device in a vehicle (1) for determining the speed and/or position of the vehicle (1), wherein the device comprises:

a communications unit configured to participate in a wireless vehicle-to-environment communication;

at least one surround sensor configured to determine environment data of the vehicle (1) relating to at least one motionless object (4, 7, 8); and

a processing unit configured to execute the method as claimed in claim 10.