Zone Detection in a GNSS System

• US 20150179010A1
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Q-Free ASA
• Original Assignee: Q-Free ASA
• Inventors: Lykkja, Ola Martin, Bolstad, Hans Christian, Lland, Anders, Huseby, Ragnar Bang
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/30 not involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

Method and system for zone based detection of vehicles passing into and out from a geographical zone using polygons to define the border of said zone, wherein a first polygon (32) defines a virtual border against which vehicles passing into the zone is compared by use of a GNSS system (10) comprising an OBU (2) in every vehicle to be surveyed by the method. A second polygon (31) larger than the first polygon (32) and completely enveloping said first polygon is defined as a virtual border against which objects passing out from the zone is compared by use of the GNSS system.

Claims

1. A method for zone based detection of vehicles passing into and out from a geographical zone using polygons to define the border of said zone, wherein a first polygon (32) defines a virtual border against which vehicles passing into the zone is compared by use of a GNSS system (10) comprising an OBU (2) in the vehicles to be detected, and a second polygon (31) larger than the first polygon (32) and completely enveloping said first polygon is defined as a virtual border against which vehicles passing out from the zone is compared by use of the GNSS system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the polygons (31, 32) is a simple polygon having no self-intersecting edges.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the polygons (31, 32) are selected from the group consisting of two-dimensional polygons and three dimensional polygons/polyhedrons.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a GNSS system (10) is used for detecting passages into and out from the zone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an uninterrupted succession of n registered positions within the first polygon (32) is the criteria for a vehicle to be determined to have entered the zone, wherein n is a predetermined integer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein n is an integer not less than 3.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an uninterrupted succession of n registered positions outside the second polygon is (31) the criteria for a vehicle to be determined to have left the zone, wherein n is a predetermined integer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein n is an integer not less than 3.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein n positions within the first polygon (32) out of a series of m registered positions in a series of position detections for a given vehicle, is the criteria for a vehicle to be determined to have entered the zone, wherein n and m are each predetermined integers with m being greater than or equal to n.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein n and m are each larger than a threshold decided from local factors known to influence the system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance r between the first and the second polygon can vary along the polygon border.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of vertices in the second polygon is independent from the number of vertices in the first polygon.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection of passages into and out from the zone is registered against time for use in an automatic billing system.

14. A system for zone based detection of vehicles passing into and out from a geographical zone by use of a GNSS system (10) using a first polygon (32) to define a virtual border of said zone against which vehicles passing into the zone is compared by use of a GNSS system, said GNSS system comprising:

OBUs (12) in the vehicles to be detected, said OBUs receiving signals from a plurality of satellites (11) to provide estimates of position coordinates for the vehicle,

a CPU (23) that implements a method for zone based detection of vehicles passing into and out from a geographical zone using polygons to define the border of said zone, wherein a first polygon (32) defines a virtual border against which vehicles passing into the zone is compared by use of a GNSS system (10) comprising an OBU (2) in the vehicles to be detected,

storage medium (25) for polygon definitions,

a wireless communication unit (24), wherein

the system is arranged to define a second polygon (31) larger than the first polygon (32) and completely enveloping said first polygon (32), to define a virtual border against which vehicles passing out from the zone is compared by use of the GNSS system.