Apparatus for calculating position of vehicle
First Claim
1. A vehicle position calculating apparatus comprising:
- (a) traveled-distance sensor means for detecting a distance traveled by a vehicle;
(b) bearing sensor means for detecting a vehicle advancing direction;
(c) relative position calculating means for calculating relative vehicle positions with respect to reference positions using an inertial navigation method employing said distance traveled and said vehicle advancing direction respectively detected by said traveled-distance sensor means and said bearing sensor means; and
(d) absolute position calculating means for calculating absolute vehicle positions based on fixed-station absolute position information and a plurality of items of vehicle bearing information which are obtained by a radio wave transmitted from a fixed station and said relative vehicle positions calculated by said relative position calculating means at a plurality of points where respective items of vehicle bearing information are obtained;
said relative position calculating means including means for calculating a present vehicle position by employing the successively calculated absolute vehicle positions as said reference positions.
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Abstract
A vehicle position calculating apparatus has relative position calculating means for calculating a relative vehicle position with respect to a reference position and absolute position calculating means for calculating an absolute vehicle position from fixed-station absolute position information and vehicle bearing information which are obtained from a radio wave transmitted from a fixed station and the above-described relative vehicle position. The relative position calculating means includes means for calculating a present vehicle position by employing absolute positions successively obtained as new reference positions. Accordingly, it is possible to accurately obtain an absolute present vehicle position.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A vehicle position calculating apparatus comprising:
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(a) traveled-distance sensor means for detecting a distance traveled by a vehicle; (b) bearing sensor means for detecting a vehicle advancing direction; (c) relative position calculating means for calculating relative vehicle positions with respect to reference positions using an inertial navigation method employing said distance traveled and said vehicle advancing direction respectively detected by said traveled-distance sensor means and said bearing sensor means; and (d) absolute position calculating means for calculating absolute vehicle positions based on fixed-station absolute position information and a plurality of items of vehicle bearing information which are obtained by a radio wave transmitted from a fixed station and said relative vehicle positions calculated by said relative position calculating means at a plurality of points where respective items of vehicle bearing information are obtained; said relative position calculating means including means for calculating a present vehicle position by employing the successively calculated absolute vehicle positions as said reference positions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A vehicle position calculating apparatus comprising:
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(a) traveled-distance sensor means for detecting a distance traveled by a vehicle; (b) bearing sensor means for detecting a vehicle advancing direction; (c) relative position calculating means for calculating relative vehicle positions with respect to reference positions using an inertial navigation method, by employing the distance traveled and the vehicle advancing direction respectively detected by said traveled-distance sensor means and said bearing sensor means; (d) absolute position calculating means for calculating absolute vehicle positions from fixed-station absolute position information and a plurality of items of vehicle bearing information which are obtained by a radio wave transmitted from a fixed station and relative vehicle positions calculated by said relative position calculating means at a plurality of points where the respective items of vehicle bearing information are obtained; and (e) correction constant calculating means for calculating a correction constant by obtaining the relationship of a vector AB with respect to a vector AB'"'"', in which A and B represent absolute positions calculated by said absolute position calculating means and B'"'"' represents a position calculated by said relative position calculating means using the absolute position A employed as a reference position, the position B'"'"' corresponding the the absolute position B, said relative position calculating means including means for calculating a present vehicle position P by employing said correction constant obtained by said correction constant calculating means using an absolute position C calculated by said absolute position calculating means employed as a reference position. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A vehicle position calculating apparatus comprising:
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(a) traveled-distance sensor means for detecting a distance traveled by a vehicle; (b) bearing sensor means for detecting a vehicle advancing direction; (c) relative position calculating means for calculating a relative vehicle position with respect to a reference position, using an inertial navigation method employing the traveled distance detected by said traveled-distance sensor means and the vehicle advancing direction detected by said bearing sensor means; (d) absolute position calculating means for calculating an absolute vehicle position on the basis of a plurality of sets of fixed-station absolute position information and radio wave arrival direction information which are obtained in succession from a radio wave transmitted from at least one fixed station and the relative vehicle positions calculated by said relative position calculating means, at a plurality of points where the respective sets are obtained, the calculated absolute vehicle position being employed as a new reference position; (e) correction factor calculating means for calculating a correction factor on the basis of a relationship between the absolute vehicle position obtained by said absolute position calculating means and the relative vehicle position corresponding to the absolute vehicle position and obtained by said relative position calculating means; and (f) present vehicle position calculating means for calculating a present vehicle position by correcting a relative vehicle position with respect to said new reference position, using said correction factor.
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Specification