Method for navigating a vehicle

• US 6,366,850 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: de Jong, Cornelis Dick
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US09/657,077
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/214, 701/217, 701/213, 342/457, 342/358, 342/357, 342/359, 340/991, 335/56
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments

Abstract

The invention specifies a method for navigating a vehicle, in which a change in the vehicle'"'"'s direction is ascertained by integration of a signal indicating a speed of change in direction. To this end, the result of the integration is corrected by the following steps: a) The absolute direction of the vehicle at a first instant is determined using external auxiliary means; b) The absolute direction of the vehicle at a second instant is determined using external auxiliary means; c) The difference between the absolute directions is ascertained; and d) The result of the integration is normalized to this difference. The method enables the determination of directions more accurately.

Claims

1. A method for navigating a vehicle, in which a change in the vehicle'"'"'s direction is ascertained by integration of a signal indicating a speed of change in direction, wherein the result of the integration is corrected by the following steps:

a) the absolute direction of the vehicle at a first instant is determined using external auxiliary means;

b) the absolute direction of the vehicle at a second instant is determined using external auxiliary means;

c) the difference between the absolute directions is ascertained;

d) the result of the integration is normalized to this difference; and

e) a new scaling factor is ascertained from a previously used scaling factor by using the difference between the absolute directions and the result of the integration.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external auxiliary means used are satellites.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a correction variable is ascertained only if the difference between the absolute directions is at least 60°

.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the correction variable is ascertained only if a predetermined angular speed is not undershot in the period of time between the first instant and the second instant.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the correction variable is filtered.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the correction variable is filtered.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external auxiliary means used are road data of an electronic map.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the road data are stored in a database.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a correction variable is ascertained only if the difference between the absolute directions is at least 60°

.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the correction variable is ascertained only if a predetermined angular speed is not undershot in the period of time between the first instant and the second instant.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the correction variable is filtered.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the correction variable is filtered.