Vehicular navigation based on site specific sensor quality data

• US 7,313,404 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Noel Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/093,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20060189329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 701/1, 701/6, 701/8, 701/10
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/485 whereby the further system is an optical system or imaging system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard

Abstract

A method and system for determining a location of a vehicle, the method comprises determining reception location data within a first cell of a work area for a vehicle. A reception quality estimator estimates reception quality data for the corresponding reception location data for the first cell. Optical location data is determined within a first cell of a work area for a vehicle. An optical quality estimator estimates optical quality data for the corresponding optical location data for the first cell. A data processor selects at least one of the reception location data and the optical location data as refined location data associated with the first cell based on the estimated reception quality data and estimated optical quality data.

Claims

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

establishing an estimate of reception quality data versus cellular locations for a particular work area and an estimate of optical quality data versus cellular location data to store the quality estimates and reference them when the vehicle is in the particular work area;

determining reception location data and optical location data within a first cell of the cellular locations of the work area for a vehicle;

referencing the established quality estimates for the particular work area to retrieve relevant stored reception quality data and relevant stored optical quality data associated with the first cell; and

selecting at least one of the reception location data and the optical location data as refined location data associated with The first cell based on the relevant stored reception quality data and relevant stored optical quality data.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the selecting comprises establishing relative weights for application of the reception location data and the optical location data based on the relevant stored reception quality data and relevant stored optical quality data.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the establishing comprises expressing the quality estimates as at least one of a map, a contour map, a two-dimensional matrix, and a multidimensional matrix, a look-up table, a chart, and a database.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the establishing comprises expressing the quality estimates as a contour map having contours indicative of a dilution of precision value associated with at least one of the reception location data and the optical location data.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting the reception location data as the refined location data associated with the first cell;

guiding the vehicle within the first cell based on the selected reception location data.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting the optical location data as the refined location data associated with the first cell;

guiding the vehicle within the first cell based on the selected optical location data.

7. The method according to claim 1 Wherein the reception quality data comprises a dilution of precision that considers a number of satellites that are available with a reliable signal strength, a maximum bit error rate, or a maximum symbol error rate for a location determining receiver at particular geographic coordinates.

8. A method for determining a location Of a vehicle, the method comprising:

establishing an estimate of reception quality data versus cellular locations for a particular work area, an estimate of optical quality data versus cellular locations for the work area, and an estimate of dead-reckoning quality data versus cellular locations for the particular work area to store the quality estimates and reference them when the vehicle is in the particular work area;

determining reception location data, optical location date, and dead-reckoning location data within a first cell of the cellular locations of a the particular work area for a vehicle;

referencing the established quality estimates for the particular work area to retrieve relevant stored reception quality data, relevant stored optical quality data, and relevant stored dead-reckoning quality data associated with the first cell;

selecting at least one of the reception location data, the optical location data, and dead-reckoning location data as refined location data associated with the first cell based on the relevant stored reception quality data, relevant stored optical quality data, and the relevant stored dead-reckoning quality data.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the establishing comprises expressing the quality estimates as at least one of a map, a contour map, a two-dimensional matrix, and a multidimensional matrix, a look-up table, a chart, and a database.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein the establishing comprises expressing the quality estimates as a contour map having contours indicative of a dilution of precision value associated with at least one of the reception location data, the optical location data, and the dead-reckoning location data.

11. The method according to claim 8 Wherein the selecting comprises establishing relative weights for application of the reception location data, the optical location data, and the dead-reckoning location data based of the relevant reception quality data, relevant optical quality data, and relevant dead-reckoning quality data.

12. The method according to claim 8 wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting the reception location data as the refined location data associated with the first cell;

guiding the vehicle within the first cell based on the selected reception location data.

13. The method according to claim 8 wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting the optical location data as the refined location data associated with the first cell;

guiding the vehicle within the first cell based on the selected optical location data.

14. The method according to claim 8 wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting the dead-reckoning data as the refined location data associated with the first cell;

guiding the vehicle within the first cell based on the selected dead-reckoning data.

15. The method according to claim 8 wherein the reception quality data comprises a dilution of precision that considers a number of satellites that are available with a reliable signal strength, a maximum bit rate, or a maximum symbol error rate for a location determining receiver at particular geographic coordinates.

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

a quality estimation module establishing an estimate of reception quality data versus cellular locations for a particular work area and an estimate of optical quality data versus cellular location data to store the quality estimates and referenced them when the vehicle is in the particular work area;

a location-determining receiver for determining reception location data within a first cell of the cellular locations of a the particular work area for a vehicle;

an optical location-determining receiver for determining optical location data within the first cell of the cellular locations of the particular work area for the vehicle;

a data processor for referencing the established quality estimate for the particular work area to retrieve relevant stored reception quality data and relevant stored optical quality data associated with the first cell;

the data processor selecting at least one of the reception location data and the optical location data as refined location data associated with the first cell based on the relevant stored reception quality data and relevant stored optical quality data.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the data processor selects relative weights for application of the reception location data and the optical location data based On the relevant stored reception quality data and relevant stored optical quality data.

18. The system according to claim 16 wherein the established quality estimates comprises at least one of a map, a contour map, a two-dimensional matrix, and a multidimensional matrix, a look-up table, a charts and a database.

19. The system according to claim 16 wherein the established quality estimates comprises a contour map having contours indicative of a dilution of precision value associated with at least one of the reception location data and the optical location data.