Method for determining the global position

• US 7,746,271 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sick AG (Sick)
• Original Assignee: IBEO Automobile Sensor GmbH (Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH)
• Inventors: Fürstenberg, Kay
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing; Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US11/894,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 342/357.23
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/026 of associated receivers

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of increasing accuracy of a global position of a user receiver determined by a navigation system. The global position is corrected based on a position error determined by a mobile reference receiver and transmitted to the user receiver. The invention further relates to a corresponding apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for increasing accuracy of a global position of a user receiver determined by a navigation system of the user receiver, wherein:

a global position of a mobile reference receiver is determined by a navigation system of the mobile reference receiver;

at least one stationary landmark is detected by the at least one object detection sensor;

a relative position of the at least one stationary landmark relative to the mobile reference receiver is determined by a sensing system based on data from at least one object detection sensor;

a global position of said at least one stationary landmark in at least one spatial direction is determined based on a digital map;

a position error of the global position of the mobile reference receiver is calculated for at least one spatial direction based on the global position of the at least one stationary landmark, the relative position, and the global position of the mobile reference receiver; and

the position error is transmitted from the mobile reference receiver to the user receiver to increase the accuracy of the global position of the user receiver determined by the navigation system of the user receiver.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

to determine the global position of the at least one stationary landmark, in a digital map, a section of an environment of the global position of the mobile reference receiver is determined in dependence on the global position of the mobile reference receiver; and

the digital map includes an entry for the at least one stationary landmark and associated with the section.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one stationary landmark is detected, recognized and tracked in a plurality of sequential cycles by a laser scanner during movement of the mobile reference receiver.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the global position of the mobile reference receiver and a corrected global position of the mobile reference receiver are compared with one another to calculate the position error.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein:

a plurality of stationary landmarks are detected; and

only a corrected global position of the mobile reference receiver is determined and is compared with the global position of the mobile reference receiver to calculate the position error.

6. A method of increasing accuracy of a global position of a user receiver determined by a navigation system, wherein:

at least one position error determined in accordance with the method of claim 1 and is received from at least one mobile reference receiver; and

a corrected global position of the user receiver for at least one spatial direction is determined with reference to the received at least one position error.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein:

each of the at least one position error is calculated for at least one spatial direction and comprises a first position error and a second position error;

a corrected global position of the user receiver is determined based on the first position error and the second position error; and

the first position error is received from a different mobile reference receiver than the second position error.

8. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program executable by a computer, the computer program comprising instructions to carry out the method in accordance with claim 1.

9. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program executable by a computer, the computer program comprising instructions to carry out the method in accordance with claim 1.

10. A method comprising:

determining a global position of a mobile reference receiver via a navigation system;

detecting at least one stationary landmark based on data from at least one object detection sensor;

determining a relative position of the at least one stationary landmark relative to the mobile reference receiver based on the global position and the data;

accessing a digital map to retrieve a stored global position in at least one spatial direction of the at least one stationary landmark;

calculating a first position error of the global position of the mobile reference receiver for at least one spatial direction based on the global position of the mobile reference receiver, the stored global position of the at least one stationary landmark, and the relative position; and

transmitting the first position error from the mobile reference receiver to a user receiver.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile reference receiver is a first vehicle and the user receiver is a second vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a second position error based on:

the first position error; and

a global position of the user receiver determined by a navigation system of the user receiver.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a corrected global position of the mobile reference receiver based on:

the stored global position of the at least one landmark; and

the relative position,

wherein the first position error is determined based on the corrected global position.

14. A mobile reference receiver comprising:

a navigation system that determines a global position of a mobile reference receiver;

at least one object detection sensor that generates data based on detection of at least one stationary landmark,

wherein the navigation system;

determines a relative position of the at least one stationary landmark relative to the mobile reference receiver based on the global position and the data;

accesses a digital map to retrieve a stored global position in at least one spatial direction of the at least one stationary landmark;

calculates a first position error of the global position of the mobile reference receiver for at least one spatial direction based on the global position of the mobile reference receiver, the stored global position of the at least one stationary landmark, and the relative position; and

transmits the first position error from the mobile reference receiver to a user receiver.

15. A system comprising the mobile reference receiver of claim 14, further comprising a user receiver that determines a second position error based on:

the first position error; and

a global position of the user receiver determined by a navigation system of the user receiver.