Vehicle position detection system

• US 7,750,847 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Katayama, Mutsumi, Kushida, Kazumitsu, Maruyama, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US11/902,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.14
• US Class Current: 342/357.62
• 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 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

A vehicle position detection system is provided to detect a vehicle position with higher accuracy. The vehicle position detection system includes a GPS receiving device mounted on the vehicle to receive GPS signals from a GPS satellite, a light beacon communication device mounted on the vehicle to receive light beacon information from a light beacon arranged in front of an intersection of a road, and a central processing unit mounted on the vehicle to correct a position of the vehicle based on the light beacon information upon reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device.

Claims

1. A vehicle position detection system for detecting a position of a vehicle, the vehicle position detection system comprising:

a GPS receiving device mounted on the vehicle to receive GPS signals from a GPS satellite indicating a position of the vehicle;

a light beacon communication device mounted on the vehicle to receive light beacon information from a light beacon arranged in front of an intersection of a road; and

a central processing unit mounted on the vehicle to correct the position of the vehicle indicated by the GPS signals based on the light beacon information upon reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device unless the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than a predetermined time or a predetermined distance.

2. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the light beacon information includes vehicle lane information and position coordinates information, wherein the vehicle lane information contains a traveling lane on which the vehicle travels, and the position coordinates information contains position coordinates of the light beacon.

3. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 2, wherein the central processing unit, after the light beacon communication device receives the position coordinates information of the light beacon information, calculates the position of the vehicle based on the light beacon information received by the light beacon communication device and, at the same time, stores the position of the vehicle in a memory device or displays the calculated position of the vehicle on a display part until the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than the predetermined time or the predetermined distance.

4. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 3, wherein the central processing unit includes a communication device which directly communicates with a surrounding vehicle and directly exchanges the position coordinates information of the light beacon information with position coordinates information of light beacon information of the surrounding vehicle with the surrounding vehicle.

5. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 2, wherein the central processing unit, after the light beacon communication device receives the position coordinates information of the light beacon information, assigns priority to the position of the vehicle based on a self-contained navigation using coordinates of the position coordinates information as a base point until the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than the predetermined time or the predetermined distance, and assigns priority to the position of the vehicle calculated based on the GPS signals received by the GPS receiving device after the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than the predetermined time or the predetermined distance.

6. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 5, wherein the central processing unit includes a vehicle approaching prediction device which performs the prediction of approaching of the vehicle and other vehicle based on the position of the vehicle and a position of the other vehicle, wherein the position of the vehicle is determined based on the position coordinates information of the light beacon information, and the position of the other vehicle is determined based on the position coordinates information of the light beacon information received by the communication device.

7. A vehicle position detection system for detecting a position of a vehicle, the vehicle position detection system comprising:

a GPS receiving device mounted on the vehicle to receive GPS signals from a GPS satellite;

a light beacon communication device mounted on the vehicle to receive light beacon information from a light beacon arranged in front of an intersection of a road; and

a central processing unit mounted on the vehicle to determine a position of the vehicle based on at least one of the GPS signals and the light beacon information, wherein the central processing unit determines the position of the vehicle using the light beacon information instead of the GPS signals unless the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than a predetermined time or a predetermined distance.

8. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 7, wherein the light beacon information includes vehicle lane information and position coordinates information, wherein the vehicle lane information contains a traveling lane on which the vehicle travels, and the position coordinates information contains position coordinates of the light beacon.

9. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 8, wherein the central processing unit, after the light beacon communication device receives the position coordinates information of the light beacon information, calculates the position of the vehicle based on the light beacon information received by the light beacon communication device and stores the position of the vehicle in a memory device or displays the calculated position of the vehicle on a display part until the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than the predetermined time or the predetermined distance.

10. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 9, wherein the central processing unit includes a communication device which directly communicates with a surrounding vehicle and directly exchanges the position coordinates information of the light beacon information with position coordinates information of light beacon information of the surrounding vehicle with the surrounding vehicle.

11. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 8, wherein the central processing unit, after the light beacon communication device receives the position coordinates information of the light beacon information, assigns priority to the position of the vehicle based on a self-contained navigation using coordinates of the position coordinates information as a base point until the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than the predetermined time or the predetermined distance, and assigns priority to the position of the vehicle calculated based on the GPS signals received by the GPS receiving device outside the predetermined condition after the vehicle travels, starting from the reception of the light beacon information by the light beacon communication device, for more than the predetermined time or the predetermined distance.

12. The vehicle position detection system according to claim 11, wherein the central processing unit includes a vehicle approaching prediction device which performs the prediction of approaching of the vehicle and other vehicle based on the position of the vehicle and a position of the other vehicle, wherein the position of the vehicle is determined based on the position coordinates information of the light beacon information, and the position of the other vehicle is determined based on the position coordinates information of the light beacon information received by the communication device.