Determining velocity using multiple sensors

• US 8,244,431 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kroepfl, Michael, Pehserl, Joachim, Bauer, Joachim, Lawler, Stephen L., Kimchi, Gur, Curlander, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US12/370,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 701/79, 701/300, 701/301, 701/208, 701/209, 701/213, 701214-217, 701/220, 701/221, 701/223, 701/36
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/16 by evaluating the time-derivative of a measured speed signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/366 by using diffraction of light for measuring speed of fluids G01P5/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/50 for measuring linear speed G01P3/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/56 for comparing two speeds
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 7/00 Measuring speed by integrating acceleration measuring travelled distance by double integration of acceleration G01C21/16

Abstract

A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives first velocity data that is indicative of a velocity of a vehicle over a period of time, wherein the first velocity data corresponds to a first sensor. The receiver component also receives second velocity data that is indicative of the velocity of the vehicle over the period of time, wherein the second velocity data corresponds to a second sensor. The system also includes a modifier component that determines a difference between the first velocity data and the second velocity data and outputs at least one final velocity value for the vehicle based at least in part upon the first difference data.

Claims

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

receiving first acceleration data that is indicative of an acceleration of the vehicle over a period of time, wherein the first acceleration data is received from an accelerometer;

receiving, from a velocity sensor, first velocity data that is indicative of a velocity of the vehicle over the period of time;

computing second acceleration data that is indicative of the acceleration of the vehicle over the period of time by performing a differentiation on the first velocity data received from the velocity sensor;

determining first difference data that is a difference between the first acceleration data and the second acceleration data;

determining final velocity data for the vehicle based at least in part upon the first difference data; and

outputting the final velocity data, wherein the method is executed by a processor of a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing an integration on the first acceleration data to generate second velocity data;

determining second difference data that is a difference between the first velocity data and the second velocity data;

performing a Gaussian filter operation on the first difference data to generate first filtered data; and

determining the final velocity data based at least in part upon the first filtered data and the second difference data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

performing an integration on the first filtered data to generate second filtered data;

determining third difference data that is a difference between the second filtered data and the second difference data;

performing a morphological filter operation on the third difference data to create third filtered data; and

determining the final velocity data based at least in part upon the third filtered data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

adding the second filtered data to the third filtered data to create fourth filtered data; and

determining the final velocity data based at least in part upon the fourth filtered data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

subtracting the fourth filtered data from the second velocity data to generate the final velocity data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a geographic location of the vehicle based at least in part upon the final velocity data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising correlating at least a portion of the final velocity data with at least one image.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating a three-dimensional representation of a building based at least in part upon the determined final velocity data and the at least one image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the velocity sensor uses the Doppler effect to determine the first velocity data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor is a MEMs acceleration sensor.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that comprises a plurality of components that are executed by the processor, the components comprising;

a receiver component that receives;

first velocity data that is indicative of a velocity of a vehicle over a period of time, wherein the first velocity data is received from a velocity sensor; and

second velocity data that is indicative of the velocity of the vehicle over the period of time, wherein the second velocity data is computed based upon first acceleration data received from an acceleration sensor, the first acceleration data indicative of acceleration of the vehicle over the period of time; and

a modifier component that;

determines a difference between the first velocity data and the second velocity data; and

outputs at least one final velocity value for the vehicle based at least in part upon the difference.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the velocity sensor is mounted to the vehicle and the accelerometer is mounted to the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the velocity sensor uses the Doppler effect to output the first velocity data, and wherein the acceleration sensor is a MEMs acceleration sensor.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first velocity data corresponds to second acceleration data, and wherein the plurality of components further comprises a first filter component that executes a Gaussian filter operation on a difference between the first acceleration data and the second acceleration data to generate first filtered data, wherein the modifier component determines the at least one final velocity value based at least in part upon the first filtered data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality or components further comprises:

an integrator component that performs an integration on the first filtered data to create second filtered data; and

a difference determiner component that determines a difference between the second filtered data and the difference between the first velocity data and second velocity data, wherein the modifier component determines the at least one final velocity value based at least in part upon the difference between the second filtered data and the difference between the first velocity data and the second velocity data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of components further comprises:

a second filter component that performs a morphological filter operation over the second difference data to generate third filtered data, wherein the modifier component determines the at least one final velocity value based at least in part upon the third filtered data.

18. A computer-readable data storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving first velocity data from a velocity sensor;

receiving first acceleration data from an accelerometer;

generating second velocity data using the first acceleration data;

generating second acceleration data using the first velocity data;

determining a difference between the first acceleration data and the second acceleration data to generate first difference data;

determining a difference between the first velocity data and the second velocity data to generate second difference data;

performing a Gaussian filter operation on the first difference data to generate first filtered data;

performing an integration on the first filtered data to generate second filtered data;

determining a difference between the second filtered data and the second velocity data to generate third difference data;

performing a morphological filter operation on the third difference data to generate third filtered data;

adding the second filtered data with the third filtered data to generate fourth filtered data; and

subtracting the fourth filtered data from the second velocity data to generate final velocity data.