Method and apparatus for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction

• US 8,330,649 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Menouar, Hamid, Lenardi, Massimiliano
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US12/292,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20090219194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 342/146
• US Class Current: 342/146
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/04 Indicating positive or negative direction of a linear movement or clockwise or anti-clockwise direction of a rotational movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction. A moving entity being equipped with positioning means receives data from a sender comprising information about a position of a point of interest and a position of a reference point. Based on the received data, a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time, and a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time, it is determined whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction. Preferably, angular information is utilized to verify whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction.

Claims

1. Method for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising the steps of:

providing a moving entity having positioning unit and receiving unit,

providing a sender sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest and a position of a reference point,

receiving said data sent by said sender on the moving entity,

providing a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time by the positioning unit,

calculating a first distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the first position,

calculating a second distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the first position,

providing a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time by the positioning unit,

calculating a third distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the second position,

calculating a fourth distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the second position, and

determining on the moving entity whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the received data, the first position of the moving entity, the second position of the moving entity, the first distance, the second distance, the third distance, and the fourth distance.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance and second distance>

fourth distance.

3. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

calculating verification data, and

verifying whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the verification data.

4. Method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

determining a reference distance between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point, and

calculating verification data depending on an angle between the reference distance and a distance between the moving entity and the reference point.

5. Method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of calculating verification data based on a comparison of (((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value or a comparison of (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value.

6. Method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of calculating verification data depending on an angle between the first distance and the second distance or calculating verification data depending on an angle between the third distance and the fourth distance.

7. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].

8. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of updating the data that is sent by the sender.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises a predetermined value.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises a plurality of positions relating to a plurality of points of interest and a plurality of positions of reference points each relating to at least one point of interest.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises a plurality of predetermined values, each relating to a predetermined direction.

12. Method for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising the steps of:

providing a moving entity having positioning unit and receiving unit,

providing a sender sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest, a position of a reference point, and a predetermined value,

receiving said data sent by said sender on the moving entity,

providing a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time by the positioning unit,

calculating a first distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the first position,

calculating a second distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the first position,

providing a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time by the positioning unit,

calculating a third distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the received data and the second position,

calculating a fourth distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the received data and the second position,

determining a reference distance between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point, and

determining that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

the predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].

13. Apparatus for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising:

positioning unit for positioning the moving entity,

receiving unit for receiving data dependent on a position of a point of interest and a position of a reference point, and

a data processing unit configured to;

provide a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time,

calculate a first distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving unit and the first position,

calculate a second distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving unit and the first position,

provide a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time,

calculate a third distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving unit and the second position,

calculate a fourth distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving unit and the second position, and

determine whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the data received by the receiving unit, the first position of the moving entity, the second position of the moving entity, the first distance, the second distance, the third distance, and the fourth distance.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to determine that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance and second distance>

fourth distance.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to:

calculate verification data, and

verify whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the verification data.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to:

determine a reference distance between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point, and

calculate verification data depending on an angle between the reference distance and a distance between the moving entity and the reference point.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to calculate verification data based on a comparison of (((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value or a comparison of (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance)) with a predetermined value.

18. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to calculate verification data depending on an angle between the first distance and the second distance or calculate verification data depending on an angle between the third distance and the fourth distance.

19. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to determine that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].

20. Apparatus for determining whether a moving entity is moving in a predetermined direction, comprising:

positioning unit for positioning the moving entity,

receiving unit for receiving data sent by a sender sending data dependent on a position of a point of interest, a position of a reference point, and a predetermined value,

a positioning unit for providing a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time, and

a data processing unit configured to;

calculate a first distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving unit and the first position,

calculate a second distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving unit and the first position,

provide a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time,

calculate a third distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving unit and the second position,

calculate a fourth distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving unit and the second position, and

determine a reference distance between the position of the point of interest and the position of the reference point, and

determine that the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction if first distance>

third distance, second distance>

fourth distance, and [(((reference distance)²−

(third distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*reference distance*fourth distance))>

the predetermined value or (((third distance)²−

(reference distance)²+(fourth distance)²)/(2*third distance*fourth distance))>

a predetermined value].

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing at least one sequence of instructions executable by one or more processors of a data processing unit of a data processing apparatus being connectable to a positioning unit for positioning a moving entity and a receiving unit for receiving data dependent on positions of points of interest and positions of reference points, wherein execution of the at least one sequence of instructions by the one or more processors causes the data processing unit to perform the steps of:

providing a first position of the moving entity at a first point in time,

calculating a first distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving unit and the first position,

calculating a second distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving unit and the first position,

providing a second position of the moving entity at a second point in time,

calculating a third distance between the moving entity and the point of interest based on the data received by the receiving unit and the second position,

calculating a fourth distance between the moving entity and the reference point based on the data received by the receiving unit and the second position, and

determining whether the moving entity is moving in the predetermined direction based on the data received by the receiving unit, the first position of the moving entity, the second position of the moving entity, the first distance, the second distance, the third distance, and the fourth distance.