Velocity calculating device, velocity calculating method, and navigation device

• US 8,473,208 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takaoka, Tomohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US12/846,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/500
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/02 of speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/22 transferred to the indicator by electric or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/50 for measuring linear speed G01P3/56 takes precedence

Abstract

Provided is a velocity calculating device including a vertical acceleration detector mounted on a moving body that travels on a predetermined travel surface, the vertical acceleration detector detecting an acceleration in a vertical direction generated due to an undulation of the travel surface; a horizontal angular velocity detector mounted on the moving body, the horizontal angular velocity detector detecting an angular velocity around a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to a direction of travel of the moving body, the angular velocity being generated due to the undulation of the travel surface; a velocity calculator that calculates a velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body on the basis of the acceleration in the vertical direction and the angular velocity around the horizontal axis; and a velocity corrector that corrects the velocity in accordance with the velocity.

Claims

1. A velocity calculating device comprising:

a processor;

a vertical acceleration detector mounted on a moving body that travels on a predetermined travel surface, the vertical acceleration detector detecting an acceleration in a vertical direction, generated due to an undulation of the travel surface, based on detecting an acceleration on three different axes;

a horizontal angular velocity detector mounted on the moving body, the horizontal angular velocity detector detecting an angular velocity around a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to a direction of travel of the moving body, the angular velocity being generated due to the undulation of the travel surface;

a velocity calculator, implemented by the processor, that calculates a velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body on the basis of the acceleration in the vertical direction and the angular velocity around the horizontal axis; and

a velocity corrector that corrects the calculated velocity of the moving body,

wherein the velocity corrector corrects the velocity by inputting the velocity to a function having the velocity as a variable and having a predetermined constant,

the velocity calculating device further comprising;

a velocity detector that detects the velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body and sets the velocity as a reference velocity; and

a constant updater that updates the constant on the basis of the reference velocity and the velocity when the reference velocity is detectable,

wherein, when the reference velocity is not detectable, the velocity corrector corrects the velocity by inputting the velocity to the function having the constant that is updated by the constant updater,

a velocity detector that detects the velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body and sets the velocity as a reference velocity,

wherein the velocity calculator extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the acceleration in the vertical direction in a predetermined period respectively as a maximum acceleration and a minimum acceleration, extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the angular velocity around the horizontal axis in the predetermined period respectively as a maximum angular velocity and a minimum angular velocity, and calculates the velocity by dividing a difference between the maximum acceleration and the minimum acceleration by a difference between the maximum angular velocity and the minimum angular velocity, and

wherein the function is obtained by substituting the maximum acceleration, the minimum acceleration, the maximum angular velocity, and the minimum angular velocity with variables including the radius of curvature of the undulation of the travel surface and the reference velocity in an equation for calculating the velocity and by solving the equation with respect to the reference velocity.

2. The velocity calculating device according to claim 1,

wherein the velocity corrector corrects the velocity in accordance with a velocity region to which the velocity belongs, the velocity region being one of a plurality of velocity regions that are obtained by dividing the velocity into a plurality of velocity ranges.

3. The velocity calculating device according to claim 2,

wherein the velocity corrector corrects the velocity using a correction factor corresponding to each of the velocity regions.

4. The velocity calculating device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a velocity detector that detects the velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body and sets the velocity as a reference velocity; and

a correction factor updater that updates the correction factor for each of the velocity regions on the basis of the reference velocity and the velocity when the reference velocity is detectable,

wherein, when the reference velocity is not detectable, the velocity corrector corrects the velocity using the correction factor that is updated by the correction factor updater.

5. The velocity calculating device according to claim 1,

wherein the velocity calculator extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the acceleration in the vertical direction in a predetermined period respectively as a maximum acceleration and a minimum acceleration, extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the angular velocity around the horizontal axis in the predetermined period respectively as a maximum angular velocity and a minimum angular velocity, and calculates the velocity by dividing a difference between the maximum acceleration and the minimum acceleration by a difference between the maximum angular velocity and the minimum angular velocity, and

wherein the velocity corrector halves the velocity at least when the maximum acceleration and the minimum acceleration have the same sign or when the maximum angular velocity and the minimum angular velocity have the same sign.

8. The velocity calculating device according to claim 1,

wherein the processor, the vertical acceleration detector, the horizontal angular velocity detector, the velocity calculator, and the velocity corrector are disposed within a singular housing that is configured to be mounted to the moving body.

9. The velocity calculating device according to claim 2,

wherein the velocity corrector corrects the velocity using a correction factor that is different for each of the velocity regions.

10. The velocity calculating device according to claim 2,

wherein the velocity corrector corrects the velocity using a correction factor that is common to each of the velocity regions.

6. A method, implemented on a velocity calculating device having a processor, of calculating a velocity, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting, by a vertical acceleration detector of the velocity calculating device, an acceleration in a vertical direction, generated in a moving body that travels on a predetermined travel surface due to an undulation of the travel surface, based on detecting an acceleration on three different axes;

detecting, by a horizontal angular velocity detector of the velocity calculating device, an angular velocity around a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to a direction of travel of the moving body, the angular velocity being generated due to the undulation of the travel surface;

calculating, by a velocity calculator of the velocity calculating device, a velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body on the basis of the acceleration in the vertical direction and the angular velocity around the horizontal axis; and

correcting, by a velocity corrector of the velocity calculating device, the calculated velocity of the moving body,

wherein the correcting by the velocity corrector includes correcting the velocity by inputting the velocity to a function having the velocity as a variable and having a predetermined constant,

the method further comprising;

detecting, by a velocity detector, the velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body and setting the velocity as a reference velocity; and

updating, by a constant updater, the constant on the basis of the reference velocity and the velocity when the reference velocity is detectable, wherein, when the reference velocity is not detectable, the velocity corrector corrects the velocity by inputting the velocity to the function having the constant that is updated by the constant updater,

detecting, by a velocity detector, the velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body and sets the velocity as a reference velocity,

wherein the velocity calculator extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the acceleration in the vertical direction in a predetermined period respectively as a maximum acceleration and a minimum acceleration, extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the angular velocity around the horizontal axis in the predetermined period respectively as a maximum angular velocity and a minimum angular velocity, and calculates the velocity by dividing a difference between the maximum acceleration and the minimum acceleration by a difference between the maximum angular velocity and the minimum angular velocity, and

wherein the function is obtained by substituting the maximum acceleration, the minimum acceleration, the maximum angular velocity, and the minimum angular velocity with variables including the radius of curvature of the undulation of the travel surface and the reference velocity in an equation for calculating the velocity and by solving the equation with respect to the reference velocity.

7. A navigation device comprising:

a processor;

a vertical acceleration detector mounted on a moving body that travels on a predetermined travel surface, the vertical acceleration detector detecting an acceleration in a vertical direction, generated due to an undulation of the travel surface, based on detecting an acceleration on three different axes;

a horizontal angular velocity detector mounted on the moving body, the horizontal angular velocity detector detecting an angular velocity around a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to a direction of travel of the moving body, the angular velocity being generated due to the undulation of the travel surface;

a velocity calculator, implemented by the processor, that calculates a velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body on the basis of the acceleration in the vertical direction and the angular velocity around the horizontal axis;

a velocity corrector that corrects the calculated velocity of the moving body;

a vertical angular velocity detector that calculates an angular velocity around a vertical axis perpendicular to the direction of travel;

an angle calculator that calculates an angle by which the moving body has rotated on the basis of the angular velocity around the vertical axis; and

a position calculator that calculates a position of the moving body on the basis of the velocity in the direction of travel velocity that is calculated by the velocity calculator and the angle that is calculated by the angle calculator,

wherein the velocity corrector corrects the velocity by inputting the velocity to a function having the velocity as a variable and having a predetermined constant,

the navigation device further comprising;

a velocity detector that detects the velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body and sets the velocity as a reference velocity; and

a constant updater that updates the constant on the basis of the reference velocity and the velocity when the reference velocity is detectable,

wherein, when the reference velocity is not detectable, the velocity corrector corrects the velocity by inputting the velocity to the function having the constant that is updated by the constant updater,

a velocity detector that detects the velocity of the moving body in the direction of travel of the moving body and sets the velocity as a reference velocity,

wherein the velocity calculator extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the acceleration in the vertical direction in a predetermined period respectively as a maximum acceleration and a minimum acceleration, extracts a maximum value and a minimum value of the angular velocity around the horizontal axis in the predetermined period respectively as a maximum angular velocity and a minimum angular velocity, and calculates the velocity by dividing a difference between the maximum acceleration and the minimum acceleration by a difference between the maximum angular velocity and the minimum angular velocity, and

wherein the function is obtained by substituting the maximum acceleration, the minimum acceleration, the maximum angular velocity, and the minimum angular velocity with variables including the radius of curvature of the undulation of the travel surface and the reference velocity in an equation for calculating the velocity and by solving the equation with respect to the reference velocity.