Relative vehicular positioning using vehicular communications

• US 8,645,053 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autotalks Ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Autotalks Ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haran, Onn
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDMAN, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US12/996,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/10 using Doppler effect
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

The relative position of one vehicle vs. another vehicle, both driving in a vehicular environment, is determined using vehicular communications based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. The relative position determination is performed in a measuring vehicle using data provided by a measured vehicle through IEEE 802.11 communications carried through beacons as well as GPS or other location data and local map information.

Claims

1. A method for determining the position of a first moving vehicle relative to a second moving vehicle in a vehicular environment, comprising the steps of:

in the first moving vehicle;

a) receiving each of a plurality of IEEE 802.11 standard based communications from the second moving vehicle, each said receiving including receiving a packet with packet data from the second moving vehicle; and

b) determining the position of the second moving vehicle relative to the first moving vehicle based on information including the communications received from only the second moving vehicle, said determining including, for each said receiving, measuring a frequency shift related to the respective packet reception; and

determining the position of the second moving vehicle based on at least the measured frequency shifts and the packet data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the position based on at least the measured frequency shifts and the packet data further includes using respective absolute Global Navigation Satellite System position and speed data of each moving vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of processing further includes using NLOS heuristics.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the position based on at least the measured frequency shifts and the packet data further includes using a Line-Of-Sight (LOS)/Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) indication.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the using a Line-Of-Sight (LOS)/Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) indication includes using NLOS heuristics.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the position based on at least the measured frequency shifts and the packet data further includes unifying a timebase of the first and second moving vehicles.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the position based on at least the measured frequency shifts and the packet data further includes comparing each said measured frequency shift with a calculated frequency shift.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said packet data includes an absolute position and an absolute speed vector of said second moving vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining of the position of the second moving vehicle based on at least the measured frequency shifts and the packet data includes using the measured frequency shifts to estimate errors in the packet data.

10. A method for determining the position of a first moving vehicle relative to a second moving vehicle in a vehicular environment, comprising the steps of:

in the first moving vehicle;

a) receiving a plurality of packets of IEEE 802.11 packet data from the second moving vehicle;

b) measuring a respective frequency shift of each said packet; and

c) processing the packet data of only the packets received from the second moving vehicle together with the frequency shifts of only the packets received from the second moving vehicle and together with vehicle location data to determine the position of the second moving vehicle relative to the first moving vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle location data includes Global-Navigation-Satellite-System-based locations of both the first and second moving vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle location data includes non-Global-Navigation-Satellite-System based locations of both the first and second moving vehicle.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of processing includes comparing each said measured frequency shift with a calculated frequency shift.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of processing includes unifying a timebase of the first and second moving vehicles.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of processing includes processing the packet data together with the frequency shifts, vehicle location data and a Line-Of-Sight (LOS)/Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) indication.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the processing of the packet data together with the frequency shifts to determine the position of the second moving vehicle relative to the first moving vehicle includes using the measured frequency shifts to estimate errors in the packet data.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said packet data includes an absolute position and an absolute speed vector of said second moving vehicle.

18. A system for determining the position of a measuring moving vehicle relative to a measured moving vehicle in a vehicular environment, comprising a vehicular 802.11 communications and processing unit installed in the measuring moving vehicle, the communications and processing unit including a frequency shift measurement module and a short-preamble autocorrelation module used for a LOS/NLOS indication, the communications and processing unit used for receiving a plurality of packets of IEEE 802.11 packet data from the measured moving vehicle, for measuring a respective frequency shift of each said packet and for processing the packet data of only the packets received from the measured moving vehicle together with the frequency shifts of only the packets received from the measured moving vehicle and together with vehicle location data to deteitnine the position of the measured moving vehicle relative to the measuring moving vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the communications and processing unit further includes a Global Navigation Satellite System receiver.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing of the packet data together with the frequency shifts and vehicle location data to determine the position of the measured moving vehicle relative to the measuring moving vehicle includes using the frequency shifts to estimate errors in the packet data and in the vehicle location data.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said packet data includes an absolute position and an absolute speed vector of said measured moving vehicle.