Positioning device

• US 8,725,412 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobori, Norimasa, Kagawa, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Application Number:
  US12/305,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20100004856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,531 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/208, 701/214, 701/216, 701/220, 701/225, 701/300, 701/412, 701/468, 701/469, 701/470, 701/480, 701/483, 701/494, 701/498, 701/500, 701/501, 701505-512, 701/514, 701/523, 701/527
• US Class Current: 701/446
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras
• 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 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A positioning device includes a map data storing unit configured to store map data; autonomous sensors configured to detect behavior information of a moving object; an inertial positioning unit configured to detect an estimated position of the moving object by applying the behavior information detected by the autonomous sensors to positioning results obtained by an electronic navigation positioning unit such as a GPS; a planimetric feature detecting unit configured to detect a planimetric feature located around a road; a planimetric feature position identifying unit configured to identify a position of the planimetric feature; a planimetric feature reference positioning unit configured to estimate a planimetric feature estimated position of the moving object by using the position of the planimetric feature as a reference; and a position estimating unit configured to estimate a position of the moving object by applying the estimated position and the planimetric feature estimated position to a Kalman filter.

Claims

1. A positioning device comprising:

a map data storing unit configured to store map data;

an autonomous sensor configured to detect behavior information of a moving object;

an inertial positioning unit configured to detect an estimated position of the moving object by applying the behavior information detected by the autonomous sensor to positioning results obtained by an electronic navigation positioning unit;

a planimetric feature detecting unit configured to detect a planimetric feature located around a road, the planimetric feature detecting unit including an eye vector detecting unit configured to repeatedly detect the planimetric feature from image data obtained by a photographing unit, to repeatedly acquire an eye vector joining the moving object and the planimetric feature thus detected, and to repeatedly calculate a distance between the moving object and the planimetric feature thus detected;

a planimetric feature position identifying unit configured to identify a position of the planimetric feature detected by the planimetric feature detecting unit;

a planimetric feature reference positioning unit configured to estimate a planimetric feature estimated position of the moving object by using the position of the planimetric feature as a reference; and

a position estimating unit configured to estimate a position of the moving object, when the electronic navigation positioning unit is unable to receive data and a number of the eye vectors detected by the eye vector detecting unit and a number of distances calculated by the eye vector detecting unit are greater than or equal to a predetermined value, by applying an estimated position of the moving object when the electronic navigation positioning unit is first unable to receive data and the planimetric feature estimated position to a Kalman filter.

2. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein:

the planimetric feature position identifying unit comprises a planimetric feature position calculating unit configured to calculate the planimetric feature position information of the planimetric feature by a least squares method with the use of lengths and directions of plural of the eye vectors.

3. The positioning device according to claim 2, wherein:

the planimetric feature position calculating unit extracts, from the map data storing unit, intersection position information corresponding to an intersection which is located within a predetermined distance from the planimetric feature, and sets the intersection position information as an initial value used for calculating the planimetric feature position information by the least squares method.

4. The positioning device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a map data registering unit configured to register the planimetric feature position information of the planimetric feature acquired by the planimetric feature position identifying unit, in the map data storing unit in association with the planimetric feature and a link or a node.

5. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein:

when the electronic navigation positioning unit is unable to receive data and the number of the eye vectors detected by the eye vector detecting unit is less than the predetermined value, the planimetric feature detecting unit does not calculate the planimetric feature position information by the least squares method, and the position estimating unit outputs the estimated position.

6. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the behavior information detected by the autonomous sensor includes traveling distance and traveling direction of the moving object.

7. The positioning device according to claim 6, wherein the positioning results include a position and a direction of the moving object when the electronic navigation unit is first unable to receive data.

8. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic navigation positioning unit is a GPS.

9. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the planimetric feature position identifying unit identifies the position of the planimetric feature by a least squares method using lengths and directions of the eye vectors, and

wherein the planimetric identifying unit identifies the position of the planimetric feature by extracting, from the map data storing unit, intersection position information corresponding to an intersection which is located within a predetermined distance from the planimetric feature, and setting the intersection position information as an initial value used for performing the least squares method by a maximum grade method.