Track information generating device, track information generating method, and computer-readable storage medium

• US 8,843,340 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Oohashi, Yusuke, Sakaki, Daisuke, Ando, Yohei
• Primary Examiner(s): SUGLO, JANET L
• Application Number:
  US13/098,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 702/94, 702/95, 702/150, 701/23.26, 701/411, 701/468, 701/469
• US Class Current: 702/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

Track information generating devices, methods, and programs acquire a self-contained navigation track of a vehicle indicated by time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information, and acquire a GPS track of the vehicle indicated by time-series pieces of GPS information. The devices, methods, and programs compare the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to correct the self-contained navigation information so as to reduce a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

Claims

1. A track information generating device comprising:

a self-contained navigation track acquisition unit that acquires a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

a GPS track acquisition unit that acquires a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle, each time-series pieces of GPS information including GPS accuracy information that indicates an accuracy of the piece of GPS information; and

a self-contained navigation information correcting unit that;

rotates and translates the self-contained navigation track to a location and orientation having the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track;

determines a rotation angle for rotating the self-contained navigation track on the basis of a representative value of direction differences between directions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and directions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of GPS information at multiple time points;

determines the representative value of the direction differences on the basis of a frequency distribution of the direction differences, which is generated so that a frequency increases with an increase in the accuracy of the GPS information, indicated by the corresponding GPS accuracy information, and determines a representative value of the position differences on the basis of a frequency distribution of the position differences, which is generated so that a frequency increases with an increase in the accuracy of the GPS information, indicated bathe corresponding GPS accuracy information;

determines a translation amount for translating the self-contained navigation track on the basis of a representative value of position differences between positions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and positions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of GPS information at multiple time points;

sets a correction target of the self-contained navigation information on the basis of the rotated and translated the self-contained navigation track;

corrects the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the correction target and the self-contained navigation information; and

compares the rotated and translated self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

2. The track information generating device according to claim 1, wherein

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit compares the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track in a distance that is reduced with an increase in the accuracies of the pieces of GPS information, indicated by the corresponding pieces of GPS accuracy information.

3. A track information generating method comprising:

acquiring, with a processor, a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

acquiring, with the processor, a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle, each time-series pieces of GPS information including GPS accuracy information that indicates an accuracy of the piece of GPS information;

rotating and translating, with the processor, the self-contained navigation track to a location and orientation having the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track;

determining, with the processor, a rotation angle for rotating the self-contained navigation track on the basis of a representative value of direction differences between directions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and directions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of GPS information at multiple time points;

determining, with the processor, the representative value of the direction differences on the basis of a frequency distribution of the direction differences, which is generated so that a frequency increases with an increase in the accuracy of the GPS information, indicated by the corresponding GPS accuracy information, and determines a representative value of the position differences on the basis of a frequency distribution of the position differences, which is generated so that a frequency increases with an increase in the accuracy of the GPS information, indicated by the corresponding GPS accuracy information;

determining, with the processor, a translation amount for translating the self-contained navigation track on the basis of a representative value of position differences between positions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and positions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of GPS information at multiple time points;

setting, with the processor, a correction target of the self-contained navigation information on the basis of the rotated and translated the self-contained navigation track;

correcting, with the processor, the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the correction target and the self-contained navigation information; and

comparing, with the processor, the rotated and translated self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions for performing a track information generating method comprising:

acquiring a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

acquiring a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle;

rotating and translating the self-contained navigation track to a location and orientation having the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track;

determining a rotation angle for rotating the self-contained navigation track on the basis of a representative value of direction differences between directions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and directions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of GPS information at multiple timepoints;

determining the representative value of the direction differences on the basis of a frequency distribution of the direction differences, which is generated so that a frequency increases with an increase in the accuracy of the GPS information, indicated by the corresponding GPS accuracy information, and determines a representative value of the position differences on the basis of a frequency distribution of the position differences, which is generated so that a frequency increases with an increase in the accuracy of the GPS information, indicated by the corresponding GPS accuracy information;

determining a translation amount for translating the self-contained navigation track on the basis of a representative value of position differences between positions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and positions of the vehicle, indicated by the pieces of GPS information at multiple time points;

setting a correction target of the self-contained navigation information on the basis of the rotated and translated the self-contained navigation track;

correcting the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the correction target and the self-contained navigation information; and

comparing the rotated and translated self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.