Method and device for the position determination of objects in road traffic, based on communication signals, and use of the device

• US 9,245,447 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Schrbler, Sighard, Sthlin, Ulrich, Menzel, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US14/359,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20140350792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/23, 701/28, 701 93- 98, 701117-122, 701300-302, 342450-465, 340901-905, 340/907, 340933-943, 340435-437
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the communication signal-based position determination of objects in road traffic, in which at least one data transporting communication signal is wirelessly transmitted from at least one sender (217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 34) and is reflected at least proportionally as a reflection signal on at least one object (211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 35), wherein the at least one communication signal and the reflection signal are received by a receiver (222, 33), and wherein the of at least one sender (217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 34). The method is characterized in that a propagation time difference of the communication signal and the reflection signal is determined by the received (222, 33). The invention further relates to a corresponding device (100) and to the use thereof.

Claims

1. A method for communication signal-based position determination of objects in road traffic, comprising the steps of:

transmitting wirelessly at least one data-transporting communication signal by at least one sender,

wherein the at least one communication signal is reflected at least proportionally as a reflection signal by at least one object,

receiving the at least one communication signal and the reflection signal by a receiver, and wherein the receiver determines a location of the at least one sender,

determining a propagation time difference between the communication signal and the reflection signal by the receiver and a location of the object by the receiver,

determining at least one Doppler frequency by mixing the at least one communication signal with an associated one of the reflection signal,

the receiver, as a result of temporal observation of a change in the Doppler frequency, assigning thereto a relative-speed-dependent distance curve, the profile of the curve containing the position of at least one of the objects.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of determining an ellipse from the propagation time difference, the own position and the location, the circumferential line of the ellipse containing a position of at least one of the objects.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a Doppler frequency generated by a relative movement of at least one of the objects with respect to a baseline between the receiver and the sender by the receiver from the at least one communication signal and the reflection signal.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of filtering the Doppler frequency by means of a digital low-pass filter.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of assigning the change in the Doppler frequency to the relative-speed-dependent distance curve by means of a fast Fourier transformation.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the receiver capable of the transmitting data-transporting communication signals.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of, in the case of a multiplicity of the at least one sender and a multiplicity of the at least one communication signal which is reflected in each case at least proportionally as a multiplicity of the reflection signals at at least one of the objects, the receiver determining in each case a multiplicity of propagation time differences from the multiplicity of the communication signals and an associated one of the reflection signals.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of in that the receiver determining a multiplicity of ellipses from a multiplicity of the propagation time differences, wherein at least one intersection point of the multiplicity of ellipses contains the position of the at least one of the objects.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising that the method is performed by a multiplicity of the receivers, wherein the multiplicity of the receivers exchange data describing intersection points among one another by means of the communication signals.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of the receiver determining a multiplicity of generated Doppler frequencies from a multiplicity of the at least one communication signal and a multiplicity of the reflection signals as a result of a multiplicity of relative movements of a multiplicity of the objects with respect to a baseline between the receiver and the sender.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of the receiver, as a result of temporal observation of changes in the multiplicity of Doppler frequencies, assigns to the multiplicity of Doppler frequencies a relative-speed-dependent distance curve, the profiles of which contain the position of at least one of the objects.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of superimposing the at least one relative-speed-dependent distance curve and at least one ellipse on a digital position map, wherein the intersection points of the at least one relative-speed-dependent distance curve and the at least one ellipse contain the position of at least one of the objects.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the step of superimposing the at least one relative-speed-dependent distance curve on a road map contained in digital position map, wherein the at least one position of the at least one of the objects is assigned exclusively to a road noted in the digital map.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the step of superimposing the at least one ellipse on a road map contained in digital position map, wherein the at least one position of the at least one of the objects is assigned exclusively to a road noted in the digital position map.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising in that the location of the at least one sender is gathered from the digital map material.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of in that data transported in a multiplicity of the communication signals are evaluated at least proportionally by the receiver.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of in that the location of the at least one sender or of the receiver is contained in data transported by the communication signal.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of forwarding the transported data or the positions determined to at least one driver assistance system.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step of the driver assistance system is designed to perform an autonomous braking intervention or an autonomous steering intervention or a warning to a driver.

20. A device for the communication signal-based position determination of objects in road traffic, comprising:

a communication unit for wirelessly receiving data-transporting communication signals from senders and for wirelessly receiving reflection signals of the communication signals,

the reflection signals being reflected by objects,

location determining means for determining locations of senders of the communication signals,

position determining means for determining a position of the device, a propagation time difference determining means, and the device is configured to determine the position of the objects,

Doppler frequency determining means for determining Doppler frequencies generated as a result of relative movements of the objects with respect to a baseline between the receiver and the sender, and

in that the device furthermore comprises distance assigning means which, as a result of temporal observation of a change in the Doppler frequencies, assign thereto in a relative-speed-dependent distance curve, the profiles of which contain the position of at least one of the objects.

21. The device as claimed in claim 20, further comprising in that the communication unit is configured for simultaneously transmitting and receiving.

22. The device as claimed in claim 20, further comprising in that the location determining means are electronic evaluation means for evaluating at least one proportion of the data and evaluate a location designation of the sender contained in the transported data or are a digital memory which contains digital map material and in which a multiplicity of locations of a multiplicity of senders are designated.

23. The use of the device as claimed in at least claim 20 in a motor vehicle.