Systems and methods for vehicle position detection

• US 9,606,224 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Original Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Inventors: Soderi, Simone, Giusto, Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Bythrow, Peter
• Application Number:
  US14/154,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20150198712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 342/42, 342/46, 342/47, 342/50, 342/104, 342/107, 342/108, 342/109, 342/113, 342/118, 342/128, 342/146, 342/189, 342/192
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/00 Communication or navigation systems for railway traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/00 Recording or indicating positions or identities of vehicles or trains or setting of track apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/00 Central railway traffic control systems; Trackside control; Communication systems specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/10 using amplitude comparison of signals transmitted sequentially from antennas or antenna systems having differently-oriented overlapping directivity characteristics, e.g. equi-signal A-N type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/32 using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/60 wherein the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the moving object, e.g. for determining ground speed, drift angle, ground track G01S13/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/75 using transponders powered from received waves, e.g. using passive transponders , or using passive reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/84 for distance determination by phase measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236

Abstract

A system includes a transmission unit, a first reception antenna, a second reception antenna, and a processing unit. The transmission unit is configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle traversing a route, includes a transmission antenna, and is configured to transmit a location signal to a target disposed along the route as the vehicle traverses the route. The first reception antenna is configured to receive at least one reflection signal of the location signal reflected off the target. The second reception antenna is configured to receive the at least one reflection signal. The processing unit is configured to obtain first reception information from the first reception antenna and second reception information from the second reception antenna, perform a comparison of the first and second reception information, and determine a position of the vehicle using the comparison of the first and second reception information.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a transmission unit disposed onboard the vehicle traversing a route, the transmission unit comprising a transmission antenna and configured to transmit, via the transmission antenna, a location signal to a balise disposed along the route as the vehicle traverses the route;

a first reception antenna configured to receive at least one reflection signal of the location signal reflected off the balise;

a second reception antenna configured to receive the at least one reflection signal reflected off the balise;

a third reception antenna configured to receive an uplink signal from the balise; and

a processing unit operably connected to the first reception antenna and the second reception antenna and configured to;

obtain first reception information from the first reception antenna and second reception information from the second reception antenna;

perform a comparison of a first amplitude of the first reception information and a second amplitude of the second reception information;

determine a location of the vehicle relative to the balise using a peak in a difference between the first amplitude and the second amplitudes,

determine a location of the vehicle relative to the balise using the relative strength of the received uplink signal; and

compare the determined locations to confirm the location of the vehicle

wherein the first reception antenna and the second reception antenna are disposed on opposite sides of the transmission antenna.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second reception antennae are configured as fractal short dipole antennae configured to receive a predetermined wavelength corresponding to the location signal, and wherein the first and second reception antennae are configured to be fine-tunable to an actual wavelength of the location signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is configured to transmit the location signal comprising a carrier component and a modulated component.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one reflection signal includes the carrier component and the modulated component, and wherein at least one of the first or second reception antenna comprises a respective full bridge diode circuit configured to act as a detector to detect the carrier component of the at least one reflection signal and to act as a mixer to detect the modulated component of the at least one reflection signal.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one reflection signal includes the carrier component and the modulated component, and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine if the carrier component of the at least one reflection signal and the modulated component of the at least one reflection signal correlate to each other, and to identify the at least one reflection signal as a reflection of the location signal if the carrier component and the modulated component of the at least one reflection signal correlate to each other.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the location signal is configured as a telepowering signal configured to provide power to the balise.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine if the target is functioning properly based on whether or not the uplink signal is received.

8. A method comprising:

transmitting, from a transmission unit comprising a transmission antenna disposed onboard a vehicle, a location signal to a balise disposed along a route as the vehicle traverses the route;

receiving, at a first reception antenna disposed onboard the vehicle, at least one reflection signal of the location signal reflected off the balise;

receiving, at a second reception antenna disposed onboard the vehicle, the at least one reflection signal reflected off the balise;

comparing a first amplitude of first reception information from the first reception antenna and a second amplitude of second reception information from the second reception antenna; and

determining a location of the vehicle relative to the balise using a peak in a difference between the first and second amplitudes;

receiving an uplink signal from the balise;

determining a location of the vehicle relative to the balise using the relative strength of the received uplink signal; and

comparing the determined locations to confirm the location of the vehicle

wherein the first reception antenna and the second reception antenna are disposed on opposite sides of the transmission antenna.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second reception antennae are configured as fractal short dipole antennae configured to receive a predetermined wavelength corresponding to the location signal, and wherein the method further comprises fine-tuning the first and second reception antennae to an actual wavelength of the location signal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the location signal comprises a carrier component and a modulated component.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one reflection signal includes the carrier component and the modulated component, and wherein at least one of the first or second reception antenna comprises a full bridge diode circuit, the method comprising using the diode circuit as a detector to detect the carrier component of the at least one reflection signal and using the diode circuit as a mixer to detect the modulated component of the at least one reflection signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one reflection signal includes the carrier component and the modulated component, further comprising determining if the carrier component of the at least one reflection signal and the modulated component of the at least one reflection signal correlate to each other, and identifying the at least one reflection signal as a reflection of the location signal if the carrier component and the modulated component of the at least one reflection signal correlate to each other.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the location signal is configured as a telepowering signal configured to provide power to the balise.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining if the target is functioning properly based on whether or not the uplink signal is received.