Vehicle position detection device and program

• US 9,733,092 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US14/404,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 701408, 701 41, 701 28, 701 1, 701124, 701 36, 701 42, 701400, 701 49, 701533, 701 70, 701446, 701518, 701532, 701454, 701 21, 701409, 701411, 701417, 701445, 701469, 701470, 701117, 701414, 701418
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

To acquire a direction error of a vehicle so that a more appropriate result is acquired in subsequent processing, a vehicle position detection device includes: a start/end point calculation part for acquiring a turning start point on a pre-turning link, and acquiring a turning end point on a post-turning link; a virtual link generation part for acquiring a virtual link connecting between the turning start point and the turning end point; a link direction calculation part for calculating a virtual link direction that is a direction at a predetermined position on the virtual link; and an error calculation part for using the virtual link direction to calculate a direction error of a vehicle direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle position detection device, comprising:

a central processing unit; and

a memory coupled to the central processing unit;

wherein the central processing unit is programmed to;

generate a virtual link that connects a turning start point on a pre-turning link and a turning end point on a post-turning link, by using a turning start distance calculated based on a link width of the pre-turning link and a link width of the post-turning link;

calculate a virtual link direction that is a direction at a predetermined position on the virtual link;

calculate a direction error of a vehicle direction based on the virtual link direction;

identify a matching subject link based on the direction error;

use the turning start distance to generate the virtual link;

wherein the virtual link is generated based on the link width of the pre-turning link, the link width of the post-turning link, and a direction difference angle between the pre-turning link and the post-turning link; and

align a car mark, representing a current vehicle position of a vehicle, to the matching subject link on a map, and move the car mark along the matching subject link during a turning movement of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle position detection device according to claim 1, wherein the virtual link is generated based also on a minimum turning radius between the pre- turning link and the post-turning link.

3. The vehicle position detection device according to claim 1, wherein the central processing unit extends a perpendicular line drawn from a virtual current position acquired by a sensor value to the pre-turning link, and calculates a direction at an intersection between an extension of the perpendicular line and the virtual link as the virtual link direction.

4. The vehicle position detection device according to claim 3, wherein the central processing unit is programmed to:

use, when the vehicle direction is included in a predetermined range between the virtual link direction and a reference direction that is a direction of the pre-turning link, a predetermined value as the direction error; and

use, when the vehicle direction is not included in the predetermined range, a smaller one of a direction error between the vehicle direction and the reference direction and a direction error between the vehicle direction and the virtual link direction as the direction error.

5. The vehicle position detection device according to claim 4, wherein the central processing unit uses an arc of a circle that is externally tangent to the pre-turning link and the post-turning link to calculate the virtual link.

6. A method for determining a direction error of a vehicle direction, the method comprising:

generating, by a central processing unit, a virtual link that connects a turning start point and a turning end point on a post-turning link, by using a turning start distance calculated based on a link width of the pre-turning link and a link width of the post- turning link;

calculating, by the central processing unit, a virtual link direction that is a direction at a predetermined position on the virtual link;

calculating, by the central processing unit, the direction error of the vehicle direction based on the virtual link direction;

identifying, by the central processing unit, a matching subject link based on the direction error;

wherein the virtual link is generated based on the turning start distance; and

wherein the link width of the pre-turning link, the link width of the post-turning link, and a direction difference angle between the pre-turning link and the post-turning link; and

aligning a car mark, representing a current vehicle position of a vehicle, to the matching subject link on a map, and moving the car mark along the matching subject link during a turning movement of the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a minimum turning radius between the pre-turning link and the post-turning link is also used to generate the virtual link.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein a perpendicular line drawn from a virtual current position acquired by a sensor value to the pre-turning link is extended, and a direction at an intersection between an extension of the perpendicular line and the virtual link is calculated as the virtual link direction.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

when the vehicle direction is included in a predetermined range between the virtual link direction and a reference direction that is a direction of the pre-turning link, a predetermined value is used as the direction error;

and

when the vehicle direction is not included in the predetermined range, a smaller one of a direction error between the vehicle direction and the reference direction and a direction error between the vehicle direction and the virtual link direction is used as the direction error.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein an arc of a circle that is externally tangent to the pre-turning link and the post-turning link is used to calculate the virtual link.