System for Determining the Position of a Vehicle, Vehicle Therewith, and Method Therefor

• US 20130027225A1
• Filed: 02/21/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 2 Getthere B.V. (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: 2 Getthere B.V. (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Siebert, Ralf
• Granted Patent: US 9,727,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/933
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots

Abstract

System for determining the position of a vehicle comprising a plurality of sensors for measuring the magnetic field strength of a magnet, computation means for determining the position of the magnet with respect to the plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensions array.

Claims

1. A system for determining the position of a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of sensors for measuring the magnetic field strength of a magnet; and

a digital signal processor;

wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array; and

wherein the system is configured to determine the position of the magnet with respect to the plurality of sensors.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are evenly interspaced in both dimensions.

3. The system according to claim 1, further configured to fit the magnetic field strengths measured by the plurality of sensors to a spatial model of the magnetic field of a magnet.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensitivity of the sensors for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane wherein the plurality of sensors is arranged is substantially higher than the sensitivity for magnetic field components parallel to this plane.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is arranged to decode information that is coded by a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in the surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in a group of magnets.

9. The system according to claim 2, wherein the system is further configured to fit the magnetic field strengths measured by the plurality of sensors to a spatial model of the magnetic field of a magnet.

10. The system according to claim 2, wherein the sensitivity of the sensors for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged is substantially higher than the sensitivity to magnetic field components parallel to this the plane.

11. The system according to claim 3, wherein the sensitivity of the sensors for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane in which the plurality of sensors are arranged is substantially higher than the sensitivity for magnetic field components parallel to the plane.

12. The system according to claim 2, wherein the system is further configured to decode information that is coded by a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in the surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in a group of magnets.

13. The system according to claim 3, wherein the system is further configured to decode information that is coded by means of a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in the surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in a group of magnets.

14. The system according to claim 4, wherein the system is further configured to decode information that is coded by means of a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in the surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in a group of magnets.

15. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for fitting the magnetic field strengths measured by the plurality of sensors to a spatial model of the magnetic field of a magnet, wherein the sensors are evenly interspaced in both dimensions, wherein the sensitivity of the sensors for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane wherein the plurality of sensors is arranged is substantially higher than the sensitivity for magnetic field components parallel to this plane, and wherein the system is further configured to decode information that is coded by means of a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in the surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in a group of magnets.

6. A vehicle comprising a system for determining the position of a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of sensors for measuring the magnetic field strength of a magnet; and

a digital signal processor;

wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array; and

wherein the system is configured to determine the position of the magnet with respect to the plurality of sensors.

16. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the sensors are evenly interspaced in both dimensions.

17. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the system is further configured to fit the magnetic field strengths measured by the plurality of sensors to a spatial model of the magnetic field of a magnet.

18. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the sensitivity of the sensors for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged is substantially higher than the sensitivity for magnetic field components parallel to the plane.

19. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the system is arranged to decode information that is coded by means of a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in the surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in a group of magnets.

20. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the system is further configured to fit the magnetic field strengths measured by the plurality of sensors to a spatial model of the magnetic field of a magnet, wherein the sensors are evenly interspaced in both dimensions, wherein the sensitivity of the sensors for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane wherein the plurality of sensors is arranged is substantially higher than the sensitivity for magnetic field components parallel to this plane, and wherein the system is arranged to decode information that is coded by means of a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in the surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in a group of magnets.

7. A method for determining a position of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

acquiring from a plurality of sensors the magnetic field strengths measured by the sensors; and

determining the position of a sensed magnet with respect to the plurality of sensors;

wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the position of a sensed magnet is determined by fitting the acquired magnetic field strengths to a spatial model of the magnetic field of a magnet.