Vehicle position recognition system

• US 8,369,577 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyajima, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US13/018,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20110243454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382103-107, 382154-156, 382/162, 382168-170, 382/173, 382/181, 382/199, 382/206, 382/224, 382/232, 382/254, 382/274, 382/276, 382286-291, 382/305, 382/312, 340/936, 340/903, 340/435, 348/148, 701/301
• US Class Current: 382/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments

Abstract

A vehicle position recognition system calculates an estimated position of a vehicle based on satellite positioning and dead reckoning navigation, and calculates a basic error range in which there is a possibility that the vehicle exists. The system calculates an estimated error amount regarding a directional error factor. The directional error factor is an error factor that tends to cause an error in a specific direction with respect to a vehicle traveling direction. The estimated error amount is an estimated amount of the error that is caused by the directional error factor. The system adjusts the basic error range based on (1) a direction in which the error tends to be caused by the directional error factor and (2) the estimated error amount.

Claims

1. A vehicle position recognition system comprising:

a vehicle position calculation unit that calculates an estimated position of a vehicle based on satellite positioning and dead reckoning navigation;

an error range calculation unit that calculates a basic error range, wherein there is a possibility that the vehicle exists in the basic error range;

a first estimated error amount calculation unit that calculates at least one first estimated error amount regarding at least one directional error factor, wherein the at least one directional error factor is at least one error factor that tends to cause at least one error in at least one specific direction with respect to a vehicle traveling direction, and the at least one first estimated error amount is at least one estimated amount of the at least one error that is caused by the at least one directional error factor;

a first error range adjustment unit that adjusts the basic error range based on at least one direction in which the at least one error tends to be caused by the at least one directional error factor, and the at least one first estimated error amount; and

a surrounding information obtaining range determination unit that determines a surrounding information obtaining range based on the adjusted error range, the surrounding information obtaining range being used for obtaining reference data for scene matching regarding a surrounding region around the estimated position, the reference data for scene matching being used when scenic image recognition is performed based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of a scene viewed from the vehicle;

wherein the surrounding information obtaining range determined by the surrounding information obtaining range determination unit is used as an extraction range for extracting the reference data from a database, when a position of the vehicle is determined through matching between the reference data and data for matching, which is generated from an actually-captured image obtained by capturing an image of a scene using a vehicle-mounted camera.

2. The vehicle position recognition system according to claim 1, wherein

the first estimated error amount calculation unit calculates a plurality of the first estimated error amounts based on a plurality of the different directional error factors, and calculates a sum of the plurality of the first estimated error amounts, the sum according to the directions in which errors tend to be caused by the plurality of the directional error factors;

and

the first error range adjustment unit adjusts the basic error range based on the sum.

3. The vehicle position recognition system according to claim 1, wherein

the first error range adjustment unit adjusts the basic error range by offsetting a center of the basic error range from the estimated position in the vehicle traveling direction.

4. The vehicle position recognition system according to claim 1, wherein

the first error range adjustment unit adjusts at least one of a front region and a rear region of the basic error range in the vehicle traveling direction.

5. The vehicle position recognition system according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one directional error factor includes at least one of a conversion error due to conversion from three-dimensional data regarding a slope road to two-dimensional data, a travel distance error due to travel in a zigzag manner within a road width, a travel distance error due to tire slip, and a travel distance error due to pulse missing in a pulse detection type distance sensor.

6. A vehicle position recognition system comprising:

a vehicle position calculation unit that calculates an estimated position of a vehicle based on satellite positioning and dead reckoning navigation;

an error range calculation unit that calculates a basic error range, wherein there is a possibility that the vehicle exists in the basic error range;

a first estimated error amount calculation unit that calculates at least one first estimated error amount regarding at least one directional error factor, wherein the at least one directional error factor is at least one error factor that tends to cause at least one error in at least one specific direction with respect to a vehicle traveling direction, and the at least one first estimated error amount is at least one estimated amount of the at least one error that is caused by the at least one directional error factor; and

a first error range adjustment unit that adjusts the basic error range based on at least one direction in which the at least one error tends to be caused by the at least one directional error factor, and the at least one first estimated error amount;

a second estimated error amount calculation unit that calculates at least one second estimated error amount regarding at least one non-directional error factor, wherein at least one non-directional error factor is at least one error factor that causes at least one error regardless of the vehicle traveling direction, and the at least one second estimated error amount is at least one estimated amount of the at least one error that is caused by the at least one non-directional error factor; and

a second error range adjustment unit that evenly adjusts a front region and a rear region of the basic error range in the vehicle traveling direction, based on the at least one second estimated error amount.