System for determining the position of a vehicle, vehicle therewith, and method therefor

• US 9,727,058 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2011
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, An T
• Application Number:
  US13/579,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20130027225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 340436, 340933, 340937, 340903, 340905, 701207, 701 23- 27, 701 41, 318580, 318587, 180167-169
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots

Abstract

A system for determining the position of a vehicle includes a plurality of sensors for measuring the magnetic field strength of a magnet, means and is configured for determining the position of the magnet with respect to a plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensions array.

Claims

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

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

a digital signal processor;

wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array that defines a plane substantially parallel to a surface where the magnet is positioned, and all of the sensors of the plurality of sensors are evenly interspersed in both dimensions;

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

wherein the system is free of sensors for measuring a magnetic field strength of a magnet outside the two-dimensional array; and

wherein the plurality of sensors are each configured such that their sensitivity for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane within which the plurality of sensors is arranged is greater than zero and is substantially higher than their sensitivity for a magnetic field component parallel to the plane, which is also greater than zero.

2. 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 the magnet.

3. 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 a surface and/or a polarity of individual magnets in the group of magnets.

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

10. The system according to claim 1, 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 a polarity of the individual magnets in the group of magnets.

11. 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, 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 the group of magnets.

4. A vehicle comprising a system for determining a position of a vehicle comprising:

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

a digital signal processor;

wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensional array that defines a plane substantially parallel to a surface where the magnet is positioned, and all of the sensors of the plurality of sensors are evenly dispersed in both dimensions; and

wherein the system is configured to determine a position of the magnet with respect to the plurality of sensors, and

wherein the system is free of sensors for measuring a magnetic field strength of a magnet outside the two-dimensional array, and

wherein the plurality of sensors are each configured such that their sensitivity for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane within which the plurality of sensors is arranged is greater than zero and is substantially higher than their sensitivity for a magnetic field component parallel to the plane, which is greater than zero.

12. The vehicle of claim 4, 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 the magnet.

13. The vehicle of claim 4, 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 the group of magnets.

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

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

acquiring from a plurality of sensors in a system magnetic field strengths measured by the plurality of 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 and all of the sensors of the plurality of sensors are evenly dispersed in both dimensions, and

wherein the system is free of sensors for measuring a magnetic field strength of a magnet outside the two-dimensional array, and

wherein the plurality of sensors are each configured such that their sensitivity for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane within which the plurality of sensors is arranged is greater than zero and is substantially higher than their sensitivity for a magnetic field component parallel to the plane, which is greater than zero.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the position of the sensed magnet is determined by fitting the acquired magnetic field strengths to a spatial model of the magnetic field of the sensed magnet.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of fitting the magnetic field strengths measured by the plurality of sensors to a spatial model of the magnetic field of the sensed magnet.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of decoding information that is coded by a mutual arrangement of a group of magnets in a surface and/or the polarity of the individual magnets in the group of magnets.

15. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

determining the position of the vehicle using the determined position of the sensed magnet with respect to the plurality of sensors.

16. A system for determining a position of a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of sensors arranged in a two dimensional array that defines a plane substantially parallel to a surface where the magnet is positioned, for measuring a magnetic field strength of a magnet, wherein all of the sensors of the plurality of sensors are evenly interspersed in both dimensions;

a plurality of magnets provided in a surface suitable for the vehicle to drive on; and

a digital signal processor configured to determine a position of a selected magnet with respect to the plurality of sensors,

wherein the system is free of sensors for measuring a magnetic field strength of a magnet outside the two-dimensional arrays, and

wherein the plurality of sensors are each configured such that their sensitivity for a magnetic field component perpendicular to the plane within which the plurality of sensors is arranged is greater than zero and is substantially higher than their sensitivity for a magnetic field component parallel to the plane, which is greater than zero.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein positions of multiple magnets are determined at one time from measurements by the two-dimensional array of sensors.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the magnets are positioned in a grid-like pattern.