Inertial sensor aided heading and positioning for GNSS vehicle navigation

• US 9,816,818 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2011
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Czompo, Joseph, Opshaug, Guttorm Ringstad, Chhokra, Kumar Gaurav, Biacs, Zoltan Fenene, Riley, Wyatt T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee, Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US13/309,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 702141, 702142, 702150, 702151, 702153, 73488, 735033, 7351401, 701500, 701501, 701505, 701507, 701509, 701510
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/393 Trajectory determination or predictive tracking, e.g. Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing an improved heading estimate of a mobile device in a vehicle is presented. First, the mobile device determines if it is mounted in a cradle attached to the vehicle; if so, inertia sensor data may be valid. While in a mounted stated, the mobile device determines whether it has been rotated in the cradle; if so, inertia sensor data may no longer be reliable and a recalibration to determine a new relative orientation between the vehicle and the mobile device is needed. If the mobile device is mounted and not recently rotated, heading data from multiple sensors (e.g., GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer) may be computed and combined to form the improved heading estimate. This improved heading estimate may be used to form an improved velocity estimate. The improved heading estimate may also be used to compute a bias to correct a gyroscope.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile device for providing an improved heading, the method comprising:

receiving an accelerometer measurement from an accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from a gyroscope;

receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems heading (GNSS heading) from a GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector;

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form the improved heading; and

correcting the gyroscope with a bias based on the improved heading.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate comprises computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate from a projection of the gyroscope measurement to the gravity vector.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate comprises combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate using a weighting factor.

4. A mobile device to provide an improved heading, the mobile device comprising:

an inertial measurement unit comprising an accelerometer and a gyroscope;

a Global Navigation Satellite Systems receiver (GNSS receiver);

a processor coupled to the inertial measurement unit and the GNSS receiver; and

memory coupled to the processor, comprising code for;

receiving an accelerometer measurement from the accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from the gyroscope;

receiving a GNSS heading from the GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector; and

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form the improved heading.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate comprises computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate from a projection of the gyroscope measurement to the gravity vector.

6. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate comprises combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate using a weighting factor.

7. A mobile device to provide an improved heading, the mobile device comprising:

means for receiving an accelerometer measurement;

means for receiving a gyroscope measurement;

means for receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems heading (GNSS heading);

means for computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

means for computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on a projection of the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector; and

means for combining the GNSS heading and virtual gyroscope heading rate.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the means for computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate comprises means for computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate from the projection of the gyroscope measurement to the gravity vector.

9. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the means for combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate comprises means for combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate using a weighting factor.

10. A device comprising a processor and a memory wherein the memory includes software instructions for:

receiving an accelerometer measurement from an accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from a gyroscope;

receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems heading (GNSS heading) from a GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on a projection of the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector; and

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form the improved heading.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including program code stored thereon, comprising program code for:

receiving an accelerometer measurement from an accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from a gyroscope;

receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems heading (GNSS heading) from a GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector; and

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form the improved heading.

12. A method in a mobile device for providing an improved velocity, the method comprising:

receiving an accelerometer measurement from an accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from a gyroscope;

receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems velocity (GNSS velocity) comprising a GNSS heading from a GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on a projection of the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector;

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form an improved heading;

computing the improved velocity from the improved heading; and

correcting the gyroscope with a bias based on the improved heading.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate comprises computing the virtual gyroscope heading rate from the projection of the gyroscope measurement to the gravity vector.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form an improved heading comprises combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate using weighting factors.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

computing a velocity based on the GNSS velocity; and

projecting the velocity on the improved heading.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein computing and projecting the velocity comprise:

computing a Kalman-filtered GNSS velocity from the GNSS velocity using a Kalman filter, wherein the velocity is the Kalman-filtered GNSS velocity; and

projecting the Kalman-filtered GNSS velocity on the improved heading.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

feeding an error signal, based on a difference between the Kalman-filtered GNSS velocity and the GNSS velocity, to the Kalman filter as a correction signal.

18. A mobile device to provide an improved velocity, the mobile device comprising:

an inertial measurement unit comprising an accelerometer and a gyroscope;

a Global Navigation Satellite Systems receiver (GNSS receiver);

a processor coupled to the inertial measurement unit and the GNSS receiver; and

memory coupled to the processor, comprising code for;

receiving an accelerometer measurement from the accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from the gyroscope;

receiving a GNSS velocity comprising a GNSS heading from the GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector;

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form an improved heading; and

computing the improved velocity from the improved heading.

19. A mobile device to provide an improved velocity, the mobile device comprising:

means for receiving an accelerometer measurement from an accelerometer;

means for receiving a gyroscope measurement from a gyroscope;

means for receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems velocity (GNSS velocity) comprising a GNSS heading from a GNSS receiver;

means for computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

means for computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector;

means for combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form an improved heading; and

means for computing the improved velocity from the improved heading.

20. A device comprising a processor and a memory wherein the memory includes software instructions for:

receiving an accelerometer measurement from an accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from a gyroscope;

receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems velocity (GNSS velocity) comprising a GNSS heading from a GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector;

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form an improved heading; and

computing an improved velocity from the improved heading.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including program code stored thereon, comprising program code for:

receiving an accelerometer measurement from an accelerometer;

receiving a gyroscope measurement from a gyroscope;

receiving a Global Navigation Satellite Systems velocity (GNSS velocity) comprising a GNSS heading from a GNSS receiver;

computing a gravity vector based on the accelerometer measurement;

computing a virtual gyroscope heading rate based on the gyroscope measurement and the gravity vector;

combining the GNSS heading and the virtual gyroscope heading rate to form an improved heading; and

computing an improved velocity from the improved heading.