Vehicle positioning system

• US 9,952,304 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: MacNeille, Perry Robinson, Gusikhin, Oleg Yurievitch, Cui, Dehua, Schmotzer, John William, Herman, Dave A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US14/849,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 382104, 340988, 701 28, 356337-338, 348135, 398130, 398118
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication

Abstract

A method including: receiving a synchronization signal and collecting a rolling shutter image of a modulated light on a sensor, determining a primary frequency from the rolling shutter image, and comparing the primary frequency to an expected primary frequency image to determine a directional movement related to a vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a synchronization signal and collecting a rolling shutter image of a modulated light on a sensor, the rolling shutter image including a plurality of images of locations along a path of travel of a vehicle;

determining a primary frequency from the rolling shutter image; and

comparing the primary frequency to an expected primary frequency image to determine a directional movement related to the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, correlating the rolling shutter image to a set of pixel data to determine a vehicle to light source distance.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, causing the vehicle to execute one of a right turn and a left turn based upon a turn direction instruction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated light is provided according to a signal that is an increasing or decreasing frequency ramp waveform signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the synchronization signal at a start of the frequency ramp waveform signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal is one of a Bluetooth signal, a Wi-Fi signal, and a near field communications signal.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of pixel data and the turn direction instruction are in a memory.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of pixel data and the turn direction instruction are included in the synchronization signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal is one of a radio frequency signal and a second light source.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the rolling shutter image with a color filter;

converting the rolling shutter image into a grayscale image;

blurring the grayscale image;

converting the grayscale image to a binary image;

masking a noise value from the binary image;

forming an at least one vector average of the binary image by averaging a brightness of the binary image;

determining a power spectrum of the at least one vector average; and

correlating the power spectrum of the at least one vector average to a predefined mask to determine a specified direction.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the primary frequency as a first memory value;

receiving the synchronization signal and collecting the rolling shutter image of the modulated light on the sensor;

determining the primary frequency from the rolling shutter image;

storing the primary frequency as a second memory value;

subtracting the second memory value from the first memory value and storing a difference as a third memory value; and

causing the vehicle to execute one of a right turn and a left turn;

wherein the specified direction is for a right turn if the difference is a positive value and for a left turn if the difference is a negative value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the specified direction from the path of travel and a difference of the first memory value and the second memory value.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the specified direction from a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) using the difference of the first memory value and the second memory value.

14. A system, comprising a computer in a vehicle, the computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:

receive a synchronization signal and collect a rolling shutter image of a modulated light on a sensor, the rolling shutter image including a plurality of images of locations along a path of travel of a vehicle;

determine a primary frequency from the rolling shutter image; and

compare the primary frequency to an expected primary frequency image to determine a directional movement related to the vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the rolling shutter image is compared to a set of pixel data to determine a vehicle to light source distance.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the vehicle will execute one of a right turn and a left turn based upon a turn direction instruction.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the modulated light with a signal that is an increasing or decreasing frequency ramp waveform signal with the synchronization signal at a start of the frequency ramp waveform signal.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer further executes instructions by the processor to:

filter the rolling shutter image with a color filter;

convert the rolling shutter image into a grayscale image;

blur the grayscale image;

convert the grayscale image to a binary image;

mask a noise value from the binary image;

form at least one vector average of the binary image by averaging a brightness of the binary image;

determine a power spectrum of the at least one vector average; and

correlate the power spectrum of the at least one vector average to a predefined mask to determine a specified direction.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer further executes instructions by the processor to:

store the primary frequency as a first memory value;

receive the synchronization signal and collect the rolling shutter image of the modulated light on the sensor;

determine the primary frequency from the rolling shutter image;

store the primary frequency in a second memory value;

subtract the second memory value from the first memory value and store a result in a third memory value; and

execute one of a right turn and a left turn;

wherein a specified direction is for a right turn if the difference is a positive value and for a left turn if the difference is a negative value.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the specified direction from the path of travel and a difference of the first memory value and the second memory value.