Position measurement method, own position measurement device, and on-board unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10094671-B2
Application number	US-201515113961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Jan 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle position measurement method includes a process of determining whether or not position information of an own vehicle is able to be acquired with predetermined quality from the outside, a process of acquiring position information of a nearby vehicle present in an area in which the own vehicle is capable of acquiring information when the position information is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality, and a process of replacing the position information of the own vehicle with the acquired position information of the nearby vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle position measurement method, comprising:
a process of determining whether or not position information of an own vehicle is able to be acquired with predetermined quality from an outside;
a process of acquiring position information of a nearby vehicle present in an area in which the own vehicle is capable of acquiring information when the position information is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality; and
a process of replacing the position information of the own vehicle with the acquired position information of the nearby vehicle,
wherein a determination of the quality is performed according to whether or not there is a communication abnormality in acquisition of the position information from the outside when a quality prediction information, which is added to map information, for an estimated current position of the own vehicle is better than a predetermined reference.

2. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
acquiring a plurality of pieces of position information of the nearby vehicles through communications, and calculating the position information of the own vehicle from the plurality of pieces of acquired position information and received signal strength indicators in the respective communications used for the acquisition.

3. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the process of acquiring the position information of the nearby vehicles further includes a process of:
acquiring information indicating reliability of the position information, and
selecting position information having a reliability equal to or higher than that of the own vehicle from the position information of the nearby vehicles when the position information of the own vehicle is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality.

4. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the process of acquiring the position information of the nearby vehicles further includes a process of:
acquiring information indicating reliability of the position information, and
weighting the position information of the own vehicle and the nearby vehicles, calculating the position information, and replacing the position information of the own vehicle with the calculated position information when the position information of the own vehicle is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality.

5. The vehicle position measurement method according to claim 1 ,
wherein a determination of the quality is performed according to whether a position information which is acquired from the outside while the own vehicle is stopped varies or not.

6. An on-board unit comprising an own position measurement device that measures a current position of an own vehicle using the position measurement method according to claim 1 .

7. An own position measurement device, comprising:
a failure monitoring unit that determines whether or not position information of an own vehicle is able to be acquired with predetermined quality from an outside;
a nearby vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires position information of a nearby vehicle present in an area in which the own vehicle is capable of acquiring information when the position information is determined not to be able to be acquired with the predetermined quality; and
a position estimation processing unit that estimates the position information of the own vehicle from the acquired position information of the nearby vehicle,
wherein the failure monitoring unit performs a determination of the quality according to whether or not there is a communication abnormality in acquisition of the position information from the outside when a quality prediction information, which is added to map information, for an estimated current position of the own vehicle is better than a predetermined reference.

8. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the nearby vehicle position acquisition unit includes a radio wave intensity and position calculation unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of position information of the nearby vehicles through communications, and calculates the position information of the own vehicle from the plurality of pieces of acquired position information and received signal strength indicators in the respective communications used for the acquisition.

9. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a reliability level check unit that acquires information indicating reliability of the position information of the nearby vehicles, and selects position information having a reliability equal to or higher than that of the own vehicle from the position information of the nearby vehicles.

10. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the reliability level check unit acquires a weight according to a reliability level, applies the weight to the position information of the own vehicle and the nearby vehicles, and calculates the position information.

11. The own vehicle position measurement device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the failure monitoring unit performs a determination of the quality according to whether a position information which is acquired from the outside while the own vehicle is stopped varies or not.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Mechatronics Systems Ltd
• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Mach Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Kondo Kazuumi
• Murata Hideaki
• Adachi Tetsuya

Classifications

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• G01C21/28 Primary

  with correlation of data from several navigational instruments · CPC title

• G01S19/40

  Correcting position, velocity or attitude · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title