Location data correction service for connected vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11709258-B2
Application number	US-202016937523-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2020
Priority date	Jul 23, 2020
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

The disclosure includes embodiments for a location data correction service for connected vehicles. A method includes receiving, by an operation center via a serverless ad-hoc vehicular network, a first wireless message that includes legacy location data that describes a geographic location of a legacy vehicle. The method includes causing a rich sensor set included in the operation center to record sensor data describing the geographic locations of objects in a roadway environment. The method includes determining correction data that describes a variance between the geographic location of the legacy vehicle as described by the sensor data and the legacy location data. The method includes transmitting a second wireless message to the legacy vehicle, wherein the second wireless message includes the correction data so that the legacy vehicle receives a benefit by correcting the legacy location data to minimize the variance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing a location data correction service, the method executed by an operation center that includes a set of sensor rich vehicles and comprising:
receiving, by the operation center via a serverless ad-hoc vehicular network, a first wireless message that includes legacy location data that describes a geographic location of a legacy vehicle, wherein the set of sensor rich vehicles and the legacy vehicle are connected vehicles and wherein the first wireless message is transmitted by a communication unit of the legacy vehicle that is communicatively coupled to a processor of the legacy vehicle;
causing a rich sensor set included in the operation center to record sensor data describing geographic locations of objects in a roadway environment that includes the set of sensor rich vehicles and the legacy vehicles, wherein the objects whose geographic locations are described include the set of sensor rich vehicles and the legacy vehicle and wherein the sensor data is more accurate than the legacy location data for describing the geographic location of the legacy vehicle;
determining correction data that describes a variance between the geographic location of the legacy vehicle as described by the sensor data and the legacy location data; and
transmitting, as fulfillment of the location data correction service by the operation center, a second wireless message to the legacy vehicle, wherein the second wireless message includes the correction data so that the legacy vehicle receives a benefit including correcting the legacy location data to minimize the variance and wherein the second wireless message is received by the communication unit of the legacy vehicle;
wherein the location data correction service improves the operation of the legacy vehicle by the legacy vehicle modifying its own sensor data based on variance information included in the correction data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of sensor rich vehicles includes one ego vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of sensor rich vehicles includes a plurality of vehicles.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of vehicles executes the method via collaborative computing so that different vehicles are responsible for executing different portions of the method.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation center controls when vehicles join and leave the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation center manages how the set of sensor rich vehicles contribute computing power to the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network for a purpose of executing the method and fulfilling the location data correction service.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation center controls which vehicles are eligible to join the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network based on their unused computing resources which they can make available to other members of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation center is a single member of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network that includes a most computing power relative to the other members of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a determination of which vehicle included in the set of sensor rich vehicles is the operation center is made as members of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network are driving in the roadway environment.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location data correction service is provided by the operation center which does not include an infrastructure device, a base station, a roadside device, an edge server, an edge node, or a cloud server.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation center only includes members of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network that are connected vehicles.

12. A computer program product included in at least one onboard vehicle computer of an operation center that includes a set of sensor rich vehicles, the computer program product comprising computer code that is operable, when executed by the onboard vehicle computer, to cause the onboard vehicle computer to provide a location data correction service by executing steps including:
receiving, by the operation center via a serverless ad-hoc vehicular network, a first wireless message that includes legacy location data that describes a geographic location of a legacy vehicle, wherein the set of sensor rich vehicles and the legacy vehicle are connected vehicles and wherein the first wireless message is transmitted by a communication unit of the legacy vehicle that is communicatively coupled to a processor of the legacy vehicle;
causing, by the onboard vehicle computer, a rich sensor set included in the operation center to record sensor data describing geographic locations of objects in a roadway environment that includes the set of sensor rich vehicles and the legacy vehicles, wherein the objects whose geographic locations are described include the set of sensor rich vehicles and the legacy vehicle and wherein the sensor data is more accurate than the legacy location data for describing the geographic location of the legacy vehicle;
determining correction data that describes a variance between the geographic location of the legacy vehicle as described by the sensor data and the legacy location data; and
transmitting, as fulfillment of the location data correction service by the operation center, a second wireless message to the legacy vehicle, wherein the second wireless message includes the correction data so that the legacy vehicle receives a benefit including correcting the legacy location data to minimize the variance and wherein the second wireless message is received by the communication unit of the legacy vehicle;
wherein the location data correction service improves the operation of the legacy vehicle by the legacy vehicle modifying its own sensor data based on variance information included in the correction data.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the set of sensor rich vehicles includes one ego vehicle.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the set of sensor rich vehicles includes a plurality of vehicles.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of vehicles executes the steps via collaborative computing so that different vehicles are responsible for executing different portions of the steps.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the operation center controls when vehicles join and leave the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network.

17. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the operation center manages how the set of sensor rich vehicles contribute computing power to the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network for a purpose of executing the steps and fulfilling the location data correction service.

18. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the operation center controls which vehicles are eligible to join the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network based on their unused computing resources which they can make available to other members of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network.

19. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the operation center is a single member of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network that includes a most computing power relative to the other members of the serverless ad-hoc vehicular network.

20. A system included in an operation center that includes a set of sensor rich vehicles, the system operable to provide a location data

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Guo Rui
• Ashour Mahmoud
• Sakr Ahmed
• Cheng Bin
• Lu Hongsheng
• Tiwari Prashant

Classifications

• G01S13/931 Primary

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• B60W50/00

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