Absolute acceleration sensor for use within moving vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9834215-B2
Application number	US-201615176033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Oct 5, 2004
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A method of and system for detecting absolute acceleration along various axes relative to a desired movement vector while moving relative to a gravity source includes steps of determining a vertical acceleration, perpendicular to the desired movement vector and substantially anti-parallel to a gravitational acceleration due to the gravity source; determining a longitudinal acceleration, parallel to the desired movement vector and to output at vertical acceleration signal and a longitudinal acceleration signal; determining an inclination of the desired movement vector relative to the gravitational acceleration; and processing the vertical acceleration signal, the longitudinal acceleration signal, and the inclination signal to produce an absolute vertical acceleration signal and an absolute longitudinal acceleration signal.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of determining and using data describing absolute acceleration along various axes relative to a desired movement vector while moving relative to a gravity source employed within a vehicle, comprising:
a. detecting deceleration of the vehicle;
b. detecting an inclination of the vehicle relative to a gravitational acceleration within a same plane; and
c. determining an absolute deceleration from the detected deceleration of the vehicle and the detected inclination of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deceleration is detected by a deceleration detector.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deceleration detector comprises an accelerometer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inclination is detected by a gyroscope.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising re-referencing the gyroscope.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising utilizing the absolute deceleration in inertial navigation within a GPS based navigation system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the absolute deceleration comprises determining an absolute lateral deceleration.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the deceleration is detected by a deceleration detector.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the deceleration detector comprises an accelerometer.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the inclination is detected by a gyroscope.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising re-referencing the gyroscope.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising utilizing the absolute deceleration in inertial navigation within a GPS based navigation system.

13. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
a. determining a heading of the vehicle;
b. computing changes in the heading from a desired movement vector in a plane orthogonal to gravitational acceleration and to output a heading signal or rate of change of the heading signal;
c. producing a speed signal by summing the absolute longitudinal acceleration over time to determine a speed; and
d. processing the speed signal and the heading signal to produce a velocity output signal indicating speed, heading and position of the vehicle.

14. A method of determining and using data describing absolute acceleration along various axes relative to a desired movement vector while moving relative to a gravity source employed within a vehicle, comprising:
a. adding a control module to the vehicle, the control module comprising:
i. a deceleration detector, wherein the deceleration detector detects any deceleration of the vehicle;
ii. a gyroscope, wherein the gyroscope detects an inclination of the vehicle relative to a gravitational acceleration within a same plane;
iii. a logic circuit configured to determine an absolute deceleration from the deceleration of the vehicle and the inclination of the vehicle; and
iv. a control device coupled to the deceleration detector and the gyroscope, wherein the control device provides the absolute deceleration of the vehicle to a control system of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the control system comprises a GPS based navigation system and further wherein the absolute deceleration is used in inertial navigation.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising re-referencing the gyroscope.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the absolute deceleration comprises an absolute lateral deceleration.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the deceleration detector comprises an accelerometer.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the control system comprises a GPS based navigation system and further wherein the absolute deceleration is used in inertial navigation.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising re-referencing the gyroscope.

21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
a. determining a heading of the vehicle;
b. computing changes in the heading from a desired movement vector in a plane orthogonal to gravitational acceleration and to output a heading signal or rate of change of the heading signal;
c. producing a speed signal by summing the absolute longitudinal acceleration over time to determine a speed; and
d. processing the speed signal and the heading signal to produce a velocity output signal indicating speed, heading and position of the vehicle.

22. A control unit for a vehicle, comprising:
a. a deceleration detector, wherein the deceleration detector detects any deceleration of the vehicle;
b. a gyroscope, wherein the gyroscope detects an inclination of the vehicle relative to a gravitational acceleration within a same plane;
c. a logic circuit configured to determine an absolute deceleration from the deceleration of the vehicle and the inclination of the vehicle; and
d. a control device coupled to the deceleration detector and the gyroscope, wherein the control device provides the absolute deceleration of the vehicle to a control system of the vehicle.

23. The control unit of claim 22 , wherein the control system comprises a GPS based navigation system and further wherein the absolute deceleration is used in inertial navigation.

24. The control unit of claim 22 , wherein the gyroscope is periodically re-referenced.

25. The control unit of claim 22 , wherein the deceleration detector comprises an accelerometer.

26. The control unit of claim 22 , wherein the absolute deceleration comprises an absolute lateral deceleration.

27. The control unit of claim 26 , wherein the control system comprises a GPS based navigation system and further wherein the absolute deceleration is used in inertial navigation.

28. The control unit of claim 26 , wherein a heading of the vehicle is determined, changes in the heading are computed from a desired movement vector in a plane orthogonal to gravitational acceleration and to output a heading signal or rate of change of the heading signal, a speed signal is produced by summing the absolute longitudinal acceleration over time to determine a speed and the speed signal and the heading signal are produced to produce a velocity output signal indicating speed, heading and position of the vehicle.

29. The control unit of claim 26 , wherein the gyroscope is periodically re-referenced.

30. A method of determining and using data describing absolute acceleration along various axes relative to a desired movement vector while moving relative to a gravity source employed within a vehicle, comprising:
a. detecting deceleration of the vehicle;
b. detecting an inclination of the vehicle relative to a gravitational acceleration within a same plane, the inclination detected with a gyroscope;
c. determining an absolute deceleration from the detected deceleration of the vehicle and the detected inclination of the vehicle; and
d. periodically re-referencing the gyroscope.

31. A method of determining and using data describing absolute acceleration along various axes relative to a desired movement vector while moving relative to a gravity source employed within a vehicle, comprising:
a. detecting deceleration of the vehicle;
b. detecting rotation about a Z axis utilizing a gyroscope;
c. calculating theoretical acceleration of the vehicle utilizing the rotation about the Z axis; and
d. determining an absolute deceleration from the detected deceleration of the vehicle and the calculated theoretical acceleration of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Vision Works Ip Corp

Inventors

• Braunberger Alfred S
• Braunberger Beau M

Classifications

• G01S19/072 Primary

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• B60T17/22

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