Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Tadatomi Ishigami

Masatoshi Fujii

Kohei Fujimoto

Takashi Irie

Atsushi Maeda

Ryusuke Kinoshita

Masashi Kido

Hirokazu Chiyonobu

Mitsuo Shimotani

Atsushi Mori

Hiroaki Kato

Norihiro Nishiuma

Toyofumi Tani

Tadamasa Fukae

Norihiro Tamiya

Keika Kan

Sadami Ouchi

Hiroshi Sato

Masayuki Ishida

Makoto Mikuriya

Masaharu Umezu

Tomoya Ikeuchi

Yoshitsugu Sawa

Yukio Goto

Yoshihiko Utsui

Atsushi Kohno

Hiroyuki Kumazawa

Teruki Akamatsu

Toshiyuki Matsuo

Shigeki Kumagai

Takeshi Nita

In a locator, a data synchronization unit calculates an interpolated value for autonomous sensor data which corresponds to a time of latest GNSS data. A complex positioning unit performs complex positioning using the latest GNSS data and the interpolated value for the autonomous sensor data. An autonomous navigation positioning unit performs first autonomous navigation positioning using the interpolated value for the autonomous sensor data, and performs second autonomous navigation positioning using latest autonomous sensor data. A modified amount calculator calculates a modified amount of autonomous navigation positioning, based on a difference between a result of the complex positioning and a result of the first autonomous navigation positioning. An autonomous navigation positioning fix modification unit modifies a result of the second autonomous navigation positioning using the modified amount to calculate a current position.

Locator, accuracy evaluation system therefor, and positioning method

In a locator device, a dead reckoning part calculates a position of a subject vehicle by dead reckoning. A pseudorange smoothing part smooths a pseudorange between a GNSS satellite and a position of the subject vehicle using a carrier wave phase of the GNSS satellite. A GNSS receiver positioning error evaluation part evaluates reliability of the position of the subject vehicle calculated by the multi-GNSS receiver. A GNSS positioning part (Kalman Filter (KF) method) calculates a position of the subject vehicle from a smoothed value of the pseudorange, a positioning augmentation signal, and an orbit of the GNSS satellite. A complex positioning part (KF method) calculates an error in the dead reckoning from the position of the subject vehicle calculated by the GNSS positioning part (KF method), and corrects the position of the subject vehicle calculated by the dead reckoning part based on the error in the dead reckoning.

Positioning device and positioning method

A code positioning part calculates a position of a subject vehicle and a receiver clock based on an orbit of a GNSS satellite in which an error indicated by a positioning reinforcing signal is corrected and a first corrected pseudorange being a pseudorange of the GNSS satellite in which an error indicated by the positioning reinforcing signal is corrected. A receiver clock bias error correction part determines a difference between a two-point range between a position of each of a plurality of GNSS satellites and the position of the subject vehicle and the first corrected pseudorange as an unknown error, and determines a receiver clock bias error of the pseudorange based on the unknown error. A code positioning correction part recalculates the position of the subject vehicle, using a second corrected pseudorange that is obtained by correcting the first corrected pseudorange using the receiver clock bias error.

A positioning apparatus according to the present invention includes: a triaxial acceleration sensor zero point calculating unit which determines whether or not the moving body is performing horizontal plane uniform linear traveling, and calculates a zero point of the triaxial accelerations when a determination is made that the moving body is performing the horizontal plane uniform linear traveling, based on at least triaxial speeds, a longitudinal acceleration, and triaxial accelerations while the moving body is traveling; an apparatus housing attachment angle calculating unit which calculates a pitch direction attachment angle and a roll direction attachment angle based on the zero point of the triaxial accelerations; a triaxial angular velocity coordinate transforming unit which coordinate-transforms the triaxial angular velocities; and a position estimating unit which estimates a current position of the moving body based on at least a yaw rate obtained from the triaxial angular velocities.

Positioning apparatus and positioning method

An object is to provide in a positioning device of a moving body such as a vehicle, a technique which can modify a built-in clock error of a moving body to increase accuracy of a velocity. The positioning device includes a built-in clock error estimating unit which estimates a built-in clock error of the vehicle as a built-in clock error based on a difference between a delta range and a calculated range rate, and a range rate estimating unit which estimates a vehicle stop range rate based on position and velocity of GPS satellite based on transmission signal and a vehicle position, and modifies a calculated range rate, based on the built-in clock error. Further, the positioning device includes an own vehicle velocity calculating unit which calculates own vehicle velocities in three axial directions which form an orthogonal coordinate system, based on a navigation matrix, the vehicle stop range rate and the modified calculated range rate.

Positioning method

An object of the present invention is to provide a positioning device which can more reliably and frequently correct a own vehicle position earlier, reliably detect an error matching state or a straying state earlier and correct the position to a correct position. The positioning device according to the present invention includes a GPS receiver, a GPS position calculating unit which calculates pseudo distances to the GPS satellites based on the transmission signals, and calculates a re-calculated GPS position which is the own vehicle position based on the pseudo distances, and a multipath influence evaluating unit which evaluates a multipath influence on the GPS position based on a difference between the GPS position calculated by the GPS receiver and the re-calculated GPS position calculated by the GPS position calculating unit.

Positioning device

A vehicle position display controller performs a branch determination processing of determining whether a vehicle has entered a branch road. In addition, in a case where a connecting road through which a currently traveled road is connected to a road extending in parallel with the currently traveled road lies ahead of a position of the vehicle, the vehicle position display controller performs a road shape conversion processing of subjecting the road extending in parallel to the branch determination processing on the assumption that the road extending in parallel is the branch road by making a correction of an angle between the currently traveled road and the connecting road. However, in a case where the vehicle travels at a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, the vehicle position display controller does not perform the road shape conversion processing.

Vehicle position display controller and vehicle position specifying method

A car navigation system includes a distance sensor; an angular velocity sensorfor detecting angular velocity having a sensor detection axis in a vertical direction of a casing; an acceleration sensorfor detecting acceleration having a sensor detection axis in a back and forth direction of the casing on a horizontal plane; a body velocity and acceleration measuring unitfor measuring velocity and acceleration in the body direction of vehicle movement from the signal from the distance sensor; an angular velocity measuring unitfor measuring angular velocity from the signal from the angular velocity sensor; a body roll angle estimating unitfor estimating a body roll angle from the body direction of vehicle movement velocity and angular velocity; an acceleration sensor output estimating unitfor outputting, when the casing is set in the body with a rotation in a yaw direction, estimation values of the output signal of the acceleration sensor at every prescribed angle; and a yaw direction mounted angle detecting unitfor determining as a yaw direction mounted angle in the body an angle at a time when an estimated value is obtained which agrees most closely with a value remaining after subtracting from the signal from the acceleration sensor its offset component.

Car navigation system

A navigation equipment includes a user position observing unitfor calculating the position of the navigation equipment by using the pseudo range and position of each GPS satellite, and a pseudo range error, a user velocity and heading observing unitfor calculating the velocity of the navigation equipment from a measured range rate, the position of each GPS satellite, and the position of the navigation equipment, and a user heading searching unitfor, when a multipath error is smaller than a specified value, searching for, as the heading of the navigation equipment, a heading whose range rate, which is calculated from a relative movement between the navigation equipment when the navigation equipment changes its heading within a predetermined angle range and a GPS satellite, matches the measured range rate.

Navigation equipment

A navigation apparatus includes an unregistered road detecting means for setting up a detection start point and a detection end point for an unregistered road on registered roads which are respectively located before and behind sections in which matching result data indicates a free state, respectively, the matching result data indicating a matching state when the vehicle is traveling each of the registered roads, for performing a coordinate transformation on a traveling path which is created from positioning data and which is extending between the two points so that the traveling path has coordinates which match with the coordinates of a registered road between them, and for detecting the coordinates of the unregistered road from a portion of the coordinate-transformed traveling path which does not overlap any registered road, and a road data generating means for creating road data about the unregistered road from the coordinates of the unregistered road.

Navigation apparatus

Location equipment includes a calibration unit for calibrating scale factors used for calculating distances traveled by left and right wheels of a vehicle from pulse signals delivered from wheel sensors respectively installed in the left and right wheels, based on global positioning satellite signals received by a GPS receiver, and an estimation unit for estimating vehicle position and movement from the GPS signals received by the GPS receiver and the pulse signals delivered from the wheel sensors, using the scale factors calibrated by the calibration unit.

Apparatus for determining the behavior of a vehicle

A vehicle borne transmitter transmits a spread spectrum transmit signal which is pseudo (PN) encoded. The transmitted signal is reflected off of a reflector on known position which may be a highway guardrail, tunnel wall, or the like. The reflected signal is detected by a receiver in the vehicle and a pseudo noise code (PN code) is synchronized to the reflected signal to accomplish maximum correlation. The phase delay between the transmitted PN code and received PN code is thereby utilized to determine the distance between the vehicle and reflector to maintain the vehicle in the center of a roadway lane. Roadway transponders may be periodically located adjacent the roadway and will be responsive to the vehicle borne interrogation signal. The periodically located transducers produce a reply signal including a PN code and imbedded data which data may represent transponder ID and position, roadway or map data, or other data which is desirable to transmit between the transducer and the vehicle travelling the highway.

Automated highway tracking and communication system and method

In an automated roadway system having transponders or data-stations spaced at known positions along the roadway, a vehicle mounted system determines the position of a vehicle moving along the roadway. A vehicle borne transmitter transmits a spread spectrum transmit signal which is pseudo (PN) encoded. The transmitted signal is received by the transponder which emits a reply signal back to a vehicle borne receiver. The receiver also receives a second signal which may be a reply signal from the same transponder or a reply signal from an adjacent transponder. The system then measures a time difference between transmission of the vehicle originated interrogation signal and receipt of its corresponding reply signal to determine the distance between the vehicle and the transponder or reflector. Based on the determined distances, the positions of the transponders and the distance that the vehicle has traveled during its communications, the position of a vehicle is determined using triangulation methods. The interrogation signals may be spread spectrum signals that are pseudo-random (PN) encoded. When the signal is detected by a receiver in the transponder or in the vehicle receiver, the PN code is synchronized to the incoming signal to accomplish maximum correlation. The phase delay between the transmitted PN code and received PN code is used to determine the distances between the vehicle and the transponder. The periodically located transponders produce a reply signal including a PN code and embedded data which represents the transponder identification and its position, or other data which is desirable to transmit between the transponder and the vehicle traveling the roadway.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tadatomi Ishigami