IP Library Granted Patent US 12,709,314
Granted Patent B2
US 12,709,314 · App. 17/649,014 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Vehicle positioning system

Inventors: David Beach (Toronto, CA); Alon Green (Toronto, CA)
Assignee: Hitachi Rail GTS Canada Inc.
B61L25/026B61L25/021B61L27/20B61L27/57B61L2027/204
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,709,314
App. No.
17/649,014
Filed
Jan 26, 2022
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3615
USPC
246/24
Abstract

A vehicle positioning system includes processing circuitry in communication with the vehicle. The system further includes a memory connected to the processing circuitry, where the memory is configured to store executable instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, facilitate performance of operations. The operations include to receive vehicle-speed data from a first set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle. The operations further include to predict a vehicle location based on the vehicle-speed data. The operations further include to receive inertial data from a second set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle, and update the predicted vehicle location based upon the inertial data.

Claims (63)

1 . A vehicle positioning system, the system comprising:

a vehicle on a guideway;

processing circuitry in communication with the vehicle; and

a memory connected to the processing circuitry, wherein the memory is configured to store executable instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receive vehicle-speed data from a first set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle;

predict a first-chain vehicle location based on the vehicle-speed data;

receive inertial data from a second set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle;

update the predicted first-chain vehicle location based upon the inertial data;

predict a second-chain vehicle location based on the inertial data;

cross-check the predicted first-chain vehicle location against the predicted second-chain vehicle location, prior to updating the predicted first-chain vehicle location based upon the inertial data; and

update the predicted second-chain vehicle location based upon the vehicle-speed data.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

update the predicted first and second-chain vehicle locations based on a vehicle path constraint stored in the memory, wherein the vehicle is restricted to travel on a parameterized three-dimensional (3D) vehicle path.

3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

update the predicted first and second-chain vehicle locations based on a priori inertial landmarks along a vehicle path constraint and stored in the memory.

4 . The system of claim 3 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

update the predicted first and second-chain vehicle locations based on other landmarks detected by a third set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle and the a priori inertial landmarks along the vehicle path constraint and stored in the memory.

5 . The system of claim 4 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

detection and isolation of fault conditions within one of the inertial data, the vehicle path constraint, the a priori inertial landmarks, and the other landmarks.

6 . The system of claim 5 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

output a fault-updated vehicle location based on the fault conditions.

7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

cross-check the predicted first-chain vehicle location against the predicted second-chain vehicle location, prior to updating the predicted second-chain vehicle location based upon the vehicle-speed data.

8 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving vehicle-speed data from a first set of sensors operably coupled to a vehicle;

predicting a first-chain vehicle location based on the vehicle speed data;

receiving inertial data from a second set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle;

updating the predicted first-chain vehicle location based upon the inertial data;

receiving the inertial data from the second set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle;

predicting a second-chain vehicle location based on the inertial data; and

assigning a first weight to the predicted first-chain vehicle location or a second weight to the second-chain vehicle location based on cross-checking the predicted first-chain vehicle location and the predicted second-chain vehicle location.

9 . The storage medium of claim 8 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

receiving the vehicle speed data from the first set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle; and

updating the predicted second-chain vehicle location based upon the vehicle speed data.

10 . The storage medium of claim 9 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

cross-checking the predicted first-chain vehicle location against the predicted second-chain vehicle location.

11 . The storage medium of claim 10 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

determining whether one or more of the predicted first-chain vehicle location and the predicted second-chain vehicle location are unusable based upon the cross-check of the predicted first-chain vehicle location against the predicted second-chain vehicle location.

12 . The storage medium of claim 9 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

cross-checking the updated first-chain vehicle location against the updated second-chain vehicle location.

13 . The storage medium of claim 12 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

determining whether one or more of the updated first-chain vehicle location and the updated second-chain vehicle location are unusable based upon the cross-check of the updated first-chain vehicle location against the updated second-chain vehicle location.

14 . The storage medium of claim 9 wherein the performance of operations further comprises:

updating the updated first-chain vehicle location and the updated second-chain vehicle location based on detected faults in one of the first set of sensors and the second set of sensors.

15 . A method of positioning a vehicle comprising:

receiving vehicle speed data from a first set of sensors operably coupled to a vehicle;

receiving vehicle inertial data from a second set of sensors operably coupled to the vehicle;

predicting a first vehicle location with processing circuitry and based on the vehicle speed data;

predicting a second vehicle location with the processing circuitry and based on the vehicle inertial data;

cross-checking the first predicted vehicle location against the second predicted vehicle location prior to updating the predicted first-chain vehicle location based upon the inertial data; and

determining whether one of the predicted first vehicle location and the predicted second vehicle location is unreliable based upon the cross-checking.

16 . The method of claim 15 further comprising, after cross-checking the first predicted vehicle location against the second predicted vehicle location:

updating the predicted first vehicle location based upon the vehicle inertial data;

updating the predicted second vehicle location based upon the vehicle speed data; and

cross-checking the first updated vehicle location against the second updated vehicle location.

17 . The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining whether one or more of the updated first vehicle location and the updated second vehicle location is unreliable based upon the cross-check of the updated first vehicle location against the updated second vehicle location.

18 . The method of claim 17 further comprising:

updating one or more of the predicted first vehicle location and the predicted second vehicle location based upon a constrained vehicle path that the vehicle is traveling.

19 . The method of claim 17 further comprising:

updating one or more of the predicted first vehicle location and the predicted second vehicle location based upon inertial landmarks stored in a memory.

20 . The method of claim 19 further comprising,

updating one or more of the predicted first vehicle location and the predicted second vehicle location based upon other landmarks stored in the memory.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 6, 2024
From: GROUND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CANADA INC.
To: HITACHI RAIL GTS CANADA INC.
Reel/Frame 068829/0462 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2023
From: THALES CANADA INC
To: GROUND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CANADA INC.
Reel/Frame 065566/0509 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 2, 2022
From: BEACH, DAVID; GREEN, ALON
To: THALES CANADA INC.
Reel/Frame 058863/0630 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63141727 · Jan 26, 2021
Related Publication 20220234634A1 · Jul 28, 2022
References Cited (28)
US 9221481B2 · Desbordes et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 9482538B1 · Pathangay · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 10309778B2 · Zhang et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10606274B2 · Yalla et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20150239482A1 · Green · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20180120843A1 · Berntorp et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190278273A1 · Behrendt et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190347820A1 · Golinsky et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200053292A1 · Janjic et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200070859A1 · Green et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200181879A1 · Halder et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200331465A1 · Herman et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200378766A1 · Omari et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200379484A1 · Omari et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200391780A1 · Carter et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210094595A1 · Kälberer · 2021 [cited by examiner]
DE 102018115978B3 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
EP 3589527A1 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
EP 3594086A2 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO 2012158906A1 · 2012 [cited by applicant]
The partial supplementary European search report (R. 164 EPC) issued by the European Patent Office on Feb. 5, 2025, which corresponds to European Patent Application No. 22745470.9-1009 and is related to U.S. Appl. No. 1… [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/IB2022/050691, dated Apr. 8, 2022, pp. 1-8, Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Quebec, Canada. [cited by applicant]
An Examination Report mailed by The Canadian Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 11, 2024, which corresponds to Canadian Patent Application 3,204,228 and is related to U.S. Appl. No. 17/649,014, all pages. [cited by applicant]
Florian Tschopp, Thomas Schneider, Andrew W. Palmer, Navid Nourani-Vatani, Cesar Cadena, Roland Siegwart, Juan Nieto, Experimental comparison of visual-aided odometry methods for rail vehicles, Feb. 4, 2019. [cited by applicant]
Milad Ramezani, Kourosh Khoshelham, Laurent Kneip, Omnidirectional visual-inertial odometry using multi-state constraint Kalman filter, Sep. 24, 2017. [cited by applicant]
Cagri Kilic, Jason N. Gross, Nicholas Ohi, Ryan Watson, Jared Strader, Thomas Swiger, Scott Harper, Yu Gu, Improved Planetary Rover Inertial Navigation and Wheel Odometry Performance through Periodic Use of Zero-Type Co… [cited by applicant]
Changhao Chen, Chris Xiaoxuan Lu, Bing Wang, Niki Trigoni, Andrew Markham, DynaNet: Neural Kalman Dynamical Model for Motion Estimation and Prediction, Aug. 11, 2019. [cited by applicant]
The extended European search report issued by the European Patent Office on May 9, 2025, which corresponds to European Patent Application No. 22745470.9-1009 and is related to U.S. Appl. No. 17/649,014, all pages. [cited by applicant]