Method for Starting a GNSS Receiver Arranged in a Vehicle

Abstract

The method for starting a GNSS receiver arranged in a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes: (a) capturing, by way of an image capturing device, a first item of image information when the vehicle is started, wherein the first item of image information describes the environment of the vehicle when the vehicle is started; (b) comparing the first item of image information captured in step (a) with a second item of image information captured by the image capturing device when the vehicle is parked and describing the environment of the vehicle when the vehicle is parked in order to determine whether the first item of image information and the second item of image information deviate from each other, and (c) starting the GNSS receiver while taking the comparison result in step (b) into account.

Claims

1. A method for starting a GNSS receiver arranged in a vehicle, comprising: (a) capturing, by way of an image capturing device, a first item of image information when the vehicle is started, wherein the first item of image information describes the environment of the vehicle when the vehicle is started; (b) comparing the first item of image information captured in step (a) with a second item of image information captured by the image capturing device when the vehicle is parked and describing the environment of the vehicle when the vehicle is parked in order to determine whether the first item of image information and the second item of image information deviate from each other; and (c) starting the GNSS receiver while taking the comparison result in step (b) into account.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in step (b), the first item of image information and the second item of image information are compared to each other by way of the following sub-steps: (1) detecting a first location based on the first item of image information; (2) detecting a second location based on the second item of image information; and (3) comparing the first and second locations to each other in order to determine whether the first item of image information and the second item of image information describe the same location.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first and second locations are detected using a convolutional neural network.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, in step (c), the GNSS receiver is cold-started when the first item of image information and the second item of image information do not describe the same location.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, in step (c), the GNSS receiver is hot-started or warm-started when the first item of image information and the second item of image information describe the same location.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second item of image information captured when the vehicle is parked has been stored in the memory, and is read from the memory to be compared to the first item of image information captured when the vehicle is restarted.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing device is a high-resolution camera.

8. A control device comprising at least one processor configured to perform a method according to claim 1.

9. A computer program product comprising commands that, when the computer program product is executed by a computer, prompt the latter to perform the method according to claim 1.

10. A computer-readable storage medium comprising commands that, when executed by a computer, prompt the latter to perform the method according to claim 1.

11. A geolocation system for a vehicle configured to perform a method according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0048] The disclosure and the technical environment are explained in further detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 1. It should be noted that FIG. 1 is schematic in nature. It should also be noted that the features shown in FIG. 1 do not necessarily have to be used in the presented combination; partial features can rather be extracted and combined with other explanations in the description. Anything different is intended to apply only when explicitly referred to herein as a mandatory combination of features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] FIG. 1 provides a schematic and exemplary illustration of a block diagram of the described method for starting a GNSS receiver installed in a vehicle. The first item of image information 1 and the second item of image information 2 previously captured in step a) are in this case read from a non-volatile memory in step b) and compared to one another in order to determine whether the two items of image information 1, 2 deviate from one another. The first item of image information 1 is captured by way of an image capturing device when the vehicle is started, and the second item of image information 2 has been previously captured by the image capturing device when the vehicle was parked. If, in step b), it is determined that the two items of image information 1, 2 deviate from one another, this can mean that the vehicle has been moved from one location to another location after parking and during parking. In this case, it is highly risky to hot-start the GNSS receiver in step c). Therefore, a cold start 3 is performed in step c). If it is determined in step b) that the two items of image information 1, 2 do not deviate from one another or the deviation is within a predefined tolerance range, this can mean that the vehicle is in the same location when it is parked and at start-up. In this case, a hot or warm start 4 is carried out in step c), whereby the previously saved position information 5 for the hot or warm start 4 is to be entered in step c).

[0050] Using the described method, the image capturing device already established in the vehicle can be linked to the GNSS(/INS) geolocation system, thereby realizing an additional validation mechanism for utilizing the last determined and stored position when the GNSS receiver is started.

[0051] The method described is particularly suitable for automated or autonomous driving in the context of safety-critical automated or autonomous driving functions.