Inferring vehicle location and movement using sensor data fusion

Abstract

A network system, such as a transport management system, infers movement and a location of a vehicle associated with a transportation service using sensor data from a provider client device and a wireless device mounted in a fixed position in the vehicle. Before or during a transportation service, the provider client device transmits sensor data to the network system for use in detecting the occurrence of one or more specified events, such as a sudden deceleration or a harsh turn. The network system fuses the received sensor data to infer the movement of the vehicle along forward, lateral, and vertical axes and implements an event detector by analyzing movement of the vehicle in the forward direction. Fused sensor data received from the wireless device is used to validate the detected movement and to determine a position of the vehicle.

1 . A computer-implemented method for monitoring a vehicle location using device sensor data, the method comprising:
 receiving sensor data from a plurality of sensors integrated into a wireless device located at a fixed position in the vehicle;   fusing the received sensor data by:
 combining the sensor data from the plurality of sensors in a common reference frame; and 
 applying one or more motion constraints to the combined sensor data; and 
   calculating a current location of the vehicle using the fused sensor data by performing dead reckoning between successive global positioning system (GPS) points transmitted by a provider client device associated with the vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, and a barometer. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising fusing the received sensor data using a tightly coupled sensor fusion architecture. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating a recommended pickup location for a transportation service provided by the vehicle based on the current location. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising fusing the received sensor data with signals from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver in the provider client device. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating or updating an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the vehicle at a pickup location associated with a transportation service based on the current location. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless device receives beacon signals via Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies or protocols. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising updating an electronic map based on the current location of the vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising fusing the received sensor data by applying a Kalman filter algorithm. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising fusing the received sensor data using a loosely coupled sensor fusion architecture. 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 a processor for executing computer program instructions; and   a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:
 receiving sensor data from a plurality of sensors integrated into a wireless device located at a fixed position in the vehicle; 
 fusing the received sensor data by: 
 combining the sensor data from the plurality of sensors in a common reference frame; and 
 applying one or more motion constraints to the combined sensor data; and 
 calculating a current location of the vehicle using the fused sensor data by performing dead reckoning between successive global positioning system (GPS) points transmitted by a provider client device associated with the vehicle. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of sensors includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, and a barometer. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise fusing the received sensor data using a tightly coupled sensor fusion architecture. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise generating a recommended pickup location for a transportation service provided by the vehicle based on the current location. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise fusing the received sensor data with signals from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver in the provider client device. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise generating or updating an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the vehicle at a pickup location associated with a transportation service based on the current location. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the wireless device receives beacon signals via Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies or protocols. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise updating an electronic map based on the current location of the vehicle. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise fusing the received sensor data by applying a Kalman filter algorithm. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise fusing the received sensor data using a loosely coupled sensor fusion architecture.