System and method for correcting position information of surrounding vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for correcting position information of a surrounding vehicle, which provide accurate position information of a surrounding vehicle by correcting the position information of the surrounding vehicle received through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and identifies a license-plate number of a front vehicle through a sensor mounted in a vehicle, calculates a position of the front vehicle, and compare position information, which is included in information including the identified number of the front vehicle in information received from the surrounding vehicle, with the calculated position of the front vehicle to correct the position information of the surrounding vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus in a first vehicle to correct position information of a surrounding vehicle, the surrounding vehicle being located in a surrounding area of the first vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
 a front vehicle location unit configured to
 obtain a license-plate number of a second vehicle that is travelling in front of the first vehicle, 
 measure a distance from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, and 
 calculate a position of the second vehicle; 
   a surrounding vehicle information receiving unit configured to receive license-plate numbers and position information of one or more surrounding vehicles that are travelling in the surrounding area of the first vehicle;   a position information correcting unit configured to
 search for the license-plate number of the second vehicle among the license-plate numbers of the one or more surrounding vehicles received by the surrounding vehicle information receiving unit, 
 compare the calculated position information of the second vehicle among the position information of the one or more surrounding vehicles with a received position information of the second vehicle received from the surrounding vehicle information receiving unit, 
 correct the received position information of the second vehicle according to a result of the comparing, and 
 transmit the corrected position information to a driving assist system to prevent a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, 
 wherein the collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is prevented by an autonomous emergency braking system. 
   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the position information correcting unit is further configured to calculate a correction value based on a difference between the received position information of the second vehicle and the calculated position of the second vehicle, and to correct the received position information of the second vehicle according to the calculated correction value. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a display, wherein the position information correcting unit is further configured to generate a travel map of the second vehicle according to the corrected position information, and to display the generated travel map on the display. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, the position information correcting unit is further configured to generate a travel map of the second vehicle according to the received position information of the second vehicle when the received position information of the second vehicle is within a range from the calculated position of the second vehicle. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the front vehicle location unit is further configured to calculate the calculated position of the second vehicle using the measured distance to the second vehicle, information of a road on which the first vehicle is travelling, and a current position of the first vehicle. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the information of the road comprises total lanes and a curvature of the road on which the first vehicle is travelling. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the front vehicle location unit is further configured to calculate a relative position of the second vehicle with respect to the current position of the first vehicle using the measured distance to the second vehicle, and in response to the road on which the first vehicle is travelling being a curved road, to calculate a relative position of the second vehicle with respect to the current position of the first vehicle using the measured distance to the second vehicle and a direction of the second vehicle. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the front vehicle location unit is further configured to obtain the license-plate number of the second vehicle through a camera, and to measure the distance to the second vehicle through a radar or a laser scanner. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a display unit configured to display a position of the second vehicle according to the position information which is corrected by the position information correcting unit.   
     
     
       10. A method to correct position information of a surrounding vehicle, the method comprising:
 obtaining, by a camera, a license-plate number of a front travelling vehicle, and determining, by a measurement device, a calculated position of the front travelling vehicle;   receiving a license-plate number and position information of one or more surrounding vehicles that are travelling in a surrounding area;   searching for a surrounding vehicle comprising a license-plate number corresponding to the license-plate number of the front travelling vehicle among the received license-plate numbers of surrounding vehicles to determine a matching surrounding vehicle;   correcting received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle according to the calculated position of the front travelling vehicle; and   transmitting the corrected position information to a driving assist system to prevent a collision with the surrounding vehicle,   wherein the collision with the surrounding vehicle is prevented by an autonomous emergency braking system.   
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the determining of the position of the front travelling vehicle comprises measuring a distance to the front travelling vehicle, and calculating the position of the front travelling vehicle using the measured distance, information of a road on which the first vehicle is travelling, and a current position of the first vehicle. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the determining of the position of the front travelling vehicle comprises calculating a relative position of the front travelling vehicle with respect to the current position of the first vehicle using the measured distance to the front travelling vehicle, and when a road on which the first vehicle is travelling is a curved road, calculating a relative position of the front travelling vehicle with respect to the current position of the first vehicle using the measured distance to the front travelling vehicle and a direction of the front travelling vehicle. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the correcting of the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle according to the position of the front travelling vehicle comprises:
 calculating a correction value according to a difference between the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle and the calculated position of the front travelling vehicle; and   correcting the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle according to the calculated correction value.   
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the correcting of the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle according to the calculated position of the front travelling vehicle comprises generating a travel map of the matching surrounding vehicle according to the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle when the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle is within a range from the calculated position of the front travelling vehicle. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the measuring of the distance to the front travelling vehicle comprises measuring by either one of a radar device and a laser device. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is further prevented by a forward collision warning system. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the collision with the surrounding vehicle is further prevented by a forward collision warning system. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus in a first vehicle to correct position information of a surrounding vehicle, the surrounding vehicle being located in a surrounding area of the first vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
 a front vehicle location unit comprising one or more processors configured to:
 obtain identifier information of a second vehicle that is visible from the first vehicle and is travelling in front of the first vehicle, 
 measure a distance from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, and 
 determine a position of the second vehicle using the measured distance from the first vehicle to the second vehicle; 
   a surrounding vehicle information receiver configured to receive identifier information and position information of one or more surrounding vehicles that are travelling in the surrounding area of the first vehicle; and   a position information correcting unit comprising one or more processors configured to:
 identify the identifier information of the second vehicle among the identifier information of the one or more surrounding vehicles received by the surrounding vehicle information receiver, 
 compare received position information of the second vehicle among the position information of the one or more surrounding vehicles received by the surrounding vehicle information receiver with the determined position of the second vehicle, and 
 generate a travel map of the second vehicle using the received position information of the second vehicle in response to the received position information of the second vehicle being within a predetermined range from the determined position of the second vehicle. 
   
     
     
       19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the position information correcting unit comprising one or more processors is further configured to:
 determine a correction value based on a difference between the received position information of the second vehicle and the determined position of the second vehicle, correct the received position information of the second vehicle according to the determined correction value, and generate the travel map of the second vehicle using the corrected position information of the second vehicle, in response to the received position information of the second vehicle being out of the predetermined range from the determined position of the second vehicle.   
     
     
       20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the position information correcting unit comprising one or more processors is further configured to:
 correct the received position information of the one or more surrounding vehicles according to the determined correction value.   
     
     
       21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the front vehicle location unit is further configured to measure the distance from the first vehicle to the second vehicle through a radar or a laser scanner. 
     
     
       22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the position information correcting unit is further configured to transmit the generated travel map of the second vehicle to a driving assist system to prevent a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and
 the collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is prevented by an autonomous emergency braking system.   
     
     
       23. A method performed in a first vehicle to correct position information of a surrounding vehicle located in a surrounding area of the first vehicle, the method comprising:
 obtaining, by a sensor, identifier information of a front travelling vehicle that is visible from the first vehicle and is travelling in front of the first vehicle in the surrounding area;   determining, by a measurement device, a position of the front travelling vehicle;   receiving identifier information and position information of one or more surrounding vehicles that are travelling in the surrounding area;   identifying a surrounding vehicle comprising identifier information corresponding to the identifier information of the front travelling vehicle among the received identifier information of the one or more surrounding vehicles as being a matching surrounding vehicle corresponding to the front travelling vehicle; and   generating a travel map of the matching surrounding vehicle using the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle in response to the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle being within a predetermined range from the determined position of the front travelling vehicle.   
     
     
       24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
 determining a correction value based on a difference between the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle and the determined position of the front travelling vehicle, correcting the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle according to the determined correction value, and generating the travel map of the matching surrounding vehicle using the corrected position information of the matching surrounding vehicle, in response to the received position information of the matching surrounding vehicle being out of the predetermined range from the determined position of the front travelling vehicle.   
     
     
       25. The method of claim 23, wherein the determining, by the measurement device, of the position of the front travelling vehicle comprises:
 measuring a distance from the first vehicle to the front travelling vehicle through a radar or a laser scanner; and   determining the position of the front travelling vehicle using the measured distance from the first vehicle to the front travelling vehicle.   
     
     
       26. The method of claim 23, wherein the receiving of the identifier information and the position information comprises receiving the identifier information and the position information from the one or more surrounding vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, and
 the correcting of the received position information comprises correcting the received position information of the one or more surrounding vehicles received via the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication according to the determined correction value.   
     
     
       27. The method of claim 23, wherein the obtaining, by the sensor, of the identifier information of the front travelling vehicle, the determining, by the measurement device, of the position of the front travelling vehicle, the receiving of the identifier information and the position information of the one or more surrounding vehicles, the identifying of the surrounding vehicle, and the generating of the travel map of the matching surrounding vehicle are collectively performed in sufficient time to enable a driving assist system to prevent a collision between the first vehicle and the matching surrounding vehicle based on the generated travel map of the matching surrounding vehicle. 
     
     
       28. The method of claim 23, further comprising transmitting the generated travel map of the matching surrounding vehicle to a driving assist system to prevent a collision between the first vehicle and the matching surrounding vehicle,
 wherein the collision between the first vehicle and the matching surrounding vehicle is prevented by an autonomous emergency braking system.