Lane-Level Vehicle Positioning : Integrating Diverse Systems for Precision and Reliability

014830432013PDFTech ReportFHWA-HRT-13-059Automatic vehicle locationData fusionGlobal Positioning SystemInertial navigation systemsReal time informationUnited StatesUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Exploratory Advanced Research ProgramFederal Highway AdministrationIntegrated global positioning system/inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) technology, the backbone of vehicle positioning systems, cannot provide the precision and reliability needed for vehicle-based, lane-level positioning in all driving environments at all times-INS or encoder based navigation systems tend to accrue error unless corrected and GPS signals are blocked by obstacles. Feature-based technologies-camera, LIDAR, and RADAR, often used to augment GPS/INS, succeed only where detectable structural features are found. To access critical positioning data in any location, at any time, regardless of weather and visibility, the next generation of vehicle positioning systems will need to integrate data from satellites, terrestrial radio signals, and feature-based sensors. "Manufacturer and university research groups are pursuing data fusing solutions independently," says Jim Arnold of FHWA, "but a low-cost, public-sector solution could advance the availability of a robust lane-positioning architecture nationwide. This 3-year EAR Program study is investigating widely available technologies to augment an integrated navigation system.