Patent ID: 7653483
Filing Date: 2010-01-26
Classification: G01S,G05D

Abstract:
1. A method for determining the position of a vehicle, the method comprising: transmitting a transmission signal from a mobile transmitter at a vehicle to a plurality of beacons associated within a work area; determining elapsed times for corresponding propagation paths between the vehicle and each beacon of the plurality of beacons, each propagation path including at least one of a first propagation duration and a second propagation duration; the first propagation duration referring to a propagation time of the transmission signal from the vehicle to a particular beacon; the second propagation duration referring to a propagation time of a return signal from the particular beacon to the vehicle; compensating for noise or measurement error associated with a corresponding propagation path by invoking an averaging scheme, the averaging scheme determining an elapsed time for a corresponding propagation path based on an average of the first propagation duration and the second propagation duration; and estimating a position of a vehicle at an intersection of position curves based on elapsed times for the propagation paths.