An Elastic Filtering Algorithm with Visual Perception for Vehicle GNSS Navigation and Positioning

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Dec 16;24(24):8019. doi: 10.3390/s24248019.

Abstract

Amidst the backdrop of the profound synergy between navigation and visual perception, there is an urgent demand for accurate real-time vehicle positioning in urban environments. However, the existing global navigation satellite system (GNSS) algorithms based on Kalman filters fall short of precision. In response, we introduce an elastic filtering algorithm with visual perception for vehicle GNSS navigation and positioning. Firstly, the visual perception system captures real-time environmental data around the vehicle. It utilizes the interframe differential optical flow method and vehicle state switching characteristics to assess the current driving status. Secondly, we design an elastic filtering model specifically for various vehicle states. This model enhances the precision of Kalman filter-based GNSS navigation. In urban driving, vehicles often experience frequent stationary parking. To address this, we incorporate a zero-speed constraint to further refine vehicle location data when the vehicle is stationary. This constraint matches the data with the appropriate elastic filtering model. Ultimately, we conduct simulation and real-world vehicle navigation experiments to confirm the validity and rationality of our proposed algorithm. Compared with the conventional algorithm and the existing interactive multi-model algorithm, the proposed algorithm significantly improves the navigation and positioning accuracy of vehicle GNSS in urban environments. Compared to the commonly used constant acceleration (CA) and Constant Velocity (CV) models, there has been a significant improvement in positioning accuracy. Furthermore, when benchmarked against the more advanced interactive multi-model (IMM) model, the method proposed in this paper has enhanced the positioning accuracy enhancements in three dimensions: 21.8%, 20.9%, and 31.3%, respectively.

Keywords: elastic filtering; inter-frame differential optical flow method; vehicle GNSS navigation and positioning; visual perception.