Chedongxi (chedongxi)
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Chedongxi reported on July 7 that recently, Apple applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office A new patent that will help solve the problem of inaccurate vehicle positioning in cities.
The positioning device designed and manufactured by Apple based on this patent contains a global navigation positioning system (GNSS), a vehicle position sensor and a vehicle computing system. It can also be used with smart car key cards and car keys. This device can Solve the "urban canyon" problem encountered by vehicle navigation and the problem of poor navigation signals in wild areas.
The urban canyon problem refers to the problem that when you are located in a city with many high-rise buildings, you are prone to encounter navigation and network signal interference, resulting in poor network and inaccurate positioning information.
It is understood that Apple has applied for multiple patents in vehicle positioning and navigation, including a patent called "Advanced Automotive Access and Control System" filed in 2011 and one filed in 2018. A patent for adding segmented navigation to CarPlay and a patent filed in 2019 titled "Positioning device based on automatic learning and navigation positioning system".
1. Apple applied for a new positioning patent? It can solve the problem of poor navigation signals in cities
Recently, Apple applied for a new patent to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Based on this The patented design and manufacturing of positioning equipment can solve the "urban canyon" problem encountered by vehicles in navigation and the problem of poor navigation signals in wild areas.
Apple's 2020 Navigation Patent Attached
The urban canyon problem refers to the problem that vehicles or individuals on urban roads lined with high-rise buildings, when accessing the Internet or receiving navigation signals, It is easy to encounter signal interference, resulting in poor network performance and inaccurate positioning information.
Apple has manufactured a positioning device based on the new patent, which contains a global navigation positioning system (GNSS), a vehicle position sensor and a vehicle computer system (including 5 navigation stack modules, i.e. 5 RAM data storage areas) , the greater the number, the stronger the computing power), and it can also be used with smart car key cards and car keys.
Apple said that this positioning device can identify unreliable GPS location data, such as when a vehicle is about to enter a known "urban canyon" area, and its location information can be determined to be unreliable ( imprecise).
After determining that the vehicle position information is unreliable, the device turns on the prediction mode. This mode uses the position change sensor as an estimation method to collect the vehicle's driving direction and distance information, and then combines it with the last known precise position. Information is calculated so that location information can be obtained that is more accurate than GPS. When it is recognized that the vehicle is about to leave the "urban canyon" area, it automatically exits the prediction mode and switches to the standard mode.
2. Can Apple’s positioning equipment be used for learning? The latest patent uses 5 navigation stack modules
It is understood that so far, Apple has applied for multiple vehicle navigation patents , the earliest known of which was in 2011.
In 2011, Apple applied for a patent called "Advanced Automotive Access and Control System" to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The main content of the patent is that the car can be accessed through a variety of means, including Access keys, access credentials, access information, encryption keys, data signed with encryption keys, etc., and can roughly position the vehicle through the global navigation and positioning system.
Of course, the navigation function is not the main content of this patent, otherwise the words navigation and positioning would be added to the patent name.
In 2018, Apple applied for another patent that added segmented navigation capabilities to CarPlay’s navigation map function.
CarPlay segmented navigation
In 2019, Apple applied for a new patent under the name of "Learnable positioning device based on navigation positioning system".
This patent for "Learnable Positioning Device Based on Navigation and Positioning System" has three navigation stack modules, which can rely on the global navigation and positioning system to position the vehicle more accurately, and has initially solved the "urban canyon" problem. "The embryonic form of the problem.
Because of the small number of internal navigation stack modules, it can only estimate the approximate location of the vehicle based on the parameters provided by the global navigation and positioning system, and cannot provide high-precision information about the vehicle's location.
Recently, Apple’s latest navigation patent increases the number of internal navigation stack modules to 5, which can provide high-precision positioning information for vehicles.
Apple's 2019 car safety lock patent drawings
3. Apple will invest 100 billion yuan in developing cars? 70 patents have been obtained
Since From 2017 to now, in addition to navigation patents, Apple has also applied for patents in self-driving car detection methods, vehicle structures, etc., totaling more than 70 patents, most of which are related to self-driving cars.
Car patents obtained by Apple from 2019 to the present
Currently, autonomous driving sensors have high light requirements when identifying objects around the vehicle. At night, car lights, street lights and other light sources mix Together, the recognition environment of the sensor is extremely complex. In addition, the irradiation distance and range of car lights are strictly restricted by laws and regulations and cannot be changed at will. The role of automatic driving sensors at night is greatly reduced.
Apple uses night vision cameras, near-infrared sensors, and long-wave infrared sensors to work together to triple the nighttime detection range of current autonomous driving. Even when applied to ordinary cars, Apple's patent can improve the safety of driving at night.
Apple's patented night detection method drawings
In terms of vehicle structure, Apple has applied for patents for active suspension and upward opening of doors.
Apple's patented drawing of upward opening car door
Of course, Apple's investment in the automotive field is also huge.
According to an investor forecast report released by research firm Morgan Stanley, Apple will invest US$19 billion (133 billion yuan) in research and development funding for automotive projects this year, while the global automotive industry will spend the entire year The R&D expenditure of Apple is between 80 billion and 100 billion US dollars (about 560 billion and 700 billion yuan). Apple's R&D expenditure this year is equivalent to 20% to 25% of the entire automobile industry.
In addition, compared with five years ago, Apple’s research and development funding for automobile projects has increased by more than US$10 billion. In other words, Apple has doubled its investment in automobile projects in five years.
Conclusion: Apple will promote the advancement of self-driving car technology
Judging from Apple’s investment in the automotive field and the patents it has obtained, Apple is outlining its own blueprint for self-driving cars.
However, since Apple proposed its own car-making plan, the process has not been smooth sailing. As a technology company, it will inevitably encounter problems of one kind or another when it first enters the automotive field. Apple adjusted its development strategy in a timely manner, starting with automotive technology, doing what it is good at, step by step, and has achieved initial results.
In addition, judging from Apple’s huge investment and results, Apple will not be limited to the current CarPlay. As problems in positioning and detection of autonomous driving technology are gradually solved, Apple may use its own technological advantages to promote the progress and development of autonomous vehicles.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.