Proof of concept study using DSRC, IMU and map fusion for vehicle localization in GNSS-denied environments

Both safety and non-safety applications of vehicular networks rely on accurate position information. However, accurate localization of a vehicle in a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) denied environment is a challenging and still open research problem. The 802.11p dedicated short-range communication systems (DSRC), designed for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, can help to solve this problem. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to self-localize a vehicle in a GNSS-denied environment. The algorithm is designed for vehicles driving on inner city streets, which are usually made up of an amalgamation of straight and curved trajectories. Data from an inertial measurement unit and map information are fused with radio frequency time-of-arrival measurements, obtained from a single 802.11p DSRC roadside unit, to track the vehicle along both the straight and curved portions of a trajectory. A vehicular measurement campaign is conducted and the collected measurements are utilized to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Results indicate that the proposed algorithm can efficiently localize a vehicle in GNSS-denied environments.