A Practical and Economical Ultra-wideband Base Station Placement Approach for Indoor Autonomous Driving Systems

Automated valet parking (AVP) has attracted much attention as the entry point to autonomous driving. In an indoor environment, high-precision positioning systems are essential for AVP. Ultra-wideband (UWB) is one of the most widely adopted techniques. However, the base station placement significantly influences the system’s positioning accuracy, especially for the irregular architecture of underground parking lots. This article proposes a three-stage practical and economical layout planning approach for UWB base stations, including determining the deployment strategy and layout parameters and comprehensive adjustment and scheme verification. The approach considers regional differentiation accuracy requirements for AVP, such as ramp area, surface fluctuation area, and narrow area. The adopted positioning method of a UWB system is the time difference of arrival (TDOA), and the evaluation index of positioning accuracy is the horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP). Through experimental tests in an actual parking lot, the proposed approach is confirmed to ensure stability and economy with fewer UWB base stations and can meet the positioning accuracy requirements of AVP.