A method for achieving lane-level localization in global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-challenged environments is presented. The proposed method uses the pseudoranges drawn from unknown ambient cellular towers as an exclusive aiding source for a vehicle-mounted light detection and ranging (lidar) sensor. The following scenario is considered. A vehicle aiding its lidar with GNSS signals enters an environment where these signals become unusable. The vehicle is equipped with a receiver capable of producing pseudoranges to unknown cellular towers in its environment.

Abstract: An event-based communication strategy for navigation using signals of opportunity (SOPs) in a collaborative radio simultaneous and mapping (CoRSLAM) framework is developed. The following problem is considered. Multiple autonomous vehicles (AVs) with access to global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals are aiding their on-board inertial navigation systems (INSs) with GNSS pseudoranges. While navigating, AV-mounted receivers draw pseudorange measurements on ambient unknown terrestrial SOPs and collaboratively estimate the SOPs’ states.