Part 2. Multi-Sensor Vehicle Positioning System Employing Shared Data Protocol

C. A Guided Tour of the App (Screenshots Coming Soon)

Click-by-click walkthrough of what you’ll see and what it means.

The Main Screen

• Top Left — Controls

• Start / Pause / Reset the simulation.

• Adjust simulation speed (0.1× to 10×).

• Load a custom route (CSV).

• Force GPS failure manually (for demos/tests).

• Center — Map

• 🔵 Blue marker: ground truth (where the car really is in the sim).

• 🔴 Red marker: estimated position (what the system believes).

• Red rectangle overlays: GPS‑denied zones.

• Trails: past path of blue and red markers.

• Bottom — Performance Metrics

• A live plot of position error over time.

• Flat line near zero = GPS available.

• Rising line = Dead‑reckoning (GPS off) — expected behavior.

• Right — CAN Bus Monitor

• Live list of incoming sensor messages.

• Columns: Timestamp, Bus, CAN ID, Message, Data.

Demo

1. Click Start.

2. Watch the blue and red markers move together.

3. When entering the red rectangle, the red marker drifts slowly — that’s dead‑reckoning.

4. As you leave the rectangle, red snaps back close to blue — that’s GPS recovery.

5. Error plot drops again — back to normal.

Key Interactions

• Reset puts the car back to the first waypoint and clears the plot.

• Load Route lets you demo different paths (straight lines, turns, loops).

• Force GPS Failure triggers dead‑reckoning anywhere on the map.

Behind the Scenes (Only What’s Useful)

• Messages from sensors are sent over a simulated CAN bus.

• The Positioning ECU listens, fuses data, and emits a position update signal.

• The GUI receives that signal and updates the red marker and plots.

Troubleshooting (Friendly Tips)

• Markers don’t move: Click Start. Check the log for “Default route loaded successfully”.

• Red doesn’t appear: Wait a second — first GPS must arrive. Then you’ll see estimates.

• Error looks huge: This can happen only if GPS state is misread; the app now handles the “Valid” status correctly.

• CAN panel empty: Fixed — it now updates at ~10 Hz to stay readable.

D. Results, Demos, and How to Try It Yourself

What you can expect to see, and a super-quick way to run the demo.

What You’ll See (At a Glance)

• Markers move together when GPS is available — red ≈ blue.

• Red drifts gradually inside a GPS‑denied zone — that’s expected dead‑reckoning.

• Error plot rises during GPS loss and drops back when GPS returns.

• CAN monitor fills with GPS/IMU/Compass/Wheel Speed messages (~10 Hz view).

Demo Script

1. Click Start.

2. Point at the blue (truth) and red (estimate) markers.

3. Watch the car enter the red rectangle — error grows slowly.

4. As it exits, the red re‑aligns — error falls.

5. Open the CAN Bus Monitor and show live frames.

How To Run Locally

# 1) Create environment

conda  create  -n  multi-sensor  python=3.9  -y

conda  activate  multi-sensor

# 2) Install deps

pip  install  -r  requirements.txt

# 3) Run the app

python  src/main.py

Where to Put Your Own Route

• File: data/route1.csv (CSV with latitude,longitude header)

• Load it from the GUI via Load Route File.

Tips for a Smooth Demo

• Slow it down: set speed to 0.5× for explanations.

• Point out the zone before entry so viewers know what to expect.

• Use Reset between takes to keep plots clean.

What’s Unique About This (Patent Angle)

• Sensor fusion that fails gracefully: no jumps, no panic when GPS is gone.

• Clear separation of concerns: sensors → CAN → fusion → GUI.

• Practical demoability: zones, plots, and monitor make behavior obvious.