Arrangement and method for position finding using a handset

• US 10,241,209 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Feldhaus, Johannes, Reutemann, Marcus
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pervin, Nuzhat
• Application Number:
  US14/200,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20140292567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 3423574
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/32 Multimode operation in a single same satellite system, e.g. GPS L1/L2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/33 Multimode operation in different systems which transmit time stamped messages, e.g. GPS/GLONASS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]

Abstract

An arrangement for detecting the position of a handset comprises a vehicle having a positioning signal receiver for receiving signals of the satellites of a positioning system and an electronic processor. The processor generates a local correction signal to improve the accuracy of a position determined by the signals of a positioning signal receiver. A portable handset is equipped with a positioning signal receiver for receiving signals of the satellites of the positioning system and an electronic processor which, in operation, receives position signals from the positioning signal receiver of the handset, derives from these signals raw position data of the handset and uses these raw position data for determining the position of the handset. The raw position data of the handset are corrected by the local correction signal provided by the processor of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An arrangement for detecting a position of a handset the arrangement comprising:

a vehicle having a vehicle positioning signal receiver for receiving signals of a plurality of satellites of a positioning system and a vehicle electronic processor, the vehicle electronic processor configured for generating a local correction signal from satellite signals received by the vehicle positioning signal receiver of the vehicle and by received differential correction data from a stationary or mobile reference station the local correction signal providing an accuracy improvement of a position determined by the signals of the vehicle positioning signal receiver;

a portable handset in a field, the portable handset comprising a handset positioning signal receiver for receiving signals of the satellites of the positioning system and a handset electronic processor, the handset electronic processor configured for receiving signals from the handset positioning signal receiver and deriving from these raw position data of the handset, wherein the raw position data of the handset are correctable by the vehicle electronic processor using the local correction signal provided by the vehicle electronic processor and the raw position data of the portable handset, wherein the local correction signal is determined based on a position of the vehicle and the received differential correction data, and wherein the raw position data of the handset is correlated to a reference position of an object located in the field that is associated with an operational task of the vehicle.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle electronic processor can be configured to generate the local correction signal from signals, received at a number of frequencies, from satellites of the positioning system or from signals from geostationary satellites or from correction data transmitted by radio waves from stationary or mobile reference stations or from correction data received by Internet.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the handset electronic processor is connected via a wireless signal to the vehicle electronic processor and can be configured or operated to receive the local correction signal from the vehicle electronic processor and to correct the raw position data of the handset using the local correction signal.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the handset electronic processor is connected via a wireless signal to the vehicle electronic processor and can be configured for transmitting the raw position data of the handset to the vehicle electronic processor and the vehicle electronic processor can be configured to correct the raw position data of the handset using the local correction signal.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the handset can be brought to a point to be mapped and the local position of the handset is mapped and is used for the automatic steering of a vehicle or for the automatic, location-specific driving of actuators.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the handset is equipped with a camera and a photo of a position to be mapped can be stored.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the handset is provided with an inclination sensor or a compass for detecting the orientation of the handset in space and the data of the inclination sensor can be stored with the photo and the position data.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the handset electronic processor can be configured to operate to identify a point in a photo and calculate its position using the data of the inclination sensor, a compass, or combinations thereof, or by using a focal length of the camera or an auto-focus set distance of the camera and the position signals of the handset positioning signal receiver.

9. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle electronic processor can be configured for obtaining position data from the handset brought to a known position of the field and using it for referencing the position signals on the vehicle positioning signal receiver.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the position data of the handset can be obtained by detecting the position at a first position which is not affected by shading, using by moans of the position signals from the handset positioning signal receiver and by detecting the position at a second position which is affected by shading, wherein the differences in position between the first and second position can be detected by means-of an inertial sensor or compass of the handset and/or or by propagation time measurement of a signal from the vehicle to the handset or conversely, by using a picture recorded by a camera of the handset.

11. A method for detecting a position of a handset comprising:

receiving signals of a plurality of satellites of a positioning system by a vehicle positioning signal receiver and generating a local correction signal from satellite signals received by the vehicle positioning signal receiver of the vehicle and by received differential correction data from a stationary or mobile reference station using a vehicle electronic processor, the local correction signal providing an accuracy improvement of a position determined by the vehicle positioning signal receiver;

receiving signals of the satellites of the positioning system by a handset positioning signal receiver arranged in a portable handset in a field, transmitting the position signals of the handset positioning signal receiver to a handset electronic processor and using the position signals for deriving raw position data of the handset for determining the position of the portable handset;

receiving the local correction signal from the vehicle electronic processor by the handset positioning receiver and transmitting the local correction signal to the handset electronic processor; and

determining the position of the portable handset based on the raw position of the portable handset and the local correction signal, wherein the raw position data of the handset are corrected using the local correction signal provided by the vehicle electronic processor, and wherein the raw position data of the handset is correlated to a reference position of an object located in the field that is associated with an operational task of the vehicle.