Remote attitude and position indicating system

• US 20020031050A1
• Filed: 04/09/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rakes, Lonny, Judkins, Eric, Schoess, Jeffrey Norman, Blevins, William Mark
• Granted Patent: US 6,456,567 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/127
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/02 using an independent line of sight
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 367/907 Coordinate determination

Abstract

A method and apparatus using ultrasonic sensors for determination of the pointing vector described by two points separated in space in the coordinate frame of the measuring system. For measurement, acoustic signals are transmitted from two emitters whose spatially separated coordinates form the desired pointing vector. Three detectors, associated receiver electronics and software are required to compute six distinct spheres from the time of flight measurements. The intersection of the three spheres, associated with each emitter, describe the desired location in the detector coordinate system of that emitter. With the coordinates of each emitter, the pointing vector is computed using standard geometry. A reference is required to determine the time of flight of the signals to each detector. Another embodiment uses an active reflective technique, where the timing is obtained through round trip transmission and reception of the signal with a known fixed delay at the vector points.

Claims

1. A method for determining a position and orientation of an object, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing two linearly aligned emitters on the object;

(b) providing at least three co-linear detectors positioned in a field of view of the emitters;

(c) providing a geodetic reference to the detectors;

(d) transmitting a distinct signal from each emitter;

(e) receiving the distinct signals by each of the detectors;

(f) deriving at least six time of flight measurements from the distinct signals to the detectors;

(g) converting the at least six time of flight measurements to distances; and

(h) computing the position and orientation of the object from the distances.