Collaborative Spatial Positioning

• US 20140049429A1
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: 5D Robotics, Inc. (Humatics Corporation)
• Inventors: Bruemmer, David J., Hardin, Benjamin C., Nielsen, Curtis W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,606,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/463
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/009 Transmission of differential positioning data to mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks

Abstract

Disparate positional data derived from one or more positional determinative resources are fused with peer-to-peer relational data to provide an object with a collaborative positional awareness. An object collects positional determinative information from one or more positional resources so to independently determine its spatial location. That determination is thereafter augmented by peer-to-peer relational information that can be used to enhance positional determination and modify behavioral outcomes.

Claims

1. A method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects, comprising:

receiving by a first object positional information derived from one or more disparate position determination techniques;

combining positional information from one or more disparate position determination techniques to determine a first object spatial position;

establishing peer-to-peer communication between the first object to a second object; and

exchanging between the first object and the second object positional information wherein the second object determines a second object spatial location based in part on positional information and peer-to-peer relational information received by the first object.

2. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on a range and an azimuth from a known position.

3. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, wherein the second object determines the second object spatial location based, in part, on the first object spatial position.

4. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on an inertial navigation system.

5. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on the intersection of three or more spheres, each sphere of a known origin and radius.

6. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 5, wherein the origin of each sphere is a satellite in Earth orbit.

7. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on interaction with an electromagnetic radio-frequency field.

8. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 7, wherein interaction of the electromagnetic radio-frequency field is in the form of a tag

9. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on a motion of the object.

10. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 9, wherein positional determination based on the motion of the object includes time and velocity measurements from a known position.

11. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, further comprising determining for the first object positional information variances for each of the one or more disparate position determination techniques.

12. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 11, wherein determining includes assigning a weighing factor to each of the one or more disparate position determination techniques based on positional information variances.

13. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 12, wherein the weighing factor changes based on changing positional information variances.

14. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 13, wherein combining includes considering the weighing factor in determination of the spatial position of the first object;

15. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, wherein exchanging positional information between the first object and the second object includes object relative positional information.

16. The method for collaborative spatial position determination between objects according to claim 1, wherein the second object receives positional information from one or more disparate position determination techniques independent of those received by the first object and based on positional information exchanged from the first object to the second object, the second object corrects positional information variances for each of the one or more disparate position determination techniques associated with the second object.

17. A system for collaborative determination of spatial position, comprising:

a first object

a second object

one or more disparate position determination resources operable to determine for the first object a first object spatial position; and

a communication link between the first object and the second object wherein the second object is operable to determine for the second object a second object spatial position based, at least in part, on first object spatial position and peer-to-peer relational information received from the first object.

18. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on a range and an azimuth from a known position.

19. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 18, wherein the range and the azimuth are based on radio frequency transmissions between an antenna and a receiver

20. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on an inertial navigation system.

21. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on the intersection of three or more spheres, each sphere of a known origin and radius.

22. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 21, wherein the origin of each sphere is a satellite in Earth orbit.

23. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on interaction with an electromagnetic radio-frequency field.

24. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according, to claim 23, wherein interaction of the electromagnetic radio-frequency field is in the form of a tag.

25. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on a motion of the object.

26. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 25, wherein positional determination based on the motion of the object includes time and velocity measurements from a known position.

27. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 17, wherein the second object spatial position includes relative positional information between the first object and the second object.

28. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 17, wherein the second object receives positional information from the one or more disparate position determination resources independent of those received by the first object, and based on positional information exchanged from the first object to the second object, the second object corrects positional information variances for each of the one or more disparate position determination lesources associated with the second object.

29. A system for collaborative determination of spatial position, comprising:

a first transceiver operable to receive positional information of a first object derived from one or more disparate position determination techniques;

a memory operable to store positional information received from the one or more disparate position determination techniques;

a second transceiver operable establish peer-to-peer communication between the first object to a second object;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and capable of executing instructions embodied as software; and

a plurality of software portions, wherein

one of said software portions is configured to determine a variance in the positional information received from each of the one or more disparate position determination techniques,

one of said software portions is configured to combine positional information received from the one or more disparate position determination techniques to determine a first object spatial position, and

one of said software portions is configured to exchange between the first object and the second object positional information and peer-to-peer relational information so as to enable the second object to determine a second object spatial location based, in part, on the first object'"'"'s spatial position.

30. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 29, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on a range and an azimuth from a known position.

31. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 30, wherein the range and the azimuth are based on radio frequency transmissions between an antenna and a receiver.

32. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 29, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on the intersection of three or more spheres, each sphere of a known origin and radius.

33. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 32, wherein the origin of each sphere is a satellite in Earth orbit.

34. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 29, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on interaction with an electromagnetic radio-frequency field.

35. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 34, wherein interaction of the electromagnetic radio-frequency field is in the form of a tag.

36. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 29, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on a motion of the object.

37. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 36, wherein positional determination based on the motion of the object includes time and velocity measurements from a known position.

38. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 29, wherein at least one of the one or more disparate position determination techniques is based on an inertial navigation system.

39. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 29, further comprising a software portion configured to assign a weighing factor to each of the one or more disparate position determination techniques based on variance in positional information.

40. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according, to claim 39, wherein the weighing, factor changes based on changing positional information variances.

41. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 40, wherein combining includes considering the weighing factor in determination of the first object spatial position.

42. The system for collaborative determination of spatial position according to claim 29, wherein exchanging positional information between the first object and the second object includes object relative positional information.