Device for mapping dwellings and other structures in 3D

• US 6,006,021 A
• Filed: 07/01/1996
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Tognazzini, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knox, Lonnie A.
• Application Number:
  US08/674,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 342/179, 342/195, 364/512, 364/560, 395/500, 395/125, 324/357, 324/642, 250/253, 33/293, 701/213, 701/96
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236

Abstract

A micropower impulse radar is used to take measurements, such as those needed to establish room size and the dimensions and location of objects within the walls of a room. A computer controls the scanning of the radar and the collection of datapoints. A global positioning satellite (GPS) unit locates the precise portion of the radar and another unit loads a fixed referenced location to which all measurements from different rooms are baselined. By collecting points and referencing them to a common point or wireframe representation of a building can be developed from which "as built" architectural plans can be produced.

Claims

1. Apparatus for accurately measuring distance comprising:

a. a portable radar for measuring distances and directions from the radar to one or more surfaces within a structure;

b. a portable first global positioning satellite receiver, located a fixed measured distance from said radar; and

c. a computer connected to receive information from said radar and from said portable global positioning satellite receiver and configured to calculate a distance from said radar to a surface of said one or more surfaces within a structure using said information and said fixed measured distance.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, in which said portable radar is a scanning radar, the scanning of which is controlled by said computer.

3. Apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a second global positioning satellite receiver located a distance from said first global positioning satellite receiver and said computer is connected to receive information from said second global positioning satellite receiver.

4. Apparatus of claim 3, in which said computer calculates said distance using the location of said second global positioning satellite receiver as a reference.

5. Apparatus of claim 4, in which said computer causes said scanning radar to scan a room and to determine a plurality of distances to points in or near the room and in which said computer constructs a wireframe representation of said room referenced to the location of said second global positioning satellite receiver.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second global positioning satellite receiver is located a second fixed measured distance from a fixed point on a building.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said portable radar is a micropower impulse radar.

8. A method of accurately measuring distance comprising the steps of:

a. placing a portable radar and portable first global positioning satellite receiver, located a fixed measured distance from said radar, in a room, the radar configured to measure distances to a surface of the room;

b. linking a computer to receive information from said radar and from said global positioning satellite receiver; and

c. using said information and said fixed measured distance to calculate a distance from said radar to a surface point on said surface.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step:

d. repeating steps a-c for a plurality of points.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising moving said portable radar and said first global positioning satellite receiver, to a different room and repeating steps a-d.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

referencing distances to a plurality of points measured in different rooms to the location of a second global positioning satellite receiver located in or near a building in which said rooms are located.

12. The method of claim 11, in which said plurality of points measured in different rooms are used to construct a wireframe of the rooms where the points were measured.

13. The method of claim 11, in which said plurality of points measured in different rooms are used to construct at least a partial wireframe of the building in which said points were measured.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second global positioning satellite receiver is located a second fixed measured distance from a fixed point on the building.

15. The method of claim 8, in which said calculated distance is in Cartesian coordinates converted from spherical coordinates.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein said portable radar is a micropower impulse radar.

17. A method of creating architectural drawings reflecting construction of a building, comprising the steps of:

a. surveying a plurality of points in one or more rooms of a building using a scanning radar referenced to a global positioning satellite receiver;

b. using the location of said points to create a three dimensional wireframe of said building;

c. converting said three dimensional wireframe into architectural drawings using computer assisted design software.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said scanning radar is a micropower impulse radar.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said global positioning satellite receiver is referenced to a second global positioning satellite receiver located a fixed measured distance from a fixed point on the building.

20. A method of determining the location of objects within the wall of a building, comprising the steps of:

a. placing a portable radar and a portable first global positioning satellite receiver, located a known distance from said radar, in a room, said radar configured for measuring distances to a surface;

b. linking a computer to receive information from said radar and from said global positioning satellite receiver; and

c. using said information and said known distance to calculate a distance from said radar to a surface point interior to a wall of said room.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said portable radar is a micropower impulse radar.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein said portable is a micropower impulse radar.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

aa. placing a second global positioning satellite receiver located a second known distance from a fixed point on the building, before step c, using said information; and

bb. linking the computer to receive information from said second global positioning satellite receiver, before step c, using said information.

24. A system for accurately measuring distance comprising:

a. a central computer; and

b. a plurality of scanning units, connected to said central computer and each comprising

b1. a portable radar for measuring distances from the radar to one or more surfaces of a building;

b2. a portable first global positioning satellite receiver, located a fixed measured distance from said radar; and

b3. a computer connected to receive information from said radar and from said portable global positioning satellite receivers and configured to calculate a distance from said radar to at least one surface of said surfaces using said information and said fixed measured distance and to send said calculated distance to said central computer.

25. The system of claim 24, in which said central computer organizes said distances into a three dimensional wireframe of said building.

26. The system of claim 24, in which said distances include points within a wall of said building.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

c. a second global positioning satellite receiver located a second fixed measured distance from a fixed point on said building,

wherein said computer is configured to receive information from said second global positioning satellite receiver.

28. A computer program product comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program containing instructions for controlling a scanning radar to scan a plurality of points in or near a room to determine distances to said points.

29. The computer program product of claim 28 in which said computer program further contains instructions for referencing all distances to the location of a global positioning satellite receiver.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein said scanning radar is a micropower impulse radar.

31. A computer program product comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program containing instructions for directing surveying of a plurality of points on one or more surfaces in one or more rooms of a building using a scanning radar referenced to a global positioning satellite receiver, and using the locations of said scanned points to create a three dimensional wireframe of said building.

32. The computer program product of claims 31, in which said computer program further contains instructions for converting said three dimensional wireframe into architectural drawings using computer assisted design software.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein said scanning radar is a micropower impulse radar.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein said program further contains instructions for using information from a second global positioning satellite receiver located a measured distance from a fixed point on said building.