Device for automatic documentation of crash scenes

• US 6,493,650 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2000
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Optimus Corp. (Maximus Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Optimus Corp. (Maximus Incorporated)
• Inventors: Greenlee, Darrell Froncis, Rodgers, Charles Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Kamni
• Application Number:
  US09/492,857
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 702/150, 702/155, 702/159, 702/28, 702/29, 701/35, 701/36, 340/815.69, 340/438, 340/439, 700/90
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/00 Traffic control systems for marine craft marking of navigational route B63B22/16, B63B51/00

Abstract

Crash scene measurement, documentation, and analysis is used to determine crash dynamics and causes in order to determine fault, liability, and prevention methods. The device to be patented is a low cost, compact system that significantly enhances the speed and accuracy of crash scene documentation, and it is applicable to aviation, highway, railway, and vessel crashes. The system will use highly accurate, kinematic, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) measurements to locate crash scene elements and reference points with a relative measurement error of less than two centimeters (0.79 in.). Using a government DGPS reference signal (National DGPS, US Coast Guard) or locating the reference module on a geodetic marker, allows the absolute location of the scene to be determined with an error of between three to five meters. Once the scene is measured, the device automatically develops accurate dimensions, scene drawing, and a standard report of the crash.

Claims

1. A portable system for automatically documenting crash scenes comprising:

a measurement unit for measuring the position of crash scene element points and for collecting and processing raw satellite signal measurement data including

a GPS receiver means,

a GPS antenna means,

a receiver I/O means,

a DC/DC power converter means,

a power supply means, and

a portable computer means; and

a reference unit for collecting, storing, and outputting raw satellite signal measurement data used for removing ranging signal distortions that are common to signals received at both the reference and measurement units, including

a GPS receiver means,

a GPS antenna means,

a receiver I/O means,

a data logger means, and

a DC/DC power converter means.

2. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the GPS receiver means of the measurement unit is identical to the GPS receiver means of the reference unit.

3. A portable system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the portable computer means comprises software to provide a user interface, to process measurements from the GPS receiver of the measurement unit and the GPS receiver of the reference unit, to calculate precise relative positioning data for the crash scene element points, and to document the crash scene using a Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawing and a text report.

5. A portable system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the software comprises a multimedia user interface that consists of a graphical user interface and which guides a user through a scene measurement.

6. A portable system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the GPS antenna means of the measurement unit is mounted on a survey stake with a bubble plumb/level or electronic level sensor and is placed on the crash element points.

7. A portable system in accordance with claim 2, wherein each of the GPS receiver means comprises parallel satellite signal tracking channels and a carrier, phase lock loop.

8. A portable system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the GPS antenna means of the measurement unit receives GPS satellite signals, the GPS receiver means of the measurement unit processes the satellite signals and transmits the raw satellite data to the portable computer means.

9. A portable system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the GPS antenna means of the reference unit is stationary as it receives GPS satellite signals, which are passed to the GPS receiver means of the reference unit for processing, which sends the result to the data logger for transmission of the raw satellite data and signal measurements to the measurement unit'"'"'s portable computer means.

4. A method, for automatically documenting data from a crash scene using a measurement unit multimedia user interface comprising the steps of:

i. guiding a user through the process for measuring crash element points,

ii. designating and labeling crash element points and recording information associated with the crash scene,

iii. controlling and collecting data from a GPS receiver,

iv. collecting and storing GPS measurement data,

v. initiating GPS measurement data processing,

vi. controlling software for Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawing to develop a drawing of the scaled crash scene,

vii. controlling software to develop a crash report consisting of textual data recorded about the crash scene and scene elements.

10. A method for automatically documenting data in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of initializing data processing further comprises the steps of selecting satellites, determining accurate positions using Kalman Filter techniques and formatting crash element points into a CAD data file.

11. A method for automatically documenting data in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of determining accurate crash element positions using Kalman Filter techniques further comprises the steps of:

i. initializing the Kalman Filter with an approximate first solution,

ii. calculating satellite orbital positions at measurement times from raw GPS data,

iii. selecting satellite signals from all available to achieve the optimum solution,

iv. calculating expected ranges between the satellites and trial measurement antenna positions, and the known or assumed reference antenna position,

v. determining a model of the carrier phase observables by calculating the expected carrier phase measurement corresponding to the expected satellite-to-antenna ranges,

vi. removing measurement errors common to the reference and measurement units'"'"' data by combining the measured carrier phase from each, synchronized by GPS measurement time,

vii. modeling the removal of measurement errors common to the reference and measurement units'"'"' data by combining the expected carrier phase from each,

viii. calculating the best solution for the observed data using an iterative process of predicting a trial solution based on statistical models and comparing it with the observed data,

ix. converting the Earth Centered Earth Fixed (ECEF) position to a position in a local coordinate system centered at the reference unit'"'"'s antenna,

x. developing a file of crash element positions in local coordinates that is in a format that can be read by a CAD program to create an accurately scaled representation of the crash scene,

xi. refining the statistical models in the Kalman Filter as preparation for the next set of measurements based on the correlation of the actual data with the model at the last measurement time,

xii. monitoring of solution characteristics to determine its integrity and level of accuracy, and

xiii. reinitializing the Kalman Filter when the solution integrity has been determined to have degraded beyond acceptable levels for the designed system'"'"'s accuracy.

12. A method for automatically documenting data in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the steps of selecting from visible satellites based on orbital position relative to the scene and any observables or figures-of-merit provided by the GPS receiver indicating the presence or absence of signal distortions.

13. A method for automatically documenting data in accordance with claim 4, further comprising the step of augmenting the GPS measurement of the scene elements with measurements made by other means such as a laser range finder, tape measure, or wheel measure by correlating the measurements with any GPS determined position.

14. A method for automatically determining a crash scene dimensions from raw GPS data comprising the steps of:

i. synchronizing reference and measurement module data from measuring crash element points,

ii. checking for inaccurate measurements,

iii. scaling and transforming the measurements,

iv. determining accurate position solution using Kalman Filter techniques,

v. validating and reinitializing the filter, if required, with an independent least square comparison,

vi. converting the Earth Centered Fixed positions to local scene dimensions, and

vii. formatting a CAD drawing file.