Seamless surveying system

• US 6,727,849 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Muncy, Darin, Large, Peter, Kirk, Geoffrey R., Paiva, Joseph V. R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US10/078,294
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.14, 342/357.17, 342/464, 701/216
• US Class Current: 342/357.52
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• 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 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/485 whereby the further system is an optical system or imaging system

Abstract

A survey system and method for determining the best source of position data for a particular application. The system includes both a satellite positioning system (SATPS) and a non-SATPS unit for obtaining position data. The SATPS unit includes a SATPS antenna and a SATPS receiver for receiving signals from satellites of the SATPS and a radio for coupling the received signals to the rover unit. Data is collected using both the SATPS and non-SATPS methods to obtain a master data set. Data is selected and/or combined from the master data set to produce the data subset required for position determination. The basic SATPS method may also be augmented by the use of one or more reference stations at known locations.

Claims

1. A seamless surveying system with complementary data sources comprising:

a master rover unit coupled to a virtual reference station and adapted to receive SATPS data, said master rover also being adapted to acquire non-SATPS position determination data via a non-SATPS survey method;

a programmable data processor coupled to said master rover unit, said programmable data processor being capable of combining said SATPS data with said non-SATPS data acquired via a non-SATPS method by applying a weighting function to said SATPS data and to said non-SATPS position determination data, and also being capable of determining a position from the combined data.

2. The seamless surveying system of claim 1 wherein said master rover unit is further adapted to receive augmented SATPS data, and said programmable data processor being capable of combining said augmented SATPS data with said non-SATPS position determination data by applying a weighting function to said augmented SATPS data and said non-SATPS position determination data, and also being capable of determining a position from the combined data.

3. The seamless surveying system of claim 1, further including a slave rover unit to enable said non-SATPS method.

4. The seamless surveying system of claim 1, wherein a portion of said SATPS data is received from a pseudolite.

5. The seamless surveying system of claim 1, wherein said master rover unit includes an electro-optical instrument.

6. The seamless surveying system of claim 1 wherein said programmable data processor is programmed to apply a least squares method to the said SATPS data and the data acquired via a non-SATPS method.

7. A method for determining a position comprising:

receiving SATPS position determination data from a virtual reference station;

acquiring non-SATPS position determination data via a non-SATPS survey method;

combining said SATPS position determination data with said non-SATPS position determination data by applying a weighting function to said SATPS position determination data and said non-SATPS position determination data; and

,

determining a position from the combined data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said SATPS position determination data is augmented SATPS position determination data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein a portion of said non-SATPS position determination data is acquired by an instrument for sensing a magnetic field.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a portion of said non-SATPS position determination data is acquired by an electro-optical device.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein a portion of said SATPS position determination data is received from a pseudolite.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein said weighting function is a least squares method.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said weighting function includes a Kalman filter.

14. A computer readable medium containing executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the system to perform the steps for determining a position from complementary data comprising:

accepting SATPS position determination data from a virtual reference station;

accepting non-SATPS position determination data obtained from a non-SATPS survey method;

combining said SATPS position determination data with said non-SATPS position determination data by applying a weighting function to said SATPS position determination data and said non-SATPS position determination data; and

,

determining a position from the combined data.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein said SATPS position determination data is augmented SATPS position determination data.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein a portion of said non-SATPS position determination data is acquired by an instrument for sensing a magnetic field.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein a portion of said non-SATPS position determination data is acquired by an electro-optical device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein a portion of said SATPS position determination data is received from a pseudolite.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein said-weighting function is a least squares method.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein said weighting function includes a Kalman filter.