GPS positioning system

• US 6,791,492 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon, Mitsui & Company Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yuji, Mori, Masakazu, Miyasaka, Koji, Takasu, Kenichi, Sakaki, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/279,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20030090415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 701/208, 701/213, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/00 Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning

Abstract

A GPS positioning system comprises a fixed station and a mobile station. The mobile station has: positional positioning means; imaging means; direction detecting means; and arithmetic processing means. The positional positioning means measures positional coordinates by receiving radio weve from a satellite. The imaging means is arranged in a predetermined position for the GPS positional positioning means. The direction detecting means detects a photographing direction during photographig by the imaging means. The arithmetic processing means forms landscape data in which imaging data that is an output from the imaging means is associated with orientation data that is an output from the direction detecting means.

Claims

1. A GPS positioning system, comprising a fixed station and a mobile station which is to be placed in plural imaging positions, wherein

(a) said mobile station comprises:

positional positioning means;

imaging means;

direction detecting means; and

arithmetic processing means,

(b) said imaging means of said mobile station is placed in plural imaging positions for photographing,

(c) said positional positioning means of said mobile station is GPS positional positioning means for measuring each of positional coordinates of the plural imaging positions of said imaging means, by receiving radio wave signals from a satellite,

(d) said direction detecting means of said mobile station detects a plurality of photographing directions during photographing by said imaging means while said imaging means is placed in each of the plural imaging positions, and

(e) said arithmetic processing means obtains plural landscape data which comprises;

(i) imaging data that is an output from said imaging means in each of the photographing directions while said imaging means is placed in each of the imaging positions,

(ii) orientation data that is an output from said direction detecting means in each of the photographing directions while said imaging means is placed in each of the imaging positions, and

(iii) positional coordinate data measured by said GPS positional positioning means at each of the imaging positions wherein the positional coordinate data are associated with the imaging data and the orientation data,

wherein said arithmetic processing means synthesizes the plural landscape data at each of the imaging positions so as to obtain panoramic landscape data in each of the imaging positions.

2. The GPS positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the panoramic landscape data are data for forming a full-circumference panoramic image in each of the imaging positions.

3. The GPS positioning system according to claim 1, wherein said imaging means is means for photographing arbitrary 360°

direction.

4. The GPS positioning system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile station further comprises a rod member, an antenna attached to said rod member, and means for detecting a perpendicular direction so as to accurately install said antenna, wherein said imaging means, said antenna and said detecting means are attached to said rod member.

5. The GPS positioning system according to claim 1, further comprising time detecting means for detecting a respective photographed time at each of the imaging positions during photographing by said imaging means, wherein the respective photographed time at each of the imaging positions is added into said landscape data.

6. The GPS positioning system according to claim 1, further comprising communication means for transmitting the landscape data to a data server arranged in a remote place.

7. The GPS positioning system according to claim 6, further comprising a certifying means for obtaining certification data of an operator, wherein the certification data are associated with the landscape data.

8. The GPS positioning system according to claim 7, wherein the certification data are used as data for controlling access in said data server.

9. A GPS positioning system, comprising a fixed station and a mobile station which is to be placed in plural imaging positions, wherein

(a) said mobile station comprises:

a positional positioning unit;

an imaging unit;

a direction detecting unit; and

an arithmetic processing unit,

(b) said imaging unit of said mobile station is placed in plural imaging positions for photographing,

(c) said positional positioning unit of said mobile station is configured to measure each of positional coordinates of the plural imaging positions of said imaging unit, by receiving radio wave signals from at least one GPS satellite,

(d) said direction detecting unit of said mobile station is configured to detect a plurality of photographing directions during photographing by said imaging unit while said imaging unit is placed in each of the plural imaging positions, and

(e) said arithmetic processing unit is configured to obtain plural landscape data which comprises;

(i) imaging data that is an output from said imaging unit in each of the photographing directions while said imaging unit is placed in each of the imaging positions,

(ii) orientation data that is an output from said direction detecting unit in each of the photographing directions while said imaging unit is placed in each of the imaging positions, and

(iii) positional coordinate data measured by said positional positioning unit at each of the imaging positions wherein the positional coordinate data are associated with the imaging data and the orientation data,

wherein said arithmetic processing unit is configured to synthesize the plural landscape data at each of the imaging positions so as to obtain panoramic landscape data in each of the imaging positions.

10. The GPS positioning system according to claim 9, wherein the panoramic landscape data are data for forming a full-circumference panoramic image in each of the imaging positions.

11. The GPS positioning system according to claim 9, wherein said imaging unit is configured to perform photographing in an arbitrary 360°

direction.

12. The GPS positioning system according to claim 9, wherein said mobile station further comprises a rod member, an antenna attached to said rod member, and a detecting unit that is configured to detect a perpendicular direction so as to accurately install said antenna, wherein said imaging unit, said antenna and said detecting unit are attached to said rod member.

13. The GPS positioning system according to claim 9, further comprising time a detecting unit configured to detect a respective photographed time at each of the imaging positions during photographing by said imaging unit, wherein the respective photographed time at each of the imaging positions is added into said landscape data.

14. The GPS positioning system according to claim 9, further comprising a communication unit configured to transmit the landscape data to a data server arranged in a remote place.

15. The GPS positioning system according to claim 14, further comprising a certifying unit configured to obtain certification data of an operator, wherein the certification data are associated with the landscape data.

16. The GPS positioning system according to claim 15, wherein the certification data are used as data for controlling access in said data server.