RTK-GPS survey system

• US 7,482,974 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon, Topcon KK
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Takasu, Kenichi, Yamaguchi, Shigeyuki, Ogawa, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US11/803,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 342/357.08
• US Class Current: 342/357.41
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections

Abstract

The invention is directed to an RTK-GPS survey system. The survey system includes a server (9) in an IP-VPN communication network 10 for establishing communications between base stations (16 and 17) that transmit correction data and a rover station 15 that receives the correction data. Each satellite positioning device constituting a base station and a rover station includes at least a satellite positioning unit (11) that receives radio waves from artificial satellites, a communication unit (12) that performs a communication between the satellite positioning device, and a control unit (13) that controls the satellite positioning unit (11) and the communication unit (12). The control unit (13) of the rover station 15 can receive interference information registered in the control unit (13) of each satellite positioning device of the base stations (16 and 17), and select a base station that transmits most appropriate correction data among the plural base stations.

Claims

1. An RTK-GPS survey system for performing an RTK-GPS survey comprising:

a server in an IP-VPN communication network for establishing communications between a plurality of satellite positioning devices as base stations and a plurality of satellite positioning devices as rover stations, the base station transmitting correction data, the rover station receiving the correction data, wherein;

the satellite positioning devices each includes at least a satellite positioning unit for receiving radio waves from artificial satellites, a communication unit for performing communications between the satellite positioning devices, and a control unit for controlling the satellite positioning unit and the communication unit;

the control unit of the rover station is capable of receiving electromagnetic interference information registered in the control unit of the base stations, creates a sky map on the basis of the electromagnetic interference information, by contrasting the sky map created by itself with the sky map transmitted from the base station, and is able to select by pressing a designation button (13C) a base station with less electromagnetic interference out of the plurality of base stations; and

wherein an operation program, which calculates a satellite number passing a noise interference area and a time zone thereof, is incorporated in the control unit of the rover station, and radio waves from the artificial satellite passing the noise interference area are set not to be used in the RTK survey.

2. An RTK-GPS survey system for performing an RTK-GPS survey comprising:

a server in an IP-VPN communication network for establishing communications between a plurality of satellite positioning devices as base stations and a plurality of satellite positioning devices as rover stations, the base station transmitting correction data, the rover station receiving the correction data, wherein;

the satellite positioning devices each includes at least a satellite positioning unit for receiving radio waves from artificial satellites, a communication unit for performing communications between the satellite positioning devices, and a control unit for controlling the satellite positioning unit and the communication unit; and

the control unit of the base station includes an estimate device for analyzing a noise contained in radio waves actually coming from artificial satellites to obtain a S/N ratio at each position on each orbit in a sky map and estimating a noise interference area on the sky map whose S/N ratio of received signals is lower than a reference value, the control unit of the rover station removes correction data based on the radio waves from the artificial satellites existing in the noise interference area in the sky map to perform an RTK-GPS processing,

wherein an operation program, which calculates a satellite number passing the noise interference area and a time zone thereof, is incorporated in the control unit of the rover station, and radio waves from the artificial satellite passing the noise interference area are set not to be used in the RTK survey.

3. An RTK-GPS survey system according to claim 2, comprising:

a sky map creation device for creating sky maps of each satellite positioning device, wherein, on the sky maps created, there are displayed

a ring-like mask that conceals an area below a predetermined altitude,

an electromagnetic interference area Z3 where the radio waves from the artificial satellite Sa cannot be received,

a noise interference area Z3′

whose S/N ratio is lower than a reference value, and artificial satellites existing in the sky.

4. An RTK-GPS survey system according to claim 2, wherein

a program for automatically creating electromagnetic interference information is incorporated in each of the control units of the plurality of base stations,

an actual orbit of each artificial satellite passing over a sky over the base station disposed in an observation point, as well as an estimated orbit of each artificial satellite at the observation point, are attained by said program for automatically creating electromagnetic interference information, and

a size and shape of an electromagnetic interference area in a sky map acquired by an actual measurement at an observation point are estimated by a difference between the actual orbit and the estimated orbit by said program for automatically creating electromagnetic interference information.