Method and a system for communicating information to a land surveying rover located in an area without cellular coverage

• US 7,613,468 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Meagher, Brent, Hamilton, Jeffery Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/364,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.5, 455/404.1, 342/357.03, 342/357.07, 342/357.06, 701/213, 701/214, 701/207
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to methods and systems for communicating information to a roving positioning device. In one embodiment, a cellular communication device, a non-cellular wireless communication device, and a computer networking device for forwarding data packets are coupled with a bus. A request originating from a roving positioning device for a location-specific position correction is received via the non-cellular wireless communication device. A controller coupled with the bus causes the request to be forwarded via the cellular communication device.

Claims

1. A communications system for providing GNSS/GPS location-specific correction data to a plurality of mobile GNSS/GPS receivers, said system comprising:

a first mobile GNSS/GPS receiver at a first location configured to incorporate said GNSS/GPS location-specific correction data in determining a position fix from GNSS/GPS satellite signals;

a cellular communication device coupled with said first mobile GNSS receiver for informing a correction data source of the first location of said first mobile GNSS receiver and for receiving a set of said GNSS/GPS location-specific correction data for delivering said correction data to said first mobile GNSS/GPS receiver;

a first wireless router coupled with said cellular communication device for forwarding, via a non-cellular wireless communication, a second set of GNSS/GPS location-specific correction data to a second wireless router coupled to a second GNSS/GPS receiver at a second location, wherein said second GNSS/GPS receiver requests said second set of GNSS/GPS location-specific correction data via said first wireless router and said cellular communication device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said first wireless router and said second wireless router are uniquely identified using respective Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said set of said GNSS/GPS location-specific correction data and said second set of said GNSS/GPS location-specific correction data are derived from reference station data which are processed by said correction data source.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a memory device coupled with said first wireless router for storing a description of a communication pathway to said second wireless router and to said correction data source.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said cellular communication device is compliant with a standard selected from the group consisting essentially of a standards-based mobile internet protocol, packet switching, wireless local area network, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, IEEE 802.16 standard, and general packet radio service (GPRS).

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said first wireless router and said second wireless router are compliant with a standard selected from the group consisting essentially of licensed radio communications, and unlicensed radio communications operating in the frequency bands comprising 900 MHz, 5.8 GHz, and 2.4 GHz.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a controller coupled with said cellular communication device and with said first wireless router, said controller for causing a request originating from second GNSS/GPS receiver for said second set of location-specific correction data to be forwarded via said cellular communication device.

8. A rover receiver, said rover receiver comprising:

a cellular transceiver;

a GPS/GNSS receiver for receiving GNSS/GPS data from GNSS/GPS satellite signals;

a non-cellular radio transceiver for communicating with a second rover receiver to request and receive virtual reference station (VRS) location specific correction data that said second rover receiver accesses via a cellular communication to a control center, wherein said VRS location specific correction data is location specific to said rover receiver; and

a controller configured to incorporate said GNSS/GPS data with said VRS location specific correction data in determining a position fix from said GNSS/GPS satellite signals.

9. The rover receiver of claim 8, further comprising:

a wireless router configured for;

receiving a request, via a second non-cellular communication, from a third rover receiver for VRS location specific corrections for a location of said third rover receiver;

forwarding said request, via a third non-cellular communication, to said second rover receiver for cellular transmission to said control center; and

routing said VRS location specific corrections for said location of said third rover receiver, via a fourth non-cellular communication, from said second rover receiver to said third rover receiver.

10. The rover receiver of claim 9, wherein said wireless router is uniquely identified using an Internet Protocol (IP) address.