Multiple-antenna GNSS control system and method
First Claim
1. A GNSS guidance and roll compensation method for autosteering a vehicle with multiple GNSS antennas, a guidance processor including a central processing unit (CPU) and an autosteering subsystem, which method comprises the steps of:
- mounting said antennas in a fixed, constrained-geometry relation on said vehicle;
acquiring GNSS ranging signals at said antennas;
computing with said receiver GNSS ranging data using said GNSS ranging signals as input;
computing with said CPU a position and a heading for the vehicle using said GNSS ranging data as input from said receiver;
computing with said CPU vehicle roll data in real time from ranging differences at said GNSS antennas;
computing roll correction values from said vehicle roll data;
applying said roll correction values to steering commands output from said CPU;
steering said vehicle with said autosteering subsystem utilizing said steering command and said roll correction values; and
applying a delay phase shift to said roll correction values.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A global navigation satellite sensor system (GNSS) and gyroscope control system for vehicle steering control comprising a GNSS receiver and antennas at a fixed spacing to determine a vehicle position, velocity and at least one of a heading angle, a pitch angle and a roll angle based on carrier phase position differences. The roll angle facilitates correction of the lateral motion induced position errors resultant from motion of the antennae as the vehicle moves based on an offset to ground and the roll angle. The system also includes a control system configured to receive the vehicle position, heading, and at least one of roll and pitch, and configured to generate a steering command to a vehicle steering system. The system includes gyroscopes for determining system attitude change with respect to multiple axes for integrating with GNSS-derived positioning information to determine vehicle position, velocity, rate-of-turn, attitude and other operating characteristics. A vehicle control method includes the steps of computing a position and a heading for the vehicle using GNSS positioning and a rate gyro for determining vehicle attitude, which is used for generating a steering command. Alternative aspects include multiple-antenna GNSS guidance methods for high-dynamic roll compensation, real-time kinematic (RTK) using single-frequency (L1) receivers, fixed and moving baselines between antennas, multi-position GNSS tail guidance (“breadcrumb following”) for crosstrack error correction and guiding multiple vehicles and pieces of equipment relative to each other.
-
Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A GNSS guidance and roll compensation method for autosteering a vehicle with multiple GNSS antennas, a guidance processor including a central processing unit (CPU) and an autosteering subsystem, which method comprises the steps of:
-
mounting said antennas in a fixed, constrained-geometry relation on said vehicle; acquiring GNSS ranging signals at said antennas; computing with said receiver GNSS ranging data using said GNSS ranging signals as input; computing with said CPU a position and a heading for the vehicle using said GNSS ranging data as input from said receiver; computing with said CPU vehicle roll data in real time from ranging differences at said GNSS antennas; computing roll correction values from said vehicle roll data; applying said roll correction values to steering commands output from said CPU; steering said vehicle with said autosteering subsystem utilizing said steering command and said roll correction values; and applying a delay phase shift to said roll correction values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. A moving baseline GNSS guidance method for an articulated equipment unit comprising a vehicle and an implement connected thereto by an articulated connection, said equipment unit being equipped with a GNSS receiver, a GNSS guidance processor including a central processing unit (CPU) and a steering subsystem, said method comprising the steps of:
-
mounting a vehicle GNSS antenna on said vehicle; mounting an implement GNSS antenna on said implement; receiving GNSS ranging signals with said antennas; inputting said GNSS ranging signals to said receiver; computing GNSS positioning data corresponding to said antenna positions with said receiver using said GNSS ranging signals; inputting said GNSS positioning data from said GNSS receiver to said CPU; defining with said CPU a moving baseline between said antennas using the relative GNSS-defined positions of said antennas in real time; varying said moving baseline distance and direction in real time corresponding to said vehicle and implement relative movements; computing steering commands with said CPU and outputting said steering commands to said autosteer subsystem; and steering said vehicle and/or said implement with said steering commands. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS guidance method for autosteering a vehicle with multiple GNSS antennas, a guidance processor including a central processing unit (CPU) and an autosteering subsystem, which method utilizes carrier-phase GNSS signals from a base station at a predetermined location and comprises the steps of:
-
mounting said antennas in a fixed, constrained-geometry relation on said vehicle; transmitting code and carrier phase GNSS positioning data from the base station to said vehicle-mounted antennas; acquiring GNSS ranging signals at said antennas; computing with said receiver GNSS ranging data using said GNSS ranging signals as input; computing with said CPU a position and a heading for the vehicle using said GNSS ranging data as input from said receiver; determining the relative locations and relative ambiguities of the vehicle-mounted antennas utilizing an attitude solution taking advantage of known constraints in geometry and/or a common clock or synchronized clocks; forming single or double difference equations utilizing said GNSS positioning data and solving for the global ambiguities utilizing the relative antenna locations and/or a common clock or synchronized clocks and relative ambiguities; and computing in real-time with said CPU steering signals utilizing said GNSS positioning and heading data and said relative locations of said vehicle GNSS receiver'"'"'s and said relative ambiguities and the known attitude solution; and providing as input from said CPU to said steering subsystem said steering signals; and steering said vehicle with said steering signals as input from said CPU. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
-
-
14. A GNSS guidance method for primary and secondary rover vehicles each equipped with a GNSS receiver, a GNSS guidance processor including a central processing unit (CPU) and a steering subsystem, said method comprising the steps of:
-
mounting a vehicle GNSS antenna on each said vehicle; receiving GNSS ranging signals with said antennas; inputting said GNSS ranging signals to said receiver; computing GNSS positioning data corresponding to said antenna positions with said receiver using said GNSS ranging signals; inputting said GNSS positioning data from said GNSS receiver to said CPU; transmitting GNSS corrections signals from said base transceiver to said rover vehicle receivers; transmitting from said primary rover vehicle identification, position, time and speed information to said secondary rover vehicle; computing steering commands with said CPU and outputting said steering commands to said autosteer subsystem; steering said vehicle and/or said implement with said steering commands; transmitting differential corrections from said base transceiver and master rover GNSS data over the same radio link or an additional radio link; transmitting said differential corrections at predetermined time intervals; and transmitting said master rover GNSS data between said differential correction transmissions. - View Dependent Claims (15)
-
Specification