System and method of determining a position of a remote object

• US 9,074,892 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ian Michael Fink
• Original Assignee: Ian Michael Fink
• Inventors: Fink, Ian Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/837,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20140278075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 701/468, 701/408
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/04 by terrestrial means G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/00 Measuring distances in line of sight; Optical rangefinders tapes, chains or wheels for measuring length G01B3/00; active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/10 Complex mathematical operations function generation by table look-up G06F1/03; evaluation of elementary functions by calculation G06F7/544

Abstract

In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, methods and/or processes may determine a location of a remote object (e.g., a point and/or area of interest, landmark, structure that “looks interesting”, buoy, anchored boat, etc.). For example, the location of a remote object may be determined via a first bearing, at a first location, and a second bearing, at a second location, to the remote object. For instance, the first and second locations can be determined via a position device, such as a global positioning system device. In one or more embodiments, the location of the remote object may be based on the first location, the second location, the first bearing, and the second bearing. For example, the location of the remote object may be provided to a user via a map. For instance, turn-by-turn direction to the location of the remote object may be provided to the user.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a position device;

a processor coupled to the position device; and

a memory device coupled to the processor, wherein the memory device stores instructions that are executable by the processor;

wherein the position device;

receives multiple location signals, via at least one antenna coupled to the position device;

determines a first position and a second position, different from the first position, via computing the first position, based on a first location of the at least one antenna and the multiple location signals, and computing the second position, based on a second location of the at least one antenna and the multiple location signals, wherein the second location of the at least one antenna is different from the first location of the at least one antenna; and

provides the first position and the second position to the processor; and

wherein, as the processor executes the instructions, the processor;

receives the first position and the second position from the position device;

determines, at the first position, a first bearing to a remote object at a remote object position, different from the first position and different from the second position, via an electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing, wherein the processor is configured to be coupled to the electronic bearing device;

determines, at the second position, a second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing;

computes a first rotation, by the first bearing, of a first vector associated with the first position;

computes a second rotation, by the second bearing, of a second vector associated with the second position;

computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector; and

provides, via a display, information based on the remote object position.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein when the processor computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector, the processor computes an intersection of a first plane and a second plane, different from the first plane;

wherein the first plane includes the first position and the remote object position;

wherein the second plane includes the second position and the remote object position; and

wherein the intersection of the first plane and the second plane indicates the remote object position.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further:

computes, utilizing the first position, a first plane, wherein the first plane is normal to the first vector and the first plane initially includes the first position, a geographic pole, and an origin; and

computes, utilizing the second position, a second plane, wherein the second plane is normal to the second vector and the second plane initially includes the second position, the geographic pole, and the origin;

wherein when the processor computes the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position, the processor computes a rotation of the first plane about the first position by the first bearing such that the first plane no longer includes the geographic pole and includes the first position, the origin, and the remote object position;

wherein when the processor computes the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position, the processor computes a rotation of the second plane about the second position by the second bearing such that the second plane no longer includes the geographic pole and includes the second position, the origin, and the remote object position; and

wherein when the processor computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector, the processor computes an intersection of the first plane and the second plane.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein when the processor computes the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position the processor:

computes a first quaternion, utilizing the first position and the first bearing;

computes a second quaternion, utilizing the first vector;

computes an inverse of the first quaternion as a third quaternion; and

computes a first quaternion multiplication of the first quaternion, the second quaternion, and the third quaternion; and

wherein when the processor computes the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position includes;

computes a fourth quaternion, utilizing the second position and the second bearing;

computes a fifth quaternion, utilizing the second vector;

computes an inverse of the fourth quaternion as a sixth quaternion; and

computes a second quaternion multiplication of the fourth quaternion, the fifth quaternion, and the sixth quaternion.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector is associated with a third vector;

wherein the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector is associated with a fourth vector;

wherein when the processor computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector, the processor computes a cross product of the third vector and the fourth vector, wherein the cross product indicates the remote object position.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor further:

computes, utilizing the first position, the first vector normal to the first position, an origin, and a geographic pole; and

computes, utilizing the second position, the second vector normal to the second position, the origin, and the geographic pole;

wherein when the processor computes the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position, the processor computes a first transform of the first vector into the third vector, wherein the processor computes the first rotation of the first vector about the first position by the first bearing; and

wherein when the processor computes the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position, the processor computes a second transform of the second vector into the fourth vector, wherein the processor computes the second rotation of the second vector about the second position by the second bearing.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the electronic bearing device;

wherein the electronic bearing device is coupled to the processor;

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the first bearing via a first transform of a magnetic field and a first orientation of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a first machine readable signal;

wherein the electronic bearing device provides the first bearing to the processor via the first machine readable signal;

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the second bearing via a second transform of the magnetic field and a second orientation, different from the first orientation, of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a second machine readable signal, different from the first machine readable signal; and

wherein the electronic bearing device provides the second bearing to the processor via the second machine readable signal.

8. The system of claim 7,

wherein the electronic bearing device includes a plurality of magnetic field sensor devices;

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the first bearing via the first transform of the magnetic field and the first orientation of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into the first machine readable signal via the plurality of magnetic field sensor devices; and

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the second bearing via the second transform of the magnetic field and the second orientation, different from the first orientation, of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into the second machine readable signal, different from the first machine readable signal, via the plurality of magnetic field sensor devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of magnetic field sensor devices includes a plurality of magnetometers.

10. The system of claim 1,

wherein when the position device determines the first position and the second position, different from the first position, via computing the first position, based on the first location of the at least one antenna and the multiple location signals, computing the second position, based on the second location of the at least one antenna and the multiple location signals, the position device:

computes the first position while the at least one antenna is moving at a first speed; and

computes the second position while the at least one antenna is moving at a second speed;

wherein the processor determines, at the first position, the first bearing to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing occurs at the first speed;

wherein the processor determines, at the second position, the second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing occurs at the second speed.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second speed is the first speed.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the position device includes a global position system (GPS) receiver device.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the display;

wherein the display is coupled to the processor; and

wherein the display displays the information based on the remote object position.

14. The system of claim 1,

wherein the position device includes the at least one antenna.

15. The system of claim 1,

wherein when the processor determines, at the first position, the first bearing to the remote object at the remote object position, different from the first position and different from the second position, via the electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing, the processor performs at least one of adding a declination angle and subtracting the declination angle;

and

wherein when the processor determines, at the second position, the second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing, the processor performs at least one of adding the declination angle and subtracting the declination angle.

16. A processor-implemented method, comprising:

determining a first position and a second position, different from the first position, via an electronic position device, coupled to at least one antenna, that receives multiple location signals via the at least one antenna and computes the first position and the second position based on the multiple location signals and a first location of the at least one antenna and a second location, different from the first location, of the at least one antenna;

determining, at the first position, a first bearing to a remote object at a remote object position, different from the first position and different from the second position, via an electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing;

determining, at the second position, a second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing;

computing a first rotation, by the first bearing, of a first vector associated with the first position;

computing a second rotation, by the second bearing, of a second vector associated with the second position;

computing the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector; and

providing, via a display, information based on the remote object positioning.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein said computing the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector includes computing an intersection of a first plane and a second plane, different from the first plane;

wherein the first plane includes the first position and the remote object position;

wherein the second plane includes the second position and the remote object position; and

wherein the intersection of the first plane and the second plane indicates the remote object position.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said computing the intersection of the first plane and the second plane includes computing a cross product of a third vector associated with the first plane and a fourth vector, different from the third vector, associated with the second plane.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

computing, utilizing the first position, a first plane, wherein the first plane is normal to the first vector and the first plane initially includes the first position, a geographic pole, and an origin; and

computing, utilizing the second position, a second plane, wherein the second plane is normal to the second vector and the second plane initially includes the second position, the geographic pole, and the origin;

wherein said computing the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position includes computing a rotation of the first plane about the first position by the first bearing such that the first plane no longer includes the geographic pole and includes the first position, the origin, and the remote object position;

wherein said computing the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position includes computing a rotation of the second plane about the second position by the second bearing such that the second plane no longer includes the geographic pole and includes the second position, the origin, and the remote object position; and

wherein said computing the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector includes computing an intersection of the first plane and the second plane.

20. The method of claim 16,

wherein said computing the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position includes utilizing a first rotation matrix based on the first position and the first bearing;

and

wherein said computing the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position includes utilizing a second rotation matrix based on the second position and the second bearing.

21. The method of claim 16,

wherein said computing the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position includes:

computing a first quaternion, utilizing the first position and the first bearing;

computing a second quaternion, utilizing the first vector;

computing an inverse of the first quaternion as a third quaternion; and

computing a first quaternion multiplication of the first quaternion, the second quaternion, and the third quaternion; and

wherein said computing the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position includes;

computing a fourth quaternion, utilizing the second position and the second bearing;

computing a fifth quaternion, utilizing the second vector;

computing an inverse of the fourth quaternion as a sixth quaternion; and

computing a second quaternion multiplication of the fourth quaternion, the fifth quaternion, and the sixth quaternion.

22. The method of claim 16,

wherein the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector is associated with a third vector;

wherein the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector is associated with a fourth vector;

wherein said computing the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector includes computing a cross product of the third vector and the fourth vector; and

wherein the cross product indicates the remote object position.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

computing, utilizing the first position, the first vector normal to the first position, an origin, and a geographic pole; and

computing, utilizing the second position, the second vector normal to the second position, the origin, and the geographic pole;

wherein said computing the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position includes computing a first transform of the first vector into the third vector via computing the first rotation of the first vector about the first position by the first bearing; and

wherein said computing the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position includes computing a second transform of the second vector into the fourth vector via computing the second rotation of the second vector about the second position by the second bearing.

24. The method of claim 16,

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the first bearing via transforming a magnetic field and a first orientation of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a first machine readable signal;

and

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the second bearing via transforming the magnetic field and a second orientation, different from the first orientation, of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a second machine readable signal, different from the first machine readable signal.

25. The method of claim 16,

wherein said determining the first position and the second position via the electronic position device includes receiving the first position and the second position from the electronic position device.

26. The method of claim 16,

wherein said determining the first position and the second position, different from the first position, via the electronic position device that receives the multiple location signals via the at least one antenna and computes the first position and the second position based on the multiple location signals and the first location of the at least one antenna and the second location, different from the first location, of the at least one antenna includes:

the electronic position device computing the first position via receiving a first portion of the multiple location signals via the at least one antenna at the first location and computing the first location of the at least one antenna via the first portion of the multiple location signals; and

the electronic position device computing the second position via receiving a second portion of the multiple location signals via the at least one antenna at the second location and computing the second location of the at least one antenna via the second portion of the multiple location signals.

27. The method of claim 16,

wherein said determining, at the first position, the first bearing to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing includes receiving the first bearing from the electronic bearing device;

and

wherein said determining, at the second position, the second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing includes receiving the second bearing from the electronic bearing device.

28. The method of claim 16,

wherein said determining the first position and the second position, different from the first position, via the electronic position device, coupled to the at least one antenna, that receives the multiple location signals via the at least one antenna and computes the first position and the second position based on the multiple location signals and the first location of the at least one antenna and the second location, different from the first location, of the at least one antenna includes:

determining the first position while the at least one antenna is moving at a first speed; and

determining the second position while the at least one antenna is moving at a second speed;

wherein said determining, at the first position, the first bearing to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing occurs at the first speed; and

wherein said determining, at the second position, the second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing occurs at the second speed.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the second speed is the first speed.

30. The method of claim 16,

wherein said determining, at the first position, the first bearing to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing includes computing the first bearing via performing at least one of adding a declination angle and subtracting the declination angle;

and

wherein said determining, at the second position, the second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing includes computing the second bearing via performing at least one of adding the declination angle and subtracting the declination angle.

31. The method of claim 16, wherein the position device includes a global position system (GPS) receiver device that receives the multiple location signals and computes the first position and the second position based on the multiple location signals and the first location of the at least one antenna and the second location, different from the first location, of the at least one antenna.

32. The method of claim 16,

wherein the electronic bearing device includes a digital compass;

wherein the digital compass computes the first bearing via transforming a magnetic field and a first orientation of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a first machine readable signal; and

wherein the digital compass computes the second bearing via transforming the magnetic field and a second orientation, different from the first orientation, of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a second machine readable signal, different from the first machine readable signal.

33. The method of claim 16,

wherein the electronic bearing device includes a plurality of magnetic field sensing devices;

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the first bearing via transforming a magnetic field and a first orientation of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a first machine readable signal via the plurality of magnetic field sensing devices; and

wherein the electronic bearing device computes the second bearing via transforming the magnetic field and a second orientation, different from the first orientation, of the electronic bearing device within the magnetic field into a second machine readable signal, different from the first machine readable signal, via the plurality of magnetic field sensing devices.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of magnetic field sensing devices includes a plurality of magnetometers.

35. A non-transitory computer readable memory device that stores instructions, which when executed by a processor, the processor:

determines a first position and a second position, different from the first position, via an electronic position device, coupled to at least one antenna and coupled to the processor, that receives multiple location signals via the at least one antenna and computes the first position and the second position based on the multiple location signals and a first location of the at least one antenna and a second location, different from the first location, of the at least one antenna;

determines, at the first position, a first bearing to a remote object at a remote object position via an electronic bearing device, coupled to the processor, that computes the first bearing;

determines, at the second position, a second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing;

computes a first rotation, by the first bearing, of a first vector associated with the first position;

computes a second rotation, by the second bearing, of a second vector associated with the second position;

computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector; and

provides, via a display, information based on the remote object position.

36. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 35,

wherein when the processor computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector, the processor computes an intersection of a first plane and a second plane, different from the first plane;

wherein the first plane includes the first position and the remote object position;

wherein the second plane includes the second position and the remote object position; and

wherein the intersection of the first plane and the second plane indicates the remote object position.

37. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 35, wherein the processor further:

computes, utilizing the first position, a first plane, wherein the first plane is normal to the first vector and the first plane initially includes the first position, a geographic pole, and an origin; and

computes, utilizing the second position, a second plane, wherein the second plane is normal to the second vector and the second plane initially includes the second position, the geographic pole, and the origin;

wherein when the processor computes the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position, the processor computes a rotation of the first plane about the first position by the first bearing such that the first plane no longer includes the geographic pole and includes the first position, the origin, and the remote object position;

wherein when the processor computes the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position, the processor computes a rotation of the second plane about the second position by the second bearing such that the second plane no longer includes the geographic pole and includes the second position, the origin, and the remote object position; and

wherein when the processor computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector, the processor computes an intersection of the first plane and the second plane.

38. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 35,

wherein the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector is associated with a third vector;

wherein the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector is associated with a fourth vector;

wherein when the processor computes the remote object position based on the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector and the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector, the processor computes a cross product of the third vector and the fourth vector, wherein the cross product indicates the remote object position.

39. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 38, wherein the processor further:

computes, utilizing the first position, the first vector normal to the first position, an origin, and a geographic pole; and

computes, utilizing the second position, the second vector normal to the second position, the origin, and the geographic pole;

wherein when the processor computes the first rotation, by the first bearing, of the first vector associated with the first position, the processor computes a first transform of the first vector into the third vector, wherein the processor computes the first rotation of the first vector about the first position by the first bearing; and

wherein when the processor computes the second rotation, by the second bearing, of the second vector associated with the second position, the processor computes a second transform of the second vector into the fourth vector, wherein the processor computes the second rotation of the second vector about the second position by the second bearing.

40. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 35,

wherein when the processor determines the first position and the second position, different from the first position, via the electronic position device, coupled to the at least one antenna and coupled to the processor, that receives the multiple location signals via the at least one antenna and computes the first position and the second position based on the multiple location signals and the first location of the at least one antenna and the second location, different from the first location, of the at least one antenna, the processor determines the first position while the at least one antenna is moving at a first speed;

and

wherein the processor determines, at the first position, the first bearing to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the first bearing occurs at the first speed.

41. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 40,

wherein when the processor determines the first position and the second position, different from the first position, via the electronic position device, coupled to the at least one antenna and coupled to the processor, that receives the multiple location signals via the at least one antenna and computes the first position and the second position based on the multiple location signals and the first location of the at least one antenna and the second location, different from the first location, of the at least one antenna, the processor determines the second position while the at least one antenna is moving at a second speed;

and

wherein the processor determines, at the second position, the second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing at the second speed.

42. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 41, wherein the second speed is the first speed.

43. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 35, wherein the position device includes a global position system (GPS) receiver device.

44. The non-transitory computer readable memory device of claim 35,

wherein when the processor determines, at the first position, a first bearing to a remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device, coupled to the processor, that computes the first bearing, the processor performs at least one of adding a declination angle and subtracting the declination angle;

and

wherein when the processor determines, at the second position, the second bearing, different from the first bearing, to the remote object at the remote object position via the electronic bearing device that computes the second bearing, the processor performs at least one of adding the declination angle and subtracting the declination angle.