Collecting external accessory data at a mobile data collection platform that obtains raw observables from an external GNSS raw observable provider

• US 9,467,814 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Rudow, Richard, Kasirajan, Venkateswaran, Wold, Robert, Talbot, Nicholas C., Loomis, Peter Van Wyck, Weisenburger, Shawn D., Janky, James M., McCusker, Michael V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US14/516,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20150057028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

External accessory data is collected at a mobile data collection platform provided by an external accessory of the mobile data collection platform. An image that includes a point of interest is captured by an image capturing device that is an integral part of the mobile data collection platform performs. Raw observables are obtained from an external GNSS raw observable provider that is separate from and outside of the mobile data collection platform. A position fix of the mobile data collection platform is determined based on the raw observable. Orientation information comprising a tilt angle and an azimuth angle is determined. External accessory data is received from an accessory that is external to the mobile data collection platform. The image, the position fix, the orientation information and the external accessory data are stored in hardware memory of the mobile data collection platform.

Claims

1. A method of collecting external accessory data at a mobile data collection platform provided by an external accessory of the mobile data collection platform, the method comprising:

capturing an image that includes a point of interest, wherein the capturing is performed by an image capturing device that is an integral part of the mobile data collection platform;

obtaining external raw observables from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) raw observables provider, wherein the GNSS raw observables provider is external to and coupled with the mobile data collection platform;

determining a position fix based on the external raw observables, wherein the position fix defines a location of an antenna;

calculating a location of an entrance pupil as an offset from the location of the antenna;

determining orientation information comprising a tilt angle and an azimuth angle, wherein the position fix and the orientation information are associated with a three dimensional location of the mobile data collection platform when the image was captured;

receiving accessory data from an accessory that is external to and physically coupled with the mobile data collection platform in a fixed relationship; and

storing the image, the position fix, the orientation information and the external accessory data in hardware memory of the mobile data collection platform, wherein the capturing, obtaining, determining of the position fix, determining of the orientation information, and the storing are performed by one or more hardware processors that are part of the mobile data collection platform;

wherein the receiving of the external accessory data from the accessory further comprises;

receiving the external accessory data from an external image capturing device accessory that is selected from a group consisting of an external infrared (IR) image capturing device and an external non-infrared image capturing device.

2. The method as recited by claim 1, wherein the receiving of the external accessory data from the accessory further comprises:

receiving the external accessory data from an external electronic distance measurement accessory.

3. The method as recited by claim 1, wherein the receiving of the external accessory data further comprises:

receiving a distance measurement from an external electronic distance measurement accessory.

4. The method as recited by claim 3, wherein the receiving of the distance measurement further comprises:

receiving the distance measurement that provides a scale factor used in photogrammetric data processing.

5. The method as recited by claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

illuminating the point of interest with a beam of light from a laser pointer accessory.

6. The method as recited by claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

monitoring when a user of the mobile data collection platform presses a button capturing the image;

activating the external accessory in response to detecting that the button was pressed; and

requesting the external accessory data from the external accessory in response to the detecting that the button was pressed.

7. A mobile data collection system for collecting data, the mobile data collection system comprising:

an external accessory that provides external accessory data to a mobile data collection platform and physically coupled with the mobile data collection platform in a fixed relationship;

an external Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) raw observables provider includes an antenna, wherein the antenna receives GNSS positioning signals that define a location of the antenna and wherein the external GNSS raw observables provider is external to and physically coupled with a mobile data collection platform;

the mobile data collection platform includes;

a cellular device that includes a display for displaying images and an internal GNSS chipset;

an image capturing device that captures an image through an entrance pupil of the mobile data collection platform;

an orientation system that includes a tilt sensor and a compass and determines orientation information that includes tilt angle obtained from the tilt sensor and heading information obtained from the compass, wherein the tilt angle is between the mobile data collection platform and a local gravity vector, and the heading information is an azimuth angle between a pointing vector of the image capturing device and a reference direction;

hardware memory that stores the image, a position fix and the orientation information; and

one or more hardware processors that executes instructions which;

receive external raw observables from the external GNSS raw observables provider;

receiving accessory data from the external accessory;

capture the image with the image capturing device, wherein the image depicts a point of interest and wherein the image is captured while the antenna is at the location;

determine the position fix associated with the mobile data collection platform based on the external raw observables, wherein the position fix provides the location of the antenna in a GNSS coordinate system;

calculate a location of the entrance pupil as an offset from the location of the antenna;

access the orientation information from the orientation system, wherein the orientation information and the heading information are associated with a three dimensional location of the mobile data collection platform when the image was captured; and

store the image, the position fix, the orientation information, the heading information and the external accessory data in the hardware memory of the mobile data collection platform,

wherein the hardware memory and the one or more hardware processors are outside of the internal GNSS chipset;

wherein the receiving of the accessory data from the external accessory further comprises;

receiving the accessory data from an external image capturing device accessory that is selected from a group consisting of an external infrared (IR) image capturing device and an external non-infrared image capturing device.

8. The mobile data collection system of claim 7, wherein the antenna is a circularly polarized GNSS antenna.

9. The mobile data collection system of claim 7, wherein the raw observables include raw pseudoranges and one of carrier phase information and Doppler Shift Information.

10. The mobile data collection system of claim 7, wherein the mobile data collection platform is disposed in a known fixed relationship with a known geometric offset from the external accessory.

11. The mobile data collection system of claim 7, wherein the external accessory is an external electronic distance measurement accessory.

12. The mobile data collection system of claim 7, wherein the mobile data collection platform includes an internal GNSS chipset and the one or more hardware processors are located outside of the internal GNSS chipset.

13. The mobile data collection system of claim 7, wherein the mobile data collection platform further comprises:

detect image capture button pressed logic that monitors when a user of the mobile data collection platform presses a button that initiates capture of the image; and

request information from accessory logic that activates the external accessory and requests the external accessory data from the external accessory in response to detecting that the button was pressed, wherein the one or more hardware processors executes the detect image capture button pressed logic and the request information from accessory logic.

14. The mobile data collection system of claim 13, wherein the one or more hardware processors further performs:

receiving the external accessory data from the external accessory;

receiving collected internal data from the mobile data collection platform, wherein the position fix of the mobile data collection platform is the position of the mobile data collection platform at a time of the receiving of the external accessory data and the receiving of the collected internal data; and

storing the external accessory data with the collected internal data in the hardware memory.

15. The mobile data collection system of claim 7, wherein a mounting system couples the external accessory and the mobile data collection platform together.

16. The mobile data collection system of claim 15, wherein the mounting system is selected from a group consisting of a snap-on mounting system and a screw mount.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for causing a computer system to perform a method of performing data collection using a cellular device, the method comprising:

capturing an image that depicts a point of interest using a cellular device;

obtaining external raw observables from an external Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) raw observables provider;

determining a position fix based on the external raw observables, wherein the position fix defines a location of an antenna of the external GNSS raw observable provider and wherein the antenna is disposed at a known fixed offset from an entrance pupil center of the cellular device;

determining a three dimensional position of the cellular device based on a local gravity vector and the position fix;

receiving external accessory data from an accessory that is external to the cellular device; and

storing the image, the three dimensional position, and the external accessory data in hardware memory of the cellular device,

wherein the local gravity vector is local with respect to the cellular device,

wherein the antenna is located at the position fix when the image is captured;

wherein the receiving of the external accessory data from the accessory further comprises;

receiving the external accessory data from an external image capturing device accessory that is selected from a group consisting of an external infrared (IR) image capturing device and an external non-infrared image capturing device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited by claim 17, wherein the receiving of the external accessory data from the accessory further comprises:

receiving the external accessory data from an external electronic distance measurement accessory.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited by claim 17, wherein the receiving of the external accessory data from the accessory further comprises:

receiving the external accessory data from a combination accessory that includes an external electronic distance measurement accessory, and at least one of an external infrared image capturing device accessory, and an external GNSS raw observable provider accessory.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as recited by claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting when a user of the cellular device presses a button to capture the image;

activating the external accessory in response to the detecting that the button was pressed; and

requesting the external accessory data from the external accessory in response to the detecting that the button was pressed.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the external accessory data from the external accessory;

receiving collected internal data from the cellular device, wherein the position fix of the cellular device is the position of the cellular device at a time of the receiving of the external accessory data and the receiving of the collected internal data; and

associating the external accessory data with the collected internal data.