Pole-tilt sensor for surveyor range pole

• US 5,512,905 A
• Filed: 10/27/1994
• Issued: 04/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Nichols, Mark E., Talbot, Nicholas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US08/329,213
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 33/394, 33/395, 33/366
• US Class Current: 342/357.27
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/06 Surveyors' staffs; Movable markers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/32 Multimode operation in a single same satellite system, e.g. GPS L1/L2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]

Abstract

A surveyor range pole, for example, equipped with a GPS receiver and antenna mounted at the top end, a battery mounted at the bottom end to better balance the pole, a tilt sensor and a direction sensor. The tilt sensor and direction sensor provide information about the vector that lies between the top and the bottom points of the range pole. The GPS receiver computes the position of the top end of the range pole from GPS satellite signals received by the GPS at the top end, and then computes the position of the bottom end of the range pole with the vector information. A variable length, telescoping range pole includes a linear transducer for automatically measuring the overall length of the range pole and contributing that length information to the vector calculation.

Claims

1. A range pole system, comprising:

a pole section having a first end "A" for use generally in a skyward direction and a second end "B" for use generally in contact with a ground surface;

a satellite navigation system microwave radio antenna mounted to said first end "A" of the pole section;

a two-axis level sensor mounted to the pole section for determining the magnitude of any relative out of vertical tilt of said first end to said second end of the pole section;

a direction sensor mounted to the pole section relative to the level sensor for determining the orientation of the two-axis level sensor direction of any said tilt of said first end to said second end of the pole section; and

cabling means connected to the antenna, the level sensor and the direction sensor for outputting received satellite transmissions and signals representing the tilt and direction-of-tilt of the pole section to a satellite navigation receiver;

wherein a position and altitude of said second end "B" may be determined by projection from a position and altitude determination of said first end "A" along a vector described at least in part by data from the level sensor and the direction sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a satellite navigation receiver including computing means connected to the antenna, the two-axis level sensor and the direction sensor for calculating and outputting an estimate for a position fix of said second end "B" of the pole section as determined by a position-fix of said first end "A" and a vector equal to a predetermined length of the pole section and a direction indicated by both the level sensor and the direction sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

telescoping means included within the pole section for increasing and decreasing the physical distance between said first end "A" and said second end "B"; and

linear transducer means mechanically connected to the telescoping means and electrically connected to the cabling means for outputting a signal representative of the physical distance between said first end "A" and said second end "B".

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a satellite navigation receiver including computing means connected to the antenna, the two-axis level sensor, the direction sensor and the linear transducer, the direction sensor for calculating and outputting an estimate for a position fix of said second end "B" of the pole section as determined by a position-fix of said first end "A" and a vector equal to the length of the pole section and a direction indicated by both the level sensor and the compass.

5. A range pole surveying system comprising:

a pole section having a first end "A" for use generally in a skyward direction and a second "B" for use generally in contact with a ground surface;

position and altitude determination means connected to the pole section for determining the altitude and position of said second end "B" from a position and altitude determination of said first end "A", the position and altitude determination means comprising a satellite navigation system microwave radio antenna mounted to said first end "A" of the pole section, a level sensor mounted to the pole section for determining the magnitude of any relative tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section, and a direction sensor mounted to the pole section relative to the level sensor determining the direction of any said tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section, wherein, the antenna, level sensor and direction sensor provides data for the automatic determination of the position and altitude of said second end "B" from a navigation computer determination the position and altitude of the antenna and therefore said first end "A" regardless of the plumb condition of ends "A" and "B" and

a battery connected to power the position and altitude determination means and disposed in the pole section proximate to said second end "B" such that the center of gravity of the pole section is closer to said second end "B" than said first end "A".

6. The system of claim 5, the position and altitude determination means further comprises:

a satellite navigation receiver including computing means connected to the antenna, the level sensor and the direction sensor for calculating and outputting an estimate for a position fix of said second end "B" of the pole section as determined by a position-fix of said first end "A" obtained from the position determining means and a vector equal to a predetermined length of the pole section and a direction indicated by both the two-axis level sensor and the direction sensor.

7. A range pole surveying system comprising:

a pole section having a first end "A" for use generally in a skyward direction and a second end "B" for use generally in contact with a ground surface;

telescoping means included within the pole section for increasing and decreasing the physical distance between said first end "A" and said second end "B";

linear transducer means mechanically connected to the telescoping means and electrically connected to output a signal representative of the physical distance between said first end "A" and second end "B";

position and altitude determination means connected to the pole section for determining the altitude and position of said second end "B" from a position and altitude determination of said first end "A" comprising a satellite navigation system microwave radio antenna mounted to said first end "A" of the pole section, a level sensor mounted to the pole section for determining the magnitude of any relative tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section, a direction sensor mounted to the pole section relative to the level sensor for determining the direction of any said tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section, and a satellite navigation receiver including computing means connected to the antenna, the two-axis level sensor, the direction sensor and the linear transducer for calculating and outputting an estimate for a position fix of said second end "B" of the pole section as determined by a position-fix of said first end "A" obtained from the position determining means and a vector equal to the length of the pole section and a direction indicated by both the two-axis level sensor and the direction sensor; and

a battery connected to power the position and altitude determination means and disposed in the pole section proximate to said second end "B" such that the center of gravity of the pole section is closer to said second end "B" than said first end "A".

8. A range pole surveying system, comprising:

a pole section having a first end "A" for use generally in a skyward direction and a second end "B" for use generally in contact with a ground surface;

position and altitude determination means connected to the pole section for determining the altitude and position of said second end "B" from a position and altitude determination of said first end "A";

a battery connected to power the position and altitude determination means and disposed in the pole section proximate to said second end "B" such that the center of gravity of the pole section is closer to said second end "B" than said first end "A" and

a radio transceiver and modem connected to the position and altitude determination means for receiving a radio signal from a reference station representing the position and altitude correction data.

9. A range pole surveying system, comprising:

a pole section having a first end "A" for use generally in a skyward direction and a second end "B" for use generally in contact with a ground surface;

a battery connected to power position and altitude determination means and disposed in the pole section proximate to said second end "B" such that the center of gravity of the pole section is closer to said second end "B" than said first end "A";

a satellite navigation system microwave radio antenna mounted to said first end "A" of the pole section;

a level sensor mounted to the pole section for determining the magnitude of any relative tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section;

a direction sensor mounted to the pole section relative to the level sensor for determining the direction of any said tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section;

telescoping means included within the pole section for increasing and decreasing the physical distance between said first end "A" and said second end "B";

linear transducer means mechanically connected to the telescoping means and electrically connected to output a signal representative of the physical distance between said first end "A" and said second end "B"; and

a satellite navigation receiver connected to the battery and for determining the altitude and position of said second end "B" from a position and altitude determination of said first end "A" and including computing means connected to the antenna, the linear transducer, the level sensor and the direction sensor for calculating and outputting an estimate for a position fix of said second end "B" of the pole section as determined by a position-fix of said first end "A" and a vector with a length represented by said output of the linear transducer and a direction indicated by both the level sensor and the direction sensor.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a radio transceiver and modem connected to the satellite navigation receiver and the battery for transmitting out a radio signal representing the position and altitude of said second end "B" of the pole section.

11. A range pole surveying system, comprising:

pole section having a first end "A" for use generally in a skyward direction and a second end "B" for use generally in contact with a ground surface;

a battery connected to power the position and altitude determination means and disposed in the pole section proximate to said second end "B" such that the center of gravity of the pole section is closer to said second end "B" than said first end "A";

a satellite navigation system microwave radio antenna mounted to said first end "A" of the pole section;

a level sensor mounted to the pole section for determining the magnitude of any relative tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section;

a direction sensor mounted to the pole section relative to the level sensor for determining the direction of any said tilt of said first end "A" to said second end "B" of the pole section;

telescoping means included within the pole section for increasing and decreasing the physical distance between said first end "A" and said second end "B";

linear transducer means mechanically connected to the telescoping means and electrically connected to output a signal representative of the physical distance between said first end "A" and said second end "B";

a satellite navigation receiver connected to the battery and for collecting satellite range measurement data at said first end "A" with the antenna; and

a radio transceiver and modem connected to the satellite navigation receiver, the battery, the linear transducer, the level sensor and the direction sensor for transmitting data for remote calculation of an estimate for a position fix of said second end "B" of the pole section as determined by a position-fix of said first end "A" and a vector with a length represented by said output of the linear transducer and a direction indicated by both the level sensor and the direction sensor.