GPS relative position detection system

• US 5,781,150 A
• Filed: 10/13/1995
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Technology Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: American Technology Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Norris, Elwood G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US08/542,799
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 342/419, 455/12.1
• US Class Current: 342/357.34
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial

Abstract

A system of GPS devices which receive civilian GPS signals and provide an intuitive graphical interface for displaying the relative position of GPS devices in relation to each other, the relative position being accurate to several meters and defined as the distance to, direction of and height variance between GPS devices. A first GPS device with the person or object to be located transmits its GPS determined location to a second GPS device. This second GPS device includes a means for receiving the GPS determined position of the first GPS device, and also includes means for calculating the relative position of the first GPS device relative to the second GPS device based on a comparison of the received telemetry of the first GPS device and its own GPS determined position. The relative position of the first device is then graphically displayed on an interface of the second GPS device in a manner which eliminates the need for a map in order to travel to the location of the first GPS device. While providing an interface which displays a relative position of the first GPS device, this information remains accurate no matter how the orientation of the second GPS device changes with respect to a compass.

Claims

1. A device for displaying a position of an object relative to the device and being responsive to data communicated from the orbiting Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network, said device comprising:

means for receiving and processing GPS signals from the orbiting GPS satellites,

means for determining a geographical location of the device from the GPS signals, and for correlating the geographical location of the device to be coincident with a point of origin on a visual display means,

means for receiving and processing telemetry data containing a geographical location of the object,

means for calculating the position of the object relative to the device so as to provide an approximate direction of travel and distance to the object from the device, and

the visual display means for graphically displaying the relative position of the object with respect to

     1) any physical orientation of the graphical display means of the device which is in a generally horizontal plane relative to the earth, and

     2) the point of origin on the visual display means, and wherein the relative position of the object is displayed utilizing at least a direction indicating symbol to portray the relative position information.

2. The relative position indicating system of claim 1 wherein the calculating means for determining the relative position of the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices relative to the at least another one of the GPS devices further comprises a means for determining a relative height variance of the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices relative to the at least another one of the plurality of GPS devices.

3. The relative position indicating system of claim 2 wherein the graphical display means comprises at least one interface which graphically indicates the direction of travel to the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices.

4. The relative position indicating system of claim 3 wherein the graphical display means comprises an interface displaying an arrow with a fixed end and an opposite pointing end, the arrow rotating about the fixed end so that the opposite pointing end is free to indicate the direction of travel to the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices.

5. The relative position indicating system of claim 3 wherein the graphical display means comprises an interface displaying an arrow which rotates generally around a midpoint so as to indicate the direction of travel to the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices.

6. The relative position indicating system of claim 3 wherein the graphical display means comprises an interface displaying a grid including a plurality of generally uniformly spaced concentric circles, the distance between circles representing a selectable scaled distance chosen so as to provide a graphical indication of distance, the circles being centered about a first marker representing the location of the at least another one of the plurality of GPS devices, and a second marker representing the location of the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices relative to the at least another one of the plurality of GPS devices.

7. The relative position indicating system of claim 3 wherein the graphical display means comprises a plurality of interfaces which graphically indicate the direction of travel to the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices.

8. The relative position indicating system of claim 7 wherein the plurality of GPS devices can selectively toggle between the plurality of interfaces which graphically indicate the direction of travel to the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices.

9. The relative position indicating system of claim 8 wherein the transmitter means of the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices further comprises means for selectively tuning said transmitter means to broadcast on a desired frequency.

10. The relative position indicating system of claim 9 wherein the at least another one of the plurality of GPS devices further comprises means for selectively tuning said receiving means to receive a desired telemetry frequency.

11. The relative position indicating system of claim 10 wherein the calculating means of the least another one of the plurality of GPS devices compares the location transmitted as the telemetry of the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices to the location determined by the at least another one of the plurality of GPS device so as to determine the direction of travel and distance to the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices.

12. The relative position indicating system of claim 11 wherein calculated locations of the plurality of GPS devices further comprise a longitude and latitude for each of said GPS devices, with approximately a same intentional Selective Availability induced error in the locations.

13. The relative position indicating system of claim 12 wherein the at least another one of the plurality of GPS devices further comprises a means for determining whether distance information plotted relative to elevation variance of the at least one of the plurality of GPS devices relative to the at least another one of the plurality of GPS devices will be meaningful when displayed graphically.