System, apparatus and method for testing navigation or guidance equipment

• US 6,697,752 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KLT Techonology Inc.
• Original Assignee: KLT Techonology Inc.
• Inventors: Korver, Kelvin M., Giacomet, Mauro, Boswell, Lanny E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Washburn, Douglas N
• Application Number:
  US09/574,777
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 73/17.5, 73/17.8, 73/17.9, 342/174, 342/450, 356/614, 700/56, 700/108, 700/302, 701/23, 701/205, 701/207, 701/213, 701/201, 701/215, 701/220, 702/92, 702/150, 702/94, 702/116, 343/7.ED, 343/6.5 LC, 343/6.5 R, 352/357, 352/357.06, 352/357.13, 352/357.16, 455/456
• US Class Current: 702/116
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements

Abstract

A test facility where geographic location, orientation, elevation, distance, attitude and altitude are known for every point provides a user with a way to test the accuracy and sensitivity of navigation or positioning equipment. The facility is formed by elevating a test track on a series of piers. The test track may curve, tilt, or spiral under itself. Further, the test track may proceed in known directions to allow easy verification of test vehicle parameters.

In operation, a test vehicle moves around the test facility. On board the test vehicle, navigation or positioning equipment measures the parameters of the test vehicle. These measured parameters are then compared with known parameters. This allows a user to test the claimed accuracy or sensitivity of the equipment used.

Claims

1. A test facility for navigation or positioning equipment comprising:

a precisely constructed path, the path having known reference points related to geographical position and along-track position resolvable to on the order of an inch or less;

a test vehicle adapted to move on the path;

and one or more navigation or positioning equipment devices or components under test operatively mounted on the test vehicle, wherein the device under test generates a navigation or position signal or derivative thereof, comprising one or more of loss, acceleration, distance, velocity, pitch, roll, or yaw;

so that performance of a device under test is evaluated by comparison to actual position data for the path.

2. The test facility of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more stations providing points of calibration or reference along the path.

3. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the path is laid out in segments.

4. The test facility of claim 3 further comprising:

a segment of the path laid precisely north to south.

5. The test facility of claim 3 further comprising:

a segment of the path laid precisely east to west.

6. The test facility of claim 3 further comprising:

a segment of the path laid precisely northwest to southeast.

7. The test facility of claim 3 further comprising:

a first segment of the path laid precisely north to south;

a second segment of the path laid precisely east to west; and

a third segment of the path laid at an angular orientation to the other two segments.

8. The test facility of claim 1 further comprising:

a tilted section of the path with known attitude.

9. The test facility of claim 1 further comprising:

a segment of the path that allows a test vehicle to proceed over another segment of the path.

10. The test facility of claim 1 further comprising:

a segment of the path that spirals under and over another segment of the path.

11. The test facility of claim 1 wherein at least one section of the path is flat and curved, wherein the section includes additional supports to prevent the test vehicle from losing operative contact with the path section.

12. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the test vehicle includes a multiple degree of freedom of movement frame, allowing the attitude and altitude position of the device under test to be controlled.

13. Test facility of claim 1 wherein the test vehicles'"'"' movements are repeatable.

14. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the test vehicle may be controlled manually.

15. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the test vehicle may be controlled automatically.

16. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the device under test generates one or more of a geographic position signal, altitude signal, attitude signal, orientation signal, distance signal, or along-track position signal.

17. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the resolution of along track position is to ¼

″

or less.

18. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the along-track position resolution is on the order of ⅛

″

.

19. The test facility of claim 1 wherein the actual position is derived from an actual distance measurement device.

20. A method of testing navigation or positioning equipment comprising:

mounting a device under test on a test vehicle;

placing the test vehicle on a precisely constructed path;

moving the vehicle along the path automatically;

operating the device under test while the vehicle is moving;

determining actual position data of the vehicle along the path at a given point in time;

determining sensed position data at a plurality of positions using the device under test; and

comparing the actual position data of the vehicle to the sensed position data.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

operating the test vehicle over a tilted section of the path with known attitude; and

determining the effect of the tilting on the operation of the navigation or positioning equipment.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising operating:

operating the test vehicle over a tilted section of the path with blown attitude;

operating the device under test to determine the sensed attitude of the test vehicle; and

comparing the sensed attitude to the known attitudes of the path.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

operating a multiple degree of freedom of movement frame connected to the test vehicle to control the actual attitude of the device under test;

operating the device under test to determine its sensed attitude; and

comparing the sensed attitude to the actual attitude of the device under test.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the moving of the vehicle along the path is done according to manual inputs.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the device under test generates one or more of a geographic position signal, altitude signal, attitude signal, orientation signal, distance signal, or along-track position signal.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the device under test generates a navigation or position signal or derivative thereof, including distance, acceleration, pitch, roll, or yaw.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein the resolution of along-track position is to ¼

″

or less.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein the along-track position resolution is on the order of ⅛

″

.

29. The method of claim 20 wherein the actual position is derived from an actual distance measurement device.

30. The method of claim 20 wherein the precisely constructed path comprises a fixed, linear track.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the track is defined by a rail or slot operatively engageable with the vehicle.

32. A system for testing navigational or positioning equipment comprising:

a computer;

a test vehicle;

a path with known parameters on which the test vehicle is capable of moving;

a device under test located on the vehicle for reporting sensed position data, which is operatively connected to the computer, which records the sensed position data the computer including a logger computer which is connected to the device under test, wherein the device under test generates a navigation or position signal or derivative thereof, including one or more of loss, acceleration, distance, velocity, pitch, roll, or yaw;

a sensor for reporting actual position data, which is operatively connected to the vehicle computer, which records the actual position data.

33. The system of claim 32 further comprising:

a multiple degree of freedom of movement frame located on the vehicle and operatively connected to the device under test.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein the path is elevated.

35. The system of claim 32 wherein path further comprises a section of the path that loops over the path.

36. The system of claim 32 wherein the path further comprises a section of the path that is tilted.

38. The system of claim 32 wherein the resolution of along-track position is to ¼

″

or less.

39. The system of claim 32 wherein the along-track position resolution is on the order of ⅛

″

.

40. The system of claim 32 wherein the actual position is derived from an actual distance measurement device.

37. The system of chum 32 wherein the device under test generates one or more of a geographic position signal, altitude signal, attitude signal, orientation signal, distance signal, or along-track position signal.

41. A computer program for controlling a test of navigation or positioning equipment comprising:

a generation routine to create a movement profile containing successive position goals;

an execution routine to execute the movement profile and move a vehicle from one position goal to the next;

a recording routine to record position data from a vehicle computer;

a recording routine to record position data from a device under test, wherein the device under test generates a navigation or position signal or derivative thereof, including one or more of loss, acceleration, distance, velocity, pitch, roll, or yaw;

a display routine which displays the position data from the device under test and the position data from the vehicle computer on a screen.

42. The computer program of claim 41 further comprising a status routine to record the device under test.

43. The computer program of claim 41 further comprising a status routine to record the status of the vehicle.

44. The computer program according to claim 41 wherein the device under test generates one or more of a geographic position signal, altitude signal, attitude signal, orientation signal, distance signal, or along-track position signal.

45. The computer program according to claim 41 wherein the resolution of along-track position is to ¼

″

or less.

46. The computer program according to claim 41 wherein the along-track position resolution is on the order of ⅛

″

.

47. The computer program according to claim 41 wherein the actual position is derived from an actual distance measurement device.

48. A test facility for navigation or positioning equipment comprising:

a precisely constructed path, the path having known reference points related to geographical position and along-track position resolvable to on the order of an inch or less, wherein the precisely constructed path comprises a fixed, linear track;

a test vehickle adapted to move on the path;

and one or more navigation or positioning equipment devices or components under test operatively mounted on the test vehicle;

so that performance of a device under test is evaluated by comparison to actual position data for the path.

49. The test facility of claim 48 wherein the track is defined by a rail or slot operatively engageable with the vehicle.

50. A system for testing navigational or positioning equipment comprising:

a computer;

a test vehicle;

a path with known parameters on which the test vehicle is capable of moving, wherein the path comprises a track, wherein the track is defined by a rail or slot operatively engageable with the vehicle;

a device under test located on the vehicle for reporting sensed position data, which is operatively connected to the computer, which records the sensed position data;

a sensor for reporting actual position data, which is operatively connected to the vehicle computer, which records the actual position data;

to determine the accuracy of the device under test.

51. A computer program for controlling a test of navigation or positioning equipment comprising:

a generation routine to create a movement profile containing successive position goals along a precisely constructed path, wherein the precisely constructed path comprises a track, wherein the track is defined by a rail or slot operatively engageable with the vehicle;

an execution routine to execute the movement profile and move a vehicle from one position goal to the next;

a recording routine to record position data from a vehicle computer;

a recording routine to record position data from a device under test;

a display routine which displays the position data from the device under test and the position data from the vehicle computer on a screen;

to determine the accuracy of the device under test.

52. A method of testing navigation or positioning equipment comprising:

mounting a device under test on a test vehicle;

placing the test vehicle on a precisely constructed path;

moving the vehicle along the path, operating the test vehicle over a tilted section of the path with known attitude, and determining the effect of the tilting on the operation of the navigation or positioning equipment;

operating the device under test while the vehicle is moving;

determining actual position data of the vehicle along the path at a given point in time;

determining sensed position data at a plurality of positions using the device under test; and

comparing the actual position data of the vehicle to the sensed position data.