Survey device

• US 8,068,789 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Data Info Tech Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Data Info Tech Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lott, Simon, Murray, Neil, Bell, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Cong
• Application Number:
  US11/922,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2.01, 455/403, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/456.1, 455/9, 455/11.1, 455/12.1, 455/67.11, 455/115.1, 455/456.2, 702/188
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method

Abstract

A survey device, including: an antenna to receive at least one wireless signal; an interface to receive environmental data; one or more processors to determine spatial data using the at least one wireless signal, and to produce collocated data by combining the spatial data and the environmental data; and, an output device to output the collocated data.

Claims

1. A handheld survey device, comprising:

an antenna for receiving at least one wireless signal;

at least one interface configured to receive environmental data from at least one interchangeable peripheral device that produces the environmental data , wherein the at least one interchangeable peripheral device is selected from a plurality of different types of interchangeable peripheral devices, and wherein the environmental data correlates with environmental conditions in the local vicinity of the handheld survey device;

one or more processors configured to;

determine spatial data using the at least one wireless signal, and

produce collocated data by combining the spatial data and the environmental data; and

an output device configured to wirelessly transmit the collocated data.

2. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interchangeable peripheral device is a sampling device selected from the group consisting of chemical sampling, physical sampling, biological sampling, geographical sampling, geological sampling, and environmental sampling.

3. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output device is used for wirelessly transmitting the collocated data to be stored in a remote database.

4. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless signal is one or more signal type selected from the group consisting of a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal, a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) signal, a High Performance (HP) signal, a Satellite Differential GPS (SDGPS) signal, and a Real Time Kinematic (RTK) signal.

5. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spatial data is a three dimensional position.

6. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spatial data is a two dimensional position.

7. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the environmental data is selected from the group consisting of chemical data, physical data, biological data, geographical data, and geological data.

8. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collocated data includes temporal data.

9. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the survey device includes a user display module.

10. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein more than one antenna is provided.

11. The survey device as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of the more than one antennas is an external antenna.

12. The survey device as claimed in claim 11, wherein a Radio Frequency (RF) switch is provided for switching between internal and external antennas.

13. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface is able to receive the environmental data via one or more of:

a cable;

a serial cable;

a parallel cable;

an optical fibre;

a USB;

a wireless data transmission protocol;

bluetooth;

infrared; and

IEEE 802.11.

14. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output device is able to output the collocated data via one or more of:

a wireless data transmission protocol;

bluetooth;

infrared;

IEEE 802.11;

GSM;

CDMA; and

3G.

15. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output device includes a mobile phone module.

16. The survey device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the survey device is encased in a water resistant casing.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for controlling a handheld survey device to:

(1) obtain data representative of at least one wireless signal, the at least one wireless signal received by an antenna;

(2) obtain data representative of environmental data from at least one interchangeable peripheral device selected from a plurality of different types of interchangeable peripheral devices that produces the environmental data, the environmental data received by at least one interface, wherein the environmental data correlates with environmental conditions in the local vicinity of the handheld survey device;

(3) determine spatial data using the data representative of at least one wireless signal;

(4) combine the determined spatial data and the environmental data to produce collocated data; and

,

(5) wirelessly transmit the collocated data using an output device of the handheld survey device.