High precision wide-angle electro-optical positioning system and method

• US 8,314,928 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eviation Tech Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Eye Point Ltd.
• Inventors: Tzidon, Aviv, Tzidon, Dekel
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): VALENTIN, JUAN D
• Application Number:
  US10/583,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20080285057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,892 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 356/138
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/783 using amplitude comparison of signals derived from static detectors or detector systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing

Abstract

A positioning system for determining an angular position of a vehicle (10) with respect to a predetermined position. The system comprises at least one beacon (12) whose position relative to the predetermined position is known, for generating at least one beam of known optical characteristic that allows deriving of the angular position.

Claims

1. An automated positioning system for determining an angular deviation of a vehicle from a predetermined path, the system comprising:

an electro-optical sensor onboard the vehicle for detecting two beams that scan across at least a sector of interest in opposite directions and that are synchronized with each-other so as to substantially overlap in the direction of the predetermined path, said two beams originating from known positions relative to the predetermined path; and

a logic circuitry on board the vehicle for determining a difference in time of detection of said two beams, the difference in time being indicative of the angular deviation.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the logic circuitry comprises a processor.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the logic circuitry is configured to determine a scanning direction of a beam of said at feast two beams across the sensor.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electro-optical sensor comprises two sensing elements.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electro-optical sensor is configured to distinctly detect an optical characteristic of a beam of said two beams.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electro-optical sensor is provided with a filter.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said filter is selected from a group consisting of:

polarizing filter, wavelength filter.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one off board beacon for generating said two beams and wherein said known positions coincide.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said at least one beacon comprises two beacons each for generating a beam of said at least two beams.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a beam of said at least two beams sweeps back and forth across the sector.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two beams are characterized by optical characteristics so as to allow determining of the scanning direction or azimuth information associated with each beam.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the optical characteristics are selected from a group of optical characteristics:

polarization, wavelength, intensity, amplitude modulation frequency, amplitude modulation contrast.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a beam that is characterized as spanning the entire sector and by an optical characteristic that is spatially modulated so as to encode angular information of that beam.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to control commands for controlling maneuvering actuators of the vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is selected from a group consisting of:

an unmanned aerial vehicle, a naval vessel, a land vehicle.

16. An automated positioning method for determining an angular deviation of a vehicle from a predetermined path, using two beams sweeping across at least a sector of interest in opposite directions and being synchronized so as to substantially overlap in the direction of the predetermined path, each beam of said two beams originating from a known position relative to the predetermined path, the method comprising:

detecting by an electro-optical sensor onboard the vehicle of said two beams; and

processing by a logic circuitry on board the vehicle of signals generated by the sensor so as to determine a difference in time of detection of said two beams and processing the difference so as to determine the angular deviation.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising determining a sweeping direction of a beam of said at least two beams across the sensor.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the sensor comprises two sensing elements.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising distinctly detecting different optical characteristics of a beam of said at least two beams.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising providing at least one off board beacon for generating said at least two beams.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, comprising generating by said at least one beacon a beam of said at least two beams such that the beam sweeps back and forth across the sector.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said at least one beacon comprises a single beacon.

23. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said at least one beacon comprises two beacons.

24. The method as claimed in claim 16, comprising characterizing a beam of said at least two beams by optical characteristics so as to allow determining of a sweeping direction or azimuth associated with the beam.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the optical characteristics are selected from a group of optical characteristics:

polarization, wavelength, intensity, amplitude modulation frequency, amplitude modulation contrast.

26. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein a beam of said at least two beams is characterized as spanning the entire sector and by an optical characteristic that is spatially modulated so as to encode angular information of that beam.

27. The method of claim 16, comprising generating control commands by the logic circuitry for controlling the maneuvering actuators of the vehicle.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the vehicle is selected from a group consisting of:

an unmanned aerial vehicle, a naval vessel, a land vehicle.