Method and a system for communicating information to a land surveying rover located in an area without cellular coverage

• US 8,497,800 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Meagher, Brent, Hamilton, Jeffery Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONADO, FRANK E
• Application Number:
  US12/563,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20110070893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 342/357.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to methods and systems for communicating information to a roving positioning device. In one embodiment, a wireless communication device, a non-cellular wireless communication device, and a computer networking device for forwarding data packets are coupled with a bus. A request originating from a roving positioning device for a location-specific position data is received via the non-cellular wireless communication device. A controller coupled with the bus causes the request to be forwarded via the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A geographic position aware communications system, said system comprising:

a first mobile geographic position aware receiver at a first location, said first mobile geographic position aware receiver configured to utilize location-specific correction data to more precisely determine position at said first location; and

a wireless communication device coupled with said first mobile geographic position aware receiver for informing a correction data source of said first location of said first mobile geographic position aware receiver, for receiving a set of location-specific correction data based on said first location, and for delivering said location-specific correction data to said first mobile geographic position aware receiver; and

a first wireless router coupled with said wireless communication device and configured for forwarding, via a different wireless communication protocol than used by said wireless communication device, a second set of location-specific correction data to a second wireless router coupled to a second mobile geographic position aware receiver at a second location, wherein said second mobile geographic position aware receiver requests said second set of location-specific correction data via said first wireless router and said wireless communication device using a request message which includes an approximate geographic position of said second location as determined by said second mobile geographic position aware receiver and an internet protocol address of said second wireless router.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a memory device coupled with said first wireless router for storing a description of a communication pathway to said second wireless router.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a controller coupled with said wireless communication device and with said first wireless router, said controller for causing a request originating from said second mobile geographic position aware receiver for said second set of location-specific correction data to be forwarded via said wireless communication device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of location-specific correction data comprises:

Real Time Kinematic (RTK) corrections.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of location-specific correction data comprises:

network Real Time Kinematic (RTK) corrections for a region encompassing said approximate geographic position of said second location.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of location-specific correction data comprises:

modeled observables applicable for said approximate geographic position of said second location.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of location-specific correction data comprises:

location-specific correction data derived from reference station data which are processed by said correction data source.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said second mobile geographic position aware receiver comprises:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said second mobile geographic position aware receiver comprises:

a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said different wireless communication protocol than used by said wireless communication device comprises:

a non-cellular wireless communication protocol.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said different wireless communication protocol than used by said wireless communication device comprises:

an unlicensed radio communication operating in the 900 megahertz frequency band.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said different wireless communication protocol than used by said wireless communication device comprises:

an unlicensed radio communication operating in the 2.4 gigahertz frequency band.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said different wireless communication protocol than used by said wireless communication device comprises:

an unlicensed radio communication operating in the 5.8 gigahertz frequency band.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said approximate position comprises:

a position determined by one of a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver.