التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
| العنوان: |
System and Methods for Real Time Kinematic Surveying Using GNSS and Ultra Wideband Ranging |
| Document Number: |
20100066603 |
| تاريخ النشر: |
March 18, 2010 |
| Appl. No: |
12/560319 |
| Application Filed: |
September 15, 2009 |
| مستخلص: |
Disclosed are systems and methods for augmenting the GNSS RTK surveying system with ground-based ranging transceivers, such as ultra wideband (UWB) Radio Frequency (RF) transceivers. A system embodiment includes a plurality UWB reference ranging transceivers, a movable UWB ranging transceiver, and at least one GNSS RTK receiver. A method includes identifying the surveyed area and placing one or more reference ranging transceivers in the locations proximate to the identified surveyed area. A position of such reference ranging transceivers may be determined using a GNSS receiver. A movable ranging transceiver may be provided in the surveyed area which is configured conduct ranging measurements. GNSS satellite measurements and UWB ranging measurements may be combined to estimate the position of the surveying ranging transceiver. An estimate for the bias and scale factor states for UWB range pairs may be undertaken in order to provide improved position estimation. |
| Inventors: |
O'Keefe, Kyle (Calgary, CA); MacGougan, Glenn (Calgary, CA); Chiu, David (Calgary, CA) |
| Claim: |
1. A method for surveying, the method comprising: identifying an area to be surveyed; placing one or more reference ranging transceivers in one or more locations proximate to the identified survey area where GNSS signals are detected; measuring the position of at least one of said reference ranging transceivers with a GNSS receiver; providing a survey ranging transceiver in the survey area, said survey ranging transceiver configured to conduct ranging measurements; conducting ranging measurements between said survey ranging transceiver and at least one of said reference transceivers; and combining GNSS measurements and ranging measurements to estimate the position of the surveying ranging transceiver. |
| Claim: |
2. The method claim 1 further comprising: placing one or more reference ranging transceivers in one or more known locations proximate to the identified survey area; providing coordinates of the known position of at least one of said reference ranging transceivers; providing a survey ranging transceiver in the survey area, said survey ranging transceiver configured to conduct ranging measurements; conducting ranging measurements between said survey ranging transceiver and at least one of said reference transceivers; and combining the known coordinates and ranging measurements to estimate the position of the surveying ranging transceiver. |
| Claim: |
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising computing bias and scale factor states for each reference ranging transceiver pair to improve said estimate of position of the surveying ranging transceiver. |
| Claim: |
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising measuring the position of at least one of said reference ranging transceivers using ranging data from one or more other available reference ranging transceivers. |
| Claim: |
5. The method of claim 2 wherein said survey ranging receiver is configured to function in an area with limited GNSS signal reception. |
| Claim: |
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the GNSS receiver is removably mounted on top of said ranging transceiver. |
| Claim: |
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the GNSS antenna's phase center is located a predetermined distance above the phase center of a ground-based ranging transceiver antenna of said reference ranging transceivers when the vector between the phase center of the GNSS antenna and the ranging transceiver antenna is vertically aligned, within a certain precision, to the local gravity vector. |
| Claim: |
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the GNSS receiver is operable to collect GNSS measurements including at least one of accumulated Doppler range, Doppler, pseudorange, and carrier to noise density ratio measurements. |
| Claim: |
9. A method of determining the position of the ground point, said method comprising: gathering GNSS measurements and ground-based ranging transceiver measurements for a plurality of reference transceivers using a vertical mounted GNSS antenna and a ranging transceiver antenna; estimating bias and scale factor error states for one or more ground-based ranging transceiver pairs; and determining the position of the ground point using said measurements and said bias and scale factor estimates. |
| Claim: |
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the phase center of the GNSS antenna is mounted, with a certain precision, a fixed distance above the phase center of the ranging transceiver antenna. |
| Claim: |
11. The method of claim 9, wherein measurements are deemed valid when the vertical mounted GNSS antenna and ranging transceiver antenna is vertically aligned to the local gravity vector within a certain precision. |
| Claim: |
12. The method of claim 9, wherein a digital tilt meter which is mounted on the side of said GNSS antenna, is used to assess the validity of the ground-based ranging measurements. |
| Claim: |
13. The method of claim 9, wherein the phase center of the ranging transceiver antenna and the GNSS antenna is located, with a certain precision, a known distance above a ground contact point of a pole configured to include said ranging transceiver antenna and said GNSS antenna. |
| Claim: |
14. The method of claim 9, wherein GNSS measurement corrections can be communicated to the processor using the communications channel of the ground-based ranging transceivers. |
| Claim: |
15. The method of claim 9, wherein indirect ground-based ranging measurements between transceivers can be communicated to the processor using the communications channel of the ground-based ranging transceivers. |
| Claim: |
16. A survey apparatus comprising: a survey pole or tripod having at least one contact end for placing on a ground point, a ranging transceiver mounted on the survey pole or tripod for receiving ranging signals from one or more reference ranging transceivers, and a GNSS receiver removably mounted on the survey pole or tripod, above the ranging transceiver antenna, for receiving GNSS signals. |
| Claim: |
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the GNSS receiver is operable to receive one or more of the GPS, GLONASS and Gallileo satellite positioning signals. |
| Claim: |
18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the GNSS receiver collects GNSS measurements including one or more of accumulated Doppler range, Doppler, pseudorange, and carrier to noise density ratio measurements. |
| Claim: |
19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the ranging transceiver includes a UWB radio. |
| Claim: |
20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a phase center of the GNSS receiver antenna is located a predetermined distance above the phase center of ranging transceiver antenna when the vector between the phase center of the GNSS receiver antenna and the ranging transceiver antenna is vertically aligned, within a certain precision, to the local gravity vector. |
| Claim: |
21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the phase center of the ranging transceiver antenna is located, with a certain precision, a predetermined distance above the contact ends of the survey pole or tripod. |
| Claim: |
22. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a processor operable to collect GNSS measurements and ground-based ranging transceiver measurements to determine bias and scale factor error states for one or more ground-based ranging transceiver pairs and to determine the position of the ground point below the contact end of the survey pole or tripod using said determined bias and scale factor parameters. |
| Current U.S. Class: |
34235/702 |
| Current International Class: |
01; 01 |
| رقم الانضمام: |
edspap.20100066603 |
| قاعدة البيانات: |
USPTO Patent Applications |
