Navigation system using both GPS and laser reference
Granted: April 22, 2014
Patent Number:
8705022
A machine control system uses a laser system and global navigation satellite system to determine the position of the machine. The laser system has a laser detector positioned in a known and fixed relationship with the nominal phase center of a global navigation satellite antenna. The laser detector receives laser light transmitted from a laser transmitter. The outputs of the laser system and the global navigation satellite system are used together to determine the position of the…
GNSS signal processing methods and apparatus with tracking interruption
Granted: April 22, 2014
Patent Number:
8704709
Methods and apparatus are provided for estimating parameters, i.e. ambiguities, derived from GNSS signals. Observations of each of received frequencies of a GNSS signal from a plurality of GNSS satellites are obtained for a plurality of instances in time (3120). The time sequence of observations is fed to a filter to estimate a state vector comprising float ambiguities, wherein each float ambiguity constitutes a non integer estimate of an integer number of wavelengths for a received…
GNSS signal processing methods and apparatus with scaling of quality measure
Granted: April 22, 2014
Patent Number:
8704708
A filter estimates a float value for each float ambiguity of a state vector determined from GNSS signals. Integer values are assigned to at least a subgroup of the estimated float values to define integer ambiguity candidate sets. A quality measure is determined for each of the candidate sets. An expectation value of the candidate set having the best quality measure is determined. An error measure as a ratio of the best quality measure to the expectation value is determined. The quality…
Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring driver and vehicle behavior
Granted: April 15, 2014
Patent Number:
8700255
Systems, devices, and techniques for remotely tracking vehicle and driver behavior. Embodiments may include an on-board vehicle monitoring device, comprising an interface device and a gateway device. The interface device may include receiving information from a diagnostic system of a vehicle. The gateway device may collect a set of vehicle operating data corresponding to a driver or vehicle behavior. The set of vehicle operating data may comprise at least some of the information from the…
System for positioning a tool in a work space
Granted: April 15, 2014
Patent Number:
8700202
A system for assisting in the use by an operator of the operating element of a tool at desired locations at a worksite, includes a stationary control and a position sensor secured to the tool. The stationary control is located at the worksite, and has data stored therein specifying one or more desired locations for operation of the operating element of the tool at the worksite. A position sensor is mounted on the tool. The position sensor determines the position of the operating element…
Processing multi-GNSS data from mixed-type receivers
Granted: April 8, 2014
Patent Number:
8694250
Computer-implemented methods and apparatus are presented for processing data collected by at least two receivers from multiple satellites of multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), where at least one GNSS is Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA). Data sets are obtained which comprise a first data set from a first receiver and a second data set from a second receiver. The first data set comprises a first FDMA data set and the second data set comprises a second FDMA data…
Sensor unit system
Granted: March 25, 2014
Patent Number:
8682541
A mobile construction device sensor unit system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a point-to-point radio ranging system coupled with a mobile construction device. A position determining component coupled with the point-to-point radio ranging system is configured for determining a position of the sensor unit in at least two dimensions based on communications between the point-to-point radio ranging system and a plurality of tags respectively located at a plurality of knowable locations…
Extendable moisture content sensing system
Granted: March 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8671741
A moisture content sensing system is described comprising a collar mechanically coupled with a clean grain transport system. An extendable support extends through the collar and has an extendable capacitive sensor element disposed at one end. The extendable support is configured to be located at a first position in which the extendable capacitive sensor element is disposed adjacent to clean grain conveyed by the clean grain transport system and moved to a second position wherein the…
Quick release mechanism
Granted: March 18, 2014
Patent Number:
D701111
Global navigation satellite antenna systems and methods
Granted: March 11, 2014
Patent Number:
8669900
A method for reducing multipath when determining a location of a stationary or near stationary position, includes receiving a signal from an antenna moving continuously with respect to the stationary or near stationary position, the signal including a multipath component, processing the received signal including the multipath component, wherein multipath error in the received signal is reduced during the processing and determining a location of the stationary or near stationary position…
Method and system for RFID-assisted imaging
Granted: March 11, 2014
Patent Number:
8668136
A method includes acquiring imaging data of a scene using an imaging tool. The method also includes extracting radio frequency identification (RFID) data stored in an RFID tag associated with the scene. The method further includes associating the RFID data with the imaging data.
System and method for asset management
Granted: March 4, 2014
Patent Number:
8666936
A system and method for asset management is disclosed. The method receives information from a first reporting source about an asset. In addition, information from a second reporting source about an asset is also received. A database is then populated with the information from the first reporting source and the information from the second reporting source such that information from the first reporting source and information from the second reporting source can be collected from the…
Agricultural autopilot path adjustment
Granted: February 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8655559
Predictive tractor path adjustments improve implement tracking performance by enabling agricultural autopilots to anticipate the effect of curves, slopes, changing soil conditions and other influences.
Method and system for augmenting a guidance system with a path sensor
Granted: February 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8655536
In an automatic vehicle position control system, such as a satellite-based agricultural implement steering system, the satellite-based steering information is adjusted with information obtained from one or more path sensors to facilitate the automatic nudging of the vehicle to take account of inaccurate tracking of the agricultural implement relative to its tractor, terrain variations, and inaccuracies in the satellite-based steering system.
Utilizing historical data in an asset management environment
Granted: February 4, 2014
Patent Number:
8645176
A method and system for utilizing historical data in an asset management environment are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method generates an asset information report from a database, wherein the asset information report comprises at least a portion of real-time information about the asset when the real-time information about the asset is available. In addition, the asset information report is augmented by extrapolating at least a portion of historical asset information stored…
Rugged handheld computer and communication device
Granted: February 4, 2014
Patent Number:
D698786
Portable global navigation satellite system smart antenna
Granted: February 4, 2014
Patent Number:
D698765
Recording data with an integrated field-portable device
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8638375
An integrated field-portable device comprising an image capture device configured to capture an image of a survey target area and a position determination system for determining a position of the integrated field-portable device, and an annotation system configured to access the image and associate the image with the position of at least one target in the survey target area and to associate with the image an instance of additional data comprising an identifier of the survey target area.…
Collaborative sharing workgroup
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8639434
A collaborative sharing workgroup comprising a plurality of assets is disclosed. An integrated manager module is fixedly coupled with each asset, the integrated manager module comprising an asset systems monitor; a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position information monitor; and an environment information monitor. In addition, a communications module is fixedly coupled with each asset. The communications module automatically shares information from each integrated manager…
Method and system for configuring wireless communication of survey sensors and controllers
Granted: January 28, 2014
Patent Number:
8638693
A method and system for configuring wireless communication of survey sensors and controllers is recited. In one embodiment, a survey device controller is configured to receive a first wireless communication comprising a sequence indicating that a survey device is configured to participate in an automatic configuration process with the survey device controller. The system further comprises the survey device which is configured to generate a second wireless communication indicating the…
