Location track and control system and combination laser detector and global navigatino satellite receiver system

• Main Author: NICHOLS MARK E.,CAIN GARY L.,JANKY JAMES M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.08.2007
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; NAVIGATION; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SURVEYING; TESTING

A position tracking and control system for determining and providing an improved position estimate using signals from a global navigation satellite system, comprising a rotary laser system emitting two or more fan shaped laser beams which rotate about a vertical axis, and the inclination angles of the beams differs from each other; a combination laser detector and global navigation satellite antenna having an antenna element with a nominal phase center orientated along a first axis, said antenna element receives the signals from the global navigation satellite system and provides a first position estimate; and having at least one optical sensor provided at a predetermined and fixed spatial separation from said nominal phase center, said optical sensor provides data correlating to the detection of the fan-shaped lasers beams; and a processing unit processing said first position estimate and said data to provide the improved position estimate.