Trimble Navigation Limited

Trimble Inc.

Other

Gregory C Best

John F Cameron

Hongbo Teng

Kurtis L Maynard

Sy Bor Wang

Curt A Conquest

John William Peake

Peter V Loomis

Kurt Maynard

James M Janky

Peter Van Wyck Loomis

Shawn D Weisenburger

Mark Edward Nichols

Arthur Francis Lange

Peter Glen France

Bruno M Scherzinger

Omar Soubra

Jeffrey D Sanders

Gregory Craig Wallace

Gurcan Aral

Krishnaranjan Rao

Michael Cash

Scott Crozier

Bruce D Riter

Bruce Peetz

Uriel Aparecido Rosa

Eric A Wuestefeld

James W Jervis

Andrew Ansell

Robert Hanks

Eric Beaulieu

Gwen Byard

Daniel Ramos

Phillip T Nash

A receiver assembly or top unit for use in a survey system. A quick release assembly or interface, which is designed for simple construction and no moving parts, is provided in the receiver housing and battery pack that includes a pair of magnets such that the receiver housing is attached to the battery pack via magnetic attraction or forces rather than with threaded connections or a more complex disconnect with multiple moving parts. Each magnet is a permanent magnet that is programmed or encoded with multi-poles or patterns. The magnets are affixed to or within the receiver housing and battery pack such that an attractive magnetic force is generated between the two magnets only when the two housings are properly aligned. A small amount of rotation from this aligned configuration causes the two magnets to generate repelling or repulsion forces that facilitate ready disassembly or removal of the battery pack.

GNSS receiver with magnetically attached power source for survey systems

A navigation system useful for providing speed and heading and other navigational data to a drive system of a moving body, e.g., a vehicle body or a mobile robot, to navigate through a space. The navigation system integrates an inertial navigation system, e.g., a unit or system based on an inertial measurement unit (IMU). with a vision-based navigation system unit or system such that the inertial navigation system can provide real time navigation data and the vision-based navigation can provide periodic, but more accurate, navigation data that is used to correct the inertial navigation system's output. The navigation system was designed with the goal in mind of providing low effort integration of inertial and video data. The methods and devices used in the new navigation system address problems associated with high accuracy dead reckoning systems (such as a typical vision-based navigation system) and enhance performance with low cost IMUs.

Integrated vision-based and inertial sensor systems for use in vehicle navigation

Systems and methods for sharing convergence data between GNSS receivers are disclosed. Convergence data received at a GNSS receiver via a communication connection may be utilized to determine a position of the GNSS receiver.

Method and system for sharing convergence data

A surveying pole is part of a primary surveying system (e.g., a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a total station). Cameras are mounted to the surveying pole and used for ground tracking as the survey pole is moved from a place where the primary surveying system is unimpeded to an environment where the primary surveying system is impaired (e.g., to a GNSS-impaired environment or to a position that is blocked from view of the total station). Using ground tracking and/or other sensors, surveying can be continued even though the primary surveying system is impaired.

Surface tracking on a survey pole

Methods and systems for estimating volumes of agricultural crops are provided. A geographic position sensor provides positions of a harvesting machine as it gathers an agricultural crop and places the crop on the ground in a windrow. A speed of the harvesting machine is determined using the geographic position sensor. Signals are received from a sensor system disposed at a bottom of the harvesting machine. The signals are indicative of profiles of segments of the windrow on the ground. Cross-sectional areas of the windrow are estimated using the signals. Volumes of the agricultural crop are estimated using the speed of the harvesting machine and the estimated cross-sectional areas of the windrow.

Estimating yield of agricultural crops

Surface tracking with multiple cameras on a pole

A method and system for non-contact location and orientation determination for an implement coupled with a mobile machine. One example detects an orientation of a recognized feature of an implement with a sensor mounted at a fixed location on the mobile machine. A range from the sensor to the recognized feature of the implement is also determined. In addition, a known operating envelope of the implement coupled with the mobile machine is accessed. The known operating envelope of the implement is then combined with the orientation and the range from the sensor to determine a position of the implement with respect to the mobile machine.

Non-contact location and orientation determination of an implement coupled with a mobile machine

A method of image-tracking by using an image capturing device (). The method comprises: performing an image-capture of a scene () by using an image capturing device; and tracking movement () of the image capturing device () by analyzing a set of images by using an image processing algorithm ().

Image-based surface tracking

Method and apparatus are provided for image based positioning comprising capturing a first image with an image capturing device. Wherein said first image includes at least one object. Moving the platform and capturing a second image with the image capturing device. The second image including the at least one object. Capturing in the first image an image of a surface; capturing in the second image a second image of the surface. Processing the plurality of images of the object and the surface using a combined feature based process and surface tracking process to track the location of the surface. Finally, determining the location of the platform by processing the combined feature based process and surface based process.

Method and apparatus for image-based positioning

A method for establishing an approximate number of persons in an area of interest comprises providing a request to one or more communications providers that cover an area of interest. The request is for a listing of any mobile communication devices located within the area of interest. The listing of any mobile communication devices located within the area of interest is utilized to establish an approximate number of persons in the area of interest. In response to receipt of information that indicates a mobile communication device on the listing has departed the area of interest, the listing is updated to show the mobile communication device is clear of the area of interest.

Utilizing information about mobile communication devices with respect to an area of interest

A method for performing point-to-point measurements includes (i) determining a distance to a first point and obtaining an image at a first pose, and (ii) determining a distance to a second point and obtaining an image at a second pose. The images have an overlapping portion. A change in pose between the first pose and the second pose is determined using observed changes between common features in the overlapping portion of the images and a scale associated with the images. A distance between the first point and the second point is determined based on the first distance, the second distance, and the change in pose between the first pose and the second pose.

Point-to-point measurements using a handheld device

A method of image-based positioning is provided. The method comprises: (A) providing an image-capturing device integrated with an object; (B) providing a pattern-generating device configured to generate a set of patterns; (C) locating the pattern-generating device in a field of view (FOV) of the image-capturing device and capturing an image of the pattern-generating device; (D) generating at least one set of pattern data by using the captured image of the pattern-generating device; and (E) processing each set of generated pattern data by using in order to generate an altitude and/or angular coordinates of the object.

Image based angle sensor

Growing community of inventors

Westminster, CO, United States of America

Gregory C Best