Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a position and attitude of a marker having encoded information includes the step of acquiring an image of a marker by a stereo camera. A center of the marker is determined and then a position of the marker is determined based on the center of the marker. A plurality of vertices on the marker about the center of the marker are then determined. Using the plurality of vertices, a pitch, roll, and heading of the marker are determined. An attitude of the marker is determined based on the pitch, roll, and heading of the marker. The method and/or apparatus for determining a position and attitude of a marker can be used in various applications to determine the position and attitude of objects on which the marker is located.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining the position and orientation of an implement on a work machine in a non-contact manner using machine vision. A 3D camera, which is mounted on the vehicle with a field of view that includes components on the implement (e.g., markers in some examples), determines a three-dimensional position in a local coordinate system of each of the components. A global positioning system in cooperation with an inertial measurement unit determines a three-dimensional position and orientation of the 3D camera in a global coordinate system. A computing system calculates a three-dimensional position in the global coordinate system for the components using the local three-dimensional positions of the components and the global three-dimensional position and orientation of the 3D camera. The position and orientation of the implement can then be calculated based on the calculated global three-dimensional positions of the components.

Abstract: Determining vehicle orientation based on GNSS signals received by three antennas that are logically combined into two pairs, with one antenna common for both pairs. GNSS receiver measures first carrier phase difference within each pair of antennas, represented as sum of an integer number of periods of the carrier frequency and a fractional part of the period. The fractional parts are used to compute orientation of the vector connecting the antennas phase centers within each pair, excluding integer ambiguity resolution. Vehicle attitude is calculated from the orientation of two non-collinear vectors with a common origin, measured by two pairs of antennas. Each antenna has an RF front end. All RF front ends, heterodynes, digital navigation processors of this receiver are clocked from one common clock oscillator. All carrier phase measurements of the three antennas are performed on a common time scale.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining the position and orientation of an implement on a work machine in a non-contact manner using machine vision. A 3D camera, which is mounted on the vehicle with a field of view that includes components on the implement (e.g., markers in some examples), determines a three-dimensional position in a local coordinate system of each of the components. A global positioning system in cooperation with an inertial measurement unit determines a three-dimensional position and orientation of the 3D camera in a global coordinate system. A computing system calculates a three-dimensional position in the global coordinate system for the components using the local three-dimensional positions of the components and the global three-dimensional position and orientation of the 3D camera. The position and orientation of the implement can then be calculated based on the calculated global three-dimensional positions of the components.

Abstract: An algorithm for determining of a vehicle orientation based on a coherent processing of GNSS signals received by three spaced antennas and a special GNSS receiver for implementing this algorithm are considered. The three antennas are logically combined into two pairs, with one of the antennas becoming common for both pairs. The GNSS receiver measures the first carrier phase difference between the signals received within each pair of antennas. The first differences of the full phases are represented as the sum of an integer number of periods of the carrier frequency and the fractional part of the period. Values of the fractional parts of the first differences are used to compute the orientation of the vector connecting the antennas phase centers within each pair. The use of the fractional parts of the first differences makes it possible to exclude the integer ambiguity resolution in carrier phase measurements.

Abstract: A high performance attitude determination system, including a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, the receiver including a first radio-frequency front-end (RF1) connected to a main antenna; a second radio-frequency front-end (RF2) connected to an auxiliary antenna; and a digital section connected to both RF1 and RF2. The digital section (i) generates a first set of GNSS raw measurements based on signals received from RF1; (ii) generates a second set of GNSS raw measurements based on signals received from RF2; (iii) computes a spatial attitude of a baseline between main and auxiliary antennas, using the first and the second sets of GNSS raw measurements, and based on carrier phase integer ambiguity resolution; (iv) continues updating the spatial attitude using the first and the second sets of GNSS raw measurements without carrier phase integer ambiguity resolution, and using fractional carrier phases. Optionally, RF1 and RF2 use a common clock.

Abstract: A high performance attitude determination system, including a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, the receiver including a first radio-frequency front-end (RF1) connected to a main antenna; a second radio-frequency front-end (RF2) connected to an auxiliary antenna; and a digital section connected to both RF1 and RF2. The digital section (i) generates a first set of GNSS raw measurements based on signals received from RF1; (ii) generates a second set of GNSS raw measurements based on signals received from RF2; (iii) computes a spatial attitude of a baseline between main and auxiliary antennas, using the first and the second sets of GNSS raw measurements, and based on carrier phase integer ambiguity resolution; (iv) continues updating the spatial attitude using the first and the second sets of GNSS raw measurements without carrier phase integer ambiguity resolution, and using fractional carrier phases. Optionally, RF1 and RF2 use a common clock.