Spatial positioning system
US5294970A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 6, 1991 |
| Grant date | Mar 15, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 6, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/4813
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A spatial positioning system includes fixed referent stations which emit rotating, divergent laser beams and a portable reflector. Each fixed station also includes a detector and a processor. The portable reflector may include retroreflectors or transponders. When the rotation of the laser beam is such that it is in line with a portable reflector, the transmitted laser beam is reflected off the portable reflector and received at the fixed receiver. For any point which is crossed by the fanned laser beams of a fixed station, a horizontal angle can be determined. Once these horizontal angles are known for three fixed stations, the point of intersection of three planes, and thus the three-dimensional position of the point, is determined.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.