Granted Patent B2

US 10,261,176 · App. 15/445,717 · Granted Apr 16, 2019

Inventors: Mark Johnson (Vannes, FR); Paul Stokes (Fleet, GB); Richard Jales (Eastleigh, GB)

Assignee: FLIR SYSTEMS, INC.

G01S13/86G01C17/38G01S7/20G01S13/89G01S13/9307G01S15/025G01S15/89

Abstract

Claims (69)

1. A system comprising:

a logic device configured to communicate with an orientation and/or position sensor (OPS) rotationally coupled to a mobile structure, wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive orientation and/or position data from the OPS while the OPS is rotating relative to the mobile structure; and

determine rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data referenced to the mobile structure, a rotationally actuated sensor assembly mounted to the mobile structure, and/or an absolute coordinate frame, wherein the rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data is based, at least in part, on the received orientation and/or position data.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the rotationally actuated sensor assembly, wherein the rotationally actuated sensor assembly comprises a remote sensor assembly coupled to the mobile structure, the OPS is mounted within a housing of the remote sensor assembly, and the logic device is configured to:

transmit remote sensor beams using the remote sensing assembly;

receive remote sensor returns corresponding to the rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data; and

generate remote sensor image data based on the remote sensor returns and the rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein:

the OPS comprises a global navigation satellite system sensor;

the remote sensor assembly comprises a radar assembly;

the radar assembly comprises a radar antenna, the OPS, and an actuator;

the actuator is configured to rotate the radar antenna and/or the OPS about an axis of the radar assembly while the remote sensor returns are received by the logic device; and

the rotational corrected orientation and/or position data comprises an absolute orientation of the radar antenna referenced to the absolute coordinate frame.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a display in communication with the logic device, wherein the OPS comprises one or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a GNSS, a magnetometer, a float level, and/or a compass, wherein the logic device is configured to:

render the remote sensor image data using the display, wherein the rendered remote sensor image data is referenced to the absolute coordinate frame and/or a coordinate frame of the mobile structure.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is configured to:

determine a mounting angle offset between a reference frame for the OPS and a rotational axis corresponding to rotational motion of the OPS; and

transform the received orientation and/or position data using the mounting angle offset to align the transformed orientation and/or position data to the rotational axis.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the logic device, for the determine the mounting angle offset, is configured to:

determine roll and pitch components of a shift in a gyroscope portion of the received orientation and/or position data that corresponds to the OPS transitioning from a non-rotating state to a rotating state; and

combine the roll and pitch components to form the mounting angle offset.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive angles of rotation for the OPS corresponding to the received orientation and/or position data;

determine a rotational velocity for the OPS based on the received angles of rotation; and

remove the rotational velocity from a corresponding component of a gyroscope portion of the received orientation and/or position data to determine a rotationally corrected gyroscope portion of the received orientation and/or position data.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive an angle of rotation for the OPS corresponding to the received orientation and/or position data;

determine a magnetic offset based, at least in part, on a magnetometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data;

determine a calibrated magnetometer portion by removing the magnetic offset from the magnetometer portion; and

rotate the calibrated magnetometer portion in a direction opposite to the received angle of rotation to determine a rotationally corrected magnetometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive an angle of rotation for the OPS corresponding to the received orientation and/or position data; and

rotate an accelerometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data in a direction opposite to the received angle of rotation to determine a rotationally corrected accelerometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data.

10. A method comprising:

receiving orientation and/or position data from an orientation and/or position sensor (OPS) rotationally coupled to a mobile structure while the OPS is rotating relative to the mobile structure; and

determining rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data referenced to the mobile structure, a rotationally actuated sensor assembly mounted to the mobile structure, and/or an absolute coordinate frame, wherein the rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data is based, at least in part, on the received orientation and/or position data.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the rotationally actuated sensor assembly comprises a remote sensor assembly coupled to the mobile structure, and the OPS is mounted within a housing of the remote sensor assembly, the method further comprising:

transmitting remote sensor beams using the remote sensing assembly;

receiving remote sensor returns corresponding to the rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data; and

generating remote sensor image data based on the remote sensor returns and the rotationally corrected orientation and/or position data.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

the remote sensor assembly comprises a radar assembly;

the OPS comprises one or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a GNSS, a magnetometer, a float level, and/or a compass;

the radar assembly comprises a radar antenna, the OPS, and an actuator; and

the actuator is configured to rotate the radar antenna and/or the OPS about an axis of the radar assembly while the remote sensor returns are received by the logic device.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

rendering the remote sensor image data, wherein:

the OPS comprises a global navigation satellite system sensor;

the rotational corrected orientation and/or position data comprises an absolute orientation of at least a portion of the remote sensing assembly referenced to the absolute coordinate frame; and

the rendered remote sensor image data is referenced to the absolute coordinate frame and/or a coordinate frame of the mobile structure.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining a mounting angle offset between a reference frame for the OPS and a rotational axis corresponding to rotational motion of the OPS; and

transforming the received orientation and/or position data using the mounting angle offset to align the transformed orientation and/or position data to the rotational axis.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determining the mounting angle offset comprises:

determining roll and pitch components of a shift in a gyroscope portion of the received orientation and/or position data that corresponds to the OPS transitioning from a non-rotating state to a rotating state; and

combining the roll and pitch components to form the mounting angle offset.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving angles of rotation for the OPS corresponding to the received orientation and/or position data;

determining a rotational velocity for the OPS based on the received angles of rotation; and

removing the rotational velocity from a corresponding component of a gyroscope portion of the received orientation and/or position data to determine a rotationally corrected gyroscope portion of the received orientation and/or position data.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving an angle of rotation for the OPS corresponding to the received orientation and/or position data;

determining a magnetic offset based, at least in part, on a magnetometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data;

determining a calibrated magnetometer portion by removing the magnetic offset from the magnetometer portion; and

rotating the calibrated magnetometer portion in a direction opposite to the received angle of rotation to determine a rotationally corrected magnetometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving an angle of rotation for the OPS corresponding to the received orientation and/or position data; and

rotating an accelerometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data in a direction opposite to the received angle of rotation to determine a rotationally corrected accelerometer portion of the received orientation and/or position data.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (9)