Positioning Platform for Low-cost, Accurate, Infrastructure-free Machine Control

Z. Syed, A. Noureldin, N. El-Sheimy

Abstract:	Trusted Positioning Platform (TPP) for machine control is a new, reliable, accurate and economical way to obtain unsurpassed navigation parameters using any grade of inertial sensors for a number of applications such as precision agriculture, mobile mapping, and georeferencing. The platform is a set of highly modularized Dlls that can be easily configured to fit a variety of machine control applications. Patent pending technologies to estimate the sensor errors and mounting misalignments make TPP the only navigation software that can utilize even the very low cost Micro-Electro Mechanical Sensors (MEMS) inertial sensors into reliable position and attitude navigation systems. Availability of odometer signals from a vehicle's controller area network (CAN) Bus interface transforms inertial sensors in the range of $1-$500, into the most reliable inertial navigators that can compete with inertial navigation systems valued at thousands of dollars. Machine control is an important area in navigation and positioning field which requires reliability, precision and accuracy. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based dual antenna system with partial inertial measurement unit (IMU) is used as a position and attitude system for some machine control applications such as precision agriculture. For applications requiring more precision and reliability, complete inertial navigation system (INS) with survey grade GNSS receivers are used. This paper gives an overview of these commercially available navigation systems. A summary of algorithms used in TPP along with the simulated and real field test results are also discussed in this paper.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 23rd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2010) September 21 - 24, 2010 Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon Portland, OR
Pages:	1411 - 1419
Cite this article:	Syed, Z., Noureldin, A., El-Sheimy, N., "Positioning Platform for Low-cost, Accurate, Infrastructure-free Machine Control," Proceedings of the 23rd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2010), Portland, OR, September 2010, pp. 1411-1419.
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