Patent ID: 6662103
Filing Date: 2003-12-09
Classification: G01C,G01S,G06Q

Abstract:
A system for creating a user-selectable arbitrary coordinate system from position data generated by a position measurement apparatus comprising a position calculating engine, said system comprising:an input for receiving position data from said position measurement apparatus defining a position of said position measurement apparatus in a default coordinate system; a user interface that allows a user to select position data from the position measurement apparatus in said default coordinate system to define an alternate coordinate system; and a processor that transforms the position data from the default coordinate system to the alternate coordinate system, wherein the processor includes: a point collection module for receiving position data from the position measurement apparatus; transformation module coupled to the point collection module that generates at least one transformation matrix corresponding to the alternate coordinate system, wherein the transformation matrix transforms position data from the default coordinate system to the alternate coordinate system; and a plane calculation module that determines a user-selected plane based on at least three points from the point collection module, and wherein the transformation module generates a transformation matrix corresponding to the user-selected plane.