Surveying instrument, surveying instrument usage method, and construction machine control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10094076-B2
Application number	US-201715421980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2017
Priority date	Feb 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

It is premised that a surveying instrument at least includes an elevation angle measuring part 30 measuring an elevation angle relative to an object to be measured. Under this premise, the surveying instrument includes an error detecting part 35, 54, 55 detecting a vertical-axis error Δθ reflected in an elevation angle measured by the elevation angle measuring part 30 and a correction processing part 50 receiving an elevation angle measured by the elevation angle measuring part 30 and outputting as an elevation angle an angle acquired by cancelling the vertical-axis error Δθ detected by the error detecting part 35, 54, 55 form the elevation angle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surveying instrument at least having an angle measuring part measuring an angle relative to an object to be measured, comprising:
an error detecting part detecting a mechanical error reflected in a measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part;
a correction processing part receiving a measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part and outputting as a measurement angle an angle acquired by cancelling the mechanical error detected by the error detecting part from the measurement angle;
a driving part freely changing and adjusting a measurement posture;
an initial posture instructing part instructing the driving part to sequentially take a normal posture form and a reverse posture form for acquiring installation position information on the condition that a start switch is activated;
an initial posture determining part determining the normal posture form and the reverse posture form taken based on the instruction from the initial posture instructing part, the initial posture determining part instructing the error detecting part to detect the mechanical error at the time of the normal posture form and at the time of the reverse posture form; and
an error calculating part calculating a representative mechanical error from a mechanical error at the time of the normal posture form and a mechanical error at the time of the reverse posture form detected by the error detecting part.

2. A surveying instrument at least having an angle measuring part measuring an angle relative to an object to be measured, comprising:
an error detecting part detecting a mechanical error reflected in a measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part; and
a correction processing part receiving a measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part and outputting as a measurement angle an angle acquired by cancelling the mechanical error detected by the error detecting part from the measurement angle, wherein
the correction processing part is set to output as a measurement angle an angle acquired by canceling the setting error from a measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part while the correction processing part is related to an update determining part determining whether a mechanical error detected by the error detecting part is larger than the setting error, and wherein
the update determining part is set to instruct the correction processing part when determining that a mechanical error detected by the error detecting part is larger than the setting error, so as to make an update such that the mechanical error is set as a new setting error.

3. The surveying instrument according to claim 2 , wherein
the angle measuring part is an elevation angle measuring part measuring an elevation angle relative to an object to be measured, wherein
the error detecting part detects a mechanical error affecting an elevation angle defined as the measurement angle; and wherein
the correction processing part is set to output as an elevation angle an angle acquired by cancelling a setting error from the elevation angle measured by the elevation angle measuring part and is set to update the setting error to the mechanical error detected by the error detecting part if an update determining part determines that the mechanical error detected by the error detecting part is larger than the setting error.

4. The surveying instrument according to claim 3 , further comprising a communicating part transmitting an output value from the correction processing part.

5. A surveying instrument usage method in which a surveying instrument measures position information of a construction machine and transmits the position information of the construction machine to the construction machine, the method comprising:
preparing as the surveying instrument an instrument including an angle measuring part measuring an angle relative to an object to be measured, an error detecting part detecting a mechanical error reflected in a measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part, a correction processing part receiving a measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part and outputting as a measurement angle an angle acquired by cancelling the mechanical error detected by the error detecting part from the measurement angle, and a communicating part transmitting an output value of the correction processing part to the construction machine;
causing the error detecting part to detect the mechanical error before the surveying instrument establishes a relation to the construction machine; and
causing the correction processing part to cancel the mechanical error detected by the error detecting part from the measurement angle measured by the angle measuring part and causing the communicating part to transmit an output value of the correction processing part as a measurement angle to the construction machine when the surveying instrument establishes a relation to the construction machine, wherein
the construction machine provides upward/downward movement control of a constituent member in the construction machine, wherein
the angle measuring part is caused to measure an elevation angle relative to the construction machine, wherein
the error detecting part is caused to detect a mechanical error of the surveying instrument affecting the elevation angle, and wherein
the correction processing part is caused to output as an elevation angle an angle acquired by cancelling the mechanical error detected by the error detecting part from the elevation angle measured by the angle measuring part.

6. The surveying instrument usage method according to claim 5 , wherein
before establishing a relation to the construction machine, installation position information of the surveying instrument is acquired based on observation of a known point while the error detecting part is caused to detect the mechanical error in synchronization with the observation.

7. The surveying instrument usage method according to claim 6 , wherein
the observation of the known point is performed in normal and reverse observations while the error detecting part is caused to detect the mechanical error under each of the normal and reverse observations, and wherein
a representative mechanical error is derived from the mechanical errors under the normal and reverse observations to use the representative mechanical error as the mechanical error in the correction processing part.

8. The surveying instrument usage method according to claim 6 , wherein
the known point is one of a plurality of prepared known points, wherein
the error detecting part is caused to detect the mechanical error in synchronization with observation of each of the plurality of the known points, and wherein
a representative mechanical error is derived from the plurality of the mechanical errors to use the representative mechanical error as the mechanical error in the correction processing part.

Assignees

• Topcon Corp

Inventors

• Fujimoto Masanori

Classifications

• E01C19/48

  for laying-down the materials and consolidating them, or finishing the surface {, e.g. slip forms therefor, forming kerbs or gutters in a continuous operation in situ (E01C19/002, E01C23/065 take precedence; devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path E01C19/004)} · CPC title

• G01C15/002

  Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105) · CPC title

• G01C25/00

  Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass (testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38) · CPC title

• G01C1/00

  Measuring angles · CPC title

• G01C5/00

  Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels (G01C3/20, G01C3/30 take precedence) · CPC title