Geodetic surveying

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10753740-B2
Application number	US-201815993377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2018
Priority date	May 31, 2017
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A geodetic surveying instrument, such as a total station, stationed with instrument center coordinates at ground coordinates in a stationing height above ground. The instrument comprises a sighting unit for aiming a measurement target point, with an opto-electronic distance meter to determine a target distance and two axes for aiming the sighting unit, with goniometers to determine a target direction. It also comprises a tilt sensor to determine a tilt value of the instrument and a measurement-controller to derive measured coordinates of the measurement target point based on this target direction and target distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A geodetic surveying instrument stationed at ground coordinates at a stationing height above ground, whereby instrument center coordinates are defined, the geodetic surveying instrument comprising:
a sighting unit configured to aim a measurement target point, the sighting unit comprising an opto-electronic distance meter configured to determine a target distance;
two axes for aiming the sighting unit, each with a goniometer built to determine a target direction;
a tilt sensor built to determine a tilt value of the instrument;
a measurement-controller configured to derive measured coordinates of the measurement target point based on the target direction and the target distance of the measurement target point;
a target point correction unit configured to derive a spatial location displacement (x,y,z) of the instrument center coordinates based on the tilt values and the stationing height and configured to apply the derived location displacement (x,y,z) of the instrument center coordinates on the measured coordinates of the measurement target point, to result in corrected target point coordinates referenced to the instrument center coordinates without tilt,
wherein the corrected target point coordinates are provided as measurement results for the target point.

2. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the target point correction unit is further configured to derive the spatial location displacement of the instrument center location based on the tilt value of the surveying instrument and the stationing height of the surveying instrument by trigonometry.

3. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the target point correction unit is configured to correctively apply the spatial location displacement of the instrument center to the target point coordinates due to tilting of the surveying instrument stationing during surveying caused by movements of a tripod on which the surveying instrument is stationed, while keeping the initial instrument center location as virtually fixed reference, despite of the instrument center actually being spatially moved.

4. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the target point correction unit is further configured to derive the spatial displacement (x,y,z) of the instrument center at the time of measurement of the corresponding target direction and target distance.

5. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the target point correction unit is further configured to correct the derived target point coordinates at each time of measurement of the target point such that the instrument center coordinates are thereby virtually fixed at an initial stationing location for a plurality of those target point measurements and the derived corrected target point coordinates are referenced thereto.

6. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the target point correction unit is further configured to derive and apply the target point correction in a substantially horizontal x-y plane.

7. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the target point correction unit is configured to derive and apply the target point correction in a substantially vertical z direction.

8. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the target point correction unit is further configured to derive and apply the target point correction in polar coordinates.

9. The surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to derive the corrected target point coordinates and correct the target direction according to the tilt value from the tilt sensor such that a corrected target direction is referenced to level.

10. A method for a deriving corrected target point coordinates of measurement data from a geodetic surveying instrument, the measurement data including a target direction and a target distance, forming measured target point coordinates and an surveying instrument tilt value, the method comprising:
calculating a stationing location displacement (x,y,z) of the instrument based on the instrument tilt value and an instrument stationing height above ground; and
correcting the measured target point coordinates, to derive corrected target point coordinates which are referenced to a virtually fixed stationing location, by applying the calculated stationing location displacement (x,y,z) to the measured target point coordinates.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
stationing a base of the surveying instrument at a site in a stationing height above ground;
aiming a measurement target point using a sighting unit;
geodetic surveying of at least one target point with:
determining a target distance from the surveying instrument to the measurement target point by an opto-electronic distance meter at the sighting unit;
determining a target direction by goniometers at two axes for pivoting the sighting unit with respect to the base;
determining a tilt value of the base of the surveying instrument with respect to a direction of gravity or level by a tilt sensor;
deriving the target point coordinates in form of target point coordinates of one or more of the target points based on the target direction and target distance by a control unit;
deriving the spatial location displacement (x,y,z) of a instrument center due to tilt movement of the surveying instrument with respect to an initial instrument center location at setup;
correcting the derived target point coordinates by applying a spatial displacement (x,y,z) of the instrument center location to the target point coordinates; and
providing thereby corrected target point coordinates.

12. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
deriving the spatial location displacement by trigonometric calculations; and
defining rotational movement around a instantaneous center of rotation at the ground.

13. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
deriving the spatial displacement (x,y,z) of a instrument center; and
correcting the derived target point coordinates at each time of measuring the target point.

14. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
deriving the target point coordinates with additionally correcting the target direction according to the tilt value in such a way that the target direction is referenced to level.

15. A computer program product comprising program code stored on a non-transitory tangible machine-readable medium for correcting target point coordinates of a surveying instrument, the computer program product configured for executing:
deriving target point coordinates by measuring a target point in a target point distance and a target point direction by the surveying instrument;
gathering an actual value of tilt of the surveying instrument at the time of measuring the target point;
deriving a spatial location displacement (x,y,z) of an instrument center at the time of measuring the target point with respect to an initial instrument center location at time of setup, based on the tilt of the surveying instrument and a stationing height of the surveying instrument; and
correcting the target point coordinates by applying the derived spatial location displacement to the target point coordinates.

Assignees

• Leica Geosystems Ag

Inventors

• Kotzur Norbert
• Kleemaier Gerhard
• Maar Hannes
• Patri Gian-Philipp

Classifications

• G01C15/008 Primary

  combined with inclination sensor · CPC title

• G01S17/08

  for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) · CPC title

• G01C15/00 Primary

  Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00 · CPC title