Surveying system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10921430-B2
Application number	US-201815968881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2018
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A target instrument has an illuminating lamp, wherein a total station has an optical axis deflector capable of deflecting a distance measuring optical axis, a projecting direction detecting module for performing an angle measurement of the distance measuring optical axis, an image pickup unit, and an arithmetic control module for controlling a deflecting action of the optical axis deflector and a distance measuring action of a distance measuring unit, wherein the arithmetic control module is configured to detect an illumination light from an image acquired by the image pickup unit, to acquire a direction of the illuminating lamp based on a detection result, to make the optical axis deflector to scan with a distance measuring light around the acquired direction and to perform a distance measurement and an angle measurement along a scanning path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A surveying system having a total station and a target instrument, wherein said target instrument has an illuminating lamp for emitting an illumination light toward said total station, wherein said total station has a distance measuring light projecting unit for projecting a distance measuring light, a light receiving unit for receiving a reflected distance measuring light and producing a light receiving signal, a distance measuring unit for performing a distance measurement of an object to be measured based on said light receiving signal, an optical axis deflector provided on a distance measuring optical axis and capable of deflecting said distance measuring optical axis two-dimensionally, a projecting direction detecting module for detecting a deflection angle of said distance measuring optical axis and performing an angle measurement, an image pickup unit having an image pickup optical axis in parallel with said distance measuring optical axis in a condition not deflected by said optical axis deflector, and an arithmetic control module for controlling a deflecting action of said optical axis deflector and a distance measuring action of said distance measuring unit, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to detect said illumination light from an image acquired by said image pickup unit, to acquire a direction of said illuminating lamp based on a detection result of said illumination light, to make said optical axis deflector to scan two-dimensionally with said distance measuring light around the acquired direction as a center, and to perform a distance measurement and an angle measurement along a scanning path, wherein said target instrument has a retro-reflector of a reflection sheet and has a reference point of said target instrument at a known position with respect to said illuminating lamp, a reference reflection part around said reference point, and an auxiliary reflection part extending in an up-and-down direction from said reference reflection part, wherein said total station is configured to detect said target instrument based on the reflected distance measuring light from said auxiliary reflection part or said reference reflection part and further to detect said reference point based on the reflected distance measuring light from said reference reflection part, and said arithmetic control module is configured to make said optical axis deflector to scan said distance measuring optical axis based on a detection result of said reference point and to acquire a three-dimensional position of said reference point.

2. The surveying system according to claim 1 , wherein said optical axis deflector comprises a pair of optical prisms rotatable around said distance measuring optical axis as a center and motors individually rotating said optical prisms independently, and wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to control a rotating direction, a rotating speed and a rotation ratio of said pair of optical prisms by the driving control of said motor, to control a deflection by said optical axis deflector and to scan two-dimensionally said distance measuring light.

3. The surveying system according to claim 1 , wherein said illuminating lamp is capable of blinking said illumination light, and said arithmetic control module is configured to detect said illumination light from an image difference between an image when the light is turned on and an image when the light is turned off.

4. The surveying system according to claim 1 , wherein said target instruments are provided in plural, each of said illuminating lamps has a different blinking mode, and said arithmetic control module is configured to identify said target instruments based on the blinking mode and to execute a two-dimensional scanning for each target instrument, respectively.

5. The surveying system according to claim 1 , further comprising a data collector having a communication module and a storage module, wherein said total station has a communication module, said data collector and said total station are capable of data communication via said both communication modules, results of the distance measurement and the angle measurement by said total station are transmitted to said data collector and said total station is remotely controllable by said data collector.

6. The surveying system according to claim 1 , wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to make said optical axis deflector to execute a two-dimensional scanning pattern, to detect the reflected distance measuring light at the time when said scanning pattern crosses said retro-reflector and to track said target instrument based on the detection result.

7. The surveying system according to claim 1 , wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to control said optical axis deflector to execute an initial search scan and a local search scan, wherein said initial search scan is a searching and scanning within a wide range of a maximum deflection angle of said optical axis deflector and said local search scan is a searching and scanning including said target instrument,
wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to control said optical axis deflector so as to shift to said local search scan when a reflection light from said target instrument is detected by said initial search scan.

8. The surveying system according to claim 7 , wherein a shape of a scanning pattern of said initial search scan is flat in a horizontal direction and a shape of a scanning pattern of said local scan pattern is vertically elongated.

9. The surveying system according to claim 6 , wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to control said optical axis deflector such that said two-dimensional scanning pattern has an intersection and the intersection is coincident with said distance measuring optical axis.

10. The surveying system according to claim 2 , wherein said illuminating lamp is capable of blinking said illumination light, and said arithmetic control module is configured to detect said illumination light from an image difference between an image when the light is turned on and an image when the light is turned off.

11. The surveying system according to claim 2 , wherein said target instruments are provided in plural, each of said illuminating lamps has a different blinking mode, and said arithmetic control module is configured to identify said target instruments based on the blinking mode and to execute a two-dimensional scanning for each target instrument, respectively.

12. The surveying system according to claim 2 , wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to make said optical axis deflector to execute a two-dimensional scanning pattern, to detect the reflected distance measuring light at the time when said scanning pattern crosses said retro-reflector and to track said target instrument based on the detection result.

13. The surveying system according to claim 2 , wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to control said optical axis deflector to execute an initial search scan and a local search scan, wherein said initial search scan is a searching and scanning within a wide range of a maximum deflection angle of said optical axis deflector and said local search scan is a searching and scanning including said target instrument,
wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to control said optical axis deflector so as to shift to said local search scan when a reflection light from said target instrument is detected by said initial search scan.

14. The surveying system according to claim 13 , wherein a shape of a scanning pattern of said initial

Assignees

• Topcon Corp

Inventors

• Ohtomo Fumio
• Kumagai Kaoru
• Anai Tetsuji

Classifications

• G01S7/4817 Primary

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G01S17/46

  Indirect determination of position data · CPC title

• G01S17/66

  Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title

• G01C15/06

  Surveyors' staffs; Movable markers · CPC title

• G01S3/782

  Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction · CPC title