Surveying system and auxiliary measuring device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12085378-B2
Application number	US-201817290218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2018
Priority date	Oct 31, 2018
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

An auxiliary measuring instrument, configured to form together with a ground-based surveying device having range-and-direction measuring functionality, a system for surveying or staking out object points, wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument including a handheld main body of a defined length, and a man-machine interface, wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument is designed in a pen-like form and size and is configured to aim at an object point to be surveyed or staked out in a one-handed manner with a first end of the auxiliary measuring instrument and wherein a body is attached at a second end of the auxiliary measuring instrument, wherein the body is designed for optical-image-based determination of the position of the auxiliary measuring instrument by the surveying device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary measuring instrument, configured to form together with a ground-based surveying device having range-and-direction measuring functionality, a system for surveying or staking out object points, wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument comprising:
a handheld main body of a defined length;
a man-machine interface;
wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument is designed in a pen-like form and size and is configured to aim at an object point to be surveyed or staked out in a one-handed manner with a first end of the auxiliary measuring instrument and wherein a body is attached at a second end of the auxiliary measuring instrument, wherein the body is designed for optical-image-based determination of the position of the auxiliary measuring instrument by the surveying device.

2. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the body has an optical two-dimensional (2D) code formed on a surface thereof, and wherein an orientation and range of the body and the location of the auxiliary measuring instrument is determined by image evaluation of a camera image of the 2D code and on the basis of stored decoding information.

3. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument has an inertial measuring unit, such that the location of the auxiliary measuring instrument is determined by a combination of measurement data of the inertial measuring unit and measurement data determined on the basis of the body.

4. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first end is configured as a self-triggering sensor tip, which on contact automatically triggers a measurement.

5. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first end is configured as a probe ball with electronic or mechanical correction of the measuring offset on the basis of the size of the probe ball.

6. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 5 , wherein in order to to correct the measuring offset, the auxiliary measuring instrument is configured such that, for surveying an object point, the probe ball is deflected by the radius of the probe ball.

7. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first end is exchangeable, in that the main body has a holder provided for receiving different tool or sensor tips.

8. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the holder has a sensor system for automatically identifying the respective tip.

9. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the tool or sensor tip is configured as:
a marking pen,
an active tool tip, or
a sensor tip.

10. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the man- machine interface has at least one selected from the group consisting of:
a touch-sensitive display,
a scroll wheel,
a microphone,
a lighting means, and
a triggering button that is separately formed or separately arranged on the main body, wherein
the triggering button is configured to trigger the position and orientation measurement of the auxiliary measuring instrument or
the auxiliary measuring instrument has an active tool tip or sensor tip and the triggering button triggers an action of the tool tip or a measurement with the sensor tip.

11. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument has a measuring tape of variable length.

12. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the length of the auxiliary measuring instrument is variable in a defined manner.

13. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument has a communications interface.

14. A surveying system with a ground-based surveying device having range-and-direction measuring functionality and an auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 .

15. The surveying system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the surveying device comprises:
a base,
a targeting unit which defines a target direction and can be pivoted with respect to the base about at least one axis,
an angle meter and an angle-measuring functionality for measuring the target direction, and
a controller with single-point determining functionality, in the execution of which, controlled by the controller, a position of an object point designated with the aid of the auxiliary measuring instrument is determined.

16. A method for determining the position or marking an object point, the method comprising:
aiming at the object point with an auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 1 ;
determining the position and orientation of the auxiliary measuring instrument during the aiming at the object point, wherein at least the position is determined by means of a ground-based surveying device; and
determining the position or marking the object point, starting from a known position of the surveying device.

17. The auxiliary measuring instrument configured to form, together with a ground- based surveying device having range-and-direction measuring functionality, a system for surveying or staking out terrain points, wherein the auxiliary measuring instrument comprises:
a handheld main body with a defined longitudinal axis, configured such that the auxiliary measuring instrument is able to be aimed at a terrain point;
a distance from a reference point of the main body to the terrain point is predefined or given or is determined by the auxiliary measuring instrument;
a target, which is attached to the main body in a defined and known spatial relationship with the longitudinal axis and with the reference point and the position of which is determined by the surveying device,
wherein, by aiming at the terrain point with the auxiliary measuring instrument, a target position linked with the terrain point is displayed,
wherein on the main body, in a defined and known spatial relationship with the longitudinal axis, a body is attached, and
wherein the body has an optical, two-dimensional (2D) code formed on the surface thereof, wherein the 2D code is configured such that an orientation of the body and consequently the orientation of the auxiliary measuring instrument is determinable by image processing of a camera image of the 2D code on the basis of stored decoding information.

18. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the code is configured and distributed over the surface of the body such that the orientation of the auxiliary measuring instrument can be objectively determined on the basis of a segment of the surface of the body, and consequently the code, recorded in a camera image.

19. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the code has at least a first and second resolution stage, wherein the first resolution stage is designed for image recording and code evaluation in the near range and the second resolution stage is designed for image recording and code evaluation in the far range or the first resolution stage serves for coarse inclination and orientation determination and the second resolution stage serves for fine inclination and orientation determination.

20. The auxiliary measuring instrument as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the code is arranged in two parts on the surface of the body, in that a first part serves for coding a first direction on the surface of the body and a second part serves for coding a second direction.

21. The

Assignees

• Leica Geosystems Ag

Inventors

• MüLLER JOSEF
• Scheja Jochen
• Faix Oliver
• Bösch Thomas
• Iseli Claudio
• Maar Hannes
• Lengweiler Patrik
• Geser Markus

Classifications

• G01C15/06 Primary

  Surveyors' staffs; Movable markers · CPC title

• G01C15/002

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

• G01B3/1084

  Tapes combined with arrangements for functions other than measuring lengths · CPC title

• G01B11/002 Primary

  for measuring two or more coordinates · CPC title

• G01S17/08

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