Layout equipment and layout method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9453729-B2
Application number	US-201414448978-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2014
Priority date	Apr 20, 2012
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

Layout equipment for locating a plurality of positions at a construction site is provided. The layout equipment includes a laser target rod, a self-leveling laser transmitter, and a remote control device. The rod has an elongated rod body including retroreflective material extending substantially the entire length of the body. The laser transmitter projects a beam of laser light, and receives laser light reflected from the rod. The laser transmitter includes a first wireless communication unit, and a transmitter control. The transmitter control is responsive to the first wireless communication unit. The remote control device includes a second wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with to the laser transmitter to cause the laser transmitter to project the beam of laser light toward a position at the construction site, and signals the user of the layout equipment when the rod has been placed at the position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Layout equipment for locating a plurality of positions at a construction site, comprising:
a laser target rod having an elongated rod body including retroreflective material on the elongated rod body, the retroreflective material extending substantially an entire length of the elongated rod body, and scale markings visible on the laser target rod,
a self-leveling laser transmitter for projecting a first beam of laser light and a second beam of laser light parallel to the first beam of laser light, and for receiving laser light reflected from the laser target rod, the laser transmitter including a first wireless communication unit, and a transmitter control, wherein the transmitter control is responsive to the first wireless communication unit, wherein the beam of laser light is a beam of green laser light, and wherein the second beam of laser light is reflected from the laser target rod and detected by the laser transmitter such that a distance between the laser transmitter and the laser target rod is determinable through time-of-flight calculation, and
a remote control device, including a second wireless communication unit, for wirelessly communicating with the laser transmitter to cause the laser transmitter to project the beam of laser light toward a selected one of the plurality of positions at the construction site, and for signaling a user of the layout equipment when the laser target rod has been placed at the selected one of the plurality of positions.

2. The layout equipment of claim 1 , in which the second beam of laser light is a collimated beam of red laser light.

3. The layout equipment of claim 1 , in which the self-leveling laser transmitter illuminates the laser target rod as the laser target rod is moved to different locations at the construction site, whereby the transmitter control determines a heading and distance from the self-leveling laser transmitter to the laser target rod, and in which the transmitter control communicates the heading and the distance to the remote control device.

4. The layout equipment of claim 1 , in which the self-leveling laser transmitter sweeps the beam of laser light back and forth across a surface of the laser target rod in a horizontal plane such that a position of the laser target rod is monitorable as the laser target rod is moved across the construction site.

5. The layout equipment of claim 1 , in which the scale markings on the laser target rod delineate distances of the scale markings with respect to one or both ends of the laser target rod.

6. The layout equipment of claim 1 , in which the remote control device wirelessly communicates to the laser transmitter an instruction for the laser transmitter to direct the beam of laser light along a heading toward the selected one of the plurality of positions and in which the remote control device provides an indication when the laser target rod is located at the selected one of the plurality of positions.

7. Layout equipment for determining a position of a laser target rod at a construction site, comprising:
the laser target rod having an elongated rod body including retroreflective material on the elongated rod body, the retroreflective material extending substantially an entire length of the elongated rod body, and scale markings visible on the laser target rod,
a laser transmitter for projecting a beam of green laser light and a beam of infrared laser light, whereby an area of illumination of the laser target rod is observable by an operator, the laser transmitter including a first wireless communication unit, and a transmitter control that is responsive to the first wireless communication unit, the laser transmitter further including a camera for tracking an image of the laser target rod such that the beam of green laser light is continuously directed to the laser target rod, and wherein the camera is sensitive to infrared laser light reflected from the retroreflective material on the laser target rod such that the beam of infrared laser light is continuously directed to the laser target rod, and
a remote control device, including a second wireless communication unit, for wirelessly communicating with the laser transmitter to cause the laser transmitter to project the beam of laser light toward a selected position at the construction site, for signaling the operator when the laser target rod has been placed at the selected position, and for providing an indication of the position of said laser target rod at the construction site.

8. The layout equipment of claim 7 , in which the laser transmitter sweeps both the beam of infrared laser light and the beam of green laser light back and forth across a surface of the laser target rod such that the position of the laser target rod may be monitored as the laser target rod is moved across the construction site.

9. The layout equipment of claim 7 , in which the laser transmitter is self-leveling.

10. The layout equipment of claim 7 , in which the laser transmitter illuminates the laser target rod as the laser target rod is moved to different locations at the construction site, whereby the laser transmitter determines a heading to the laser target rod, and in which the laser transmitter communicates the heading to the remote control device.

11. The layout equipment of claim 7 , in which the retroreflective material on the laser target rod defines a plurality of stripes that produce a reflective pattern of light that is characteristic of the laser target rod when light is swept across the laser target rod.

12. A layout method for locating a plurality of positions at a construction site using layout equipment, comprising:
positioning a single laser transmitter at a known position at the construction site;
wirelessly transmitting an instruction to the single laser transmitter from a remote control device, the instruction identifying a position to be located;
projecting a first beam of first laser light and a second beam of second laser light horizontally from the laser transmitter on a heading toward the position to be located, wherein the first beam and the second beam are parallel to each other, the first laser light and the second laser light having different colors;
placing a laser target rod having an elongated body including retroreflective material on the elongated body, the retroreflective material extending substantially an entire length of the elongated body;
sensing a reflection of the beams from the laser target rod to the single laser transmitter;
wirelessly transmitting to the remote control from the single laser transmitter a first indication that the laser target rod is in a path of the beams;
wirelessly transmitting to the remote control from the laser transmitter a first distance between the single laser transmitter and the laser target rod, and a second distance and direction which the laser target rod is to be moved to reach the position to be located;
moving the laser target rod toward the position to be located; and
wirelessly transmitting to the remote control from the laser transmitter a second indication that the laser target rod had reached, and is located at, the position to be located.

13. The layout method as recited by claim 12 , wherein the placing of the laser target rod having the elongated body including retroreflective material on the elongated body further comprises:
placing the laser target rod having scale markings visible on the laser target rod; and
determining distances from one or both ends of the laser target rod based on the first beam of the first laser light.

14. The layout method as recited by claim 12 , wherein the meth

Assignees

• Trimble Navigation Ltd

Inventors

• Kahle Kent

Classifications

• G01C5/02 Primary

  involving automatic stabilisation of the line of sight · CPC title

• G01C15/004

  Reference lines, planes or sectors · CPC title

• G01C15/06 Primary

  Surveyors' staffs; Movable markers · CPC title

• G01C15/006

  Detectors therefor · CPC title