Surveying instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9618340-B2
Application number	US-201514740578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

The invention provides a surveying instrument, comprising a frame unit rotatable in a horizontal direction, a telescope unit as mounted rotatably in a vertical direction on the frame unit and further for sighting an object to be measured, a horizontal driving unit for rotating and driving the frame unit in a horizontal direction, a vertical driving unit for rotating the telescope unit in a vertical direction, a horizontal angle measuring unit for detecting a horizontal angle of the frame unit, a vertical angle measuring unit for detecting a vertical angle of the telescope unit and a control device, wherein the control device is adapted to calculate a solar altitude at a time moment by setting up coordinates of where the surveying instrument is installed and the time moment, and to make the telescope unit to set to the solar altitude as calculated by controlling the vertical driving unit, to control the horizontal driving unit, to execute searching of the sun by horizontally rotating the frame unit at the solar altitude as set up, to capture the sun, to sight the sun, to detect a horizontal angle under the sighted condition based on the horizontal angle measuring unit, and to survey a true north based on the horizontal angle as detected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A surveying instrument comprising a frame unit rotatable in a horizontal direction, a telescope unit as mounted rotatably in a vertical direction on said frame unit and further for sighting an object to be measured, a horizontal driving unit for rotating and driving said frame unit in a horizontal direction, a vertical driving unit for rotating said telescope unit in a vertical direction, a horizontal angle measuring unit for detecting a horizontal angle of said frame unit, a vertical angle measuring unit for detecting a vertical angle of said telescope unit and a control device, wherein said control device is adapted to calculate a solar altitude at a time moment by setting up coordinates of where said surveying instrument is installed and said time moment, and to make said telescope unit to set to the solar altitude as calculated by controlling said vertical driving unit, to control said horizontal driving unit, to execute searching of the sun by horizontally rotating said frame unit at the solar altitude as set up, to capture the sun, to sight the sun, to detect a horizontal angle under the sighted condition based on said horizontal angle measuring unit, and to survey a true north based on the horizontal angle as detected.

2. A surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein said telescope unit has a telescope for sighting an object to be measured and an image pickup unit for acquiring an image in a sighting direction through said telescope, wherein said control device captures the sun by said telescope and makes said telescope to sight the sun based on an image acquired through said telescope.

3. A surveying instrument according to claim 2 , further comprising a GPS wherein coordinates and time of measurement of said surveying instrument are obtained by said GPS.

4. A surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein said telescope unit has a telescope for sighting an object to be measured, an image pickup unit for acquiring an image in a sighting direction through said telescope and a wide angle camera having an optical axis which is in a known relationship with an optical axis of said telescope and having a wider field angle than said telescope, wherein said control device captures the sun by said wide angle camera and sights the sun by said telescope based on the image acquired by said wide angle camera and said known relationship.

5. A surveying instrument according to claim 4 , wherein a sighting position of the sun is set on a photodetection element of said wide angle camera, said sighting position of the sun and an optical axis of said telescope are in a known relationship and said sighting position of the sun is a known position deviated from a field of view of said telescope, wherein said control device detects a center of an image of the sun from an image acquired by said wide angle camera, controls said horizontal driving unit and said vertical driving unit so that the center of said image of the sun coincides with said sighting position of the sun and is adapted to determine the true north based on a time moment when the center of said image of the sun coincides with said sighting position of the sun, a horizontal angle as detected by a horizontal angle measuring unit, a vertical angle as detected by a vertical angle measuring unit, said sighting position of the sun with respect to said optical axis of said telescope and coordinates where said surveying instrument is installed.

6. A surveying instrument according to claim 5 , further comprising a GPS wherein coordinates and time of measurement of said surveying instrument are obtained by said GPS.

7. A surveying instrument according to claim 4 , further comprising a GPS wherein coordinates and time of measurement of said surveying instrument are obtained by said GPS.

8. A surveying instrument according to claim 1 , wherein said telescope unit has a telescope for sighting an object to be measured, an image pickup unit for acquiring an image in a sighting direction through said telescope and a wide angle camera having an optical axis which is in a known relationship with an optical axis of said telescope and having a wider field angle than said telescope, wherein said control device captures the sun by said wide angle camera and sights the sun by said wide angle camera based on an image acquired by said wide angle camera.

9. A surveying instrument according to claim 8 , wherein a sighting position of the sun is set on a photodetection element of said wide angle camera, said sighting position of the sun and an optical axis of said telescope are in a known relationship and said sighting position of the sun is a known position deviated from a field of view of said telescope, wherein said control device detects a center of an image of the sun from an image acquired by said wide angle camera, controls said horizontal driving unit and said vertical driving unit so that the center of said image of the sun coincides with said sighting position of the sun and is adapted to determine the true north based on a time moment when the center of said image of the sun coincides with said sighting position of the sun, a horizontal angle as detected by a horizontal angle measuring unit, a vertical angle as detected by a vertical angle measuring unit, said sighting position of the sun with respect to said optical axis of said telescope and coordinates where said surveying instrument is installed.

10. A surveying instrument according to claim 9 , further comprising a GPS wherein coordinates and time of measurement of said surveying instrument are obtained by said GPS.

11. A surveying instrument according to claim 8 , further comprising a GPS wherein coordinates and time of measurement of said surveying instrument are obtained by said GPS.

12. A surveying instrument according to claim 1 , further comprising a GPS wherein coordinates and time of measurement of said surveying instrument are obtained by said GPS.

Assignees

• Kk Topcon

Inventors

• Ishida Takeshi
• Nishita Nobuyuki
• Kochi Jumpei
• Nakabe Hiroyuki
• Iwasaki Goro

Classifications

• G01C17/34 Primary

  Sun- or astro-compasses · CPC title

• G01C15/002 Primary

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

• G01C17/00 Primary

  Compasses; Devices for ascertaining true or magnetic north for navigation or surveying purposes (using gyroscopic effect G01C19/00) · CPC title

• G01C1/02

  Theodolites · CPC title