Surveying apparatus having a range camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9683833-B2
Application number	US-201314398420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2013
Priority date	May 7, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include a surveying apparatus for surveying a measurement scenery. The surveying apparatus may include a base defining a vertical axis; a support tiltable around the vertical axis; a telescope unit tiltable around the vertical axis and around a horizontal axis that is orthogonal to the vertical axis and comprises means for distance measurement; motor means for rotational driving of the support and the telescope unit; and angle determination means for detecting an orientation of the telescope unit with respect to the base. In some embodiments, the telescope unit comprises a first camera capable to take a visible image of the measurement scenery and/or means for capturing coordinates of 3D-points of the measurement scenery. In some embodiments, the surveying apparatus comprises a display capable to display at least a portion of the visible image taken by the first camera and/or at least a portion of the 3D-points.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surveying apparatus for surveying a measurement scenery, the surveying apparatus comprising:
a base defining a vertical axis;
a support tiltable around the vertical axis;
a telescope unit tiltable around the vertical axis and around a horizontal axis that is orthogonal to the vertical axis and comprises means for distance measurement;
at least one motor for rotational driving of the support and the telescope unit; and
an electronic angle sensor for detecting an orientation of the telescope unit with respect to the base,
wherein the telescope unit comprises a first camera configured to take a visible image of the measurement scenery and a laser source and detector for capturing coordinates of 3D-points of the measurement scenery,
wherein the surveying apparatus comprises a display configured to display at least a portion of the visible image taken by the first camera and/or at least a portion of the 3D-points, respectively, and
wherein a range camera directed towards the display and configured to take a range image of a user positioned at the display, and
wherein the surveying apparatus comprises an electronic controller having a processor, which is configured to analyze the range image with regard to changes caused by a movement of the user, and to control the surveying apparatus on the basis of the changes in the range image to perform predetermined surveying tasks.

2. The surveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the range camera comprises a RIM-camera.

3. The surveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display is a 3D-display configured to display a 3D-image of the portion of the visible image and/or the 3D-points.

4. The surveying apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the 3D-image is generated by stereoscopy, auto stereoscopy, computer generated holography or volumetric display technique.

5. The surveying apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the display is configured to display a digital terrestrial model of the measurement scenery.

6. The surveying apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a map is provided in which predetermined changes of the range image corresponding to respective user movements are assigned to predetermined tasks, and the electronic controller is configured to ignore not assigned changes of the range image.

7. The surveying apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein learning means is provided to learn range image changes corresponding to respective user movements in order to be assigned to respective predetermined tasks and/or to be stored in a map.

8. The surveying apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the surveying apparatus is a total station.

9. A surveying method using a surveying apparatus, the surveying apparatus comprising:
a base defining a vertical axis;
a support tiltable around the vertical axis;
a telescope unit tiltable around the vertical axis and around a horizontal axis that is orthogonal to the vertical axis and comprises means for distance measurement;
at least one motor for rotational driving of the support and the telescope unit; and
an electronic angle sensor for detecting an orientation of the telescope unit with respect to the base,

the method comprising:
taking an image of a measurement scenery with a first camera and/or capturing coordinates of 3D-points of a measurement scenery,
displaying at least a portion of the image and/or the 3D-points, respectively, of the measurement scenery on a display,
taking a sequence of range images of a user positioned at the display,
analyzing movements of the user on the basis of changes in the individual range images of the range image sequence, and
controlling the surveying apparatus to perform surveying tasks corresponding to the user movements.

10. The surveying method according to claim 9 , wherein the portion of the image and/or the 3D-points, respectively, of the measurement scenery is a 3D-image.

11. The surveying method according to claim 10 , wherein the 3D image is displayed in a manner that a user can access image points.

12. The surveying method according to claim 9 , wherein plural surveying apparatuses are provided at different locations to take images and/or 3D-points of the same measurement scenery from different viewpoints, and wherein the portion of the image and/or the 3D-points, respectively, of the measurement scenery is composed from image information and/or 3D-points information, respectively, from all of the images and/or 3D-points, respectively, of the different surveying apparatuses.

13. The surveying method according to claim 9 , wherein the 3D-image is generated by one of auto-stereoscopy, computer generated holography or volumetric display technique.

14. The surveying method according to claim 9 , further comprising a learning step in which changes of the range images caused by certain user movements are assigned to predetermined tasks.

15. The surveying method according to claim 14 , wherein the portion of the image of the measurement scenery is analyzed, and possible target points are marked by overlaying the portion of the image of the measurement scenery with marking symbols.

16. The surveying method according to claim 14 , wherein a marking corresponding to a chosen target point is highlighted and a predetermined user movement causes to highlight a marking of a second target point.

17. The surveying method according to claim 9 , wherein a predetermined user movement causes an increase or decrease of the size of the portion of the image of the measurement scenery and/or causes a rotation of the portion of the image of the measurement scenery.

18. The surveying method according to claim 9 , wherein a digital terrestrial model of the measurement scenery is displayed on the display.

Assignees

• Hexagon Technology Ct Gmbh

Inventors

• Pettersson Bo
• Siercks Knut
• Voit Eugen
• Hinderling Jürg
• Zebhauser Benedikt
• Schneider Klaus

Classifications

• H04N23/633 Primary

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• G01S17/06 Primary

  Systems determining position data of a target · CPC title

• G01C15/02

  Means for marking measuring points · CPC title

• G01S7/51

  Display arrangements · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title