Hand-held distance-measuring device having an angle-determining unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753135-B2
Application number	US-201314421368-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2013
Priority date	Aug 16, 2012
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention relate to a hand-held distance-measuring device, comprising a housing, a distance-measuring unit for measuring distances to spatial points along an emission direction in a space, an evaluating component, a dimensionally stable referencing support, and an angle-determining unit for determining an angle of rotation (a, between the housing and the referencing support. In some embodiments, the housing and the referencing support are designed in such a way and coordinated with each other in such a way that the referencing support can assume a passive position, in which the referencing support is inserted into an recess of the housing or is fastened such as to lie flatly against the housing. In some embodiments, the referencing support can assume a referencing position in which the referencing support is connected to the housing at a first end of the referencing support by means of a joint.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hand-held distance measuring device comprising:
a housing;
a distance measuring unit for measuring distances to spatial points along an emission direction in a space;
an evaluation component;
a dimensionally stable referencing support; and
an angle determining unit for determining a rotational angle (α, β) between the housing and the referencing support, wherein:
a first end of the referencing support is connected via a hinge joint to the housing in a manner rotatable about a rotational point, at least about a transverse axis orthogonal to the emission direction and a vertical axis, wherein the housing comprises a cutout and the referencing support and the housing are conditioned and adapted to one another in such a way that:
the referencing support can be brought by a folding-out movement from a passive position, in which it is inserted into the cutout, into a referencing position, in which, with a second end, it is fixable to a reference point of a reference object; and
a location of the housing in relation to the space and/or relative to the reference point is determinable in a fully automatic manner when fixing the referencing support on the reference point.

2. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the angle determining unit contains at least one rotary encoder, which is configured to register at least one horizontal rotational angle (α) about the vertical axis between the housing and the referencing support.

3. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the angle determining unit contains at least two rotary encoders, which are configured to register at least one horizontal rotational angle (α) about the vertical axis and a vertical tilt angle (β) about the transverse axis between the housing and the referencing support.

4. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one inclination sensor, which is configured to establish an alignment of the distance measuring device in the space to establish an alignment of the referencing support in the space.

5. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one inclination sensor, which is configured to establish an alignment of the distance measuring device in the space to register at least one vertical tilt angle (β) of the housing about a rotational point.

6. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the evaluation component is configured:
to derive and provide the measured distances;
to derive and provide measured angles (α, β);
to calculate and provide a distance between two measured spatial points;
to calculate and provide an oblique distance and/or a height difference between two measured spatial points; and/or
to calculate and provide positions in a three-dimensional local coordinate system.

7. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the referencing support and the cutout are designed in such a way that the referencing support can be brought from the passive position into the referencing position and back into the passive position by a folding-out movement about the hinge joint.

8. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein it is embodied as an attachment module for connection with a hand-held small computer, wherein measurement data are transferable wirelessly or via a data interface.

9. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein it is embodied as an attachment module for connection with a smartphone or a tablet computer, wherein measurement data are transferable wirelessly or via a data interface.

10. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
a camera for recording images in the direction of the emission direction;
a display for displaying images recorded by means of the camera and/or measured and calculated distances and angles (α, β); and/or
input means, for selecting functions.

11. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the distance measuring unit comprises a laser rangefinder.

12. The distance measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the angle determining unit comprises at least one rotary encoder.

13. A method for a hand-held distance measuring device for establishing geometric data in a space, wherein the geometric data comprise coordinates of spatial points, a distance between two spatial points, and/or angles (α, β), the method comprising:
folding out a referencing support from a passive position, in which it is inserted into a cutout of a housing of the device, into a referencing position, in which, with a second end, it is fixable to a reference point of a reference object,
measuring a distance in a first emission direction to a first spatial point and registering a first alignment of the housing relative to the space in the first emission direction; and
measuring a distance in a second emission direction to a second spatial point and registering a second alignment of the housing relative to the space in the second emission direction;
wherein:
the second end of the referencing support is fixed on a reference point of a reference object for the period of the measurement sequence;
the first and the second alignment of the housing is registered by means of an angle determining unit determining a rotational angle (α, β) between the housing and the referencing support;
for the purposes of establishing the geometric data, the measured distances are put into relation with one another on the basis of the first and the second registered alignment of the housing; and
the knowledge about the fixation of the second end of the referencing support on the reference point.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein:
an alignment of the housing and/or of the referencing support in the space is dynamically continuously established during the measurement of the distance to a spatial point; and
distances are also calculated on the basis of the established changes in the alignment of the referencing support in the space.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the distance between two spatial points being calculated by triangulation.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the distance between two spatial points being calculated by the law of cosines and by the measured distances to the spatial points and at least one angle (α, β) between a first emission direction and a second emission direction.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising:
measuring the distances to at least two spatial points, wherein:
the vertical alignment and the horizontal alignment of the housing is registered during each distance measurement;
the relative location of the reference object in relation to the spatial points remains unchanged during the measurement; and
calculating the coordinates of at least two measured spatial points.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein:
a horizontal plane is defined on the basis of the coordinates of a spatial point and, optionally, a distance of a second spatial point to this plane is established; and/or
on the basis of the coordinates of at least two spatial points;
a distance is established between two spatial points; and/or
a path of a straight line through two spatial points is established and, optionally, a distance of a third spatial point or a parallel line, which is defined by a third spatial point, from this straight line is established.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wher

Assignees

• Leica Geosystems Ag

Inventors

• Bösch Thomas

Classifications

• G01S17/08

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

• G01C15/002

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

• G01B11/26 Primary

  for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes · CPC title

• G01S17/46

  Indirect determination of position data · CPC title

• G01B11/026

  by measuring distance between sensor and object (G01B11/0608 takes precedence) · CPC title