Measuring appliance comprising a dynamic sighting functionality and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9829314-B2
Application number	US-201213993014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2012
Priority date	Jan 11, 2011
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

According to the invention, the construction measuring device has a functionality for modifying the orientation of the sighting unit in a manually controllable manner, within the framework of which the orientation of the sighting unit is dynamically modified by the first or second rotary drive, according to a current direction and a current distance from a defined central anchor display point to a currently marked display point. The respective current direction defines an orientation modifying direction and the respective current distance defines an orientation modifying speed for changing the orientation of the sighting unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A measuring appliance for measuring spatial points of surfaces of a construction including interiors of buildings, the measuring apparatus comprising:
a base;
a sighting unit, which is rotatable and pivotable relative to the base and provides distance measuring functionality, having a laser source designed to emit a laser beam in the direction of an aiming axis, and a laser light detector and also having an integrated digital camera aligned in a direction of the aiming axis;
an evaluation and control unit;
a display for representing an image of the camera;
input means for marking display points on the display;
a first and a second rotary drive that make the sighting unit drivable and alignable;
a spatial alignment of the sighting unit relative to the base is detectable by means of two goniometers;
the evaluation and control unit is connected to the laser source, the laser light detector and also the goniometers in order to assign a detected distance to a corresponding alignment and thus to determine coordinates for spatial points, and is also connected to the camera;
wherein the measuring appliance is equipped with a functionality for changing the alignment of the sighting unit in a manually controllable manner, in the course of which functionality the alignment of the sighting unit is changed dynamically by the first and/or second rotary drive dependent on a continuously determined current direction and a continuously determined current distance from a defined central anchor display point to a currently marked display point; and
wherein the respective current direction sets an alignment change direction and the respective current distance sets an alignment change speed for changing the alignment of the sighting unit; and
wherein the alignment change speed depends on the respective current distance in such a way that:
movement of the sighting unit is effected with maximum available speed if the current distance from the currently marked display point to the anchor display point is maximal; and
the alignment change speed is equal to zero if the currently marked display point coincides with the anchor display point.

2. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anchor display point is defined as that display point which represents the position of the aiming axis in the image and thus a target image point.

3. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the functionality for changing the alignment of the sighting unit can be activated by marking the reticle or the display point representing the target image point.

4. The measuring appliance as claimed claim 1 , wherein the display is embodied as a touch-sensitive touchscreen, on which display points can be marked by touch, and the input means are thereby provided.

5. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in the course of the functionality for changing the alignment of the sighting unit, the alignment change direction for changing the alignment of the sighting unit is analogous to the respective current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point, wherein the alignment change direction is thus chosen in such a way that it:
contains an upwardly directed component including the sighting unit which is pivoted upward about a horizontal pivoting axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains an upwardly pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated above the anchor display point;
contains a downwardly directed component including the sighting unit is pivoted downward about the horizontal pivoting axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a downwardly pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated below the anchor display point;
contains a leftward directed component including the sighting unit is rotated leftward about a vertical rotation axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a leftward pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated to the left of the anchor display point; and
contains a rightward directed component including the sighting unit is rotated rightward about the vertical rotation axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a rightward pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated to the right of the anchor display point.

6. The measuring appliance as claimed claim 1 , wherein in the context course of the functionality for changing the alignment of the sighting unit:
the alignment change speed is maximal if the current distance from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point is also maximal; and
when the currently marked display point coincides with the anchor display point, the alignment change speed is equal to zero and a pause is then made in the current alignment of the sighting unit.

7. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the display is subdivided into virtual sectors by means of a virtual line grid placed around the anchor display point, said grid being formed by concentric circular lines around the anchor display point and radial lines which proceed from the anchor display point and intersect said circular lines, wherein the sectors correspond to digitized values for the alignment change direction and the alignment change speed and the alignment of the sighting unit is changed with the alignment change direction and alignment change speed assigned to the respective sector for as long as one of the display points lying within said sector is marked, and the alignment change direction and alignment change speed are correspondingly changed as soon as a display point lying within a different sector is marked, namely to the alignment change direction and respectively alignment change speed corresponding to the different sector.

8. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the concentric circular lines around the anchor display point correspond to different distances from the currently marked display point to the anchor display point, whereby alignment change speed levels are defined, wherein the outermost sectors correspond to the maximum alignment change speed.

9. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the virtual line grid is established in such a way that a multiplicity of sectors are defined thereby.

10. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the virtual line grid is established in such a way that a at least approximately 30 sectors are defined thereby.

11. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the virtual line grid is established in such a way that at least approximately 50 sectors are defined thereby.

12. The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anchor display point is defined as that display point which represents the position of the aiming axis in the image and thus a target image point and the latter is indicated on the display by a reticle that can be represented in a manner superimposed on the image.

13. A method for the manually controlled alignment of a sighting unit of a measuring appliance on the basis of marking display points on a display, wherein the measuring appliance comprises:
a base;
the sighting unit, which is rotatable and pivotable relative to the base and provides distance measuring functionality, having a laser source designed to emit a lase

Assignees

• Schorr Christian
• Schroeder Frank
• Leica Geosystems Ag

Inventors

• Schorr Christian
• Schroeder Frank

Classifications

• G01C15/002 Primary

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

• G01C11/00 Primary

  Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying · CPC title

• G01C15/00 Primary

  Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00 · CPC title