Method and Apparatus for Configuring a Survey Controller

• US 20100059584A1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Peskin, Christopher Alexander, Hanson, Nigel Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,261,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration

Abstract

Method and apparatus for configuring a controller for surveying equipment. In one embodiment, an identification tag associated with a surveying tool may be detected by a controller. An indicator related to the identification tag may be presented to a user of the controller. According to another embodiment, operation of the controller may be configured based, at least in part, on the identification tag.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a controller of surveying equipment, the method comprising the acts of:

detecting an identification tag by the controller associated with a surveying tool;

presenting an indicator to a user of the controller, wherein the indicator relates to the identification tag; and

configuring operation of the controller based, at least in part, on the identification tag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification tag is one of a radio frequency identification tag and a barcode tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator relates to at least one of a visual notification provided by a controller display and an audible tone.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting data provided by the identification tag associated with the surveying tool, wherein the data comprises at least one characteristic of the survey tool.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the controller includes configuring the controller to interoperate with the surveying tool.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a user identification tag associated with the identification tag.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein configuring the controller includes configuring a user interface of the controller based on a user profile associated with the user identification tag.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting additional identification tags associated with additional surveying tools.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising configuring operation of the controller to interoperate with the additional surveying tools based, at least in part, on additional identification tags.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising integrating measurement data received from the surveying tool.

11. A controller of surveying equipment, the controller comprising:

a display;

a tag reader configured to detect an identification tag associated with a surveying tool; and

a processor coupled to the display and the tag reader, the processor configured to;

present an indicator to a user of the controller, wherein the indicator relates to the identification tag, and

configure operation of the controller based, at least in part, on the identification tag.

12. The controller of claim 11, wherein the identification tag is one of a radio frequency identification tag and a barcode tag.

13. The controller of claim 11, wherein the indicator relates to at least one of a visual notification provided by the display and an audible tone.

14. The controller of claim 11, wherein the tag reader is further configured to detect data provided by the identification tag associated with the surveying tool, wherein the data comprises at least one characteristic of the survey tool.

15. The controller of claim 11, wherein configuring the controller includes configuring the controller to interoperate with the surveying tool.

16. The controller of claim 11, the tag reader is further configured to detect a user identification tag associated with the identification tag.

17. The controller of claim 16, wherein configuring the controller includes configuring a user interface of the controller based on a user profile associated with the user identification tag.

18. The controller of claim 11, wherein the tag reader is further configured to detect a plurality of identification tags associated with a plurality of surveying tools.

19. The controller of claim 18, comprising configuring operation of the controller to interoperate with the additional surveying tools based, at least in part, on additional identification tags.

20. The controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to integrate measurement data received from the surveying tool.