Acquisition of Information for a Construction Site

• US 20130096873A1
• Filed: 10/15/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Inventors: Rosengaus, Eliezer, Levy, Ady, Bhaskar, Kris
• Granted Patent: US 9,222,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/151
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105

Abstract

Systems and methods for acquiring information for a construction site are provided. One system includes a base unit positioned within a construction site by a user. A computer subsystem of the base unit determines a position of the base unit with respect to the construction site. The system also includes a measurement unit moved within the construction site by a user. The measurement unit includes one or more elements configured to interact with light in a known manner. An optical subsystem of the base unit directs light to the element(s) and detects the light after interacting with the element(s). The computer subsystem is configured to determine a position and pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit based on the detected light. The measurement unit includes a measurement device used by the measurement unit or the base unit to determine information for the construction site.

Claims

1. A system configured to acquire information for a construction site, comprising:

a base unit positioned within the construction site by a user, wherein the base unit comprises an optical subsystem and a computer subsystem, and wherein the computer subsystem is configured to determine a position of the base unit with respect to the construction site; and

a measurement unit configured to be moved within the construction site by a user, wherein the measurement unit comprises one or more elements that are configured to interact with light in a known manner, wherein the optical subsystem of the base unit is configured to direct light to the one or more elements and detect the light after interacting with the one or more elements, wherein the computer subsystem of the base unit is configured to determine a position and pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit based on the detected light, and wherein the measurement unit comprises a measurement device configured to be used by the measurement unit or the base unit to determine information for the construction site.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem is further configured to determine the position of the base unit with respect to the construction site by determining a position of the base unit with respect to a design for the construction site.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical subsystem of the base unit comprises a multi-directional optical subsystem.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem is further configured to determine the position of the base unit with respect to the construction site by using the optical subsystem of the base unit to identify two or more reference points having known positions within the construction site and determining the position of the base unit relative to the two or more reference points.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the two or more reference points comprise two or more tags positioned in the construction site by the user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the two or more tags comprise passive elements.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the two or more tags comprise active elements.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the two or more reference points comprise fixed construction elements of the construction site.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer subsystem of the base unit is further is configured to modify the two or more reference points over time based on changes in the construction site.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the position of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit comprises a position of the measurement unit in three-dimensional coordinates, and wherein the pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit comprises an orientation of a point of view of the measurement unit.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit further comprises one or more sensors configured to determine the direction of gravity relative to a coordinate system of the measurement unit.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit further comprises one or more devices configured to determine an azimuth direction of the base unit in a coordinate system of the measurement unit.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more elements of the measurement unit comprise one or more reflective or partially reflective elements.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more elements of the measurement unit are passive elements.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more elements of the measurement unit are active elements.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more elements of the measurement unit has a curved surface that at least partially reflects the light directed by the base unit.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem of the base unit is further configured to determine the position and pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit based on a shape of the tight of the base unit on at least one of the one or more elements of the measurement unit.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem of the base unit is further configured to determine the position and pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit based on locations of multiple light beams directed by the optical subsystem of the base unit onto at least one of the one or more elements of the measurement unit.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit further comprises one or more sensors configured to detect the light from the optical subsystem of the base unit and one or more devices configured to send feedback to the base unit based on output from the one or more sensors such that the base unit can re-direct the light to the one or more elements of the measurement unit.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem of the base unit is further configured to determine a position and pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit based on the detected light and information from the measurement unit.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the information for the construction site comprises one or more characteristics of one or more construction elements of the construction site.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a presence or an absence of the one or more construction elements.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise position, dimension, or some combination thereof of the one or more construction elements.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises a rod having a first end coupled to the measurement unit and a second end that is positioned by the user in contact with one or more construction elements for which the information is being determined, and wherein the rod has a predetermined, fixed length and orientation with respect to the measurement unit.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises a stereo camera configured to generate one or more images of one or more construction elements of the construction site.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises an illumination subsystem configured to direct structured illumination onto one or more construction elements of the construction site.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the information for the construction site comprises one or more two-dimensional or three-dimensional images of one or more construction elements of the construction site.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises a two-dimensional camera, and wherein the information comprises a three-dimensional image of the construction site generated by the base unit or the measurement unit using two or more two-dimensional images generated by the two-dimensional camera.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises one or more three-dimensional ranging sensors, and wherein the information comprises three-dimensional data for the construction site generated based on output of the one or more three-dimensional ranging sensors.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises a single point scanner.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises a range sensor.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit further comprises a computer subsystem configured to display to the user on a display device of the measurement unit the information for the construction site with a design for the construction site.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the construction site is a partially constructed building.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit or the base unit is further configured to use the information for the construction site to determine if one or more elements detected in the information are permanent construction elements or temporary elements.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit or the base unit is further configured to use the information for the construction site to correlate one or more elements detected in the information with one or more construction elements in a design for the construction site.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer subsystem of the base unit, the measurement unit, or another computer subsystem is further configured to generate information about progress of the construction site based on the information for the construction site.

37. A method for acquiring information for a construction site, comprising:

determining a position of a base unit with respect to the construction site, wherein the base unit is positioned within the construction site by a user, and wherein the base unit comprises an optical subsystem and a computer subsystem;

directing light to one or more elements of a measurement unit using the optical subsystem of the base unit, wherein the one or more elements interact with the light in a known manner, and wherein the measurement unit is moved within the construction site by a user;

detecting the light after interacting with the one or more elements using the optical subsystem of the base unit;

determining a position and pose of the measurement unit with respect to the base unit based on the detected light using the computer subsystem of the base unit; and

determining information for the construction site using measurement device of the measurement unit.