Surveying Instrument

• US 20200132840A1
• Filed: 10/24/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topcon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Topcon Corporation
• Inventors: Nishita, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 11,500,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/085 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/46 Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/006 Detectors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/008 combined with inclination sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning

Abstract

A surveying instrument comprises a distance measuring module configured to perform a distance measurement of an objects to be measured, an optical axis deflector which is provided on a distance measuring optical axis and enables to two-dimensionally deflect the distance measuring optical axis, an arithmetic control module configured to control a deflecting action of the optical axis deflector and a distance measuring action of the distance measuring module, and a display module configured to display calculation results by the arithmetic control module, and wherein the arithmetic control module is configured to scan at least one plane of the objects to be measured in a predetermined scan pattern in at least one cycle by the optical axis deflector, to calculate parameters of the plane based on a measurement result of point cloud data acquired along a locus of a scan, and to display the calculated parameters on the display module.

Claims

1. A surveying instrument comprising a surveying instrument main body, wherein said surveying instrument main body comprises a distance measuring light projecting module configured to project a distance measuring light toward objects to be measured, a light receiving module configured to receive a reflected distance measuring light and to generate a light receiving signal, a distance measuring module configured to perform a distance measurement based on said light receiving signal, an optical axis deflector which is provided on a distance measuring optical axis and enables to two-dimensionally deflect said distance measuring optical axis, a projecting direction detecting module configured to detect a deflection angle of said distance measuring optical axis and to perform an angle measurement, an arithmetic control module configured to control a deflecting action of said optical axis deflector and a distance measuring action of said distance measuring module, and a display module configured to display calculation results by said arithmetic control module, and wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to scan at least one plane of said objects to be measured in a predetermined scan pattern in at least one cycle by said optical axis deflector, to calculate parameters of said plane based on a measurement result of point cloud data acquired along a locus of a scan, and to display the calculated parameters on said display module.

2. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein said parameters of said plane include an information of at least an inclination and an inclining direction of said plane.

3. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to calculate normal vectors of a plane on which three continuous measuring points in said point cloud data exist based on said three measuring points, to calculate said plane based on said normal vectors, and to calculate parameters of said plane based on a calculation result.

4. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to perform a scan with said distance measuring light in such a manner that said distance measuring light reaches two adjacent planes of said objects to be measured, to calculate parameters of said two planes and intersection lines on which said two planes cross each other based on a scan result, to calculate differences between said parameters and a reference position set in advance, and to guide said objects to be measured to said reference position based on said differences.

5. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, both two objects to be measured are positioned in a deflection range of said optical axis deflector, and said arithmetic control module is configured to alternately scan at least one surface of each of said two objects to be measured, to calculate parameters of said surfaces of said two objects to be measured based on a scan result, respectively, and to guide said two objects to be measured based on differences between each of said parameters in such a manner that said two objects to be measured have a predetermined positional relationship.

6. The surveying instrument according to claim 4, wherein said parameters of said intersection line include an information of at least an inclination and an inclining direction of said intersection lines.

7. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein said optical axis deflector comprises a pair of rotatable optical prisms and motors configured to individually independently rotate said optical prisms, and said arithmetic control module is configured to control a rotating direction, a rotating speed, and a rotation ratio of said pair of optical prisms by a driving control of said motors, to control a deflection of said distance measuring optical axis by said optical axis deflector, and to make said distance measuring light two-dimensionally scan.

8. The surveying instrument according to y claim 1, further comprising a supporting portion configured to support said surveying instrument main body rotatably in an up-and-down direction and a left-and-right direction, a rotation driving module configured to rotate said surveying instrument main body in the up-and-down direction and the left-and-right direction, and an angle detector configured to detect an up-and-down angle and a left-and-right angle of said surveying instrument main body.

9. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, further comprising an image pickup module having an image pickup optical axis parallel to a reference optical axis which is said distance measuring optical axis in a state of not being deflected by said optical axis deflector, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to select said objects to be measured which are to be measured based on an image acquired by said image pickup module.

10. The surveying instrument according to claim 9, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to track said objects to be measured based on the image acquired by said image pickup module.

11. The surveying instrument according to claim 2, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to calculate normal vectors of a plane on which three continuous measuring points in said point cloud data exist based on said three measuring points, to calculate said plane based on said normal vectors, and to calculate parameters of said plane based on a calculation result.

12. The surveying instrument according to claim 2, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to perform a scan with said distance measuring light in such a manner that said distance measuring light reaches two adjacent planes of said objects to be measured, to calculate parameters of said two planes and intersection lines on which said two planes cross each other based on a scan result, to calculate differences between said parameters and a reference position set in advance, and to guide said objects to be measured to said reference position based on said differences.

13. The surveying instrument according to claim 2, both two objects to be measured are positioned in a deflection range of said optical axis deflector, and said arithmetic control module is configured to alternately scan at least one surface of each of said two objects to be measured, to calculate parameters of said surfaces of said two objects to be measured based on a scan result, respectively, and to guide said two objects to be measured based on differences between each of said parameters in such a manner that said two objects to be measured have a predetermined positional relationship.

14. The surveying instrument according to claim 2, wherein said optical axis deflector comprises a pair of rotatable optical prisms and motors configured to individually independently rotate said optical prisms, and said arithmetic control module is configured to control a rotating direction, a rotating speed, and a rotation ratio of said pair of optical prisms by a driving control of said motors, to control a deflection of said distance measuring optical axis by said optical axis deflector, and to make said distance measuring light two-dimensionally scan.

15. The surveying instrument according to claim 2, further comprising a supporting portion configured to support said surveying instrument main body rotatably in an up-and-down direction and a left-and-right direction, a rotation driving module configured to rotate said surveying instrument main body in the up-and-down direction and the left-and-right direction, and an angle detector configured to detect an up-and-down angle and a left-and-right angle of said surveying instrument main body.

16. The surveying instrument according to claim 2, further comprising an image pickup module having an image pickup optical axis parallel to a reference optical axis which is said distance measuring optical axis in a state of not being deflected by said optical axis deflector, wherein said arithmetic control module is configured to select said objects to be measured which are to be measured based on an image acquired by said image pickup module.