Automatic tracking type measuring apparatus

• US 5,098,185 A
• Filed: 02/13/1990
• Issued: 03/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Japan Industrial Land Development Co. Ltd. (Aomi Construction Co. Ltd.), Kittaka Engineering Laboratory Company Limited, System Technical Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Japan Industrial Land Development Co. Ltd. (Aomi Construction Co. Ltd.), Kittaka Engineering Laboratory Company Limited, System Technical Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kittaka, Kohji, Watanabe, Kaname
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US07/460,109
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 356/1, 356/5, 356/141, 356/152
• US Class Current: 356/4.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4972 Alignment of sensor

Abstract

A reflector provided on a land is automatically collimated in such a way that it always comes to the center of the field of view of an automatic tracking type measuring apparatus provided on a platform. When the platform moves vertically or horizontally in this state, the reflector moves within the field of view. Then, a drive signal is supplied to a servo system to cause the reflector to come to the center of the field of view. Based on data measured by the apparatus, the platform is positioned.

Claims

1. An automatic tracking type measuring apparatus, comprising:

reflector means for reflecting an incident light; and

tracking measuring means having a tracking scanning body and a light wave distance measuring instrument body provided apart from each other vertically at a separation distance, and integrally supported for horizontal rotation;

wherein said tracking scanning body of said tracking measuring means comprises;

scanning means for scanning the laser beam only in the vertical direction in a field of view of the tracking measuring device when said tracking measuring device is set in a search mode for searching for said reflector means positioned apart from said tracking measuring device and for scanning the laser beam both in the horizontal and vertical directions in the field of view of the tracking measuring means when said reflector means is in the field of view of said tracking measuring means and when said tracking measuring means is set in an automatic tracking mode;

rotating means for rotating said tracking measuring means only in the horizontal direction when said tracking measuring means is set in the search mode;

means for detecting the reflector means in the field of view of the tracking measuring means from a reflected laser beam reflected from said reflector means; and

means for stopping rotation of said tracking measuring means when the reflector means is detected in the field of view of the tracking measuring means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reflector means includes two corner cube prisms supported in conformity with said separation distance vertically and with their optical axes being parallel to each other.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said laser beam emitting means includes a semiconductor laser to emit a modulated infrared laser beam.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said tracking measuring means further includes polarizing means for providing circular polarization of said infrared laser beam generated from said semiconductor.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting means has a light axis different from a light axis of said detecting means in said tracking scanning body.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting means has a light axis coincidence with a light axis of said detecting means in said tracking scanning body.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said tracking scanning body includes a parabolic reflector having an irradiation hole for emitting said laser beam to said reflector means through said irradiation hole and the reflected laser beam is reflected by the parabolic reflector and focused on said detecting means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said tracking scanning body includes an objective lens having an irradiation hole formed at a center of the objective lens for emitting said laser beam to said reflector means through the irradiation hole and the reflected laser beam is focused on said detecting means by the objective lens.

9. An automatic tracking method, comprising the steps of:

irradiating to a reflector means a tracking laser beam and a distance measuring laser beam which are apart from each other vertically at a separation distance;

scanning the tracking laser beam only in the vertical direction in a field of view of a tracking measuring means when said tracking measuring means is set in a search mode for searching for said reflector means positioned apart from said tracking measuring means;

scanning the tracking laser beam both in the horizontal and vertical directions in the field of view of the tracking measuring means when said reflector means is in the field of view of said tracking measuring means and when said tracking measuring means is set in an automatic tracking mode;

rotating said tracking measuring means only in the horizontal direction when said tracking measuring means is set in the search mode;

detecting the reflector means in the field of view of the tracking measuring means from a reflected tracking laser beam reflected from said reflector means; and

stopping rotation of said tracking measuring means when the reflector means is detected in the field of view of the tracking measuring means.