Arrangement for performing position determination

• US 5,313,409 A
• Filed: 10/04/1991
• Issued: 05/17/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Geotronics AB A Swedish Body Corporate
• Original Assignee: Geotronics
• Inventors: Herztman, Mikael, Engdahl, Olle, Andersson, Leif, Ericsson, Lars, Wiklund, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wachsman, Hal D.
• Application Number:
  US07/768,668
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 33/290-296, 318/580, 318/587, 364/561, 364/505, 364/556, 364/516, 356/5, 356/141, 356/152
• US Class Current: 356/4.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 1/02 Theodolites
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105

Abstract

An arrangement for one-man surveying, including a measuring station (1) and a target unit (2). A sighting-marker arrangement is provided which can be indicated by an indicator arrangement (7) on the measuring station. The measuring station (1) automatically takes a target seeking mode when the indicator arrangement (7) does not indicate the sighting-marker arrangement and a target following mode, when the indicator arrangement indicates the sighting-marker arrangement. The sighting-marker arrangement includes a combination of a first and a second sighting-marker unit. The first unit has a light source (8) on the target unit (2). The second unit has a light source (9) on the measuring station (1) and a reflector (11) on the target unit (2).

Claims

1. An arrangement for performing position-determining and/or setting-out work for one-man surveying, which locks a measuring station on a target unit comprising:

(a) a measuring station (1) provided with an instrument which can be rotated about a horizontal axis with the aid of a steerable vertical-angle motor (3) and about a vertical axis with the aid of a steerable horizontal-angle motor (4);

(b) a steering and computing unit (12) in said instrument having memory and being connected to said motors (3,

     4);

(c) a target unit (2); and

a seeking and locating arrangement for positioning said measuring arrangement with respect to said target unit comprising;

(d) a first sighting-marker unit comprising a light source (8) placed on said target unit (2) and arranged to be directed towards said measuring station (1) and having a first light characteristic;

(e) an indicator arrangement (7) which is adapted to detect transmitted light from said first sighting-marker unit on said measuring station for detecting said first sighting-marker unit when said instrument is in alignment with said target unit; and

(f) a second sighting-marker unit (8, 9,

     11) comprising a light source (9) placed on said measuring station (1) and having a second light characteristic, a reflector (11) placed on said target unit (2), the light beam reflected by said reflector (11) being detectable by said indicator arrangement (7) on said measuring station;

(g) said steering and computing unit steering said motors to turn said measuring station to be directed to said target unit (2) when said indicator arrangement (7) does not detect said first and second sighting-marker units in accordance with predetermined rules, and switching into a target tracking mode with servo control directed towards said target unit when said indicator arrangement indicates said sighting-marker first and second units.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the target seeking mode the steering and computing unit (12) is arranged to indicate the signals from both said first and said second sighting-marker units simultaneously and only to accept lock said measuring station on a target unit if signals from both said sighting-marker units are present.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein during a target-tracking sequence the steering and computing unit (12) is operative to receive signals representing the signal characters of both the first and the second sighting-marker units from the indicator arrangement and to indicate the occurrence of a difference concerning impingement-point positions of the light detector (7) of the indicator arrangement or with respect to signal strength between signals indicated by the light detector or light detectors in the indicator arrangement with respect to the two sighting-marker units, and is also operative to utilize sighting signals from the first-mentioned sighting-marker unit for continuously servo-steering the motors of the instrument for alignment with the target unit when the indicated difference exceeds a predetermined value and otherwise to utilize the sighting signal obtained from the other sighting-marker unit to effect this servo-steering function.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein in the target tracking mode the steering and computing unit (12) is arranged to indicate the signals only from said first sighting-marker unit, when said measuring station is to make a measurement to said target unit when it is set at a point to which measurement is to be made.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each of the light detectors (7) of the indicator arrangement is divided into different segments (31-34;

35-42); and

that the servo-control during said target tracking mode is arranged to be carried out so that all segments at least close to a central point will be illuminated to approximately the same extent by the light source (8;

     9) of that sighting-marker unit whose sighting signal is used for alignment purposes at that moment.

6. An arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the segments are divided into sectors from within a central point and outwards;

and said servo-control is effected so that the light from the light source (8,

     9) of the sighting-marker unit used for alignment at that moment impinges most strongly on the sectors located closest to the central point.

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each light detector includes a SITEC-detector.

8. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the steering and computing unit is provided with information concerning a limited field of rotation within which the target unit shall be found, and when in the target seeking mode is operative to cause the motors of the instrument to rotate said instrument solely within said limited rotational field.

9. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein in the absence of a signal from the sightingmarker units of the indicator arrangement on the measuring station, the steering and computing unit (12) is set to a target seeking mode in which said unit steers the motors of the instrument such as to rotate the instrument into alignment with setting-out staffs, which is indicated by indication of one of the sighting-marker units by the indicator arrangement.

10. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein in the target seeking mode the steering and computing unit (12) is operative to cause the motors to move so rapidly as to prevent the rotating instrument from being brought to an immediate standstill when the indicator arrangement indicates a sighting-marker unit, and the steering and computing unit is operative to indicate the rotational position of the instrument at the time of indicating said sighting-marker unit, to bring the motors to a standstill and then to cause the motors to rotate the instrument back to its position of rotation in which the sighting-marker unit was indicated.

11. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the measuring station has a first angle meter (18) operative to measure rotation of the instrument about one of said axes;

the target unit (2) has a sighting unit (21), at least one second angle meter (22) for measuring alignment of the sighting unit with the measuring station in the same direction as the first angle meter, and a transmitter unit connected to the second angle meter (22) and an activating means for transmitting the prevailing setting of the second angle meter (22) upon activation of said activating means; and

the measuring station (1) has a receiver which is operative to receive signals transmitted by the transmitter unit and to calculate the angle to which the first angle meter (18) of the measuring station shall be set in order for the optical system of the measuring station to be in alignment with the sighting-marker arrangement of the target unit at any position of rotation about the second of said axes and when receiving to activate the steering and computing unit (12) to activate the steering and computing unit (12) in a manner to set the angle motor (3) of the instrument for rotation about the axis indicated by the first angle meter for rotation to the calculated direction and then to cause the angle motor (4) not associated with the first angle meter to rotate the instrument until the indicator arrangement of the measuring station indicates the sighting-marker arrangement.

12. An arrangement in accordance with claim 1, wherein in order to determine the slope of a specific detector curve regarding the exact alignment of said measuring station towards said target unit and related to the actual measured distance to the target unit, said detection curve being provided for the signal level value versus the angular deviation from the optical axis, stored constants, each being specific to a measured distance to the target unit as measured by said measuring station, are stored in a table in a non-erasable storage using the distance value or a converted form of it as an address.

13. An arrangement in accordance with claim 12, wherein in order to calibrate said slope of each said detector curve, said steering and computing unit is adapted to control said motors to make small angular rotations read by angle transducers, to provide measurement of the corresponding detector signal level change, and to calculate the slope of the detector curve for the distance in question.