Survey system and method

• US 5,467,290 A
• Filed: 08/18/1993
• Issued: 11/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Durgin, Jerry A., Darland, Fred S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US08/108,364
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 364/559, 364/424.07, 364/443, 364/448, 364/449, 364/460, 364/561, 367/14, 342/357, 342/387, 342/352, 342/140, 342/367, 342/386, 342/463, 324/330, 324/331, 324/323, 455/15, 455/47, 375/5, 375/25, 340/989, 340/993, 33/290, 33/292, 33/294, 356/2, 356/3
• US Class Current: 342/463
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00

Abstract

A survey system including a survey instrument operable to receive signals indicating the Easting, Northing and elevation of a surveyed point. The survey instrument transmits data regarding the surveyed point coordinates to a radio terminal mounted on the survey instrument and having a command keyboard associated therewith. The radio terminal is operable to communicate with a base radio and controller connected to a digital computer which stores survey data for a predetermined number of survey points and is capable of performing calculations of at least elevations of points disposed intermediate a set of coordinates on a survey grid and calculating hole depth for blastholes based on the elevation of a surveyed point on the surface of material from which the hole is to be drilled. The base radio and controller are operable to communicate with plural survey instrument and radio terminal units. The system allows the use of field survey instruments without requiring the placement of the central processing unit and its databases in the field. Relay radio transceivers or modems may be interposed between the controller and the central processing unit. The system may utilize an asynchronous PC type central processing unit in conjunction with commercially available electronic survey instruments.

Claims

1. A survey system for determining at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a survey point from a predetermined point and for comparison with a calculated value of at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of said survey point comprising:

a survey instrument positioned in a known position with respect to said predetermined point, said survey instrument recording the Easting, Northing and elevation of a survey point surveyable by said survey instrument;

a radio terminal electrically connected to said survey instrument for receiving data related to said Northing, Easting and elevation of said survey point and for transmitting a radio frequency signal of said data;

a base radio disposed remote from said survey instrument and said survey point for transmitting and receiving signals of said data to and from said radio terminal;

a controller operably connected to said base radio for processing said data communicated to and from said base radio; and

a central processing unit capable of communicating with said controller for communicating said data related to at least one of a predetermined number of survey points, the distance between one of said predetermined number of survey points and at least one of a plurality of predetermined survey points and the result of a geometric calculation of a parameter of said one of said predetermined number of survey points.

2. The system set forth in claim 1 including:

a second survey instrument and a second radio terminal electrically connected thereto for transmitting and receiving data with respect to at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of another survey point between said central processing unit and said second survey instrument by way of said second radio terminal, said base radio and said controller.

3. The system set forth in claim 1 or 2 wherein:

said central processing unit is in communication with said controller by way of radio transceiver means whereby said central processing unit may be disposed substantially remotely from said survey instruments, respectively.

4. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said radio terminal includes means for inputting certain operating commands to said survey instrument and said central processing unit, respectively.

5. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said survey instrument includes means for receiving commands from said central processing unit and said radio terminal for positioning said survey instrument to locate a survey point.

6. A method for surveying a predetermined area on the earth'"'"'s surface to establish a predetermined elevation for at least one survey point in said area comprising the steps of:

providing a survey instrument having means for measuring the Northing, Easting and elevation of a predetermined survey point and transmitting data describing said one of said Northing, Easting and elevation to radio signal transmitting means;

providing a central processing unit disposed remote from said survey instrument and said predetermined survey point and including a plurality of registers or a database containing values of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of a plurality of survey points in said area;

providing radio signal transmitting means interposed between said survey instrument and said central processing unit for transmitting signals between said survey instrument and said central processing unit;

operating said survey instrument to measure at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said predetermined survey point and transmitting the value of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation through said radio signal transmitting means to said central processing unit;

comparing said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said predetermined survey point with a corresponding value of said one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of at least one of said plurality of survey points in said database; and

transmitting a radio signal representing the value of the difference between said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation measured by said survey instrument and said corresponding value of said at least one of said plurality of survey points in said database to said survey instrument.

7. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein:

the step of comparing said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said predetermined survey point comprises determining the elevation of said predetermined survey point by comparing the distance of said predetermined survey point from selected ones of said plurality of survey points and calculating an elevation of said predetermined survey point based on the distances of said plurality of survey points from said predetermined survey point and the elevations of said plurality of survey points, respectively.

8. The method set forth in claim 7 including the step of:

modifying the values of the elevations of said predetermined plurality of survey points to provide offset values of said elevations prior to calculating the elevation of said predetermined survey point.

9. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein:

said radio transmitting means comprises a radio terminal operably associated with said survey instrument including visual display means and a base radio operably associated with said central processing unit, and said method includes the step of visually displaying said value of said difference on said display means.

11. The method set forth in claim 9 wherein:

said central processing unit includes a plurality of registers or a database containing values of at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a plurality of survey points defining a pattern of blastholes to be drilled in a layer of overburden material, and said method includes the steps of;

transmitting values of the Easting and Northing of one of said plurality of survey points from said central processing unit to said survey instrument and causing said survey instrument to be directed at a target having said Northing and Easting value;

measuring the elevation of a survey point at said Northing and Easting value;

communicating the value of the measured elevation of said survey point from said survey instrument to said central processing unit;

subtracting a predetermined value of the elevation of said one survey point in one of said plurality of registers or said database from said measured elevation of said survey point and calculating the length of a blasthole to be drilled from said survey point at a predetermined angle at said survey point; and

transmitting from said central processing unit to said survey instrument the value of the length of said blasthole to be drilled from said survey point.

10. A land survey method comprising the steps of:

providing a survey instrument having means for measuring at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a predetermined survey point, said survey instrument including means for transmitting and receiving values of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of a predetermined survey point;

providing a central processing unit disposed remote from said survey instrument and said predetermined survey point and including a plurality of registers or a database containing at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a plurality of survey points;

providing radio signal transmitting means for transmitting signals representing said values of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said predetermined survey point and said plurality of survey points between said survey instrument and said central processing unit;

operating said survey instrument to measure at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said predetermined survey point and transmitting the measured value of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation measured by way of said radio signal transmitting means to said central processing unit;

comparing said measured value with corresponding values of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of at least one of said plurality of survey points registered; and

transmitting a radio signal representing a value of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said predetermined survey point to said survey instrument and causing said survey instrument to at least one of visually display said value and position said survey instrument to be directed at a target disposed at said predetermined survey point.

12. A land survey method comprising the steps of:

providing a survey instrument having means for measuring at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a predetermined survey point, said survey instrument including means for transmitting and receiving values of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of a predetermined survey point;

providing a central processing unit disposed remote from said survey instrument and said predetermined survey point and including a plurality of registers or a database containing values of at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a plurality of survey points;

providing radio signal transmitting means for transmitting signals representing said values of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said predetermined survey point and said plurality of survey points between the survey instrument and said central processing unit;

causing said radio signal transmitting means to request the central processing unit to transmit the Northing and Easting values of a first predetermined survey point to said survey instrument by way of said radio signal transmitting means;

causing said survey instrument to point its telescope to a position corresponding to the Northing and Easting of said first predetermined survey point;

causing said survey instrument to read the elevation of said first predetermined survey point and communicate the value of the elevation of said first predetermined survey point to said central processing unit;

calculating the distance from said first predetermined survey point to a second predetermined survey point and transmitting said distance from said central processing unit to said survey instrument;

determining a second survey point located said distance from said first predetermined survey point and measuring the Northing, Easting and elevation of said second survey point;

transmitting the values of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said second survey point to said central processing unit and calculating a new distance from said first predetermined survey point based on the values measured of said second survey point;

repeating the process of measuring the Northing, Easting and elevation of said second survey point and calculating a distance from said first predetermined survey point to said second survey point until two substantially equal distances have been calculated; and

marking the location of said second survey point based on the two equal distances from said first predetermined survey point to said second survey point.

13. A land survey method comprising the steps of:

providing plural survey instruments, each having means for measuring at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a survey point, said survey instruments each including means for transmitting and receiving values of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said survey points;

providing a radio terminal electrically connected to each of said survey instruments, respectively, for transmitting data representing values of said at least one of said Northing, Easting and elevation of a survey point received from said survey instrument and to said survey instrument, respectively;

providing a central processing unit disposed remote from said radio terminals, said survey instruments and said survey points and including a plurality of registers or a database containing values of at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a plurality of survey points;

providing a base radio for receiving and transmitting signals with respect to said radio terminals, respectively, of said values of said Northing, Easting and elevation of said survey points measured by said survey instruments and said plurality of survey points registered by said central processing unit;

providing a controller electrically connected to said base radio and to said central processing unit for communicating said values between said radio terminals and said central processing unit;

initiating a survey measurement by at least one of said survey instruments by causing said central processing unit to effect communication with said controller;

selecting one of said plurality of registers or said database containing in said central processing unit having said values of said survey points;

communicating data from said controller to said central processing unit;

causing said radio terminals to be set to transmit or receive data with respect to said base radio; and

causing said central processing unit, said controller, said base radio and said radio terminals to effect at least one of communicating data representing a value of at least one of the Northing, Easting and elevation of a survey point measured by said survey instruments, respectively, to said central processing unit and communicating said data from said central processing unit to said radio terminals, respectively.