Integrated apparatus and method for EDM and GPS surveying

• US 5,760,909 A
• Filed: 03/25/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Nichols, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US08/622,556
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 356/4.08, 356/141.3
• US Class Current: 356/4.08
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating

Abstract

An electronic distance measurement EDM apparatus (41) for attachment to a range pole (42), having a GPS antenna (12) having a circular exterior (46) with a reflective outer surface (54) for reflecting an EDM light beam (56) over an angular azimuth range of 360°. The reflective outer surface (54) is a thin material such as tape or paint. A GPS receiver (16) connects to the GPS antenna (12) for providing a GPS-derived location of a phase center (18) of the GPS antenna (12). An optional radio transmitter (20) transmits information for the GPS-derived location in a GPS location data signal (22). An optional radio receiver (24) receives a differential GPS (DGPS) correction signal (26) and/or a GPS real time kinematic signal (28) for use in improving the accuracy of calculation of the GPS-derived location. An integrated global positioning system / electronic distance measurement (GPS/EDM) surveying system (40) includes the EDM apparatus (41), the range pole (42), and a total station (58). The total station (58) calculates a range by beaming the EDM light beam (56) to the reflective outer surface (54) and receiving a reflection (62).

Claims

1. An electronic distance measurement (EDM) apparatus (41), for attachment to a surveying range pole (42) for reflecting a light beam (56), comprising:

a housing having a circular exterior (46) concentric with a vertical center axis (48) of said range pole (42); and

a reflective outer surface (54) encircling said circular exterior (46) for reflecting said light beam (56) over an angular azimuth range of 360°

.

2. The apparatus (41) of claim 1, wherein:

the reflective outer surface (54) includes a tape attached to said circular exterior (46) and having a reflective side facing outward.

3. The apparatus (41) of claim 1, wherein:

the reflective outer surface (54) includes a reflective paint adhered to said circular exterior (46).

4. The apparatus (41) of claim 1, wherein:

the reflective outer surface (54) includes a horizontal annular ring including multiple prisms not more than ten centimeters thick.

5. The apparatus (41) of claim 1, further including:

a GPS antenna (12) having a phase center (18) having a known spatial relationship with said center axis (48) for receiving a GPS satellite signal (14) and providing an antenna output signal representative of said GPS satellite signal (14).

6. The apparatus (41) of claim 5, wherein:

said phase center (18) is on said center axis (48).

7. The apparatus (41) of claim 6, further including:

a GPS receiver (16) coupled to the GPS antenna (12) for receiving said antenna output signal and providing information for a GPS-derived location of said phase center (18).

8. The apparatus (41) of claim 7, further including:

a radio transmitter (20) coupled to the GPS receiver (16) for transmitting an airwave GPS location data signal (22) representative of said GPS-derived location.

9. The apparatus (41) of claim 7, further including:

a radio receiver (24) for receiving a GPS real time kinematic signal (28) and passing information indicative of GPS reference carrier phase observations to the GPS receiver (16) for use in calculating said GPS-derived location.

10. The apparatus (41) of claim 7, further including:

a radio receiver (24) for receiving an airwave differential GPS correction signal (26) and passing information indicative of DGPS corrections to the GPS receiver (16) for use in calculating said GPS-derived location.

11. The apparatus (41) of claim 1, further including:

said range pole (42).

12. An integrated global positioning system/electronic distance measurement (GPS/EDM) surveying system (40), comprising:

a range pole (42) having a vertical center axis (48);

an EDM apparatus (41) for attachment to the range pole (42) including a housing (44) including a circular exterior (46) having a reflective outer surface (54) concentric with said center axis (48);

a GPS antenna (12) having a phase center (18) on said center axis (48) for receiving a GPS satellite signal (14) and providing an antenna output signal representative of said GPS satellite signal (14); and

a GPS receiver (16) coupled to the GPS antenna (12) for receiving said antenna output signal and providing information for a GPS-derived location of said phase center (18); and

a total station (58) for transmitting a light beam (56) for illuminating said reflective outer surface (54), for receiving a reflection (62) of said light beam (56) from said reflective outer surface (54), and for calculating a range between the range pole (42) and the total station (58).

13. The system (40) of claim 12, further including:

a radio transmitter (20) coupled to said GPS receiver (16) for transmitting an airwave GPS location data signal (22) representative of said GPS-derived location.

14. The system (40) of claim 12, further including:

a radio receiver (24) for receiving an airwave GPS real time kinematic signal (28) and passing information indicative of GPS reference carrier phase observations to the GPS receiver (16) for use in calculating said GPS-derived location.

15. The system (40) of claim 12, further including:

a radio receiver (24) for receiving an airwave differential GPS correction signal (26) and passing information indicative of DGPS corrections to the GPS receiver (16) for use in calculating said GPS-derived location.

16. A method for making an electronic distance measuring (EDM) apparatus (41) for attachment to a surveying range pole (42), including steps of:

making a housing (44) having a circular exterior (46) for concentric attachment to said range pole (42) having a vertical center axis (48); and

coating said circular exterior (46) with a reflective outer surface (54) for reflecting a light beam (56) over an angular azimuth range of 360°

about said center axis (48).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

said reflective outer surface (54) is a reflective paint.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

said reflective outer surface (54) is a reflective tape.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the reflective outer surface (54) includes a horizontal annular ring including multiple prisms not more than ten centimeters thick.

20. A method for surveying including steps of:

positioning a range pole (42) having an attached electronic measurement (EDM) apparatus (41) having a circular exterior (46) having a reflective outer surface (54) over an angular azimuth range of 360°

about a vertical center axis (48) over a first location (52),

positioning a total station (58) over a second location (60);

beaming a light beam (56) from said total station (58) to said reflective outer surface (54);

receiving a reflection (62) of said light beam (54) from said reflective outer surface (54) with said total station (58); and

calculating a range between said first location (52) and said second location (60) by comparing information in said light beam (56) beamed from said total station with information received in said reflection (62).

21. The method of claim 20, further including steps of:

receiving a GPS satellite signal (14) with a GPS antenna (12) having a phase center (18) having a known spatial relationship with said center axis (48); and

calculating a GPS-derived location for said phase center (18) with a GPS receiver (16) coupled to said GPS antenna (12).

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

said phase center (18) is on said center axis (48).