Surveying instrument

• US 6,445,446 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Kumagai, Kaoru, Ohtomo, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US09/461,975
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 356/139.04, 356/141.1, 356/152.3, 356/139.07, 250/203.1, 250/203.7, 250/206.1, 250/206.3
• US Class Current: 356/139.04
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 1/02 Theodolites
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4811 common to transmitter and receiver

Abstract

A photodetecting system for an automatic surveying instrument equipped with an automatic tracking system is capable of controlling the automatic surveying instrument by simple photodetecting means. A collimating optical system collimates the surveying instrument with respect to an object, a splitting optical device splits incident light rays received from the collimating optical system into light rays that travel toward first and second photodetecting devices, respectively, a first light condensing device disposed on an optical path between the first photodetecting device and the splitting optical device gathers the light rays in a first direction, and a second light condensing device disposed on an optical path between the second photodetecting device and the splitting optical device gathers the light rays in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

Claims

1. A surveying instrument, comprising:

a collimating optical system for collimating the surveying instrument with respect to an object;

a light emitter for emitting tracking light;

a projecting optical system for projecting said tracking light from said collimating optical system toward said object;

a splitting optical device for splitting tracking light reflected by said object and incident via said collimating optical system;

first and second light receiving devices;

a first condensing device optically arranged between said splitting optical device and said first light receiving device for condensing tracking light in a first transverse direction; and

a second condensing device optically arranged between said splitting optical device and said second light receiving device for condensing tracking light in a second transverse direction, optically perpendicular to said first transverse direction;

wherein said first and second light receiving devices are arranged to receive light along first and second lines corresponding to said condensed tracking light from said first and second condensing devices.

2. A surveying instrument according to claim 1 wherein each of said first and second condensing devices comprise cylindrical lenses.

3. A surveying instrument according to claim 1 wherein said first and second light receiving devices comprise linear sensors arranged along said first and second lines.