Surveying instrument and plumbing device for plumbing surveying instrument

• US 6,453,569 B1
• Filed: 07/08/1999
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Kumagai, Kaoru, Ohtomo, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Diego
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guadalupe, Yaritza
• Application Number:
  US09/348,211
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 332/90, 332/92, 332/81, 332/82, 332/84, 332/85, 332/86, 356/148, 356/247, 356/248, 356/3, 356/3.01, 356/3.02
• US Class Current: 33/281
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 1/02 Theodolites
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/08 Plumbing or registering staffs or markers over ground marks
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/00 Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels G01C3/20, G01C3/30 take precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is a surveying instrument and a plumbing device for plumbing the surveying instrument. The plumbing device is capable of calculating dislocations x and y of the surveying instrument from a datum point, and the instrument height H of the surveying instrument. The plumbing device comprises optical means for forming an image of a target placed at a survey station to indicate the survey station, photoelectric means for receiving an image of the target and providing an image signal, and processing means for calculating instrument height corresponding to distance between a reference point on the surveying instrument and the target, and dislocations of the reference point from the survey station.

Claims

1. A plumbing device for plumbing a surveying instrument, comprising:

a target for placing at a survey station to indicate the survey station and the target providing a pattern, the target being marked with a predetenmined pattern indicating the surveying station;

optical means for forming an image of the pattern;

image sensing means for receiving at least one linear image of the pattern, the image sensing means including a first linear light-receiving means and a second linear light-receiving means arranged perpendicular to each other such that said first light-receiving means provides image signals indicative of the pattern along an x-axis and said second light-receiving means provides image signals indicative of the pattern along a y-axis perpendicular to the x-axis; and

processing means for calculating instrument height corresponding to distance between the surveying instrument and the target based on the image of the pattern received by the image sensing means.

2. The plumbing device according to claim 1, wherein the target pattern is concentric circles, wherein the light receiving means detect intersection points of the image of the pattern and said X axis and Y axis, and wherein the processing means calculates image diameters of circular images of said concentric circles and calculates an instrument height corresponding to the image diameters.

3. A plumbing device for plumbing a surveying instrument, comprising:

a target for placing at a survey station to indicate the survey station, the target providing a pattern, and the target being marked with a predetermined pattern indicating the surveying station;

optical means for forming an image of the pattern;

image sensing means for receiving at least one linear image of the pattern, the image sensing means including first linear light-receiving means and second linear light-receiving means arranged perpendicular to each other such that said first light-receiving means provides image signals indicative of the pattern along an x-axis and said second light-receiving means provides image signals indicative of the pattern along a y-axis perpendicular to the x-axis; and

processing means for calculating dislocations of the surveying instrument from the survey station based on the image of the pattern received by the image sensing means.

4. The plumbing device according to claim 3, wherein the target pattern in concentric circles, wherein the light receiving means detect intersection points of the image of the pattern and said X axis and Y axis, and wherein the processing means calculates image diameters of images of said concentric circles in said X axis direction and Y axis direction.

5. A surveying instrument capable of electrically measuring at least horizontal angle and elevation angle comprising:

a target providing a pattern;

optical means for forming an image of the pattern;

first and second linear image sensing means disposed perpendicular to each other for receiving linear images of the pattern;

processing means for calculating dislocations of the surveying instrument from the survey station based on the images of the pattern by the image sensing means; and

the processing means calculates corrections to said horizontal angle and said elevation angle based on said dislocations.

6. A surveying instrument capable of electrically measuring distance comprising:

a target for placing at a survey station to indicate the survey station, and the target providing a pattern;

optical means for forming an image of the pattern;

first and second linear image sensing means disposed perpendicular to each other for receiving linear images of the pattern;

processing means for calculating dislocations of the surveying instrument from the survey station based on images of the pattern by the image sensing means and;

wherein the processing means calculates corrections to said distance based on said dislocations.