Optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument

• US 6,624,881 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2001
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Original Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Inventors: Winter, Andreas, Gogolla, Torsten, Waibel, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US10/032,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20020067475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 356/3-1-
• US Class Current: 356/4.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/481 Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4972 Alignment of sensor

Abstract

An optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument (1) with preselectable or sensitive reference points (3a, 3b, 3c) arranged on the outer edge of a portable housing (2) and having a radiation source (4), an associated radiation receiver (5) for a laser beam (6), a microcontroller (9), keypad (10), a display (11), which can be read off from the handling distance, for the depiction of a measured result (14), a camera lens (7) that is aimed in the direction of the laser beam (6) and has a image sensor (8), whose detected target area (12) can be graphically depicted on the display (11) at least partially together with a virtual measuring spot (13) calculated by the microcontroller (9) as well as with the measured result (14).

Claims

1. An optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument, comprising a portable housing (2) with reference points (3a, 3b, 3c) arranged on an outer edge thereof;

a radiation source (4);

a radiation receiver (5) for a laser beam (6) and associated with the radiation source (4);

a microcontroller (9);

a keypad (10) associated with the microcontroller;

a read-off from a handling distance, display (11) for displaying a measuring result (14);

and an aiming in laser beam direction, camera lens (7) with an imaging sensor (8), wherein a target area (12) detected by the camera lens (7) is graphically shown in the display (11), at least partially together with a virtual measuring spot (13) calculated by the microcontroller (9) and with the measuring result (14),

wherein a position of the virtual measuring spot (13) calculated by the microcontroller (9) can be corrected relative to the target area (12) depicted in the graphic display (11) as a function of the measured result (14) in terms of a parallax error Δ

.

2. The optoelectric laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein pixels associated with the target area (12) by the microcontroller (9) and the pixels associated with the virtual measuring spot (13) by the microcontroller (9) can be shifted relative to each other.

3. The optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 2, wherein distances to the reference point (3a, 3b, 3c) can be adjusted via adjustment algorithms.

4. The optolectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the parallax error (Δ

) of the virtual measuring spot (13) and an angularity error can be adjusted with adjustment algorithms.

5. The optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 4, further comprising a non-erasable memory (16), for storing the adjustment algorithims.

6. The optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a mass memory (17).

7. The optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a data interface (18).

8. The optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein an image processing algorithm of the microcontroller (9) is configured for an at least one of contrast enhancement and edge enhancement.

9. The optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 8, wherein the imaging sensor (8) and the image process algorithm of the microcontroller (9) are configured for a software zooming function.

10. The optoelectronic laser distance-measuring instrument according to claim 1, further comprising an external display connected to transmit signals in order to depict the distance and the target area.