Operator guiding system

• US 7,222,021 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2002
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Kumagai, Kaoru, Hayashi, Kunihiro, Osaragi, Kazuki, Kimura, Akio, Ootomo, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff; Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gutierrez; Anthony
• Application Number:
  US10/232,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20030065446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 702/5, 348/36
• US Class Current: 702/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00

Abstract

A base station is installed in a predetermined area where a large number of target points are studded around the station. When the operator moves a mobile station around the base station, display means is provided for both or either of the base station that guides the operator and the mobile station, and a display screen of the display means displays 2 kinds of a Forward (foreground) mode and a Back (background) mode. In the Forward (foreground) mode, the display screen of the display means displays a landscape in a forward direction (opposite direction to the mobile station by 180° when seen from the base station) of the operator (mobile station) when the operator sees the base station from the current position of the mobile station, or from the next target point if the operator reaches the next target point. In the Back (backward) mode, the display screen of the display means displays the landscape in a backward direction (direction of the operator and the mobile station when seen from the base station) of the operator (mobile station) when the operator sees the base station from the current position of the mobile station, or from the next target point if the operator reaches the next target point. The relationship between the mobile station and the next target point is displayed on an imaginary landscape in an imaginary manner so that the operator can see the direction and distance for movement.

Claims

1. An operator guiding system for guiding an operator when the operator moves with a mobile station around a base station installed,

the base station including imaging means, distance measurement means for measuring a distance between the base station and the mobile station, and angle measurement means for detecting a photographing direction of the imaging means, in such a way that the base station serves as a positional coordinate measurement unit,

the mobile station including display means, for displaying a landscape seen from the base station, wherein the landscape displayed by the display means of the mobile station is based on landscape data obtained by the imaging means of the base station and the angle measurement means of the base station as well as positional coordinate data of the mobile station, which are obtained by the positional coordinate measurement unit,

wherein the display means of the mobile station displays a direction and a distance from a current position of the mobile station to a next target point in addition to, and together with a landscape image displayed on the display means of the mobile station, on the basis of the construction plan data stored in the mobile station, and the landscape data obtained by the imaging means of the base station and the angle measurement means of the base station and the positional coordinate data of the mobile station, which is obtained by the positional coordinate measurement unit.

2. An operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein

the display means of the mobile station displays a landscape seen from the mobile station at a predetermined position toward the base station or in a direction making 180°

with the direction toward the base station.

3. The operator guiding system according to claim 1 wherein

the predetermined position is positional coordinates of a next target point in the construction plan data.

4. The operator guiding system according to claim 1 wherein

a target line is displayed at a horizontal angle position in a direction where the base station is collimated from a next target point, or a direction making 180°

with the direction where the base station is collimated, on the landscape data.

5. The operator guiding system according to claim 1 wherein

the predetermined position is a current position of the mobile station, which is measured by the angle measurement means and the distance measurement means of the base station.

6. The operator guiding system according to claim 1 wherein

a collimation line is displayed at a current position on the landscape data in a collimation direction from the base station.

7. The operator guiding system according to claim 6, wherein

a landscape is displayed with a target line arranged at the center.

8. The operator guiding system according to claim 7, wherein

the target line is displayed in the same image as the one where the collimation line is displayed.

9. The operator guiding system according to claim 8, wherein

an arrow is displayed in a direction from the collimation line to the target line.

10. The operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein the display means of the mobile station displays scales of horizontal angles.

11. The operator guiding system according to claim 10, wherein

the display means of the mobile station displays scales of distance.

12. The operator guiding system according to claim 11, wherein the landscape data is created in such a way that a predetermined point on the photographed image data is associated with three-dimensional coordinates.

13. The operator guiding system according to claim 1 wherein

a plurality of photographed images are synthesized to form a panoramic image in a photographing direction from the imaging means, and the panoramic image is displayed as landscape data at the mobile station.

14. The operator guiding system according to claim 13, wherein positional coordinates of the target point on the construction plan data are associated with positional coordinates on the landscape data so as to display the target point on the landscape data.

15. The operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein a current position is associated with positional coordinates on landscape data to display the current position on the landscape data.

16. The operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein the display means of the mobile station displays a relative positional relation between at least a next target point and a current position of the mobile station based on the current position of the mobile station, which are measured by the angle measurement means and the distance measurement means of the base station.

17. The operator guiding system according to claim 16, wherein the relative positional relation among the base station, the current position of the mobile station, and a next target point are artificially displayed.

18. The operator guiding system according to claim 16, wherein the relative positional relation between at least the next target point and the current position of the mobile station is displayed three-dimensionally.

19. The operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein the display means of the mobile station displays 3 types of target points that are:

a next target point;

a target point before processing; and

a target point where processing has been finished, on the basis of the current position of the mobile station measured by the base station and the construction plan data stored in the mobile station.

20. The operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein,

in case a next target point is positioned in a direction toward the base station seen from the mobile station, a mode of the display means is defined as a foreground mode, and in case the next target point is positioned in the opposite direction to the base station, a mode of the display means is defined as a background mode, wherein the foreground mode and the background mode are automatically switched.

21. The operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein a height of a next target point from current position is displayed.

22. The operator guiding system according to claim 13, wherein the landscape displayed is arbitrarily scrollable.

23. The operator guiding system according to claim 1, wherein, when coordinates data is synthesized with photographed image data, a position h in a vertical direction, which uses a position corresponding to a level line on the image data as a reference, is found by the expression:

h=Hf/L

where L is distance data of the coordinates data, H is a machine height and f is a focal distance of the imaging means.

24. An operator guiding system for guiding an operator when the operator moves with a mobile station around a base station installed,

the base station including an imaging unit, a distance measurement unit configured to measure a distance between the base station and the mobile station, and an angle measurement unit configured to detect a photographing direction of the imaging unit, in such a way that the base station serves as a positional coordinate measurement unit, the mobile station including a display unit, configured to display a landscape seen from the base station, wherein the landscape displayed by the display unit of the mobile station is based on landscape data obtained by the imaging unit of the base station and the angle measurement unit of the base station as well as positional coordinate data of the mobile station, which are obtained by the positional coordinate measurement unit,

wherein the display unit of the mobile station displays a direction and a distance from a current position of the mobile station to a next target point in addition to, and together with a landscape image displayed on the display unit of the mobile station, on the basis of construction plan data stored in the mobile station, and the landscape data obtained by the imaging unit of the base station and the angle measurement unit of the base station and the positional coordinate data of the mobile station, which is obtained by the positional coordinate measurement unit.