Handheld survey documentation system

• US 7,342,649 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft (Hilti Martin Family Trust)
• Original Assignee: Hilti Akitengesellschaft
• Inventors: Waibel, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ratcliffe; Luke D.
• Application Number:
  US11/395,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20060244944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 356/5.01
• US Class Current: 356/5.01
• 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 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/51 Display arrangements

Abstract

A handheld computer which is connectable to an optoelectronic distance measuring device in an integrated manner so as to communicate bidirectionally therewith or connectable via a data interface, includes a computing device, an input device, and a display suitable for marking and displaying a graphic object. In a repeated sequence, an algorithm designed for interacting with the optoelectronic distance measuring device waits, in a marking step, for a marking event initiated by the user through the input device when marking an object of a graphic representation that is displayed by the display, and in a survey step which is close in time to the marking event, waits for a survey event which is triggered by a survey result measured by the user through use of the optoelectronic distance measuring device, whereupon the survey result is associated with the marked object in a subsequent association step.

Claims

1. A handheld computer which is connectable to an optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) in an integrated manner so as to communicate bidirectionally therewith or which is connectable to the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) via a data interface (26), comprising:

computing means (7);

an algorithm (8) executed by the computing means (7) and designed for interacting with the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3);

input means (5) connectable to the computing means (7); and

display means (6) suitable for marking and displaying a graphic object (4) generated by the computing means (7) using the algorithm (8) and inputs from the user through the input means (5),

wherein the computing means (7) of the handheld computer (2) implements the algorithm (8) in a sequence that is repeated a number of times, to wait for a marking event (12) to occur in a marking step (10), which marking event (12) is initiated by the user by the input means (5) when marking the graphic object (4) displayed in the graphic representation (24) displayed by the display means (6), and to wait for a survey event (13) to occur in a survey step (11) which is close in time to the marking event (12), which survey event (13) is triggered by a survey result (15) measured by the user by means of the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3), whereupon the survey result (15) is associated with the marked graphic object (4) in a subsequent association step (14).

2. The handheld computer according to claim 1, wherein the graphic object (4) that is already contained in the graphic representation (24) as a basic graphic element is marked in the marking step (10) by clicking on the graphic object (4).

3. The handheld computer according to claim 2, wherein in the marking step (10) when clicking on a region displayed by the display means (6) without a basic graphic element in an antecedent vectorization step (16), image information about the region is analyzed to determine the presence of a simple basic graphic element, and any present simple basic graphic elements are inserted as the graphic object (4).

4. The handheld computer according to claim 3, wherein a new item drawn by the input means (5) is marked as the graphic object (4).

5. The handheld computer according to claim 4, wherein the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) is initialized in an object-specific measurement mode in the survey step (11) in an antecedent mode-switching step (17).

6. The handheld computer according to claim 5, wherein the survey result (15) is associated in the association step (14) as displayed numerical values close to the center of the marked graphic object (4).

7. The handheld computer according to claim 6, wherein a new survey log (20) is initialized in an antecedent initialization step (18) and is filled out by means of input fields that are compulsorily requested of the user for input therein from the user, and by data internal to the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3).

8. The handheld computer according to claim 7, wherein the graphic representation (24) is acquired in the initialization step (18), by means of a camera (22) which is integrated in the handheld computer (2) or in the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3).

9. The handheld computer according to claim 7, wherein the survey log (20) with the log data (21), the graphic representation (24) and the survey result (15) associated with a respective graphic object (4) are signed in a subsequent signature step (23) by a signature (25) that is compulsorily requested from the user and are stored.

10. The handheld computer according to claim 8, wherein the survey log (20) with the log data (21), the graphic representation (24) and the survey result (15) associated with a respective graphic object (4) are signed in a subsequent signature step (23) by a signature (25) that is compulsorily requested from the user and is stored.

11. A method using a handheld computer which is connectable to an optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) in an integrated manner so as to communicate bidirectionally or which is connectable to the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) via a data interface (26), the method comprising the steps of:

providing the handheld computer including computing means (7), an algorithm (8) executed by the computing means (7) and designed for interacting with the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3), input means (5) connectable to the computing means (7), and display means (6) suitable for marking and displaying a graphic object (4) generated by the computing means (7) using the algorithm (8) and inputs from the user through the input means (5);

repeating a sequence a number of times, using the computing means (7) of the handheld computer (2), to wait for a marking event (12) to occur in a marking step (10), which marking event (12) is initiated by the user by the input means (5) when marking the graphic object (4) displayed in the graphic representation (24) displayed by the display means (6);

repeating the sequence a number of times, using the computing means (7) of the handheld computer (2), to wait for a survey event (13) to occur in a survey step (11) which is close in time to the marking event (12), which survey event (13) is triggered by a survey result (15) measured by the user by means of the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3), whereupon the survey result (15) is associated with the marked graphic object (4) in a subsequent association step (14); and

outputting a display including the marked graphic object (4) in the graphic representation (24) using the display means (6).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the graphic object (4) that is already contained in the graphic representation (24) as a basic graphic element is marked in the marking step (10) by clicking on the graphic object (4).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, in the marking step (10), when clicking on a region displayed by the display means (6) without a basic graphic element in an antecedent vectorization step (16), image information about the region is analyzed to determine the presence of a simple basic graphic element, and any present simple basic graphic elements are inserted as the graphic object (4).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a new item drawn by the input means (5) is marked as the graphic object (4).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) is initialized in an object-specific measurement mode in the survey step (11) in an antecedent mode-switching step (17).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the survey result (15) is associated in the association step (14) as displayed numerical values close to the center of the marked graphic object (4).

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a new survey log (20) is initialized in an antecedent initialization step (18) and is filled out by means of input fields that are compulsorily requested of the user for input therein from the user, and by data internal to the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3).

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the graphic representation (24) is acquired in the initialization step (18), by means of a camera (22) which is integrated in the handheld computer (2) or in the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3).

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the survey log (20) with the log data (21), the graphic representation (24) and the survey result (15) associated with a respective graphic object (4) are signed in a subsequent signature step (23) by a signature (25) that is compulsorily requested from the user and are stored.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the survey log (20) with the log data (21), the graphic representation (24) and the survey result (15) associated with a respective graphic object (4) are signed in a subsequent signature step (23) by a signature (25) that is compulsorily requested from the user and are stored.

21. A handheld computer which is connectable to an optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) in an integrated manner so as to communicate bidirectionally therewith or which is connectable to the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3) via a data interface (26), comprising:

computing means (7);

an algorithm (8) executed by the computing means (7) and designed for interacting with the optoelectronic distance measuring device (3);

input means (5) in form of an input stylus suitable for marking a graphic object (4) and connectable to the computing means (7); and

display means (6) suitable for marking and displaying a graphic object (4) generated by the computing means (7) using the algorithm (8) and inputs from the user through the input means (5).