Method and system for automatically performing a study of a multidimensional space

• US 8,060,344 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sam Stathis
• Original Assignee: Sam Stathis
• Inventors: Stathis, Sam
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Kamini S
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, SHAMBHAVI K
• Application Number:
  US11/766,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/2, 703/6, 703/300, 348/135, 348/154, 348/348, 348/373, 702/150, 702/153, 705/848, 356/139.08, 356/139.1, 356/141.1, 356/141.3, 356/144, 356/247, 356/249, 356/3.12, 356/4.01, 356/4.08, 356/400, 356/622
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105

Abstract

A method and system comprising a Master station, a processor and one or more targets that allows a user of said system to automatically generate a 3 dimensional graphical representation of a construction site and also overlay a drawing onto the graphical representation to guide the user within a virtual space being displayed by the processor.

Claims

1. A system for automatically generating a graphical representation of a multidimensional space comprising:

a) One or more robotic master stations situated at known reference positions in the multidimensional space,

wherein each master station determines its own position in the multidimensional space by triangulation;

wherein each master station may constantly move a tracking laser beam both horizontally and vertically;

wherein each master station further comprises a receiver to track a moving prism in the multi-dimensional space by receiving a reflection of the tracking laser beam;

wherein each master station further comprises a receiver to receive telemetry having commands that instruct that master station to perform specified tasks; and

wherein each master station is capable of performing the specified tasks;

b) one or more targets positioned in a multidimensional space to serve as additional points of reference within the multidimensional space, wherein each target further comprises a prism that reflects the laser light generated by the one or more master stations back to the particular master station that generated the incident laser light; and

c) a processor in communication with the master station, said processor receiving telemetry from the one or more master stations and processing line of sight measurements obtained from tracking the reflected laser light to determine the additional reference points and to generate a graphical representation of the multidimensional space and presenting the graphical representation on a display to a user on at least one system component, wherein;

the graphical representation is based upon processed parameters associated with the reference points; and

the graphical representation is updated as the user moves about the multidimensional space so as to facilitate the user navigating within the multidimensional space.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional space is a construction site.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processed measurements include distance and angle of the one or more targets in relation to the master station.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the targets is stationary.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the targets is mobile.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor automatically overlays an architectural drawing onto the graphical representation to guide a user within the multidimensional space being displayed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is any one of a handheld device, laptop, tablet, desktop computer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation is generated in real-time.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation is three-dimensional.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation is two-dimensional.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is on the processor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is on the master station.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor updating the graphical representation on the display as the user physically moves about within the multidimensional space, thereby allowing the user to know in real time where he or she is positioned relative to the known reference positions and the additional points of reference.

13. A method of automatically generating a graphical representation of a multidimensional space, the method comprising:

a) positioning at least one master station within a multidimensional space

wherein each master station determines its own position in the multidimensional space by triangulation;

wherein each master station may constantly move a tracking laser beam both horizontally and vertically;

wherein each master station further comprises a receiver to track a moving prism in the multi-dimensional space by receiving a reflection of the tracking laser beam;

wherein each master station further comprises a receiver to receive telemetry having commands that instruct that master station to perform specified tasks; and

wherein each master station is capable of performing the specified tasks;

b) providing one or more reflective targets as points of reference within the multidimensional space, wherein each target further comprises a prism that reflects the laser light generated by the at least one master station back to the specific master station that generated the incident laser light;

c) measuring parameters associated with the points of reference using the at least one master station and a processor;

d) processing the measured parameters to determine a location of at least one master station and the one or more reflective targets within the multidimensional space;

e) generating a graphical representation of the multidimensional space based on the processed parameters associated with the points of reference;

f) presenting the graphical representation on a display on at least one system component to a user; and

g) allowing the user to physically navigate within the multidimensional space by updating the graphical representation presented on the display as the user moves about the multidimensional space.

14. The method set forth in claim 13, wherein presenting includes automatically overlaying an architectural drawing onto the displayed graphical representation to identify discrepancies between the architectural drawing and the graphical representation.

15. The method set forth in claim 13, further comprising tracking location of the user as the user moves about the multidimensional space.

16. The method set forth in claim 13, wherein generating the graphical representation is done in real-time.

17. The method set forth in claim 13, further comprising allowing a user to be navigated within the multidimensional space using a handheld system component.