Method for preparing stereo image and three-dimensional data preparation system

• US 7,508,980 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Ito, Tadayuki, Otani, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa; Yosef
• Application Number:
  US11/257,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20060126923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 382/154, 382/284, 382/286, 382/291
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/02 Picture taking arrangements specially adapted for photogrammetry or photographic surveying, e.g. controlling overlapping of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00

Abstract

A method for preparing stereo images by using a surveying instrument, which comprises an image pickup means for acquiring an image in a collimating direction, and a distance measuring and angle measuring means for measuring a distance and angle of a collimating point, comprising a step of measuring distances and angles on at least three collimating points by installing said surveying instrument at a known point, a step of measuring angles on the three collimating points by setting said surveying instrument at an unknown point, a step of calculating coordinates of the unknown point based on surveying data of the three collimating points, a step of acquiring images from each of the known point and the unknown point for at least one of said three collimating points, and a step of preparing stereo images from the images from the known point and the unknown point based on coordinate data of the known point, distance measurement data, and angle measurement data from the known point, and based on coordinate data and angle measurement data calculated with respect to the unknown point.

Claims

1. A method for preparing stereo images by using a surveying instrument, which comprises an image pickup means for acquiring an image in a collimating direction, and a distance measuring and angle measuring means for measuring a distance and an angle of a collimating point, comprising a step of measuring distances and angles on at least three collimating points by installing said surveying instrument at a known point, a step of measuring angles on the three collimating points by installing said surveying instrument at an unknown point, a step of calculating coordinates of the unknown point based on surveying data of the three collimating points, a step of acquiring images from each of the known point and the unknown point for at least one of the three collimating points, and a step of preparing stereo images from the images from the known point and the unknown point based on coordinate data of the known point, distance measurement data, and angle measurement data from the known point, and based on coordinate data and angle measurement data calculated with respect to the unknown point.

2. A method for preparing stereo images according to claim 1, wherein at least three collimating points can be collimated from the known point and the unknown point, and, in the images acquired from the known point and the unknown point, collimating points from the known point and the unknown point are made correspond with each other based on deviation on the image.

3. A method for preparing stereo images according to claim 2, wherein said method further comprises a the step of acquiring images of all collimating points from the known point and the unknown point, and a step of making the collimating points of the images obtained at the known point correspond with the collimating points of the images obtained at the unknown point respectively.

4. A three-dimensional data preparation system, comprising an image pickup means for acquiring an image in a collimating direction, a distance measuring means capable to measure distance of the collimating point, an angle measuring means capable to measure an angle of the collimating point, a storage unit for storing distance measurement data, angle measurement data and the pickup image, and a control arithmetic unit, wherein said image pickup means takes images from a known point and an unknown point with respect to at least one collimating point among at least three collimating points, said control arithmetic unit calculates coordinate data of the unknown point based on coordinate data of the known point, distance measurement data and angle measurement data of at least three collimating points from the known point, and angle measurement data of said three collimating points from the unknown point, and prepares stereo images from the images based on the coordinate data, the distance measurement data, and the angle measurement data of the known point, and the calculated coordinate data and the angle measurement data of the unknown point.

5. A three-dimensional data preparation system according to claim 4, wherein said two stereo images are associated with each other based on the coordinate data of the known point, the distance measurement data and the angle measurement data of at least three collimating points from the known point and the coordinate data of the unknown point and the angle measurement data from the unknown point, and 3-dimensional data is calculated from the images thus associated.