GPS-installed all-azimuth camera and spatial data collecting device

• US 7,982,665 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topcon KK
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Kumagai, Kaoru, Ohtomo, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US12/462,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 342/179, 342/175
• US Class Current: 342/179
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end

Abstract

The present invention provides a GPS-installed all-azimuth camera, comprising at least a pair of GPS antennas (29a and 29b) disposed on up and down in parallel to each other, a plurality of cameras (28a-28f) which are disposed on a plane running in parallel to the GPS antennas and are capable of obtaining images in all azimuths, and a case (27) for accommodating the cameras and the GPS antennas, wherein a reference position of the GPS antennas is concurred with an image reference position of the cameras.

Claims

1. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera, comprising at least a pair of GPS antennas disposed on up and down in parallel to each other and, a plurality of cameras which are disposed on a plane running in parallel to said GPS antennas and are capable of obtaining images in all azimuths, and a case for accommodating said cameras and said GPS antennas, wherein a reference position of said GPS antennas is concurred with a image reference position of said cameras.

2. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 1, wherein said pair of GPS antennas are installed on up and down with a predetermined distance away, and wherein said cameras are disposed between said GPS antennas.

3. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 1, wherein said case is designed in spherical shape.

4. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 1 or 3, wherein optical axes of said plurality of cameras concur with each other at the center of said case.

5. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 3, wherein the cameras are disposed also in zenith direction, which an image reference position of said cameras concur with an reference position of said GPS antennas.

6. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of pairs of said GPS antennas are installed with said cameras between said GPS antennas.

7. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of GPS antennas are superposed and are designed as a single base plate and said plurality of cameras are disposed around said base plate.

8. A GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 7, wherein said case is designed in disk-like shape.

9. A spatial data collecting device, comprising a GPS-installed all-azimuth camera according to claim 1, an azimuth sensor, and an arithmetic processing device, wherein said arithmetic processing device calculates a coordinate data at an image pickup point based on signals from said GPS antennas and calculates three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured in the picked-up image based on the coordinate data at the image pickup point as obtained, on the picked-up image, and on a signal from said azimuth sensor.

10. A spatial data collecting device according to claim 9, further comprising a storage unit, wherein a picked-up image is associated with the obtained three-dimensional coordinates and is stored in said storage unit.

11. A spatial data collecting device according to claim 9, further comprising an inertial measurement unit, wherein in case where a position information cannot be obtained by said GPS antennas, the position information is supplemented by said inertial measurement unit.

12. A spatial data collecting device according to claim 9, wherein the azimuth detected by said azimuth sensor concurs with one of optical axes of said cameras.

13. A spatial data collecting device according to claim 11, wherein said arithmetic processing device compensates the position information determined by said inertial measurement unit based on the position information by said GPS antennas periodically or at real time.