Hexagon Technology Center Gmbh

Leica Geosystems Ag

Johan Stigwall

Thomas Jensen

Zheng Yang

Andreas Schwendener

Pascal Jordil

Peter Kipfer

Peter Champ

Danick Brühlmann

Claudio Iseli

Frank Przygodda

Beat Aebischer

Josef Müller

Tomasz Kwiatkowski

Markus Steiner

Marco Schröder

Mehmet Demirel

Peter Münstermann

Michael Hermstein

Robert Godding

Peter MÜNSTERMANN

Danick BRÜHLMANN

A measuring system for acquiring three-dimensional measuring points, comprising a base unit, a support unit mounted on the base unit and rotatable relative to the base unit around an azimuth axis, an emitting unit, a receiving unit, a directing unit mounted in the support unit, and configured for directing a transmission beam from the emitting unit towards a scene, directing a reception beam from the scene to the receiving unit, a first actuator configured for rotating the support unit relative to the base unit around the azimuth axis, a second actuator configured for rotating the directing unit relative to the support unit around the elevation axis, a first angle encoder configured for measuring a rotatory position of the support unit, a second angle encoder configured for measuring a rotatory position of the directing unit, a camera comprising an image sensor.

Measuring system with panoramic image acquisition functionality

A metrology system comprising a target object, a metrology instrument and a control unit configured for controlling an alignment of the targeting unit and for deriving an orientation of the target object. The metrology instrument comprises a zoom objective, an illumination unit and a time-of-flight sensor comprising an array of pixels and capable of providing range data for each pixel of the array as point cloud data, the time-of-flight sensor provides the distance measuring device. The control unit comprises an object determination functionality which provides receiving the point cloud data provided by the time-of-flight sensor, deriving a digital representation of the target object by processing the point cloud data, comparing the digital representation of the target object with a reference pattern of the target object, and determining the orientation of the target object based on the comparison of the digital representation of the target object with the reference pattern.

Metrology system

The invention relates to a laser tracker-based surveying system having a measurement aid which comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The surveying system is designed to determine coordinates of points of a surface which are sampled by means of the measurement aid.

Laser tracker-based surveying system with inertial measurement unit

A triangulation device for measuring a measurement object by a projection of a structured light pattern onto the measurement object. The triangulation device includes a projector projecting the structured light pattern decomposable into different spatial frequencies onto the measurement object. The projector comprises a matrix of pixel elements and a lens system which determines a wavefront with a wavefront aberration from a reference wavefront, and a camera including a lens system and an imaging sensor, the camera being configured to receive the structured light pattern projected by the projector onto the measurement object, and a processing unit configured to provide distance information by evaluating imaging information provided by the camera. The wavefront aberration comprises a primary spherical aberration coefficient Z, wherein the primary spherical aberration coefficient Zis larger than 0.5λ, wherein λ is a wavelength of the projected structured light pattern.

Structured light projection through the minimization of visual artifacts by way of deliberately introduced optical aberrations

A reflector arrangement having at least one retroreflector and at least one sensor arrangement arranged downstream of the retroreflector in relation to a beam incidence direction, having a sensor. The sensor arrangement comprises a code element&#x2014;having a code pattern, and the retroreflector, the code element&#x2014;and the sensor are arranged in such a way that the code element&#x2014;is arranged between the retroreflector and the sensor and an angle-dependent position with respect to the optical axis of a projection of the code pattern onto the detection surface can be determined by means of the sensor.

Retroreflector with sensor

A reflector arrangement for determining the position or marking of target points, having at least one retroreflector, and a beam detection unit, by means of which the orientation measurement radiation passing through the retroreflector is acquirable. The beam detection unit comprises a first sensor for generating a signal in dependence on an acquisition of orientation measurement radiation and a first beam guiding unit. The first sensor and the first beam guiding unit are arranged such that a detection field of view for acquiring the orientation measurement radiation is defined, an alignment of the detection field of view around the yaw axis is variable and orientation measurement radiation passing through the retroreflector is acquirable in dependence on the alignment of the detection field of view with the first sensor.

Retroreflectors

A system for monitored additive manufacturing of an object, comprising a manufacturing unit], designed for additive manufacturing of the object based on metal-containing manufacturing material in a manufacturing volume, wherein the object is built up by repeated layer-by-layer provision of the manufacturing material in defined quantity and accurately-positioned forming of the provided manufacturing material. The system moreover comprises an optical checking unit having at least one projector and two cameras and a control and processing unit. The manufacturing volume comprises an optical transmission region, the projector and cameras&#x2014;are arranged outside the manufacturing volume in a fixed position relationship and are aligned in such a way that respective optical axes extend through a respective transmission region, by means of the projector, a projection can be generated on a manufacturing area and at least a common part of the manufacturing area on which the projection can be overlaid can be captured.

Additive manufacturing having optical process monitoring

A reflector arrangement for position determination and/or marking of target points, comprising a retroreflector and a first sensor arrangement, by means of which the orientation measurement radiation passing through the retroreflector is acquirable. The first sensor arrangement comprises a first optical assembly providing a fisheye lens, and a first sensor, wherein the retroreflector and the first sensor arrangement are arranged in such a way that orientation measurement radiation passing through the retroreflector is projectable onto the detection surface of the first sensor by means of the first optical assembly.

Retroreflector comprising fisheye lens

A triangulation scanner having a projection unit, at least one first image acquisition unit and one second image acquisition unit and a control and processing unit for deriving distance measured values from image information. The scanner comprises a third image acquisition unit and a fourth image acquisition unit and an acquisition zoom functionality for activating or reading out the sensors such that a respective first acquisition state and a respective second acquisition state can be provided for each sensor. The acquisition of an image corresponding to a field of view defined by the respective acquisition zoom level is provided by each such acquisition zoom level thus definable, wherein the fields of view are each different.

Adaptive 3D-scanner with variable measuring range

A machine state monitoring system for recurrently determining a change in static or dynamic properties of a geometry of a machine with positional encoders to derive a coordinate information of at least a first machine portion with respect to a second machine portion, which are movable with respect to one another. The monitoring system includes one calibration-monitoring-unit with an optical, at least two-dimensional measuring location sensing unit which is fixed to the first machine portion and configured to optically sense an at least two dimensional location information of an artifact which is provided at the second machine portion, and temporarily moved into a sensing range for determining the change in the static or dynamic properties of the geometry of the machine by a comparison of multiple of such sensings, the compensation parameters are then updated and is used to derive the coordinate information from the encoders.

Machine geometry monitoring

Light emitting unit, in particular of or for a triangulation-based distance measuring device, for providing defined measuring light, in particular laser light, is disclosed. The light emitting unit comprising a light source for emitting light, in particular a laser light source for emitting laser light, and a beam forming assembly for shaping the light by affecting propagation of the light emitted by the light source, wherein the beam forming assembly is arranged and designed so that measuring light is provided in form of a light line having a midpoint and two opposite ends. The beam forming assembly comprises at least one micro-lens array, the at least one micro-lens array comprises a plurality of micro-lenses, wherein the micro-lenses are designed and arranged in joint manner next to each other with algebraic signs for curvatures of successive micro-lenses being opposite and so that a periodic structure is provided.

Laser module comprising a micro-lens array

A measuring device for measuring an object. The measuring device includes a distance measuring unit having a beam emission unit generating a measurement radiation having a defined wavelength spectrum and a detector detecting the measurement radiation reflected on the object surface, the detector having at least one first sensor. The distance measuring unit generates distance measured data and reflection measured data as first distance measured data by emitting the measurement radiation and detecting the reflected measurement radiation according to the principle of triangulation. The measurement radiation is generated using a wavelength spectrum such that a fluorescence is excitable by an interaction of the measurement radiation with the object material to emit fluorescent light, wherein a spectrum of the fluorescent light and the wavelength spectrum of the measurement radiation are different.

Surface measurement by means of excited fluorescence

Method of providing measuring light for triangulation-based distance measurement to an object to be measured, wherein distance information is derivable by detecting at least portions of the measuring light reflected at the object. The method comprises emitting light and shaping the light so that the measuring light is provided in form of a line having a midpoint and two opposite ends. The intensity distribution of the light across the line is adjusted so that a respective light intensity at the ends of the line is at least 10% higher than light intensity around the midpoint.

Compensation of light intensity across a line of light providing improved measuring quality

A method for calibrating a triangulation sensor including a light emitting unit for emitting measuring light and a light receiving unit. The light emitting unit is arranged with known position and orientation relative to the light receiving unit and the triangulation sensor which is adapted to provide triangulation-based position measurements. A calibration setup which comprises the triangulation sensor and a calibration target providing a defined calibration pattern, and a calibration measurement is performed with reference to the calibration target by means of the triangulation sensor. An image of the calibration target is captured by means of the light receiving unit, and the captured image is processed with deriving a pattern image position with reference to the inner sensor image coordinate system and deriving a light image position with reference to the inner sensor image coordinate system.

Calibration of a triangulation sensor

Some embodiments of the invention include a method for determining distances to an object to be measured based on the principle of triangulation, comprising generating and emitting a measuring light beam, directing the measuring light beam to the object to be measured, detecting a reflection of the measuring light from the object with respective pixels of an image sensor during a defined detection sequence (t-t) and deriving distance information based on the detected reflection. The detection sequence (t-t) comprises a number of at least two exposure sub-sequences each defining a particular exposure period and saturation limit for the pixels of the sensor, wherein a successive exposure sub-sequence comprises a higher saturation limit than its prior exposure sub-sequence and each saturation limit defines a maximum charging level of the pixels for the respective exposure sub-sequence.

Growing community of inventors

St. Gallen, Switzerland

Johan Stigwall