Leica Geosystems Ag

Hexagon Technology Center Gmbh

Norbert Kotzur

Hans-Martin Zogg

Daniel Nindl

Stefan Martin Benjamin Gächter Toya

Hannes Maar

Werner Lienhart

Bernhard Metzler

Zoltán Török

Stefan Sieber

Bernd Möller

Jürgen Mayer

Gian-Philipp Patri

Werner Leinhart

Jan Zimmermann

Vincent Legrand

Gerhard Kleemaier

Bernd Moller

Stefan Martin Benjamin GÄCHTER Toya

An automatic stationing functionality of a geodetic survey instrument. The survey instrument comprising a targeting unit configured to provide a targeting data measurement, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), an imaging sensor unit configured for providing the functionalities of a visual positioning system (VPS), a communication interface configured to receive a design data comprising position information of reference markers in the environment, and a computing unit. The automatic stationing functionality being configured for calculating a coarse pose of the instrument based on the IU and/or the VPS pose data, selecting a plurality of reference markers to be targeted based on the coarse pose and the design data, and determining a fine pose of the instrument based on the targeting data measurement of the plurality reference markers.

Automatic, stationing of a geodetic survey instrument based on reference marker database

A total station configured for receiving from a camera a first image captured in a first face and a second image captured in a second face, wherein in the second face the camera is rotated around the optical axis by between 170&#xb0; and 190&#xb0; compared to the first face, receiving at least one of an azimuthal angle pair and an elevative angle pair, said azimuthal angle pair comprising a first azimuthal angle and a second azimuthal angle, and said elevative angle pair comprising a first elevative angle a second elevative angle, matching the first image and the second image with a relative rotation and a relative translation, determining the relative rotation of the matched first image and second image, determining the relative translation of the matched first image and second image, based on the respective angle pair, the relative rotation, the relative translation, and determining an instrument error.

Total station with a calibration functionality for instrument errors

A measuring system comprising a measuring instrument and a computer system, the measuring instrument comprising a base unit, a support unit mounted on the base unit, a targeting unit comprising a distance meter having a targeting axis, a first angle encoder configured for measuring a horizontal angular position of the support unit, a second angle encoder for measuring a vertical angular position of the targeting unit, a camera for capturing image data, and a control unit is configured for computing a position of a target based on a preconfigured target attribute, the computer system being configured for receiving the image data from the camera, executing a classifier for determining at least one of a plurality of classes of at least part of the image data, validating a preconfigured target attribute based on the at least one class target attribute, and generating result data based on the validation.

Measuring system for validating a preconfigured target attribute

A geodetic surveying instrument, such as a total station, stationed with instrument center coordinates at ground coordinates in a stationing height above ground. The instrument comprises a sighting unit for aiming a measurement target point, with an opto-electronic distance meter to determine a target distance and two axes for aiming the sighting unit, with goniometers to determine a target direction. It also comprises a tilt sensor to determine a tilt value of the instrument and a measurement-controller to derive measured coordinates of the measurement target point based on this target direction and target distance.

Geodetic surveying

The invention relates to a surveying instrument comprising a telescope, at least one camera providing first, second or more image signals and a controller, wherein the controller is adapted to combine the image signal data of the first, second or more image signals in order to simultaneously display at least two of the images corresponding to the first, second or more image signals on display means.

Surveying instrument

A measuring system for marking a known target point in a coordinate system includes a mobile marking unit and a geodetic measuring device. The measuring device has a sighting unit, angle measurement functionality, and a camera for capturing a camera image. The measuring system has a database storing a target point position, an output unit that presents the camera image, and a control and processing unit. The measuring system has presentation functionality that presents a spatial deviation between the marking unit and target point positions on the output unit in first and second directions using, respectively, using first and second deviation displays. The first deviation display indicates a distance of the target point position from a plane defined by the measuring device and the marking unit. The second deviation display indicates a distance of the target point position from a normal to the plane defined by the marking unit position.

Measuring system and method for marking a known target point in a coordinate system

Some embodiments of the invention relate to a measuring device, in particular a video theodolite or video tachymeter. The measuring device may include a base, a support, a telescope optics having a lens, a physical target marking, an eyepiece, and a camera. The measuring device may also include an evaluation and control unit containing stored calibration parameters with respect to an image position indicating the target direction as target image position in the captured image, and a display for displaying a captured image having marking for the target image position. In some embodiments, a function may be included to respect and/or restore. In some embodiments, the function may be in form of an application on the user-device interface that can be called up.

Measuring device having a function for calibrating a display image position of an electronic reticle

A geodatic surveying device which is equipped with an automatic target point sighting functionality for determining the position of a target point. A reticle pattern that corresponds to the outer shape of the known reticle is stored, wherein a main point of the reticle pattern is predefined as indicating the target point. In order to carry out an automatic target point sighting functionality, the evaluation means are designed such that, after the function start, a camera image of the reticle is automatically recorded, the reticle pattern is aligned with the reticle in the camera image by means of image processing and, depending on a position of the main point in the camera image in the matched state of the reticle pattern, the orientation of the sighting apparatus is changed in a motorized manner such that the optical target axis OA is oriented with high precision at the target point.

Geodetic surveying device having automatic high-precision target point sighting functionality

Method for determining, with geodesic precision, the position of a target point on a target object by using a geodesic measuring device, said method comprising a sighting device which comprises at least one objective unit that defines an optical line of sight, an electronic distance measuring unit, and a thermal imaging camera for recording a thermal image in the direction of the optical line of sight. An angle measuring function is provided for recording the line of sight alignment, and a control unit is provided for controlling the angle measuring function, the thermal imaging camera. In a thermal imaging mode when a measurement procedure is triggered, position data of the sighted target point which are determined in said measurement procedure are linked to temperature information which is read out from the thermal image for the target point at which the line of sight is aimed.

Geodesic measuring device comprising a thermographic camera

Surveying apparatus such as, for example, a video theodolite or video tachymeter, is disclosed. In some embodiments, the surveying apparatus may include a base, a support pivotable about a first axis relative to the base, a targeting unit pivotable about a second axis relative to the support and comprising a telescope optical unit comprising at least one objective and a motorized-adjustable focusing optical unit and also an eyepiece and/or a camera chip for recording an image through the objective, goniometers for measuring pivoting positions of the support and the targeting unit, an electro-optical distance measuring device, an evaluation and control unit, which provides a calibrated autofocusing functionality for automatically setting the focusing optical unit in a manner dependent on a target distance measured by the distance measuring device and contains for this stored calibration coefficients with regard to focusing optical unit positions to be set in a target-distance-dependent manner.

Surveying apparatus with function for calibrating focusing optical unit positions to be set in a distance-dependent manner

A geodetic surveying method includes deriving surface information for an object and geodetically accurate individual point measuring to at least one reference point. A position reference to an external coordinate system may also be provided by the at least one reference point. The method may also include aligning measurement radiation on the at least one reference point. The method may also include determining at least one direction to the reference point in an internal coordinate system. A method for reference point-independent scanning is also disclosed for deriving the surface information, the method may comprise scanning by continuously changing the alignment of the measurement radiation, determining a respective distance and a respective alignment of the measurement radiation emitted for a distance measurement for scanning points lying within the specified scanning region, and producing a point cloud representing the surface information and having the scanning points, in the internal coordinate system.

Geodetic referencing of point clouds

A method for surveying an object for and/or using a geodetic surveying device that include a derivation of an item of surface information at least for one object region, at least one geodetically precise single point determination for the object region, wherein a position of at least one object point is determined geodetically precisely, and an update of the item of surface information based on the determined position of the at least one object point. In some embodiments a scan to derive the item of surface information may be performed using object-point-independent scanning of the object region by progressive alignment changes of the measuring radiation, with a determination of a respective distance and of a respective alignment of the measuring radiation emitted for the distance measurement for scanning points lying within the object region, and having a generation of a point cloud which represents the item of surface information.

Surface determination for objects by means of geodetically precise single point determination and scanning

A survey system including a target unit that has a survey stick having a high-precision localizable target and a hand-held remote control unit. The remote control unit has an electronic graphical display and can be mounted on a holder on the survey stick such that the remote control unit is in a fixed position relative to the target fitted to the survey stick. The remote control comprises a camera for taking a camera image in a defined shooting direction. In addition, an image processing and evaluation unit with a data link to the position-finding unit and to the camera is provided which, from knowledge of the fixed relative position and of a defined shooting direction and also on the basis of the determined target position, can spatially relate image data from the camera to the targets in the coordinate system.

Geodetic survey system having a camera integrated in a remote control unit

Target point recognition method including emitting electromagnetic radiation to illuminate targets, moving the scanning beam within a predetermined angular range in order to scan the surveying environment, detecting reflections of the electromagnetic radiation on the targets, wherein the targets are defining the target points, and determining the angle to the target points. The method further including a capturing procedure with capturing an overall image of the surveying environment, wherein the overall image comprises at least one single image taken by the camera, and determining target points and their angle on the overall image by image processing by matching targets with one or more predetermined search criteria, storing the target points together with their angle a data base, and displaying the overall image together with marks for indicating a position of the target points detected within the scanning procedure and the capturing procedure in the overall image.

Growing community of inventors

Altstätten, Switzerland

Norbert Kotzur