Leica Geosystems Ag

Zoltán Török

Thomas Mörwald

Bernhard Metzler

Ulrich Hornung

Elmar Vincent Van Der Zwan

Norbert Kotzur

Stefan Martin Benjamin Gächter Toya

Veroljub Maksimovic

Bernhard Richter

Franz Thurnhofer

A method for surveying an environment by a movable surveying instrument with a progressional capturing of 2D-images by at least one camera and applying a visual simultaneous location and mapping algorithm (VSLAM) or a visual inertial simultaneous location and mapping algorithm (VISLAM) with a progressional deriving of a sparse evolving point cloud of at least part of the environment, and a progressional deriving of a trajectory of movement. The method comprises a progressional matching of the sparse evolving point cloud with a previously derived 3D-geometry, with a minimizing of a function configured to model a distance between the sparse point cloud and the previously derived 3D-geometry and deriving a spatial localization and orientation of the surveying instrument. At least one surveying measurement value of the environment by a spatial measurement unit is combined with the sparse point cloud or the previously derived 3D-geometry.

Localization of a surveying instrument

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

Surveying apparatus comprising an event-based camera comprising a dynamic vision sensor. The events detected by the camera are used, by means of target radiation, to determine a direction to a target to be surveyed or to determine camera poses of the camera in the context of visual odometry or determining the location of the surveying apparatus

Surveying apparatus comprising event-based camera

A method for surveying an environment by a movable surveying instrument configured to be carried by a human with a progressional capturing of 2D-images by at least one camera and applying a visual simultaneous location and mapping algorithm (VSLAM) or a visual inertial simultaneous location and mapping algorithm (VISLAM) with a progressional deriving of a sparse evolving point cloud of at least part of the environment, and a progressional deriving of a trajectory of movement. The method comprises a progressional matching of the sparse evolving point cloud with a known CAD-geometry, with a minimizing of a function configured to model a distance between the sparse point cloud and the known CAD-geometry and deriving a spatial localization and orientation of the surveying instrument. At least one surveying measurement value of the environment by a spatial measurement unit is combined with the sparse point cloud or the plan information.

A method for image-based point measurement includes moving a surveying system along a path through a surrounding and capturing a series of images of the surrounding. A subset of images are defined as frames and a subset of frames are defined as key-frames. Textures are identified in first and second frames and are tracked in successive frames to generate first and second frame feature lists. A structure from motion algorithm is used to calculate camera poses for the images based on the first and second frame feature lists. Corresponding image points in images of the series of images are identified using feature recognition in at least a plurality of images. Three-dimensional coordinates of the selected image point are determined using forward intersection with the poses of the subset of images in which corresponding image points are identified. The three-dimensional coordinates of the selected image point are presented to the user.

Surveying system with image-based measuring

Three-dimensional (3D) point cloud generation using a stationary laser scanner and a mobile scanner. The method includes scanning a first part of a surrounding with the stationary laser scanner, obtaining a first 3D point cloud, scanning a second part of the surrounding with the mobile scanner, obtaining a second 3D point cloud, whereby there is an overlap region of the first part and the second part, and aligning the second 3D point cloud to the first 3D point cloud to form a combined 3D point cloud. The positional accuracy of points of the second 3D point cloud is increased by automatically referencing second scanner data of the overlap region, generated by the mobile scanner, to first scanner data of the overlap region, generated by the stationary laser scanner. Therewith, deformations of the second 3D point cloud and its alignment with the first 3D point cloud are corrected.

Combined point cloud generation using a stationary laser scanner and a mobile scanner

The invention generally relates to an industrial or geodetic surveying device having a tracking unit configured to receive over a tracking channel a tracking signal which is used to track a cooperative target. According to the invention, the surveying device comprises a camera to generate image data, wherein based on the additional knowledge about the position of the cooperative target in an image generated in the locked state, the visual appearance of the target carrier is learned and the result is stored in the form of a detector for use in a backup tracking mode.

Surveying device with automatic training of locked object or person for camera based target tracking

The invention relates to a surveying system for surveying and tracking a mobile target object which defines a target point, wherein the surveying system has a control and evaluation unit, a surveying device with a sighting device which defines a target axis, and a target object. The control and evaluation unit is designed to track the moving target object within the scope of a target-finding functionality, wherein a first change in alignment of the target axis about a first axis occurs as a function of detected target-finding radiation in such a way that the target axis tracks the movement tendency of the target object.

Growing community of inventors

Berneck, Switzerland

Zoltán Török