US-12618670-B2 - Multiple single-axis trackers for survey equipment

Abstract

A total station includes a telescope and a tracking system for aligning an axis of the total station with a target. The tracking system includes a first emitter that emits first light toward the target and a first sensor that receives the first light reflected off the target. The first emitter and first sensor are horizontally offset from a lens center of the telescope. The tracking system also includes a second emitter that emits second light toward the target and a second sensor that receives the second light reflected off the target. The second emitter and second sensor are vertically offset from a lens center of the telescope. Corrective rotations are computed based on the received first light and the received second light.

Inventors

• Wayne Johnston

Assignees

• TRIMBLE INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20231012

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A geodetic apparatus comprising: a telescope comprising a front lens having a lens center; a tracking system for aligning an axis of the geodetic apparatus with a target, the tracking system comprising: a first emitter horizontally offset from the lens center and configured to emit first light toward the target; a first sensor horizontally offset from the lens center and configured to receive the first light reflected off the target; a second emitter vertically offset from the lens center and configured to emit second light toward the target; and a second sensor vertically offset from the lens center and configured to receive the second light reflected off the target; and a processor configured to compute one or more corrective rotations for aligning the axis of the geodetic apparatus with the target based on the received first light and the received second light.
2. 2 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first emitter and the first sensor are vertically aligned with the lens center, and wherein the second emitter and the second sensor are horizontally aligned with the lens center.
3. 3 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first emitter and the first sensor are disposed on opposite horizontal sides of the front lens, and wherein the second emitter and the second sensor are disposed on opposite vertical sides of the front lens.
4. 4 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: one or more rotary actuators configured to rotate the telescope horizontally and/or vertically by the one or more corrective rotations to align the axis of the geodetic apparatus with the target.
5. 5 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain a first matrix of light values based on the received first light, the first matrix of light values corresponding to different vertical positions; and obtain a second matrix of light values based on the received second light, the second matrix of light values corresponding to different horizontal positions.
6. 6 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first matrix of light values is a one-dimensional (1D) matrix with different light values corresponding to the different vertical positions, and the second matrix of light values is a 1D matrix with different light values corresponding to the different horizontal positions.
7. 7 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first matrix of light values is a two-dimensional (2D) matrix with different light values correspond to the different vertical positions and the different horizontal positions, and the second matrix of light values is a 2D matrix with different light values correspond to the different horizontal positions and the different vertical positions.
8. 8 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to: convert the first matrix of light values from the 2D matrix with different light values corresponding to the different vertical positions and the different horizontal positions to a one-dimensional (1D) matrix with different light values corresponding to the different vertical positions; and convert the second matrix of light values from the 2D matrix with different light values corresponding to the different horizontal positions and the different vertical positions to a 1D matrix with different light values corresponding to the different horizontal positions.
9. 9 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to: locate a vertical position of the target using the first matrix of light values; and locate a horizontal position of the target using the second matrix of light values.
10. 10 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to: compute a vertical rotation of the one or more corrective rotations using the first matrix of light values; and compute a horizontal rotation of the one or more corrective rotations using the second matrix of light values.
11. 11 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the axis of the geodetic apparatus is an optical aiming axis defined by the telescope.
12. 12 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: an electronic distance measurement (EDM) unit configured to emit third light toward the target, receive the third light reflected off the target, measure a distance between the geodetic apparatus and the target based on the received third light.
13. 13 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the EDM unit defines an EDM axis, and wherein the axis of the geodetic apparatus is the EDM axis.
14. 14 . The geodetic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first emitter or the first sensor define a first tracker axis, the second emitter or the second sensor define a second tracker axis, and wherein the first tracker axis and the second tracker axis are each non-coaxial with the axis.
15. 15 . A method of operating a geodetic apparatus having a telescope, the method comprising: emitting, by a first emitter horizontally offset from a lens center of the telescope, first light toward a target; receiving, by a first sensor horizontally offset from the lens center, the first light reflected off the target; emitting, by a second emitter vertically offset from the lens center, second light toward the target; and receiving, by a second sensor vertically offset from the lens center, the second light reflected off the target; and computing one or more corrective rotations for aligning an axis of the geodetic apparatus with the target based on the received first light and the received second light.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: obtaining a first matrix of light values based on the received first light, the first matrix of light values corresponding to different vertical positions; and obtaining a second matrix of light values based on the received second light, the second matrix of light values corresponding to different horizontal positions.
17. 17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising: locating a vertical position of the target using the first matrix of light values; and locating a horizontal position of the target using the second matrix of light values.
18. 18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising: computing a vertical corrective rotation of the one or more corrective rotations using the first matrix of light values; and computing a horizontal corrective rotation of the one or more corrective rotations using the second matrix of light values.
19. 19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: causing a first emitter horizontally offset from a lens center of a telescope to emit first light toward a target; causing a first sensor horizontally offset from the lens center to receive the first light reflected off the target; causing a second emitter vertically offset from the lens center to emit second light toward the target; and causing by a second sensor vertically offset from the lens center to receive the second light reflected off the target; and computing one or more corrective rotations for aligning an axis with the target based on the received first light and the received second light.
20. 20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , further comprising: obtaining a first matrix of light values based on the received first light, the first matrix of light values corresponding to different vertical positions; obtaining a second matrix of light values based on the received second light, the second matrix of light values corresponding to different horizontal positions; locating a vertical position of the target using the first matrix of light values; locating a horizontal position of the target using the second matrix of light values; computing a vertical corrective rotation of the one or more corrective rotations using the vertical position of the target; and computing a horizontal corrective rotation of the one or more corrective rotations using the horizontal position of the target.

Description

BACKGROUND A total station is an electronic/optical instrument that is capable of making angle, distance, and coordinate measurements. A total station may be a combination of a theodolite and an electronic distance measurement (EDM) device, and may further include computer components such as processors, memory, and a display providing a user interface. Typically, a total station is used for surveying and building construction, however other applications are possible. While a conventional total station (or mechanical total station (MTS)) may require two people to operate, a robotic total station (RTS), which provides remote control, can be operated by a single person. For a simple angle measurement, the total station may be set up at a first location, and two pole-mounted prisms (i.e., targets) may be set up at distances away from the total station at a second and a third location. The total station may be controlled to sight the first pole-mounted prism, and the horizontal angle reading may be set to zero. The total station may then be horizontally rotated until sighting the second pole-mounted prism, and the horizontal angle difference may be measured and presented to a user (e.g., on the display). Alternatively, an angle may be measured from a reference direction (e.g., North) to a single pole-mounted prism. For a simple distance measurement, the total station may be set up at a first location, and a single pole-mounted prism may be set up at a distance away from the total station at a second location. The total station may be controlled to sight the pole-mounted prism, and a distance measurement along with a vertical angle measurement may be made. Using these measurements, a horizontal distance and a vertical distance between the total station and the prism may be calculated and presented to a user. For a simple coordinate measurement, the total station is set up at a reference point that has a known coordinate (e.g., X, Y, and Z; or easting, northing, and elevation). In some instances, the known coordinate may be determined using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, such as the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS). A single pole-mounted prism is then set up at a distance away from the total station at a second location. One or more distance and angle measurements may then be made to determine the coordinate of the prism based on the known coordinate. For example, a horizontal angle measurement may be made between North and the prism, a vertical angle measurement may be made between the horizontal direction and the prism, and a distance measurement may be made between the total station and the prism. These measurements can be used to translate the known coordinate into the coordinate of the prism. SUMMARY A summary of the various embodiments of the invention is provided below as a list of examples. As used below, any reference to a series of examples is to be understood as a reference to each of those examples disjunctively (e.g., “Examples 1-4” is to be understood as “Examples 1, 2, 3, or 4”). Example 1 is a geodetic apparatus comprising: a telescope defining an optical aiming axis, the telescope comprising a front lens having a lens center; a tracking system for aligning an axis of the geodetic apparatus (e.g., the axis passing through the lens center) with a target, the tracking system comprising: a first emitter horizontally offset from the lens center and configured to emit first light toward the target; a first sensor horizontally offset (or offset in a first lateral direction) from the lens center and configured to receive the first light reflected off the target; a second emitter vertically offset from the lens center (or offset in a second lateral direction) and configured to emit second light toward the target; and a second sensor vertically offset from the lens center and configured to receive the second light reflected off the target; and a processor configured to compute one or more corrective rotations for aligning the axis of the geodetic apparatus with the target based on the received first light and the received second light. The axis of the geodetic apparatus may be an optical aiming axis of the telescope or an EDM axis of an EDM unit. Example 2 is the geodetic apparatus of example(s) 1, wherein the first emitter and the first sensor are vertically aligned with the lens center, and wherein the second emitter and the second sensor are horizontally aligned with the lens center. Example 3 is the geodetic apparatus of example(s) 1-2, wherein the first emitter and the first sensor are disposed on opposite horizontal sides of the front lens, and wherein the second emitter and the second sensor are disposed on opposite vertical sides of the front lens. Example 4 is the geodetic apparatus of example(s) 1-3, further comprising: one or more rotary actuators configured to rotate the telescope horizontally and/or vertically by the one or more corrective rotations to align