Imaging device and survey system

Abstract

To provide an imaging device and a survey system capable of miniaturizing an optical system and the whole device.SOLUTION: An imaging device comprises: a guide light radiation portion 16 that radiates guide light 19 of two colors indicating a direction to a survey setting worker along a guide optical axis 18; and an imaging portion 17 that acquires an image on the basis of external light incident along the imaging optical axis 21. The guide light radiation portion and the imaging portion are configured to have a deflection optical member 42 that deflects any one of the guide optical axis and the imaging optical axis so as to be coaxial with the other, and a light projecting / receiving lens group 34 provided on the guide optical axis and the imaging optical axis made coaxial by the deflection optical member. The guide light radiation portion is further configured to have a guide light reflection portion 36b that reflects the guide light toward the deflection optical member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device and a surveying system that emits guide light to guide an operator to a surveying point and receives external light to acquire an image. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In staking out work, a guide light emitting device that emits guide light is known as a device for guiding a staking out worker to a staking out point such as a pile driving point.

[0003] The guide light emitting device is mainly provided integrally with a surveying instrument for measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of a predetermined measurement object. In addition, the surveying instrument may acquire an image with a camera and collimate the measurement object based on the acquired image.

[0004] However, since the guide light emitting device and the camera each have independent optical systems, there were concerns about an increase in the number of parts and an increase in the size of the optical system of the entire device, and therefore no device incorporating a guide light emitting device and a camera as an integrated unit had been manufactured. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7178310 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention provides an imaging device and a surveying system that achieve a compact optical system and a compact overall device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to an imaging device configured to include a guide light irradiating unit that irradiates two-color guide light along a guide light axis to indicate a direction to a surveying worker, and an imaging unit that acquires an image based on external light incident along the imaging optical axis, wherein the guide light irradiating unit and the imaging unit have a deflection optical member that deflects either the guide light axis or the imaging optical axis to be coaxial with the other, and a group of light projecting and receiving lenses provided on the guide light axis and the imaging optical axis that are made coaxial by the deflection optical member, and the guide light irradiating unit further has a guide light reflecting unit that reflects the guide light toward the deflection optical member.

[0008] The present invention also relates to an imaging device in which the imaging section further has an imaging lens arranged on the light-receiving side of the deflection optical member, and the light-projecting and receiving lens group and the imaging lens form a telephoto lens.

[0009] The present invention also relates to an imaging device in which the guide light irradiation unit and the imaging unit have a light projecting and receiving prism formed by joining two prisms, and the deflection optical element is a beam splitter film formed on the joining surface of the two prisms.

[0010] The present invention also relates to an imaging device, wherein the deflection optical member is a beam splitter disposed at an intersection of the guide optical axis and the imaging optical axis.

[0011] The present invention also relates to an imaging device configured such that the guide light irradiation unit further has a light source that emits white light, the incident surface of the light projecting and receiving prism is perpendicular to the guide light axis, a coloring element having two regions with different spectral transmittance is formed on the surface, and the white light passes through the coloring element to generate the guide light of two colors with the boundary between the two regions as the boundary.

[0012] The present invention also relates to an imaging device configured such that the guide light irradiating section has a light source that emits white light and a mirror that reflects the guide light toward the beam splitter, and a coloring element having two regions with different spectral transmittance is formed on the mirror, and the white light is reflected by the coloring element to the mirror, generating the guide light of two colors with the boundary between the two regions as the boundary.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system having a surveying instrument, a target pole capable of communicating with the surveying instrument, and the above-mentioned imaging device provided on the surveying instrument, wherein the target pole comprises a pole installed so that its lower end coincides with a predetermined measurement point, a prism provided at the upper end of the pole, and a terminal device provided midway on the pole, and the surveying instrument comprises a distance measuring unit which irradiates a distance measuring light into the boundary surface of the guide light and determines the distance to the prism, a drive unit which rotates the surveying instrument horizontally and deflects the distance measuring light vertically to emit the distance measuring light in a predetermined direction, an angle measuring unit which detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, and a calculation control unit which controls the distance measuring unit, the drive unit, and the imaging device, and the calculation control unit is configured to measure the prism located at the boundary between two colors of guide light, calculate the distance and direction from the prism to the measurement point, and transmit the calculation results to the terminal device. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, there is provided a guide light irradiating unit that irradiates two-color guide light along a guide light axis to indicate a direction to a surveying worker, and an imaging unit that acquires an image based on external light incident along the imaging optical axis, and the guide light irradiating unit and the imaging unit have a deflection optical member that deflects either the guide light axis or the imaging optical axis so as to be coaxial with the other, and the guide light axis made coaxial by the deflection optical member and a group of light projecting and receiving lenses provided on the imaging optical axis, and the guide light irradiating unit is further configured to have a guide light reflecting unit that reflects the guide light toward the deflection optical member, so that there is no need to provide lenses in the guide light irradiating unit and the imaging unit, thereby reducing the number of parts and miniaturizing the optical system, and the guide light irradiating unit and the imaging unit can be integrally incorporated into the same device.

[0015] According to the present invention, there is provided a surveying system having a surveying instrument, a target pole capable of communicating with the surveying instrument, and the above-mentioned imaging device provided on the surveying instrument, the target pole having a pole installed so that its lower end coincides with a predetermined staking point, a prism provided on the upper end of the pole, and a terminal device provided midway on the pole, the surveying instrument having a distance measuring unit which irradiates distance measuring light into the boundary surface of the guide light to obtain a distance to the prism, and a driving device which rotates the surveying instrument horizontally and deflects the distance measuring light vertically to emit the distance measuring light in a predetermined direction. The optical axis measuring unit has a moving unit, an angle measuring unit which detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, and a calculation and control unit which controls the distance measuring unit, the driving unit, and the imaging device, and the calculation and control unit is configured to measure the prism located at the boundary between the two colors of guide light, calculate the distance and direction from the prism to the measurement point, and transmit the calculation result to the terminal device.Therefore, there is no need to provide lenses in the guide light irradiating unit and the imaging unit, which reduces the number of parts and the size of the optical system, and has the excellent effect of allowing the guide light irradiating unit and the imaging unit to be integrated into the same device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of a survey system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a surveying instrument according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of an imaging device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a coloring element according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a graph showing the spectral characteristics of white light, the film transmittance characteristics of a dichroic film, and the spectral characteristics of the white light after transmission through the dichroic film in the first example. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of an imaging device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of an imaging device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] First, referring to FIG. 1, an outline of a surveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0019] The surveying system 1 has a surveying device 2 and a target pole 3. In addition, Fig. 1 shows a state in which the target pole 3 is installed at a staking point 4. The surveying device 2 is installed at a setting point having known three-dimensional coordinates, and the aiming direction is set to the staking point 4.

[0020] The surveying device 2 is, for example, a total station with a tracking function, and is installed via a support device such as a tripod 5. The surveying device 2 can measure the three-dimensional coordinates of a desired measurement point based on the machine center (instrument point), and can measure the three-dimensional coordinates of the surveying point 4 at which the target pole 3 is installed based on the installation point based on the height of the instrument point.

[0021] The surveying instrument 2 has a leveling unit 6 provided on the tripod 5, and a surveying instrument body 7 provided on the leveling unit 6 so as to be horizontally rotatable. In addition, an imaging device 8 having a guide light irradiation function is provided on the upper surface of the surveying instrument body 7.

[0022] The leveling unit 6 has a sensor (not shown) for detecting the inclination of the leveling unit 6 and a motor (not shown) for driving a leveling screw that levels the leveling unit 6, and is configured to automatically level the leveling unit 6 based on the detection results of the sensor.

[0023] The surveying device main body 7 has a distance measuring unit 9 (described later). The surveying device main body 7 also has a vertically long slit-shaped light projection window 11, and the distance measuring unit 9 is configured to emit distance measuring light on a distance measuring optical axis 12 that can be deflected in the vertical direction, and measure the distance to a measurement object (prism 13 described later) based on the reflected distance measuring light reflected by the prism 13. The surveying device main body 7 also has a tracking unit 20 (described later). The tracking unit 20 is configured to emit tracking light coaxially with the distance measuring light (on the distance measuring optical axis 12), and perform laser tracking based on the reflected tracking light reflected by the prism 13.

[0024] The target pole 3 has a pole 14 with a pointed lower end, the prism 13 provided at the upper end of the pole 14, and a terminal device 15 provided in the middle of the pole 14, and the target pole 3 is installed so that the lower end of the pole 14 coincides with the survey point 4.

[0025] The prism 13 is, for example, a full-circumference prism having retroreflective properties, and the optical center of the prism 13 is located on the axis of the pole 14. In addition, the distance from the lower end of the pole 14 to the optical center of the prism 13 is known.

[0026] Furthermore, the target pole 3 has a spirit level (not shown) such as a bubble tube, and the target pole 3 can be leveled in a vertical position via the spirit level.

[0027] The terminal device 15 is, for example, a smartphone, and is capable of communicating with the surveying device 2 by wireless communication means such as wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark), and is capable of displaying the three-dimensional coordinates of the prism 13 measured by the surveying device 2, the three-dimensional coordinates of the surveying point 4 preset by the surveying device 2, or the three-dimensional coordinates of the surveying point 4 input directly from the surveying device 2. The terminal device 15 is also capable of displaying the position of the surveying point 4 based on the position of the prism 13 calculated by the surveying device 2, i.e., the distance from the prism 13 to the surveying point 4, and the direction of the surveying point 4 based on the prism 13. Furthermore, the terminal device 15 is configured to notify the operator by an alarm such as a sound when the position of the prism 13 and the position of the surveying point 4 match.

[0028] The imaging device 8 has a guide light emitting section 16 and an imaging section 17. The guide light emitting section 16 is configured to emit a guide light 19 so that the guide light axis 18 is in the same plane as the distance measurement light axis 12. The guide light 19 is, for example, a first guide light 19a which is a red visible light and a second guide light 19b which is a blue visible light, and is two-color visible light with the guide light axis 18 (the distance measurement light axis 12) as a boundary 19c. For example, the guide light 19 is configured so that both red and blue light are visible when facing the distance measurement light axis 12, only blue light is visible from the right side of the distance measurement light axis 12, and only red light is visible from the left side of the distance measurement light axis 12. The guide light axis 18 is located at the center of the boundary 19c, and the distance measurement light axis 12 can be tilted vertically with respect to the guide light axis 18. That is, the distance measurement light is irradiated within a plane formed by the boundary 19c.

[0029] The imaging unit 17 can acquire an image based on external light incident along an imaging optical axis 21 that is coaxial with the guide light 19, i.e., coaxial with the guide light axis 18. The relative rotation angle between the distance measurement optical axis 12 and the imaging optical axis 21 can be acquired by a vertical angle detector 25 (described later), and the distance between the emission position of the distance measurement light and the imaging optical axis 21 is also known. Therefore, the position of the distance measurement optical axis 12 in the image acquired by the imaging unit 17 can be identified.

[0030] Furthermore, when the guide light 19 is irradiated by the guide light irradiating unit 16, the image capturing unit 17 does not capture an image, and when the image capturing unit 17 is capturing an image, the guide light 19 is not irradiated by the guide light irradiating unit 16. That is, the guide light irradiating unit 16 and the image capturing unit 17 are used alternatively.

[0031] Next, the configuration of the surveying instrument 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0032] The surveying instrument 2 has a horizontal rotation drive unit 22 for rotating the surveying instrument body 7 relative to the leveling unit 6, a horizontal angle detector 23 for detecting the rotation angle (horizontal angle) of the surveying instrument body 7, a vertical rotation drive unit 24 for rotating a deflection member (e.g., a mirror) for rotating the distance measuring optical axis 12 in a vertical plane, and the vertical angle detector 25 for detecting the rotation angle (vertical angle) of the deflection member. The surveying instrument 2 also has an arithmetic and control unit 26, a memory unit 27, a communication unit 28, a display unit 29, and an operation unit 31.

[0033] The horizontal rotation drive unit 22 and the vertical rotation drive unit 24 constitute the drive unit of the surveying instrument 2, and the horizontal angle detector 23 and the vertical angle detector 25 constitute an angle measurement unit for detecting the irradiation direction of the distance measurement light.

[0034] A CPU specialized for this embodiment, or a general-purpose CPU, an embedded CPU, a microprocessor, etc., is used as the arithmetic control unit 26. Furthermore, a semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, a Flash ROM, or a DRAM, a magnetic memory such as a HDD, an optical memory such as a CD-ROM, etc. are used as the storage unit 27.

[0035] The memory unit 27 stores therein programs such as a sequence program for controlling distance measurement operation, a distance measurement program for calculating distance by distance measurement operation, an angle measurement program for calculating the extension direction (angle) of the distance measurement optical axis 12 based on the detection results of the horizontal angle detector 23 and the vertical angle detector 25, a measurement program for calculating three-dimensional coordinates of a desired measurement point based on the distance and angle, a leveling program for causing the leveling unit 6 to perform leveling, a tracking program for causing the tracking unit 20 to track the prism 13, a communication program for communicating with the terminal device 15, a drive control program for controlling the horizontal rotation drive unit 22 and the vertical rotation drive unit 24, a guide light irradiation program for causing the guide light irradiation unit 16 to irradiate guide light, an image acquisition program for causing the imaging unit 17 to acquire an image, and a display program for displaying measurement results, etc. on the display unit 29.

[0036] The storage unit 27 also stores measurement data (distance measurement data and angle measurement data) obtained when a predetermined measurement point is measured, and three-dimensional coordinate data of the measurement point 4. The arithmetic and control unit 26 develops and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 27, and executes various processes.

[0037] The communication unit 28 has a function of transmitting data from the surveying device 2 to the terminal device 15, or receiving data from the terminal device 15 to the surveying device 2. Note that data transmitted between the surveying device 2 and the terminal device 15 includes, for example, the measurement results by the surveying device 2 and the images acquired by the imaging unit 17. The operation unit 31 allows the input of measurement conditions, etc., and the display unit 29 is configured to display a setting screen, measurement results, etc.

[0038] Next, the configuration of the imaging device 8 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The imaging device 8 is controlled by the arithmetic and control unit .

[0039] The guide light irradiating section 16 has the guide light axis 18. The guide light irradiating section 16 also has, in order from the light emitting side, a light source 32 provided on the guide light axis 18, a light projecting and receiving prism 33, and a light projecting and receiving lens group 34 provided on the reflected light axis of the light projecting and receiving prism 33. The guide light axis 18 and the guide light axis 18 reflected by the light projecting and receiving prism 33 are collectively referred to as the guide light axis 18.

[0040] The light source 32 is a broadband light source that emits light having a wide band of wavelengths, for example, an LED that emits white light including light in the visible light range, such as red light, blue light, and green light.

[0041] The light projecting and receiving prism 33 is a pentagonal prism formed by joining a first prism 35 having a rectangular cross section and a second prism 36 having a right-angled isosceles triangular cross section. The light projecting and receiving prism 33 is configured to internally reflect the guide light 19 and deflect it in a required direction.

[0042] The light projecting and receiving lens group 34 is a convex lens group combining a plano-concave lens composed of a flat surface and a concave curved surface and a convex lens, and is configured to deflect the guide light 19 so as to diffuse at a predetermined spread angle. The light projecting and receiving lens group 34 may be a convex lens group, and may be a combination of a concave lens and a convex lens, or a combination of convex lenses.

[0043] The imaging unit 17 has an imaging optical axis 21. The imaging unit 17 has, in order from the light receiving side, a light receiving element 38, an imaging lens 39, and the light projecting and receiving prism 33, which are provided on the imaging optical axis 21, and the light projecting and receiving lens group 34, which is provided on the imaging optical axis 21 and is reflected by the light projecting and receiving prism 33.

[0044] In this embodiment, the imaging optical axis 21 and the imaging optical axis 21 reflected by the light projecting and receiving prism 33 are collectively referred to as the imaging optical axis 21. The imaging optical axis 21 is deflected by the light projecting and receiving prism 33 so as to coincide with the guide optical axis 18. That is, the light projecting and receiving prism 33 and the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 are located on a common optical path of the guide light irradiating unit 16 and the imaging unit 17. The imaging unit 17 is configured such that external light (background light) is incident along the imaging optical axis 21 coaxially with the guide light 19 irradiated along the guide optical axis 18.

[0045] The light receiving element 38 is a CCD or CMOS sensor which is a collection of pixels, and the position of each pixel can be specified on the light receiving element 38. For example, each pixel has pixel coordinates with the center of the light receiving element 38 as the origin, and the position on the light receiving element 38 is specified by the pixel coordinates.

[0046] The imaging lens 39 is, for example, a lens whose surface facing the light projecting and receiving prism 33 is a concave surface and whose surface facing the light receiving element 38 is a convex surface. By using the front light projecting and receiving lens group 34 and the rear light projecting and receiving lens 39 as a camera lens, the imaging unit 17 becomes a camera having a telephoto type lens (telephoto lens). The imaging lens 39 may be a concave lens group in which a plurality of lenses are joined together to have a concave surface, or may be a concave lens group consisting of a plurality of lenses including at least one concave lens.

[0047] The imaging unit 17 is configured to acquire an image by external light incident coaxially with the guide light axis 18 when the guide light emitting unit 16 is not emitting the guide light 19, and the angle (angle of view) of the external light incident on the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 is larger than the angle of view (e.g., 1° to 3°) of the tracking unit 20. That is, the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17 are used alternatively, and the image acquired by the imaging unit 17 is stored in the storage unit 27 and transmitted to the terminal device 15.

[0048] Incidentally, the guide optical axis 18 becomes parallel to the distance measurement optical axis 12 when the surveying device main body 7 is in a horizontal position and the distance measurement optical axis 12 is deflected horizontally. In addition, the positional relationship (offset distance) at this time is known. That is, the distance measurement optical axis 12 and the guide optical axis 18 are located in the same plane, and the distance measurement optical axis 12 and the imaging optical axis 21 are also located in the same plane. Furthermore, based on the detection result of the vertical angle detector 25, the relative rotation angle of the distance measurement optical axis 12 with respect to the imaging optical axis 21 can also be calculated.

[0049] Next, a detailed description will be given of the light projecting and receiving prism 33. In Fig. 3, the right side of the paper surface is referred to as the right side, and the left side of the paper surface is referred to as the left side.

[0050] The first prism 35 has a first surface 35a facing the light source 32, on which white light from the light source 32 is incident as the guide light 19 via a color-emitting element 41 (described later), a second surface 35b facing the first surface 35a, on which the guide light 19 transmitted through the first surface 35a is incident, a third surface 35c formed between the left end of the first surface 35a and the left end of the second surface 35b, on which the guide light 19 internally reflected by the second surface 35b is incident, and a fourth surface 35d facing the third surface 35c, formed between the right end of the first surface 35a and the right end of the second surface 35b.

[0051] The second prism 36 has the same area as the third surface 35c, a first surface 36a that is joined to the third surface 35c, a second surface 36b that serves as a guide light reflecting portion onto which the guide light 19 that has passed through the first surface 36a is incident, and a third surface 36c that is formed between the first surface 36a and the second surface 36b.

[0052] The first surface 35a is configured to be perpendicular to the guide light axis 18 and the guide light 19 is incident at a right angle, that is, an incident angle of 0°.

[0053] The second surface 35b faces the first surface 35a and deflects the guide optical axis 18 so that the guide optical axis 18 is perpendicularly incident at an incident angle of 0° on the light projecting and receiving lens group 34. Moreover, the incident angle of the guide light 19 with respect to the second surface 35b is small, and the angle between the guide optical axis 18 and the guide optical axis 18 reflected by the second surface 35b is an acute angle.

[0054] The third surface 35c, which is a joint surface with the second prism 36, is inclined at, for example, 45° with respect to the guide optical axis 18 deflected by the second surface 35b, and a beam splitter film 42 is evaporated onto the surface as a deflection optical member. The beam splitter film 42 has optical properties, for example, of transmitting 50% of visible light and reflecting 50%, and is located at the intersection of the guide optical axis 18 and the imaging optical axis 21. Therefore, the beam splitter film 42 transmits 50% of the guide light 19 incident on the third surface 35c, and reflects 50% of external light incident on the third surface 35c at a right angle toward the third surface 36c.

[0055] The second surface 36b is perpendicular to the guide light axis 18 that passes through the beam splitter film 42 and enters the second prism 36. Therefore, the second surface 36b is configured so that the guide light 19 is incident at a right angle, that is, an incident angle of 0°, and exits from the second prism 36. That is, the second surface 36b becomes the exit surface of the guide light 19.

[0056] Moreover, the color-producing elements 41 are formed on the first surface 35a of the first prism 35. The color-producing elements 41 are located on the optical path of the white light emitted from the light source 32, and are larger than the luminous flux of the white light. Therefore, the white light passes through the color-producing elements 41 in the process of entering the first surface 35a, and the white light that has passed through the color-producing elements 41, i.e., the guide light 19, is incident on the first surface 35a.

[0057] 4, the coloring element 41 has optical characteristics in which the spectral transmittance differs between regions 41a, 41b on the left and right of a boundary 41c through which the guide optical axis 18 passes. As the coloring element 41, for example, a dichroic film evaporated on the first surface 35a is used.

[0058] In addition, in Figure 3, the color-producing element 41 is provided at the focal position of the light-projecting and receiving lens group 34, and the light source 32 is provided near the focal position, but the light source 32 may be provided at the focal position of the light-projecting and receiving lens group 34, and the color-producing element 41 may be provided near the focal position.

[0059] The color-developing element 41 is a dichroic film, and for example, the left region 41a has a spectral transmission wavelength of 650 nm to 750 nm (red), and the right region 41b has a spectral transmission wavelength of 400 nm to 500 nm (blue).

[0060] 5 shows an example of the relationship between the spectral characteristics of the guide light 19, the spectral transmittance characteristics of the dichroic film in the region 41b, and the spectral characteristics of the guide light 19 after passing through the dichroic film. In FIG. 5, a solid line A shows the spectral characteristics of the white light emitted from the light source 32, a dashed line B shows the transmittance characteristics of the dichroic film, and a dashed line C shows the spectral characteristics of the white light after passing through the dichroic film, i.e., the guide light 19.

[0061] The dichroic film of the region 41b has a transmittance characteristic of transmitting light having a wavelength of 400 nm to 500 nm, so that the second guide light 19b transmitted through the region 41b is blue light. The dichroic film of the region 41a has a transmittance characteristic of transmitting light having a wavelength of 650 nm to 750 nm, so that the first guide light 19a transmitted through the region 41a is red light.

[0062] The white light emitted from the light source 32 passes through the color-producing element 41 while entering the first prism 35. The white light that passes through the region 41a becomes the first guide light 19a of red, and the white light that passes through the region 41b becomes the second guide light 19b of blue. Therefore, the white light enters the first surface 35a of the first prism 35 as the two-color guide light 19 consisting of the first guide light 19a of red and the second guide light 19b of blue, with the boundary 19c as the boundary.

[0063] The guide light 19 incident on the first surface 35a is reflected by the second surface 35b toward the beam splitter film 42, and is incident on the beam splitter film 42 (the third surface 35c, the first surface 36a) at an incident angle of 45°. The guide light 19 transmitted through the beam splitter film 42 and incident on the second prism 36 is incident on the second surface 36b at a right angle, at an incident angle of 0°, and is emitted from the light-emitting / receiving prism 33.

[0064] The guide light 19 emitted from the light projecting and receiving prism 33 passes through the light projecting and receiving prism 33 and is irradiated to the measurement and setting point 4 as the guide light 19 having a predetermined spread angle.

[0065] Next, a process for guiding a staking out worker during staking out work using the surveying system 1 will be described.

[0066] First, the surveying device 2 is installed at a setting point having known three-dimensional coordinates and is directed in an arbitrary direction. Next, the calculation control unit 26 is caused to start processing via the operation unit 31 or via the terminal device 15. The calculation control unit 26 drives the distance measuring unit 9 and the tracking unit 20, and also captures an image coaxially with the guide light axis 18 using the imaging unit 17, and transmits the captured image to the terminal device 15 in real time.

[0067] The operator refers to the image displayed on the terminal device 15 and transports the target pole 3 so that the prism 13 is located at the center of the image. At this time, the prism 13 may be located approximately at the center of the image. When the target pole 3 is transported to the vicinity of the center of the image, an instruction to irradiate the guide light 19 is transmitted via the terminal device 15.

[0068] Based on the received irradiation instruction, the arithmetic and control unit 26 stops acquiring images and drives the guide light irradiating unit 16 to irradiate the guide light 19 along the guide light axis 18 at a predetermined spread angle.

[0069] Here, the distance measurement light and the tracking light are coaxially irradiated along the distance measurement light axis 12, and the distance measurement light axis 12 is located in the same plane as the guide light axis 18. That is, the distance measurement light axis 12 and the optical axis of the tracking light are located on the boundary 19c, and the distance measurement light and the tracking light are irradiated onto the boundary 19c.

[0070] The worker transports the target pole 3 with reference to the guide light 19. Here, when the target pole 3 is located to the left of the boundary 19c, the target pole 3 is located within the irradiation range of the first guide light 19a, and the worker only sees the red first guide light 19a. When the target pole 3 is located to the right of the boundary 19c, the target pole 3 is located within the irradiation range of the second guide light 19b, and the worker only sees the blue second guide light 19b.

[0071] If the visually recognized guide light 19 is red, the worker moves the target pole 3 to the right, and if the visually recognized guide light 19 is blue, the worker moves the target pole 3 to the left. The worker moves the target pole 3 up to the boundary 19c, that is, until both the first guide light 19a and the second guide light 19b can be visually recognized.

[0072] When the prism 13 is located on the boundary 19c, the prism 13 is located within the horizontal angle of view of the tracking light. In addition, the amount of reflected light of the tracking light (reflected tracking light) when the tracking light is reflected by the prism 13 is significantly increased compared to the reflected tracking light when it is irradiated on an object other than the prism 13. Therefore, when the calculation control unit 26 detects an increase in the amount of received reflected tracking light, it causes the tracking unit 20 to start tracking the prism 13. Note that if tracking does not start even when the target pole 3 is transported to above the boundary 19c, the target pole 3 is moved vertically so that the prism 13 falls within the angle of view of the tracking light.

[0073] In addition, since the distance measuring light is irradiated coaxially with the tracking light, the calculation control unit 26 causes the distance measuring unit 9 to measure (measure distance and angle) the prism 13 in parallel with tracking the prism 13. That is, the three-dimensional coordinates of the prism 13 are calculated in real time.

[0074] The calculation control unit 26 calculates the position of the staking point 4 relative to the measurement results (three-dimensional coordinates) of the target pole 3, i.e., the distance and direction to the staking point 4, and transmits it to the terminal device 15 via the communication unit 28.

[0075] The worker conveys the target pole 3 toward the staking point 4 based on the distance and direction to the staking point 4 displayed on the terminal device 15. Here, since the prism 13 is measured in real time in parallel with tracking, the distance and direction to the staking point 4 are updated in real time.

[0076] When the distance to the staking point 4 becomes 0, that is, when the target pole 3 is moved onto the staking point 4, the terminal device 15 issues an alarm by sound or the like to inform the completion of guidance, and the guidance process of the target pole 3 is completed. If there are other staking points 4 to be guided, the surveying device 2 performs the guidance process to the next staking point.

[0077] As described above, in the first embodiment, the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 provided in the imaging device 8 is disposed on the guide optical axis 18 and the imaging optical axis 21. That is, the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 is located on a common optical path of the guide light 19 and external light.

[0078] Therefore, since there is no need to provide a lens for expanding the guide light 19 to a predetermined spread angle and a lens for collecting external light on the light receiving element 38, the number of parts is reduced, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the optical system can be made compact. Furthermore, by making the optical system compact, the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17 can be integrally built into the same device.

[0079] Moreover, the imaging device 8 is configured to selectively use the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the guide light 19 reflected by a window (not shown) provided on the guide light axis 18 from being received by the light receiving element 38 as stray light, and it is possible to improve the accuracy of acquiring an image.

[0080] Moreover, since the distance measuring optical axis 12 and the guide optical axis 18 are positioned on the boundary 19c of the guide light 19, the prism 13 can be easily transported to the irradiation range of the distance measuring light.

[0081] In the first embodiment, the guide light irradiating unit 16 has the light projecting and receiving prism 33, which is configured to internally reflect the guide light 19 at an acute angle so as to be coaxial with the imaging optical axis 21. Therefore, there is no need to secure a space for the focal length of the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 in a direction parallel to the imaging optical axis 21 reflected by the light projecting and receiving prism 33 (horizontal direction), so that the optical system of the guide light irradiating unit 16 can be made compact, and the entire imaging device 8 can be made compact.

[0082] Furthermore, of the camera lens of the imaging unit 17, i.e., the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 and the imaging lens 39, only the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 is shared with the guide light irradiating unit 16. Therefore, the focal length can be made shorter than when the entire camera lens is shared with the guide light irradiating unit 16, so that the spread angle of the guide light 19 can be made larger and the optical system can be made even more compact.

[0083] Furthermore, by sharing only the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 of the camera lenses of the imaging unit 17 with the guide light irradiating unit 16 , a lens with a short back focus can be used as the imaging lens 39 .

[0084] In the first embodiment, after the surveying device 2 is directed in an arbitrary direction, the operator conveys the target pole 3 toward the front of the surveying device 2 based on the image or the guide light 19, and starts automatic tracking. On the other hand, the surveying device 2 may be automatically directed toward the staking out point 4 based on the input or stored three-dimensional coordinates of the staking out point 4. In this case, after the target pole 3 is conveyed based on the image or the guide light 19 and automatic tracking is started, it is only necessary to convey the target pole 3 back and forth.

[0085] In addition, in the first embodiment, the imaging device 8, i.e., the guide light irradiating unit 16 and the imaging unit 17, is controlled by the arithmetic and control unit 26 of the surveying instrument 2, but a separate arithmetic and control unit may be provided in the imaging device 8, and the guide light irradiating unit 16 and the imaging unit 17 may be controlled by the arithmetic and control unit.

[0086] In the first embodiment, the region 41a and the region 41b are formed with dichroic films having different transmittance characteristics. On the other hand, either the region 41a or the region 41b, for example the region 41a, may not be formed with a dichroic film or may only be formed with an AR (Anti Reflection) coating. In this case, the guide light 19 becomes two-color light consisting of a white first guide light 19a and a blue second guide light 19b.

[0087] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In Fig. 6, the same elements as those in Fig. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0088] In the second embodiment, a beam splitter 43 is used as the deflection optical member, which is disposed at the intersection of the guide optical axis 18 and the imaging optical axis 21. The beam splitter 43 has optical properties of transmitting 50% of the incident light and reflecting 50%. The transmitting side of the beam splitter 43 serves as the guide light irradiation unit 16, and the reflecting side of the beam splitter 43 serves as the imaging unit 17.

[0089] The guide light irradiating section 16 has, in order from the light emitting side, a light source 32 provided on a guide light axis 18, a mirror 44 as a guide light reflecting section, and the beam splitter 43 and a light projecting / receiving lens group 34 provided on the reflected light axis of the mirror 44. The guide light axis 18 and the guide light axis 18 reflected by the mirror 44 are collectively referred to as the guide light axis 18.

[0090] A coloring element 41 is formed on the mirror 44. As in the first embodiment, the coloring element 41 is larger than the diameter of the light beam of the white light incident on the mirror 44. In the process of the white light being reflected by the mirror 44, the white light passes through the coloring element 41, and a guide light 19 consisting of two colors, for example, blue light and red light, is generated.

[0091] The guide light 19 is reflected by the mirror 44 toward the beam splitter 43, and is deflected so as to coincide with the imaging optical axis 21 while passing through the beam splitter 43, and is deflected by the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 to a predetermined spread angle, and is irradiated onto a predetermined staking point 4 (see FIG. 1). The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0092] In the second embodiment, the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 is also arranged on the guide optical axis 18 and the imaging optical axis 21, and is configured to be shared by the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17. Therefore, there is no need to provide lenses for the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17, so the number of parts is reduced, which reduces manufacturing costs and allows the optical system to be made smaller. Furthermore, by making the optical system smaller, the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17 can be integrally incorporated into the same device.

[0093] Moreover, the guide light 19 (white light) is configured to be reflected by the mirror 44 toward the beam splitter 43. Therefore, there is no need to secure a space for the focal length of the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 in a direction (horizontal direction) parallel to the imaging optical axis 21 reflected by the beam splitter 43, so that the optical system of the guide light irradiating unit 16 can be made compact, and the entire imaging device 8 can be made compact.

[0094] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In Fig. 7, the same elements as those in Fig. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0095] In the third embodiment, the light projecting and receiving prism 45 is a quadrangular prism in which a first prism 46 having a trapezoidal cross section and a second prism 36 similar to that of the first embodiment are joined together.

[0096] The first prism 46 has a first surface 46a facing the light source 32, a second surface 46b facing the first surface 46a, a third surface 46c serving as a guide light reflecting portion formed between the right end of the first surface 46a and the right end of the second surface 46b, and a fourth surface 46d facing the third surface 46c and formed between the left end of the first surface 46a and the left end of the second surface 46b.

[0097] The first surface 46a is configured to be perpendicular to the guide light axis 18, and the guide light 19 is incident at a right angle of 0°. Also, the same coloring elements 41 as in the first embodiment are formed on the first surface 46a, and in the process of the white light emitted from the light source 32 being incident, the white light passes through the coloring elements 41 and is incident on the first surface 46a as the guide light 19 of two colors, for example, blue light and red light. That is, the first surface 46a becomes the incident surface of the guide light 19.

[0098] Moreover, the second surface 46b is parallel to the first surface 46a, and has a horizontal width narrower than that of the first surface 46a. Therefore, the third surface 46c is inclined downward in a direction approaching the light projecting and receiving lens group 34, and reflects the guide light 19 transmitted through the first surface 46a toward the light projecting and receiving lens group 34, for example at a right angle.

[0099] The fourth surface 46d has the same area as the first surface 36a, and a beam splitter film 42 serving as a deflection optical member is vapor-deposited on the surface. The fourth surface 46d is inclined downward so as to move away from the light projecting and receiving lens group 34, and is bonded to the first surface 36a. By bonding the fourth surface 46d to the first surface 36a, the first prism 46 and the second prism 36 are integrated, and the third surface 36c and the second surface 46b become flush with each other.

[0100] The white light emitted from the light source 32 passes through the color-producing element 41 while entering the first surface 46a, and enters the first prism 46 as guide light consisting of two colors, for example, blue light and red light.

[0101] The guide light 19 is reflected by the third surface 46c toward the beam splitter film 42 so as to coincide with the imaging optical axis 21, passes through the beam splitter film 42, is deflected by the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 so as to have a predetermined spread angle, and is irradiated onto a predetermined staking point 4 (see FIG. 1). The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0102] In the third embodiment, the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 is also arranged on the guide optical axis 18 and the imaging optical axis 21, and is configured to be shared by the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17. Therefore, there is no need to provide lenses for the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17, so the number of parts is reduced, which reduces manufacturing costs and allows the optical system to be made smaller. Furthermore, by making the optical system smaller, the guide light emitting unit 16 and the imaging unit 17 can be integrally incorporated into the same device.

[0103] Also, the guide light 19 (white light) is configured to be deflected toward the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 by the light projecting and receiving prism 45. Therefore, there is no need to secure a space for the focal length of the light projecting and receiving lens group 34 in a direction parallel to the imaging optical axis 21 reflected by the beam splitter film 42 (horizontal direction), so that the optical system of the guide light irradiating unit 16 can be made compact, and the entire imaging device 8 can be made compact. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1. Surveying System 2 Surveying equipment 3 Target Pole 4. Stakeout points 8. Imaging device 15 Terminal Equipment 16 Guide light irradiation unit 17 Imaging section 18 Guide light axis 19 Guide Light 21 Imaging optical axis 26 Calculation and control unit 32 light source 33 Light projecting and receiving prism 34 Light projecting and receiving lens group 35 First Prism 36 Second Prism 41 Coloring Elements

Claims

1. an imaging device comprising: a guide light irradiating unit that irradiates two-color guide light along a guide light axis to indicate a direction to a surveying worker; and an imaging unit that acquires an image based on external light incident along the imaging optical axis, wherein the guide light irradiating unit and the imaging unit have a deflection optical member that deflects either the guide light axis or the imaging optical axis so as to be coaxial with the other, and a group of light projecting and receiving lenses provided on the guide light axis and the imaging optical axis that are made coaxial by the deflection optical member, and the guide light irradiating unit further has a guide light reflecting unit that reflects the guide light toward the deflection optical member.

2. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging section further comprises an imaging lens arranged on the light receiving side of the deflection optical member, and the light projecting and receiving lens group and the imaging lens form a telephoto lens.

3. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the guide light irradiation section and the imaging section have a light projecting and receiving prism formed by joining two prisms, and the deflecting optical member is a beam splitter film formed on the joining surface of the two prisms.

4. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the deflection optical member is a beam splitter disposed at an intersection of the guide optical axis and the imaging optical axis.

5. 4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the guide light irradiating section further includes a light source that emits white light, an incident surface of the light projecting and receiving prism is perpendicular to the guide light axis, a coloring element having two regions with different spectral transmittances is formed on the surface, and the white light passes through the coloring element to generate the guide light of two colors with a boundary between the boundary between the two regions.

6. 5. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the guide light irradiating section includes a light source that emits white light and a mirror that reflects the guide light toward the beam splitter, the mirror is formed with a coloring element having two regions with different spectral transmittances, and the white light is reflected by the mirror via the coloring element to generate the guide light of two colors with a boundary between the two regions.

7. A surveying system having a surveying instrument, a target pole capable of communicating with the surveying instrument, and an imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 provided on the surveying instrument, wherein the target pole comprises a pole installed so that its lower end coincides with a predetermined measurement point, a prism provided at the upper end of the pole, and a terminal device provided midway on the pole, wherein the surveying instrument comprises a distance measuring unit which irradiates a distance measuring light into a boundary surface of the guide light and determines a distance to the prism, a drive unit which rotates the surveying instrument horizontally and deflects the distance measuring light in a vertical direction to emit the distance measuring light in a predetermined direction, an angle measuring unit which detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, and a calculation control unit which controls the distance measuring unit, the drive unit, and the imaging device, wherein the calculation control unit measures the prism located at the boundary of two colors of guide lights, calculates the distance and direction from the prism to the measurement point, and transmits the calculation results to the terminal device.

Images