Surveying device

Abstract

To provide a surveying device capable of reducing a parallax between a distance measurement part and a camera.SOLUTION: A surveying device includes: a distance measurement part 18 which has a light-emitting element that emits distance-measuring light and a light-receiving element that receives reflected distance-measuring light from a measurement target; a first support stand part 6 which horizontally rotates about a horizontal rotation axis 11; a second support stand part 7 which is provided on the first support stand part 6 so as to be vertically rotatable about a first vertical rotation axis 9; a rotation deflection part 24 which is provided on the second support stand part 7 so as to be vertically rotatable about a second vertical rotation axis 19 and vertically rotates by a vertical rotation drive part 22 to scan the distance-measuring light; a camera 25 which is provided on the second support stand part 7; and an arithmetic control part 16 which controls the distance measurement part 18, a horizontal rotation drive part 13, the vertical rotation drive part 22, and the camera 25. The rotation deflection part 24 and the camera 25 are arranged such that a point-cloud acquisition origin 10 of the distance measurement part 18 and an imaging reference origin 28 of the camera 25 are positioned on the same circumference of a circle centered at an intersection of an axial center of the horizontal rotation axis 11 and an axial center of the first vertical rotation axis 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a surveying instrument capable of acquiring three-dimensional point cloud data and images of a measurement object. [Background technology]

[0002] Surveying devices for acquiring the shape and 3D point cloud data of a measurement target include, for example, 3D laser scanners, and imaging devices for capturing images of a measurement target and its surroundings over a wide area include 360° cameras.

[0003] Furthermore, there are laser scanners with built-in cameras as surveying devices, and by using a laser scanner and a 360-degree camera, it is possible to obtain images with three-dimensional coordinates.

[0004] However, in conventional surveying devices, the mechanical center of the laser scanner and the optical center of the camera (photography reference origin) are misaligned, so when a laser scanner and a camera are used simultaneously, parallax occurs due to the misalignment of the optical axes. This causes a misalignment between the center of the point cloud data acquired by the laser scanner and the center of the image data acquired by the camera, making it difficult to improve the coloring accuracy and resolution of the point cloud data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-127741 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-218352 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6696551 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention provides a surveying instrument capable of reducing the parallax between a distance measuring unit and a camera. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a surveying instrument comprising a distance measurement unit having a light-emitting element that emits distance measurement light and a light-receiving element that receives the reflected distance measurement light from the object to be measured, a first base unit that rotates horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis by a horizontal rotation drive unit, a second base unit that is mounted on the first base unit so as to be rotatable vertically around a first vertical rotation axis, a rotary deflection unit that is mounted on the second base unit so as to be rotatable vertically around the second vertical rotation axis and that rotates vertically by a vertical rotation drive unit to scan the distance measurement light, a camera mounted on the second base unit, and an arithmetic control unit that controls the distance measurement unit, the horizontal rotation drive unit, the vertical rotation drive unit, and the camera, and the rotary deflection unit and the camera are arranged so that the point cloud acquisition origin of the distance measurement unit and the shooting reference origin of the camera are located on the same circumference of a circle whose center is the intersection of the axis of the horizontal rotation axis and the axis of the first vertical rotation axis.

[0008] The present invention also relates to a surveying device configured such that the angular interval between the point cloud acquisition origin and the shooting reference origin is known, the calculation control unit controls the distance measurement unit, the horizontal rotation drive unit, and the vertical rotation drive unit to acquire point cloud data, the vertical rotation of the rotary deflection unit and the horizontal rotation of the first base unit cooperate to scan the distance measurement light two-dimensionally to acquire point cloud data, rotates the second base unit by the known angular interval, causes the camera to acquire a panoramic image, and combines the point cloud data with the panoramic image.

[0009] The present invention also relates to a surveying instrument in which a tapered portion is formed around the periphery of the camera, sloping downward outward, and the angle of the tapered portion is set so as not to obstruct the angle of view of the camera.

[0010] The present invention also relates to a surveying instrument in which the rotary deflection unit is housed in a recess formed in the second support unit, and a tapered portion sloping downward from the center to the outside is formed on the bottom surface of the recess.

[0011] The present invention also relates to a surveying instrument configured so that the axis of the first vertical rotation axis and the axis of the second vertical rotation axis are parallel to each other.

[0012] The present invention also relates to a surveying instrument configured so that the axis of the first vertical rotation axis and the axis of the second vertical rotation axis are perpendicular to each other.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying instrument in which the camera is configured to be detachable from the second base portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a distance measurement unit having a light emitting element that emits distance measurement light and a light receiving element that receives the distance measurement light reflected from the object to be measured, a first base unit that rotates horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis by a horizontal rotation drive unit, a second base unit that is provided on the first base unit so as to be rotatable vertically around a first vertical rotation axis, a rotary deflection unit that is provided on the second base unit so as to be rotatable vertically around the second vertical rotation axis and that is rotated vertically by the vertical rotation drive unit to scan the distance measurement light, a camera provided on the second base unit, and a distance measurement unit and a horizontal rotation drive unit. The device is equipped with a drive unit, a calculation control unit that controls the vertical rotation drive unit, and the camera, and is configured so that the point cloud acquisition origin of the distance measurement unit and the shooting reference origin of the camera are located on the same circumference of a circle centered at the intersection of the axis of the horizontal rotation axis and the axis of the first vertical rotation axis.Therefore, by rotating the second base unit around the first vertical rotation axis, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of making the point cloud acquisition origin and the shooting reference origin coincide or approximately coincide. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the surveying instrument according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a surveying instrument according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a surveying instrument according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a distance measuring unit of the surveying instrument according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10(A) and 10(B) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the surveying instrument according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a surveying instrument according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10(A) and 10(B) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of a surveying instrument according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] First, a surveying instrument according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Note that the drawings used in the following description are all schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements shown in the drawings do not necessarily match those of reality. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements do not necessarily match between multiple drawings.

[0018] The surveying device 1 is, for example, a laser scanner, and is installed via a tripod 2. The surveying device 1 is capable of measuring desired three-dimensional coordinates based on the machine center (point cloud acquisition origin), and is also capable of measuring three-dimensional point cloud data of the entire 360° circumference based on the machine center.

[0019] The surveying instrument 1 has a leveling unit 3 mounted on a tripod 2, and a surveying instrument main body 4 mounted on the leveling unit 3 so as to be horizontally rotatable. The leveling unit 3 has a sensor that detects the inclination of the leveling unit 3, and a motor that levels the leveling unit 3, and the surveying instrument main body 4 is automatically leveled based on the detection results of the sensor.

[0020] The surveying instrument main body 4 has a fixed part 5, a first base part 6 supported so as to be horizontally rotatable relative to the fixed part 5, and a second base part 7 supported so as to be vertically rotatable relative to the first base part 6. A pair of support parts 8 extending upward from both ends of the first base part 6 is formed, and the second base part 7 is housed between the support parts 8. In addition, the second base part 7 is supported so as to be vertically rotatable about a horizontal axis 9a via a first vertical rotation shaft 9 provided at the upper end of the support part 8.

[0021] The height of the support portion 8 is set so that the first support portion 6 and the second support portion 7 do not come into contact with each other when the second support portion 7 is rotated. A tapered portion 8a that slopes downward toward the outside is formed on the upper surface of the support portion 8. The second support portion 7 may be configured to be rotatable automatically by a motor (not shown) or manually.

[0022] The first base unit 6 is equipped with (contains) a horizontal rotation shaft 11, a horizontal rotation bearing 12, a horizontal rotation motor 13 as a horizontal rotation drive unit, a horizontal angle encoder 14 as a horizontal angle detector, an operation panel 15 serving as both an operation unit and a display unit, an arithmetic and control unit 16, a memory unit 17, etc. The arithmetic and control unit 16 may be a CPU specialized for this device or a general-purpose CPU.

[0023] The second support section 7 is equipped with (houses) a distance measurement section 18, a second vertical rotation shaft 19, a vertical rotation bearing 21, a vertical rotation motor 22 as a vertical rotation drive section, a vertical angle encoder 23 as a vertical angle detection section, a scanning mirror 24, and a camera 25.

[0024] The horizontal rotary bearing 12 is fixed to the fixed part 5. The horizontal rotary shaft 11 has a vertical axis 11a, and is rotatably supported by the horizontal rotary bearing 12. The first base frame part 6 is rotatably supported by the horizontal rotary shaft 11, and the first base frame part 6 rotates integrally with the horizontal rotary shaft 11 in the horizontal direction.

[0025] The horizontal rotation motor 13 is provided between the horizontal rotation bearing 12 and the first base frame 6, and the horizontal rotation motor 13 is controlled by the arithmetic and control unit 16. The arithmetic and control unit 16 causes the horizontal rotation motor 13 to rotate the first base frame 6 about the axis 11a.

[0026] The relative rotation angle of the first support unit 6 with respect to the fixed unit 5 is detected by the horizontal angle encoder 14. A detection signal from the horizontal angle encoder 14 is input to the calculation control unit 16, which calculates horizontal angle data. The calculation control unit 16 performs feedback control on the horizontal rotation motor 13 based on the horizontal angle data.

[0027] Furthermore, a second vertical rotation shaft 19 having a horizontal axis 19a is provided on the second base unit 7. The second vertical rotation shaft 19 is parallel to the first vertical rotation shaft 9, and the axis 19a is also parallel to the axis 9a. The second vertical rotation shaft 19 is rotatable via the vertical rotation bearing 21. The intersection of the axis 11a and the axis 19a is the emission position of the distance measuring light by the distance measuring unit 18, and is also the origin 10 (point cloud acquisition origin) of the coordinate system of the surveying device main body 4.

[0028] A recess 26 is formed in a surface of the second base unit 7 that is parallel to the first vertical rotation shaft 9, and one end of the second vertical rotation shaft 19 extends into the recess 26. The scanning mirror 24 serving as a rotary deflector is fixed to the one end of the second vertical rotation shaft 19, and the scanning mirror 24 is housed in the recess 26. Furthermore, the vertical angle encoder 23 is provided on the other end of the second vertical rotation shaft 19.

[0029] The bottom surface of the recess 26 is formed with tapered portions 26a, 26a that slope downward in two directions from the center outward in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the second vertical rotation shaft 19.

[0030] The vertical rotation motor 22 is provided on the second vertical rotation shaft 19, and the vertical rotation motor 22 is controlled by the arithmetic and control unit 16. The arithmetic and control unit 16 rotates the second vertical rotation shaft 19 using the vertical rotation motor 22, and the scanning mirror 24 rotates around the axis 19a.

[0031] The rotation angle of the scanning mirror 24 is detected by the vertical angle encoder 23, and the detection signal is input to the arithmetic and control unit 16. The arithmetic and control unit 16 calculates vertical angle data of the scanning mirror 24 based on the detection signal, and performs feedback control on the vertical rotation motor 22 based on the vertical angle data.

[0032] The camera 25 is provided on the surface of the second support portion 7 opposite to the surface on which the scanning mirror 24 is formed, i.e., at a position symmetrical with respect to the first vertical rotation axis 9 (axis center 9a). The second support portion 7 is tapered around the camera 25, forming a tapered portion 27 over the entire 360° circumference. The tapered portion 27 has an inclination angle equal to or approximately equal to that of the tapered portion 8a formed on the upper surface of the support portion 8, and the tapered portion 27 and the tapered portion 8a are continuous or approximately continuous. The inclination angle of the tapered portion 27 is equal to or approximately equal to that of the tapered portion 26a formed in the recess 26.

[0033] The camera 25 is an all-around (omnidirectional) camera capable of capturing an image of, for example, 360°. The vertical angle of view of the camera 25 is, for example, 120° to 180°, and the inclination angles of the tapered portion 27 and the tapered portion 8a are set so that the second support portion 7 does not obstruct the angle of view of the camera 25 when capturing an all-around image.

[0034] Furthermore, since the inclination angle of the tapered portion 27 is equal to or approximately equal to the inclination angle of the tapered portion 26a, the shooting range of the camera 25 and the measurement range of the surveying device main body 4 are equal to or approximately equal to each other.

[0035] Furthermore, the optical center (photography reference origin) 28 of the camera 25 and the point cloud acquisition origin 10, i.e., the intersection of the axis 11a and the axis 19a, are located on the same circumference of a circle 30 whose center is an intersection 29 of the axis 11a and the axis of the axis 9a. Furthermore, the positions of the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photography reference origin 28 are symmetrical with respect to the first vertical rotation axis 9 (axis 9a). That is, the angular interval between the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photography reference origin 28 is 180°.

[0036] Therefore, by rotating the second support unit 7 180° around the first vertical rotation axis 9, the position of the shooting reference origin 28 of the camera 25 can be aligned with the position of the point cloud acquisition origin 10 of the distance measuring unit 18 (surveying device main body 4).

[0037] The horizontal angle data, vertical angle data, and measurement results calculated by the calculation control unit 16 are stored in the memory unit 17. Various storage means can be used for the memory unit 17, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) as a magnetic storage device, a CD or DVD as an optical storage device, a memory card as a semiconductor storage device, a USB memory, etc. The memory unit 17 may be detachable from the first base unit 6, or may be capable of transmitting data to an external storage device or an external data processing device via a communication means (not shown).

[0038] The memory unit 17 stores programs such as a sequence program for controlling distance measurement operations, a calculation program for calculating distance through distance measurement operations, a calculation program for calculating angles based on horizontal angle data and vertical angle data, a program for calculating three-dimensional coordinates of a desired measurement point based on distance and angle, a tracking program for tracking an object to be measured, a drive control program for controlling the drive of the horizontal rotation motor 13 and the vertical rotation motor 22, an imaging program for causing the camera 25 to acquire a panoramic image, a synthesis program for synthesizing the panoramic image with point cloud data to create colored point cloud data or a panoramic image with three-dimensional coordinates, and a display program for displaying measurement results and the like on the operation panel 15.

[0039] Furthermore, measurement data (distance measurement data and angle measurement data) and three-dimensional point cloud data obtained when measuring predetermined measurement points are stored in the storage unit 17. The arithmetic and control unit 16 develops and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 17, and performs various processes.

[0040] The operation panel 15 is, for example, a touch panel, and serves as both an operation section for issuing distance measurement instructions and changing measurement conditions, such as the measurement point interval, and a display section for displaying distance measurement results, images, and the like.

[0041] Next, the distance measurement unit 18 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The distance measurement unit 18 has a distance measurement light emitting unit 31, a distance measurement light receiving unit 32, a tracking light emitting unit 33, and a tracking light receiving unit 34. The distance measurement unit is made up of the distance measurement light emitting unit 31 and the distance measurement light receiving unit 32, and the tracking light emitting unit 33 and the tracking light receiving unit 34 make up a tracking unit.

[0042] The distance measuring light emitting unit 31 has a light emitting element 36 that emits near-infrared light of a predetermined wavelength as distance measuring light 35, and the tracking light emitting unit 33 has a tracking light emitting element 38 that emits near-infrared light of a different wavelength from the distance measuring light 35 as tracking light 37. Furthermore, the distance measuring light emitting unit 31 and the tracking light emitting unit 33 are provided on a common optical path of the distance measuring light 35 and the tracking light 37, and have a common light projection optical system 39 for emitting the distance measuring light 35 and the tracking light 37 coaxially.

[0043] The distance measuring light receiving unit 32 has a light receiving element 42 that receives the distance measuring light 35 reflected by the object to be measured, i.e., reflected distance measuring light 41, and the tracking light receiving unit 34 has a tracking light receiving element 44 that receives the tracking light 37 reflected by the object to be measured, i.e., reflected tracking light 43.

[0044] The distance measuring light receiving unit 32 and the tracking light receiving unit 34 are provided on a common optical path of the reflected distance measuring light 41 and the reflected tracking light 43, which are incident coaxially with the distance measuring light 35 and the tracking light 37, and have a common light receiving optical system 45 that separates the reflected distance measuring light 41 and the reflected tracking light 43.

[0045] The light-receiving optical system 45 has a light-receiving prism 46, which has a dichroic film 47 as a separation surface. The dichroic film 47 has optical properties of reflecting the reflected distance-measuring light 41 and transmitting the reflected tracking light 43. The light-receiving prism 46 is configured to internally reflect the reflected distance-measuring light 41 and the reflected tracking light 43 reflected by the measurement object at least once, and to separate the reflected distance-measuring light 41 and the reflected tracking light 43 by the dichroic film 47.

[0046] The distance measurement unit 18 is controlled by the calculation control unit 16. When the pulsed distance measurement light 35 is emitted from the light emitting element 36, it passes through the light projection optical system 39 and is incident on the scanning mirror 24, deflected at a right angle by the scanning mirror 24, and irradiated onto the measurement object. As the scanning mirror 24 rotates around the axis 19a, the distance measurement light 35 rotates (scans) within a plane that is perpendicular to the axis 19a and includes the axis 19a.

[0047] The reflection position of the distance measuring light 35 on the scanning mirror 24 is the point cloud acquisition origin 10 of the distance measurement unit 18, and the point cloud acquisition origin 10 is located on the axis 11a and the axis 19a.

[0048] The reflected distance measuring light 41 reflected by the object to be measured is reflected at a right angle by the scanning mirror 24, and is reflected by the dichroic film 47 as it passes through the light receiving optical system 45 (the light receiving prism 46), and is received by the light receiving element 42.

[0049] The calculation control unit 16 measures the distance for each pulse of the distance measuring light 35 based on the time difference between the light emission timing of the light emitting element 36 and the light reception timing of the light receiving element 42 (i.e., the round-trip time of the pulsed light) and the speed of light, and calculates the distance to the object to be measured (Time Of Flight). The light emission timing of the light emitting element 36, i.e., the pulse interval, can be changed via the operation panel 15. Furthermore, the three-dimensional coordinates of the object to be measured can be calculated based on the distance measurement result and the horizontal angle data and vertical angle data obtained by the horizontal angle encoder 14 and the vertical angle encoder 23.

[0050] Furthermore, by rotating the first support frame 6 and the scanning mirror 24 at a constant speed while emitting the distance measuring light 35 at a predetermined pulse interval, the vertical rotation of the scanning mirror 24 and the horizontal rotation of the first support frame 6 cooperate to perform two-dimensional scanning with the distance measuring light 35. Furthermore, by detecting the vertical angle and horizontal angle for each pulse of light using the vertical angle encoder 23 and the horizontal angle encoder 14, vertical angle data and horizontal angle data can be obtained. From the vertical angle data, horizontal angle data and distance measuring data, the three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement object and three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to the measurement object can be obtained.

[0051] When the point cloud data of the entire circumference is acquired, the second support unit 7 is rotated 180° via the first vertical rotation axis 9, and the calculation control unit 16 causes the camera 25 to acquire a 360° panoramic image.

[0052] The rotation of the second support unit 7 may be performed automatically by the arithmetic and control unit 16 or may be performed manually. In the case of manual rotation, the rotation angle may be indicated by a scale or the like, or a mechanical mechanism may be provided to prevent rotation of more than 180°.

[0053] When the panoramic image is acquired, the arithmetic and control unit 16 combines the point cloud data with the panoramic image to create colored point cloud data or a panoramic image having three-dimensional coordinates for each pixel.

[0054] Here, the point cloud acquisition origin 10 of the distance measurement unit 18 and the photography reference origin 28 of the camera 25 are located on the same circumference of the circle 30 whose center is the intersection 29 of the axis 11a of the horizontal rotation axis 11 and the axis 9a of the first vertical rotation axis 9, and the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photography reference origin 28 are symmetrical with respect to the axis 9a. Therefore, by rotating the second support unit 7 by 180° via the first vertical rotation axis 9, the positions of the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photography reference origin 28 can be aligned.

[0055] Furthermore, when tracking is performed by the tracking unit, the tracking light 37 is emitted from the tracking light emitting element 38 in parallel with the distance measurement operation, deflected via the light projecting optical system 39 so as to be coaxial with the distance measurement light 35, and enters the scanning mirror 24. The tracking light 37 reflected by the scanning mirror 24 is irradiated onto the measurement object coaxially with the distance measurement light 35. The reflected tracking light 43 reflected by the measurement object passes through the dichroic film 47 while passing through the light receiving optical system 45 (the light receiving prism 46), and is received by the tracking light receiving element 44.

[0056] The calculation control unit 16 is configured to calculate the position deviation between the center of the tracking light receiving element 44 and the receiving position of the reflected tracking light 43 relative to the tracking light receiving element 44, and drive the horizontal rotation motor 13 and the vertical rotation motor 22 based on the position deviation to track the object to be measured.

[0057] As described above, in the first embodiment, the second support section 7 is arranged so as to be vertically rotatable around the axis 9a relative to the first support section 6, and the scanning mirror 24 and the camera 25 are arranged on the second support section 7 so that the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the shooting reference origin 28 are positioned symmetrically with respect to the axis 9a.

[0058] Therefore, by rotating the second support part 7 by 180° around the axis 9a, the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the shooting reference origin 28 can be made to coincide. Therefore, after acquiring point cloud data of the entire circumference, by rotating the second support part 7 by 180° and having the camera 25 acquire a panoramic image, it is possible to acquire point cloud data and a panoramic image in which the positions of the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the shooting reference origin 28 coincide, i.e., there is no or almost no parallax.

[0059] Furthermore, by synthesizing point cloud data with no or almost no parallax and the panoramic image, the accuracy of coloring the point cloud data or the accuracy of assigning three-dimensional coordinates to each pixel of the panoramic image can be improved, increasing the resolution, and also enabling high-precision aiming using the panoramic image as a aiming image when measuring a specific measurement point.

[0060] In addition, in the first embodiment, the tapered portion 27 is formed around the periphery of the camera 25, sloping downward from the center to the outside, so that the angle of view of the camera 25 is not obstructed and an image with an angle of view of 90° or more can be obtained.

[0061] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5(A), 5(B), and 6. In Figures 5(A), 5(B), and 6, the same components as those in Figures 1(A), 1(B), and 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0062] In the first embodiment, the axis 9a of the first vertical rotation shaft 9 is perpendicular to the axis 11a of the horizontal rotation shaft 11 and parallel to the axis 19a of the second vertical rotation shaft 19, but in the second embodiment, the axis 9a is perpendicular to the axis 11a and also perpendicular to the axis 19a. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0063] In the second embodiment, the second support unit 7 is also provided so as to be vertically rotatable relative to the first support unit 6. Furthermore, a scanning mirror 24 and a camera 25 are provided so that the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photographing reference origin 28 are positioned symmetrically with respect to the axis 9a.

[0064] That is, the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the shooting reference origin 28 are located on the same circumference of a circle 30 centered on the intersection 29 of the axis 11a and the axis 9a, and the angular interval between the shooting reference origin 28 and the point cloud acquisition origin 10 is 180°.

[0065] Therefore, by rotating the second support portion 7 by 180° around the axis 9a, the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the shooting reference origin 28 can be made to coincide or nearly coincide with each other, thereby eliminating or nearly eliminating the parallax between the acquired point cloud data and the panoramic image, and improving the accuracy of coloring the point cloud data based on the panoramic image or the accuracy of assigning three-dimensional coordinates to each pixel of the panoramic image based on the point cloud data.

[0066] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7(A) and 7(B). In Figures 7(A) and 7(B), the same components as those in Figures 1(A) and 1(B) are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0067] In the third embodiment, the axis 9 a of the first vertical rotation shaft 9 is perpendicular to the axis 11 a of the horizontal rotation shaft 11 and perpendicular to the axis 19 a of the second vertical rotation shaft 19 .

[0068] In addition, in the second support part 51, a recess 53 cut out to a triangular cross section is formed in the middle of a tapered part 52 formed around the camera 25, and the scanning mirror 24 is provided in this recess. When the camera 25 is taking a picture, the scanning mirror 24 is stopped with the reflecting surface 24a positioned on the outside. At this time, the scanning mirror 24 is flush or nearly flush with the tapered part 52 so that the scanning mirror 24 does not obstruct the angle of view of the camera 25.

[0069] The point cloud acquisition origin 10 of the distance measurement unit 18 (surveying device main body 4) and the photographing reference origin 28 of the camera 25 are located on the same circumference of a circle 30 whose center is the intersection 29 of the axis 11a and the axis 9a. The angular interval between the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photographing reference origin 28 is 90°.

[0070] Therefore, by rotating the second support part 51 by 90° around the axis 9a, the positions of the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the shooting reference origin 28 can be made to coincide or nearly coincide, thereby eliminating or nearly eliminating the parallax between the point cloud data acquired by the surveying device main body 4 and the omnidirectional image acquired by the camera 25, thereby improving the coloring accuracy of the point cloud data based on the omnidirectional image, or the accuracy of assigning three-dimensional coordinates to each pixel of the omnidirectional image based on the point cloud data.

[0071] Furthermore, by stopping the scanning mirror 24 with the reflecting surface 24a positioned on the outside, the tapered portion 52 and the scanning mirror 24 are positioned flush with each other, so that the scanning mirror 24 does not interfere with the acquisition of images by the camera 25.

[0072] In the third embodiment, the scanning mirror 24 and the camera 25 are provided so that the angular interval between the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photographing reference origin 28 is 90°, but the angular interval is not limited to 90°. For example, the angular interval between the point cloud acquisition origin 10 and the photographing reference origin 28 may be 100°, 120°, or any other angular interval.

[0073] In the third embodiment, when the angular interval of the shooting reference origin 28 with respect to the point cloud acquisition origin 10 is 90°, that is, when the point cloud acquisition origin 10 is on the axis 11a, the scanning mirror 24 is located on the right side of the page in Fig. 7(A). On the other hand, the scanning mirror 24 may be located on the left side of the page in Fig. 7(A).

[0074] In the first to third embodiments, in order to protect the scanning mirror 24, a window portion that rotates integrally with the scanning mirror 24 may be provided. It is desirable that the window portion be slightly inclined with respect to the optical axis of the distance measuring light 35 in order to suppress return light.

[0075] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the camera 25 is fixedly provided on the second base rack 7, 51, but the second base rack 7, 51 may be configured to allow the camera 25 to be detachably attached. By configuring the camera 25 to be detachable, it is possible to use an existing 360° camera such as those shown in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, and the manufacturing cost of the surveying device main body 4 can be reduced.

[0076] In this case, the omnidirectional camera is calibrated (distortion and orientation correction) at the factory so that the shooting reference origin of the omnidirectional camera and the point cloud acquisition origin 10 are located on the same circumference of the circle 30 centered on the intersection point 29.

[0077] Furthermore, the camera 25 is not limited to a 360° (omnidirectional) camera. For example, the camera 25 may be a combination of multiple cameras that can cover 135° or more in the vertical direction.

[0078] In this case, it is desirable to position the cameras so that the parallax between them is small. In this case, the shooting reference origin 28 is located near or approximately coincident with the entrance pupil position of each wide-angle camera. By using multiple cameras, it is necessary to take multiple shots in the vertical direction by rotating the first support unit 6 horizontally, but it is possible to obtain a high-resolution 360° image. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1 Surveying equipment 4 Surveying device body 6 First berth section 7 2nd trestle part 10 point cloud acquisition origin 16 Calculation control unit 18 Distance measurement unit 24 Scanning mirror 25 Camera 28 Shooting reference origin 30 yen

Claims

1. a first base unit that rotates horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis by a horizontal rotation drive unit; a second base unit that is mounted on the first base unit so as to be rotatable vertically around a first vertical rotation axis; a rotary deflection unit that is mounted on the second base unit so as to be rotatable vertically around the second vertical rotation axis and that rotates vertically by a vertical rotation drive unit to scan the distance measurement light; a camera mounted on the second base unit; and an arithmetic control unit that controls the distance measurement unit, the horizontal rotation drive unit, the vertical rotation drive unit, and the camera, wherein the rotary deflection unit and the camera are positioned so that the point cloud acquisition origin of the distance measurement unit and the shooting reference origin of the camera are located on the same circumference of a circle whose center is the intersection of the axis of the horizontal rotation axis and the axis of the first vertical rotation axis.

2. The surveying device of claim 1, wherein the angular interval between the point cloud acquisition origin and the shooting reference origin is known, the calculation control unit controls the distance measurement unit, the horizontal rotation drive unit, and the vertical rotation drive unit to acquire point cloud data, scans the distance measurement light two-dimensionally through cooperation between the vertical rotation of the rotary deflection unit and the horizontal rotation of the first base unit to acquire point cloud data, rotates the second base unit by the known angular interval, causes the camera to acquire a 360° image, and synthesizes the point cloud data and the 360° image.

3. 2. A surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein a tapered portion is formed around the periphery of said camera, said tapered portion being inclined downward outward, and the angle of said tapered portion is set so as not to obstruct the angle of view of said camera.

4. 2. A surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein said rotary deflection unit is housed in a recess formed in said second support unit, and a tapered portion is formed on the bottom surface of said recess, sloping downward from the center toward the outside.

5. 2. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein the axis of said first vertical rotation axis and the axis of said second vertical rotation axis are configured to be parallel to each other.

6. 2. A surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein the axis of said first vertical rotation axis and the axis of said second vertical rotation axis are configured to intersect at right angles.

7. 2. The surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein the camera is detachably mounted on the second base unit.

Images