Measurement system, point cloud data acquisition method, and point cloud data acquisition program

Abstract

To provide a surveying system, a point cloud data acquisition method and a point cloud data acquisition program with which the point cloud data acquisition range of a laser scanner is made to be specifiable in a three-dimensional space and the acquisition amount of point cloud data is reduced.SOLUTION: Provided is a surveying system comprising a target and a measurer 1, the target having a retroreflective characteristic, the measurer including a point measurement unit 4 capable of irradiating the target with distance measuring light and measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target, a scanner unit 5 capable of rotationally radiating a laser beam and acquiring point cloud data, and a computation control part. The target is held in the vicinity of a measurement object and measurement is conducted at least at one position by the point measurement unit. The computation control part computes a region in the three-dimensional space including the measurement object on the basis of the target measurement result of the point measurement unit. The scanner unit scans a prescribed range including the measurement object and acquires point cloud data, and the computation control part selects only the point cloud data out of the point cloud data, which is included in the region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a surveying system, a point cloud data acquisition method, and a point cloud data acquisition program that enable the specification of the point cloud data acquisition range of a laser scanner in a three-dimensional space.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, when acquiring point cloud data with a laser scanner, pulsed ranging light is vertically rotated around the horizontal axis, and further horizontally rotated around the vertical axis to perform a full-circle scan in the vertical / horizontal directions to acquire point cloud data. Therefore, the amount of data obtained is enormous. However, the point cloud data actually required by the measurer relates to the measurement object existing within a limited range within the entire scanning range.

[0003] In the measurement by a scanner at a location where there are things other than the measurement object for which point cloud data is to be acquired, a data processing operation for excluding unnecessary portions from the acquired point cloud data after measurement is required, which hinders efficiency.

[0004] Furthermore, because the amount of data is enormous, data processing such as extracting point cloud data related to the measurement object becomes post-processing after the acquisition of the point cloud data, making it difficult to proceed with the work while checking the situation on-site.

[0005] In addition, in the acquisition of point cloud data, the range in the horizontal direction and the range in the vertical direction are set, and point cloud data within the set range is also acquired. However, for the depth direction, point cloud data is acquired for all existing objects, so it is inevitable that the amount of data becomes enormous.

[0006] Furthermore, when the acquired point cloud data is displayed on a display device to confirm the measurement object, measurement points at different distances from the measurement object are also displayed simultaneously, making it difficult to identify the measurement object.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-223841 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-223540 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-28464 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-39795 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0008] The present invention provides a surveying system, a point cloud data acquisition method, and a point cloud data acquisition program that enable the acquisition range of point cloud data of a laser scanner to be specified in a three-dimensional space and reduce the amount of acquired point cloud data. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0009] The present invention relates to a surveying system including a target and a measuring instrument. The target has a retroreflective characteristic. The measuring instrument includes a point measurement unit that irradiates the target with distance measuring light, receives the reflected light, and can measure the three-dimensional coordinates of the target based on the received result, a scanner unit that can acquire point cloud data by rotating and irradiating a laser beam, and an arithmetic control unit. The target is held near the measurement target, and the target is measured by the point measurement unit at at least one position. The arithmetic control unit calculates a region of a three-dimensional space including the measurement target based on the target measurement result of the point measurement unit. The scanner unit scans a predetermined range including the measurement target to acquire point cloud data. The arithmetic control unit is configured to select only the point cloud data included in the region from the point cloud data.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the point measurement unit has a tracking function, tracks the movement around the measurement target of the target, measures the target while tracking, obtains a tracking trajectory, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the region of the three-dimensional space based on the tracking trajectory.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the point measurement unit has a tracking function, tracks the movement around the measurement target of the target, measures the target while tracking, obtains a tracking trajectory, the arithmetic control unit calculates a horizontal plane projection figure of the tracking trajectory, and calculates the region of the three-dimensional space that extends vertically with the horizontal plane projection figure as the bottom surface.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the point measurement unit has a tracking function, tracks the movement around the measurement target of the target, measures the target while tracking, obtains a tracking trajectory, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the region of the three-dimensional space by setting a height vertically above the tracking trajectory with the tracking trajectory as a boundary.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the arithmetic control unit calculates a circle inscribed in or circumscribed about the tracking trajectory, and calculates the region of the three-dimensional space based on the inscribed or circumscribed circle.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the arithmetic control unit calculates a polygon inscribed in or circumscribed about the tracking trajectory, and calculates the region of the three-dimensional space based on the inscribed or circumscribed polygon.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the arithmetic control unit has a region setting pattern, at least one point near the measurement target of the target is measured as a region point with three-dimensional coordinates by the point measurement unit, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the region of the three-dimensional space based on the measurement result of the region point and the region setting pattern.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the region setting pattern is a circle, and the arithmetic control unit calculates a region in the three-dimensional space based on a set radius and a region point with a single region point as the center of the circle.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the region setting pattern is a circle, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the distance between two points from the horizontal coordinates of the two region points, and calculates the region in the three-dimensional space using the calculated distance as the diameter of the circle.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the region setting pattern is a circle, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the distance between two points from the horizontal coordinates with one of the two region points as the center of the circle, and calculates the region in the three-dimensional space using the calculated distance as the radius of the circle.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the region setting pattern is a square, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the distance between two points from the horizontal coordinates of the two points, and calculates the region in the three-dimensional space using the calculated distance as the diagonal of the square.

[0020] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system configured such that the three-dimensional coordinates of the target are measured as region points by the point measurement unit at at least three points near the measurement target, the region setting pattern is a rectangle, and the arithmetic control unit calculates a rectangle using the horizontal coordinates of the three points as the coordinates of three vertices of the rectangle, and calculates the region in the three-dimensional space based on the calculated rectangle.

[0021] Furthermore, in the present invention, the point measurement unit has a tracking function, tracks the movement of the target along the measurement target, measures the target while tracking, obtains a tracking trajectory, the region setting pattern is a sphere, and the arithmetic control unit sets region points on the tracking trajectory, and calculates the region of the three-dimensional space by a set of spheres formed along the tracking trajectory with the region points as the centers of the spheres. The present invention relates to a surveying system configured as described above.

[0022] Furthermore, in the present invention, the arithmetic control unit has a plurality of region setting patterns, the target has three-dimensional coordinates measured as region points by the point measurement unit at at least two points near the measurement target, the arithmetic control unit selects one of the plurality of region setting patterns, and calculates the region of the three-dimensional space based on the measurement results of the region points and the selected region setting pattern. The present invention relates to a surveying system configured as described above.

[0023] Furthermore, in the present invention, the plurality of region setting patterns include at least a circular pattern, a square pattern, a rectangular pattern, and a spherical pattern. The present invention relates to a surveying system.

[0024] Furthermore, in the present invention, the scanner unit scans to include a plurality of measurement targets and obtains point cloud data, and the arithmetic control unit sets the region of the three-dimensional space for each measurement target and selects only the point cloud data included in the region. The present invention relates to a surveying system configured as described above.

[0025] Furthermore, in the present invention, a remote manipulator is further provided, at least one of the remote manipulator and the point measurement unit is provided with a display unit, and the point cloud data included in the region is displayed on the display unit. The present invention relates to a surveying system.

[0026] Furthermore, in the present invention, the point cloud data displayed on the display unit relates to one of the plurality of measurement targets. The present invention relates to a surveying system.

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system in which the display unit is a touch panel and measurement of a measurement target is enabled based on the displayed point cloud data.

[0028] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system further including a UAV, wherein the target is an omnidirectional prism provided on the UAV.

[0029] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying system including a target and a measuring instrument, the surveying system including: the target having a retroreflective property; a point measurement unit capable of measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target while tracking the target; and a measuring instrument having a scanner unit integrated with the point measurement unit and capable of obtaining point cloud data by rotating and irradiating a laser beam. The surveying system includes: moving the target around the measurement target; obtaining the three-dimensional coordinates of the target at at least one position during the movement; calculating a closed solid region of a three-dimensional space including the measurement target based on the one three-dimensional coordinate; obtaining point cloud data including the measurement target by the scanner unit; and selecting only the point cloud data included in the closed solid region from the point cloud data. The present invention relates to a method for obtaining point cloud data in the surveying system.

[0030] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a point cloud data acquisition program for causing any of the above surveying systems to execute each of the above steps.

Advantages of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, there is provided a surveying system including a target and a measuring instrument. The target has a retroreflective property. The measuring instrument includes a point measurement unit that irradiates the target with distance measuring light, receives the reflected light, and can measure the three-dimensional coordinates of the target based on the received result; a scanner unit that can obtain point cloud data by rotating and irradiating a laser beam; and an arithmetic control unit. The target is held near the measurement object, and the target is measured by the point measurement unit at at least one position. The arithmetic control unit calculates a region of a three-dimensional space including the measurement object based on the target measurement result of the point measurement unit. The scanner unit scans a predetermined range including the measurement object to obtain point cloud data. The arithmetic control unit is configured to select only the point cloud data included in the region from the point cloud data. Therefore, it is possible to obtain point cloud data related to the measurement object, reduce the amount of acquired point cloud data, and perform a data processing operation of excluding unnecessary portions from the acquired point cloud data after measurement. Don't This results in excellent effects of improving work efficiency and facilitating identification of the measurement object.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] The surveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed of a measuring machine, a remote manipulator, and a target. As the measuring machine, a measuring machine having a function of tracking a target and measuring the three-dimensional position of the target, and a function of performing two-dimensional scanning to acquire point cloud data is used.

[0035] Examples of such measuring instruments include the surveying apparatus shown in Patent Document 1, or the laser scanner shown in Patent Document 3, etc.

[0036] In this embodiment, in a measuring instrument capable of tracking a target and acquiring point cloud data, a plurality of three-dimensional positions in the real space are specified using the target before or after the acquisition of the point cloud data, and a closed three-dimensional space region (closed solid region) including the measurement target is created based on the specified plurality of three-dimensional positions.

[0037] First, the outline of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0038] In FIG. 1, 1 is a measuring instrument, 2 is a target of a retroreflector such as a prism, and 3 is a remote manipulator.

[0039] The measuring instrument 1 is installed at a predetermined position, for example, a position known with respect to the measurement target. The measuring instrument 1 has a point measurement unit 4 and a scanner unit 5, and the point measurement unit 4 and the scanner unit 5 are integrated.

[0040] The point measurement unit 4 has a function of tracking the target 2 and measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target 2 in real time. The point measurement unit 4 includes a total station or the like.

[0041] The scanner unit 5 has a function of scanning pulsed ranging light and acquiring point cloud data. Examples of the scanner unit 5 include those that rotationally irradiate pulsed ranging light about a single horizontal axis, those that rotationally irradiate pulsed ranging light about two horizontal and vertical axes, or those that reciprocally scan pulsed ranging light in the horizontal / vertical directions, etc.

[0042] The target 2 may be a full-circle prism attached to a pole, or a full-circle prism attached to a handle in a simple and portable manner.

[0043] FIG. 1 shows the steel bars of the column at the initial stage of assembly as the measurement target 6.

[0044] The measurement operator holds the target 2 and moves around the measurement target 6. The point measurement unit 4 tracks the target 2 and measures the three-dimensional coordinates of the target 2 at a predetermined point. Note that the three-dimensional coordinates of the predetermined point are the coordinates of the point where the moving direction changes, that is, the coordinates of the angular position. Note that the predetermined point may be selected from the trajectory around the measurement target 6, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the predetermined point may be determined. Also, the reason why the target 2 is higher behind the measurement target 6 is to prevent the tracking light from being blocked by the measurement target 6.

[0045] In the case of this embodiment, the number of predetermined points is four corresponding to the shape of the measurement target 6. Taking the horizontal plane shape (the shape projected onto the horizontal plane) of the figure formed by the four points as a cross section, the three-dimensional space extending vertically is set as the point cloud data acquisition area (hereinafter, the data acquisition area). Note that when the measurement target is finite in the vertical direction and the height of the measurement target is known, the height may also be specified to specify the data acquisition area of the closed three-dimensional space. Since the three-dimensional coordinates of the four points are known, the boundary of the data acquisition area is also known.

[0046] The acquisition of the point cloud data by the scanner unit 5 may scan a wide range including the measurement target as a pre-process of area setting, or after setting the area for the measurement target, scan only within the set area to obtain the point cloud data.

[0047] After the acquisition of the point cloud data, by using the boundary of the data acquisition area as a threshold value to determine whether the measured value (three-dimensional coordinates) of the point cloud data is included in the data acquisition area, the point cloud data of the data acquisition area can be extracted, and further, the measurement target can be discriminated from the extracted point cloud data, and the point cloud data related to the measurement target can be easily extracted.

[0048] When obtaining point cloud data over a wide range, if there are multiple measurement targets, only the operation of setting the area needs to be performed after obtaining the point cloud data at one time, and the work efficiency is good. Also, when there is one measurement target, it is effective to reduce the data volume by limiting the scanning to the data acquisition area.

[0049] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, the measuring instrument 1 will be further described.

[0050] In the measuring instrument 1 shown in FIG. 2, a total station is used as the point measurement unit 4, and a laser scanner with one-axis rotational irradiation, in which a laser beam is rotationally irradiated around a horizontal rotation axis, is used as the scanner unit 5.

[0051] The surveying system 1 includes a point measurement unit 4 (hereinafter referred to as the TS unit 4), a scanner unit 5 which is a two-dimensional laser scanner (hereinafter referred to as the LS unit 5), and an arithmetic control unit 7. The arithmetic control unit 7 integrally controls the operations of the TS unit 4 and the LS unit 5, and performs data processing such as matching and correction of the data acquired by the TS unit 4 and the LS unit 5. Note that the arithmetic control unit 7 may be shared by either a TS arithmetic control unit 21 (described later) provided in the TS unit 4 or an LS arithmetic control unit 38 (described later) provided in the LS unit 5.

[0052] A tripod 8 is installed at a predetermined position, the TS unit 4 is provided on the tripod 8, and the LS unit 5 is provided on the upper surface of the TS unit 4.

[0053] The TS unit 4 has a first mechanical reference point (not shown), and the TS unit 4 and the LS unit 5 are configured such that a second mechanical reference point of the LS unit 5 exists on a vertical line 9 passing through the first mechanical reference point, and the distance between the first mechanical reference point and the second mechanical reference point is known.

[0054] First, the schematic configuration of the TS unit 4 will be described.

[0055] The lower end of the TS unit 4 is a base portion 11 having an alignment function, and a horizontal rotation drive portion 12 is housed in the base portion 11. The horizontal rotation drive portion 12 has a horizontal rotation shaft 13 extending vertically, and the axis of the horizontal rotation shaft 13 coincides with the vertical line 9.

[0056] A bracket portion 14, which is a horizontal rotation portion, is attached to the upper end of the horizontal rotation shaft 13. The LS unit 5 is provided on the upper surface of the bracket portion 14.

[0057] A telescope portion 16, which is a vertical rotation portion, is rotatably supported by the bracket portion 14 via a vertical rotation shaft 15.

[0058] A telescope 17 having a distance measurement optical axis is provided in the telescope portion 16, and a TS distance measurement portion 22 (described later) and the like are housed in the telescope portion 16. The distance measurement optical axis intersects the vertical line 9 and is orthogonal to the axis of the vertical rotation shaft 15. The intersection point of the distance measurement optical axis and the vertical line 9 may be used as a first mechanical reference point.

[0059] A vertical rotation drive portion 18 is housed in the bracket portion 14, and the vertical rotation drive portion 18 is connected to the vertical rotation shaft 15. The vertical rotation drive portion 18 rotates the telescope portion 16 in the vertical direction via the vertical rotation shaft 15. A vertical angle detector 19 is provided on the vertical rotation shaft 15, and the vertical rotation angle of the vertical rotation shaft 15 is detected in real time by the vertical angle detector 19, and further the vertical angle of the telescope portion 16 (i.e., the distance measurement optical axis) is detected.

[0060] The bracket portion 14 is rotated through 360 degrees in the horizontal direction via the horizontal rotation shaft 13 by the horizontal rotation drive portion 12. A horizontal angle detector 20 is provided on the horizontal rotation shaft 13, and the horizontal rotation angle of the bracket portion 14 (i.e., the horizontal angle of the distance measurement optical axis) is detected by the horizontal angle detector 20, and further the horizontal angle of the bracket portion 14 is detected in real time.

[0061] The horizontal rotation drive unit 12 and the vertical rotation drive unit 18 constitute a rotation drive unit, and the telescope unit 16 is rotated in two required directions, vertical and horizontal, by the rotation drive unit. Further, the vertical angle detector 19 and the horizontal angle detector 20 constitute a direction angle detector, and are configured to detect the vertical angle and the horizontal angle (i.e., the direction angle of the distance measuring optical axis) in real time.

[0062] Inside the bracket unit 14, a total station arithmetic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the TS arithmetic control unit) 21 is provided, and the TS distance measuring unit 22 (described later), the horizontal rotation drive unit 12, the vertical rotation drive unit 18, etc. are controlled by the TS arithmetic control unit 21.

[0063] The TS unit 4 will be further described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 3, the TS unit 4 mainly includes a total station distance measuring unit (hereinafter referred to as the TS distance measuring unit) 22, a total station angle measuring unit (hereinafter referred to as the TS angle measuring unit) 23, a tracking unit 24, a TS communication unit 25, an operation unit 26, a display unit 27, an imaging unit 28, a total station storage unit (hereinafter referred to as the TS storage unit) 29, the TS arithmetic control unit 21, the horizontal rotation drive unit 12, and the vertical rotation drive unit 18. The TS angle measuring unit 23 is composed of the horizontal angle detector 20 and the vertical angle detector 19. Note that an encoder may be used as the horizontal angle detector 20 and the vertical angle detector 19.

[0065] The TS distance measuring unit 22 irradiates a distance measuring light onto the target 2, receives the reflected light from the target 2 to measure the distance, and inputs the distance measurement result to the TS arithmetic control unit 21.

[0066] The TS angle measuring unit 23 obtains the horizontal angle and the vertical angle of the target 2 (measurement point) at the time of distance measurement based on the detection result from the vertical angle detector 19 and the detection result from the horizontal angle detector 20, and inputs the detected angle to the TS arithmetic control unit 21.

[0067] The TS calculation control unit 21 calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement point based on the distance measurement result of the TS distance measurement unit 22 and the angle measurement result of the TS angle measurement unit 23, and stores the calculation result in the TS storage unit 29.

[0068] The tracking unit 24 emits tracking light coaxially or parallel to the distance measurement light, receives the reflected light from the target 2, and inputs the tracking state to the TS calculation control unit 21.

[0069] When the target 2 moves, the TS calculation control unit 21 drives and controls the horizontal rotation drive unit 12 and the vertical rotation drive unit 18 so that the telescope 17 sights the target 2 and the tracking unit 24 can always receive the reflected light from the target 2.

[0070] The imaging unit 28 acquires an image (background image) in the measurement direction including the measurement target and inputs the image data to the TS calculation control unit 21. The TS calculation control unit 21 stores the image data in the TS storage unit 29 in association with the distance measurement and angle measurement data. Alternatively, image processing such as superimposing the image data and the point cloud data acquired by the LS unit 5 is performed.

[0071] The TS communication unit 25 receives an operation command from the remote manipulator 3, or performs transmission and reception of control signals and data such as the distance measurement result of the TS distance measurement unit 22, the angle measurement result of the TS angle measurement unit 23, the image data acquired by the imaging unit 28, and the point cloud data acquired by the LS unit 5.

[0072] Operation commands such as input of measurement conditions and start of measurement are input from the operation unit 26 to the TS unit 4 and the LS unit 5, and the input measurement conditions, measurement status, measurement results, etc. are displayed on the display unit 27. Incidentally, the display unit 27 may be a touch panel, serving both as a display unit and an operation unit, and the operation unit 26 may be omitted.

[0073] The TS storage unit 29 stores programs such as an imaging program for controlling image acquisition by the imaging unit 28, a ranging program for controlling ranging by the TS ranging unit 22, an angle measurement program for obtaining horizontal angle detection and vertical angle detection by the TS angle measurement unit 23 and calculating a direction angle based on the results of the angle detection, a tracking program for executing tracking by the tracking unit 24, an image processing program for processing the image acquired by the imaging unit 28, a region setting program for setting a region of a three-dimensional space including a measurement object based on a plurality of specified three-dimensional positions (three-dimensional coordinates), a point cloud data extraction program for determining whether the point cloud data acquired by the LS unit 5 is within the data acquisition region, extracting the point cloud data within the data acquisition region, or deleting the point cloud data outside the data acquisition region, etc., or patterns for setting a region of a three-dimensional space, etc.

[0074] Further, a data storage region is formed in the TS storage unit 29, and data such as image data acquired by the imaging unit 28, ranging data acquired by the TS ranging unit 22, and angle measurement data acquired by the TS angle measurement unit 23 is stored in the data storage region. The image data, point cloud data, the ranging data, and the angle measurement data are associated with each other.

[0075] The TS arithmetic control unit 21 performs required arithmetic operations based on the stored data and performs required controls such as ranging, angle measurement, and tracking based on the stored programs.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 3, the LS unit 5 has a recess 31 formed in the center, and a scanning mirror 32 is housed in the recess 31. The scanning mirror 32 is rotatably supported by a scanning rotation shaft 33 having a horizontal axis, and is rotated by a scanning motor 34 via the scanning rotation shaft 33.

[0077] Further, a laser scanner vertical angle detector (hereinafter referred to as LS vertical angle detector) 35 is provided on the scanning rotation axis 33. The LS vertical angle detector 35 is configured to detect the rotation angle of the scanning rotation axis 33 (vertical angle, that is, the rotation angle of the scanning mirror 32) in real time. Note that an encoder may be used as the LS vertical angle detector 35.

[0078] The LS unit 5 includes an LS distance measurement unit 36 at a portion facing the scanning mirror 32. A scanning light (pulsed laser beam) 37 is emitted from the LS distance measurement unit 36 toward the scanning mirror 32.

[0079] The optical axis of the scanning light 37 coincides with the axis of the scanning rotation axis 33 and is deflected at a right angle by the scanning mirror 32. As the scanning mirror 32 rotates about the scanning rotation axis 33, the scanning light 37 deflected by the scanning mirror 32 is rotationally irradiated within a plane orthogonal to the axis of the scanning rotation axis 33. The intersection of the axis of the scanning rotation axis 33 (that is, the optical axis of the scanning light 37) and the scanning mirror 32 serves as the second mechanical reference point of the LS unit 3.

[0080] The rotationally irradiated scanning light 37 scans the measurement object, and the reflected scanning light 37′ (not shown) reflected by the measurement object enters the LS distance measurement unit 36 through the scanning mirror 32. The LS distance measurement unit 36 measures the distance for each pulsed light by obtaining the round-trip time of the pulsed light by receiving the reflected scanning light 37′ (Time Of Flight).

[0081] Further, the vertical angle of the scanning mirror 32 is detected in real time by the LS vertical angle detector 35. The distance is measured for each pulsed light, and the vertical angle is detected for each pulsed light.

[0082] Since the LS unit 3 rotationally irradiates the scanning light 37 in the vertical direction and detects the vertical angle, two-dimensional point cloud data having two-dimensional coordinates of distance and vertical angle is acquired. The acquired two-dimensional point cloud data is stored in the laser scanner storage unit via a laser scanner arithmetic control unit (described later).

[0083] Referring to FIG. 5, the LS unit 5 will be further described.

[0084] The LS unit 5 mainly includes the LS vertical angle detector 35, the LS distance measurement unit 36, the LS angle measurement unit 40, the laser scanner arithmetic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the LS arithmetic control unit) 38, the scanning motor 34, and the laser scanner storage unit (hereinafter referred to as the LS storage unit) 39.

[0085] The LS storage unit 39 stores programs such as an LS distance measurement program for rotating and irradiating the scanning light 37 emitted from the LS distance measurement unit 36 and measuring the distance for each pulse of light, an angle detection program for detecting the angle of the scanning mirror 32 in real time, and a data association program for synchronizing and associating various data acquired by the TS unit 4 and data acquired by the LS unit 5. In addition, a data storage area is formed in the LS storage unit 39, and the distance measurement results and angle measurement results (point cloud data) for each pulse of light are stored in the data storage area. Note that a part of the TS storage unit 29 may be allocated to the LS storage unit 39.

[0086] The LS arithmetic control unit 38 performs light emission control of the LS angle measurement unit 40, control of the scanning motor 34 (rotation control of the scanning mirror 32), etc., and controls the acquisition of point cloud data. Further, the LS arithmetic control unit 38 associates the distance measurement result and the angle measurement result for each pulse of light in the data storage area and stores them in the LS storage unit 39.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 6, the schematic configuration of the remote manipulator 3 will be described.

[0088] The remote manipulator 3 includes a terminal arithmetic processing unit 41 having an arithmetic function, a terminal storage unit 42, a terminal communication unit 43, an operation unit 44, and a display unit 45.

[0089] The terminal memory unit 42 stores programs such as a communication program for communicating with the measuring instrument 1, measurement results such as an operation screen and point cloud data, a display program for displaying images acquired by a camera, and an operation program for inputting instructions via a touch panel or the like.

[0090] The terminal communication unit 43 communicates with the measuring instrument 1. Further, the operation unit 44 inputs various instructions via buttons of a controller provided integrally with the display unit 45 and remotely operates the measuring instrument 1.

[0091] The display unit 45 displays the measurement results acquired by the TS unit 4, the point cloud data acquired by the LS unit 5, and the like.

[0092] Note that the entire display unit 45 may be a touch panel. When the entire display unit 45 is a touch panel, the operation unit 44 may be omitted.

[0093] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, the operation of the region setting in this embodiment will be described.

[0094] STEP:01 Install the measuring instrument 1 at a predetermined position.

[0095] STEP:02 The operator holds the target 2 and starts tracking the target 2 with the measuring instrument 1 (TS unit 4).

[0096] STEP:03 Start region setting when the target 2 is positioned near the measurement object 6.

[0097] STEP:04 Hold the target 2 so that the tracking by the TS unit 4 does not stop, and move around the measurement object 6. As shown in FIG. 1, when moving behind the measurement object 6, support the target 2 above the measurement object 6 so that the optical path of the tracking light is not blocked by the measurement object 6. The TS unit 4 measures the position while tracking the target 2.

[0098] STEP:05 By the target 2 orbiting around the measurement target 6, the boundary of the area is specified. The horizontal projection of the locus of the target 2 surrounding the measurement target 6 is the horizontal cross-section of the area, and the set area is a three-dimensional space defined with this horizontal cross-section as the bottom surface and the height including the measurement target 6. Incidentally, when the height of the measurement target 6 is known, or in the case of being finite, the height of the three-dimensional space may be specified by the target 2, or may be specified numerically from the operation unit 26, and the data acquisition area may be a closed three-dimensional space. Also, by setting a height vertically above the boundary formed by the tracking locus of the target 2, equipment suspended from the ceiling etc. can be made the measurement target, and area setting can be performed with the tracking locus as the lower limit.

[0099] The TS arithmetic control unit 21, or the terminal arithmetic processing unit 41, acquires the locus (tracking locus) of the target 2, and further calculates the horizontal projection and the data acquisition area.

[0100] STEP:06 Set a predetermined range (horizontal angle) including the data acquisition area from the operation unit 26 as the scanning range, or the TS arithmetic control unit 21 sets the scanning range based on the obtained area, and starts the scanning by the LS unit 5. Incidentally, the scanning range may be set for the elevation angle, but only the horizontal angle may be set.

[0101] STEP:07 By the rotation of the scanning mirror 32 and the cooperation of the horizontal rotation by the horizontal rotation drive unit 12, scan the set predetermined range and acquire point cloud data.

[0102] STEP:08 Compare the three-dimensional coordinate values of each measurement point of the acquired point cloud data with the data acquisition area, and select the measurement points having the three-dimensional coordinate values included in the data acquisition area. By this selection, points deviated in the horizontal angle direction and points deviated in the depth direction with respect to the data acquisition area are deleted.

[0103] By executing this selection process, the obtained point cloud data becomes only related to the measurement target 6.

[0104] STEP:09 Display the selected point cloud data on the display unit 27 of the measuring machine 1 or on the display unit 45 of the remote manipulator 3.

[0105] Fig. 8 shows a state where the acquired point cloud data 46 is displayed on the display unit 27 or the display unit 45. The point cloud data 46 relates to the measurement object 6, and the operation of extracting the point cloud data related to the measurement object 6 from a huge amount of point cloud data can be omitted.

[0106] The TS operation control unit 21 or the terminal operation processing unit 41 obtains the three-dimensional coordinates of the specified point by designating a desired point on the displayed image (point cloud), and calculates the position and height information of the specified point from the three-dimensional coordinates. Further, by designating two points (a, b), the distance (width, depth, etc.) between the two points is calculated. Therefore, three-dimensional information about the measurement object 6 can be easily obtained from the image.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the area is set based on the trajectory obtained by tracking the target 2, but in Fig. 1, four points are designated based on the trajectory to set the area.

[0108] Four points on the trajectory obtained by moving around the measurement object 6, for example, the positions (points) corresponding to the four corners of the measurement object 6 are selected, and a quadrilateral formed by connecting the four points with straight lines is used as the boundary of the area. Also in this case, Quadrilateral the horizontal projection view is used as the horizontal cross-section of the area, and a three-dimensional space defined by the height including the measurement object 6 is set as the area. Note that the shape of the horizontal cross-section is not limited to a quadrilateral, and may correspond to the shape of the measurement object 6, and more than four points, five points, six points, etc. may be selected to form a polygon such as a pentagon or a hexagon.

[0109] With this area setting, the shape of the area becomes simple, and it becomes easy to determine whether each measurement point of the point cloud data in STEP:08 is included in the area.

[0110] Also, in this method, since the area is formed in a plane, the setting of the area itself becomes easy.

[0111] For other examples of area setting based on the tracking trajectory of the target 2, reference will be made to FIGS. 9, 10(A), 10(B), and 10(C) for description.

[0112] In FIG. 9, 48 indicates the trajectory obtained by tracking the target 2. Also, in FIGS. 10(A), 10(B), and 10(C), 48' indicates the projected trajectory 48' obtained by projecting the trajectory 48 onto the horizontal plane.

[0113] In the area setting shown in FIG. 10(A), the TS operation control unit 21 or the terminal operation processing unit 41 calculates a circumscribed quadrilateral 51 that circumscribes the projected trajectory 48', calculates a columnar three-dimensional space having the circumscribed quadrilateral 51 as the bottom surface, and uses the three-dimensional space as the data acquisition area.

[0114] Also, in the area setting shown in FIG. 10(B), the TS operation control unit 21 or the terminal operation processing unit 41 calculates an inscribed circle 52 that inscribes the projected trajectory 48', calculates a columnar three-dimensional space having the inscribed circle 52 as the bottom surface, and uses the three-dimensional space as the data acquisition area.

[0115] Also, in the area setting shown in FIG. 10(C), similarly, a circumscribed circle 53 that circumscribes the projected trajectory 48' is obtained, a columnar three-dimensional space having the circumscribed circle 53 as the bottom surface is calculated, and the three-dimensional space is used as the data acquisition area.

[0116] In addition, when setting an area based on the projected trajectory 48', the shape of the area to be circumscribed or inscribed is not limited to a rectangle or a circle, and may be a triangle, a parallelogram, an ellipse, etc. It may be appropriately selected in consideration of the shape, size, etc. of the measurement target.

[0117] FIGS. 11 to 13 show other examples of area setting.

[0118] In the other area setting, first, an area shape (area pattern) is selected, a plurality of area points are set by the target 2, the area points are measured by the TS unit 4, and an area is set based on the measured area points and the selected area pattern. In this example of area setting, since it is only necessary to measure a plurality of points by the target 2, the area setting work becomes simple.

[0119] FIG. 11 shows a case where a circular pattern 55 is selected as the area pattern.

[0120] FIG. 11(A) shows a case where a circular pattern 55 is formed by specifying a diameter. In this case, the area points to be set are two points (56a, 56b) at both ends of the diameter of the circular pattern 55.

[0121] FIG. 11(B) shows a case where a circular pattern 55 is formed by specifying a center position and a radius by the target 2. In this case, the area points to be set are two points (56c, 56d) at the center of the circular pattern 55 and the tip of the radius. Alternatively, the center position may be specified by the target 2, and the radius distance on the horizontal projection view may be set numerically from the operation unit 26 or the remote operation machine 3.

[0122] FIG. 12 shows a case where an area is set by the circular pattern 55 in FIG. 11(A) described above. Also, the measurement object 6 shows a pillar. When an operator gives an instruction such as measurement to the measuring machine 1, it is performed via the remote operation machine 3.

[0123] The target 2 is held at an arbitrary position A near the measurement object 6 and measurable by the measuring machine 1, and the position (three-dimensional coordinates) of the target 2 is measured by the measuring machine 1 (FIG. 12(A)).

[0124] Next, move to the opposite side of the measurement target 6, hold the target 2 at position B, and measure the position (3D coordinates) of the target 2. Based on the horizontal plane coordinates among the 3D coordinates of position A and the 3D coordinates of position B, obtain the horizontal distance between the two points. Create a circular pattern 55 with the obtained horizontal distance as the diameter (Fig. 12(B)).

[0125] Set a cylindrical 3D space with the circular pattern 55 as the bottom surface as region 57. Regarding the height, either hold the target 2 at the desired height and measure the position of the target to set the height, or if the height is known from a design drawing or the like, numerical values may be input by the remote manipulator 3 (Fig. 12(C)).

[0126] Figs. 13(A) and 13(B) show the case where the region pattern is rectangular.

[0127] Also, Fig. 13(A) shows the case where a square pattern 57 is selected as the region pattern. When the region pattern is the square pattern 57, by setting two diagonal points (58a, 58b) as region points, each point is measured, and the square pattern 57 is created based on the measurement results of the two points. Regarding the setting of the height, it is the same as in the case of the circular pattern 55.

[0128] Fig. 13(B) shows the case where a rectangular pattern 57' is selected as the region pattern. When the region pattern is the rectangular pattern 57', by setting three points, namely two diagonal points (58a, 58b) and another vertex point (58c), as region points, similarly, each point is measured, and the rectangular pattern 57' is created based on the measurement results of the three points.

[0129] In Figs. 11 to 13, the region pattern is a circle or a rectangle, but it goes without saying that various plane figures such as triangles, pentagons, or ellipses can be used as the region pattern.

[0130] Next, Fig. 14 shows an example where the region pattern is not a plane figure but a solid figure.

[0131] Further, in FIG. 14, as an example, the portal frame 59 is the measurement target.

[0132] With the following being in a state where tracking is being performed, the target 2 is moved along the portal frame 59. While tracking the target 2 with the measuring instrument 1, measurement is executed, and the locus 60 of the target 2 is measured.

[0133] As a three-dimensional region pattern, a sphere 61 is selected, and the radius of the sphere 61 is set. Region points are set on the locus 60. The sphere 61 centered on the region point is created. Further, by setting the region points at a predetermined pitch, the spheres 61 are formed at the predetermined pitch along the locus 60. Thus, a region including the portal frame 59 is formed by the collection of the spheres 61. Note that the sphere 61 may be created for each measurement point constituting the locus 60.

[0134] Further, the setting of the radius may be either before or after. If set in advance, a region is created in parallel with the measurement of the locus 60 of the target 2.

[0135] Further, for a part of the portal frame 59, for example, when point cloud data is required for a corner portion, a region may be created by a sphere 61 including the corner portion.

[0136] Note that as the three-dimensional region pattern, a cube may be used. In this case, the shape is specified by setting the length of one side.

[0137] FIG. 16 shows an application example of region setting.

[0138] In this application example, when there are a plurality of measurement targets, the laser scanning range by the LS unit 5 is set so as to include the plurality of measurement targets (house, tree 1, tree 2), and point cloud data for the entire scanning range is acquired.

[0139] For each measurement target, regions 62a, 62b, and 62c are set individually. Point cloud data included in regions 62a, 62b, and 62c is left from the point cloud data of the entire scanning range, and other point cloud data is deleted. By deleting unnecessary point cloud data, it becomes easier to observe the measurement target.

[0140] Furthermore, the point cloud for each measurement target can also be displayed on the display unit 27 or the display unit 45.

[0141] FIG. 17 shows the measurement target (tree 1). By individually displaying the measurement target (tree 1), detailed measurements for each measurement target become possible.

[0142] Referring to FIG. 18, the operation of region setting in another embodiment will be described.

[0143] STEP:11 Install the measuring machine 1 at a predetermined position.

[0144] STEP:12 Select a region pattern (such as a circular pattern 55, a square pattern 57, a rectangular pattern 57′, a sphere 61, etc.) from the operation unit 26 of the TS unit 4 or the operation unit 44 of the remote operation machine 3.

[0145] STEP:13,14 Position the target 2 near the measurement target 6, measure the target 2 with the TS unit 4, further move the target 2 to another position, and measure it in the same way. Measure the positions of the target at multiple positions and set them as region points.

[0146] STEP:15 Calculate the horizontal plane projection shape of the region based on the selected region pattern and the three-dimensional coordinates of the set region points. Specify the height of the measurement region and set the region.

[0147] STEP:16 Set a predetermined range (horizontal angle) including the region as the scanning range from the operation unit 26 or the operation unit 44, or the TS calculation control unit 21 sets the scanning range based on the obtained region, and starts the scanning by the LS unit 5.

[0148] STEP: 17 By rotating the scanning mirror 32 and cooperating with the horizontal rotation by the horizontal rotation driving unit 12, scan a set predetermined range to obtain point cloud data.

[0149] STEP: 18 Compare the three-dimensional coordinate values of each measurement point of the obtained point cloud data with the region, and select the measurement points having three-dimensional coordinate values included in the region. By this selection, points deviated in the horizontal direction and points deviated in the depth direction with respect to the region are deleted.

[0150] STEP: 19 Display the selected point cloud data on the display unit 27 of the measuring machine 1 or on the display unit 45 of the remote operating machine 3.

[0151] Based on the displayed image (point cloud), detailed measurement of the measurement object 6 can be executed.

[0152] In addition, a UAV (unmanned flying device) may be added to the above surveying system, a full-circle prism may be mounted on the UAV as the target 2, the UAV may be moved around the measurement object, the target 2 may be tracked and measured, and a region may be set based on the measurement result.

Explanation of Signs

[0153] 1 Measuring machine 2 Target 3 Remote operating machine 4 TS unit 5 LS unit 6 Measurement object 7 Arithmetic control unit 16 Telescope unit 21 TS arithmetic control unit 22 TS distance measurement unit 23 TS angle measurement unit 24 Tracking unit 25 TS communication unit 27 Display unit 29 TS storage unit 36 LS distance measurement unit 38 LS arithmetic control unit 39 LS storage unit 41 Terminal calculation processing unit 43 Terminal communication unit 44 Operation unit 45 Display unit

Claims

1. A surveying system comprising a target and a measuring instrument, wherein the target has a retroreflective property, and the measuring instrument irradiates the target with ranging light, receives the reflected light, and measures the three-dimensional coordinates of the target based on the received result. The measuring instrument includes a point measurement unit capable of measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target, a scanner unit capable of obtaining point cloud data by rotating and irradiating a laser beam, and an arithmetic control unit. The target is held near the measurement target, the target is measured by the point measurement unit, The point measurement unit has a tracking function, tracks the movement of the target around the measurement target, measures the target while tracking, and obtains a tracking trajectory surrounding the measurement target. The arithmetic control unit calculates a horizontal plane projection figure of the tracking trajectory, and calculates a three-dimensional space region extending in the vertical direction with the horizontal plane projection figure as the bottom surface. The scanner unit scans a predetermined range including the measurement target to obtain point cloud data, and the arithmetic control unit is configured to select only the point cloud data included in the region from the point cloud data. A surveying system.

2. A surveying system comprising a target and a measuring instrument, wherein the target has a retroreflective property, and the measuring instrument irradiates the target with ranging light, receives the reflected light, and measures the three-dimensional coordinates of the target based on the received result. The measuring instrument includes a point measurement unit capable of measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target, a scanner unit capable of obtaining point cloud data by rotating and irradiating a laser beam, and an arithmetic control unit. The target is held near the measurement target, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the target are measured as region points by the point measurement unit at at least one position. The arithmetic control unit has a region setting pattern, and calculates a three-dimensional space region including the measurement target based on the measurement result of the region points and the region setting pattern. The scanner unit scans a predetermined range including the measurement target to obtain point cloud data. The arithmetic control unit is configured to select only the point cloud data included in the region from the point cloud data. A surveying system.

3. The surveying system according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic control unit is configured to calculate a region of the three-dimensional space by setting a height above the vertical of the tracking trajectory as a boundary and using the tracking trajectory as a boundary.

4. The surveying system according to claim 1 or claim 3, wherein the arithmetic control unit calculates a circle inscribed in or circumscribed about the tracking trajectory, and calculates a region of the three-dimensional space based on the inscribed or circumscribed circle.

5. The surveying system according to claim 1 or claim 3, wherein the arithmetic control unit calculates a polygon inscribed in or circumscribed about the tracking trajectory, and calculates a region of the three-dimensional space based on the inscribed or circumscribed polygon.

6. The surveying system according to claim 2, wherein the region setting pattern is a circle, and the arithmetic control unit is configured to calculate a region of the three-dimensional space with a region point of one point as the center of the circle and based on the set radius and the region point.

7. The surveying system according to claim 2, wherein the region setting pattern is a circle, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the distance between two points from the horizontal coordinates of the two region points, and calculates a region of the three-dimensional space using the calculated distance as the diameter of the circle.

8. The surveying system according to claim 2, wherein the region setting pattern is a circle, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the distance between two points from the horizontal coordinates of the two region points, with one of the two region points as the center of the circle, and calculates a region of the three-dimensional space using the calculated distance as the radius of the circle.

9. The surveying system according to claim 2, wherein the region setting pattern is a square, and the arithmetic control unit calculates the distance between two points from the horizontal coordinates of the two points, and calculates a region of the three-dimensional space using the calculated distance as the diagonal of the square.

10. The target has its three-dimensional coordinates measured as area points by the point measurement unit at at least three points near the measurement target, the area setting pattern is rectangular, and the arithmetic control unit calculates a rectangle using the horizontal coordinates of the three points as the three vertex coordinates of the rectangle, and calculates the area of the three-dimensional space based on the calculated rectangle. The surveying system according to claim 2, configured in such a manner.

11. The point measurement unit has a tracking function, tracks the movement of the target along the measurement target, measures the target while tracking, obtains a tracking trajectory, the area setting pattern is a sphere, and the arithmetic control unit sets area points on the tracking trajectory, and calculates the area of the three-dimensional space by a set of spheres formed along the tracking trajectory with the area points as the centers of the spheres. The surveying system according to claim 2, configured in such a manner.

12. The arithmetic control unit has a plurality of area setting patterns, the target has its three-dimensional coordinates measured as area points by the point measurement unit at at least two points near the measurement target, and the arithmetic control unit selects one of the plurality of area setting patterns and calculates the area of the three-dimensional space based on the measurement result of the area points and the selected area setting pattern. The surveying system according to claim 2, configured in such a manner.

13. The plurality of area setting patterns include at least a circular pattern, a square pattern, a rectangular pattern, and a spherical pattern. The surveying system according to claim 12.

14. The scanner unit scans to include a plurality of measurement targets and obtains point cloud data, and the arithmetic control unit sets the area of the three-dimensional space for each measurement target and selects only the point cloud data included in the area. The surveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, configured in such a manner.

15. The surveying system further includes a remote manipulator, and at least one of the remote manipulator and the point measurement unit includes a display unit, and the point cloud data included in the region is displayed on the display unit, according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. The point cloud data displayed on the display unit relates to one of a plurality of measurement objects, according to the surveying system of claim 15.

17. The display unit is a touch panel, and the surveying system according to claim 16 enables measurement of a measurement object based on the displayed point cloud data.

18. The surveying system further includes a UAV, and the target is an omnidirectional prism provided on the UAV, according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

19. A surveying system including a target and a measuring instrument, the target having retroreflective characteristics, a point measurement unit capable of measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target while tracking the target, and a scanner unit integrated with the point measurement unit and capable of obtaining point cloud data by rotating and irradiating a laser beam. In the surveying system having the measuring instrument, the step of moving the target around the measurement object, the step of obtaining the tracking trajectory of the target during the movement, Calculating a horizontal plane projection figure of the tracking trajectory, and calculating a three-dimensional space region extending in the vertical direction with the horizontal plane projection figure as the bottom surface. A method for obtaining point cloud data in a surveying system, including the step of obtaining point cloud data including the measurement object by the scanner unit, and the step of selecting only the point cloud data included in the region from the point cloud data.

20. A point cloud data acquisition program for causing the surveying system of any one of claims 1, 3 to 5 to execute each step described in claim 19.

21. A surveying system comprising a target and a measuring instrument, the surveying system comprising: the target having a retroreflective property; a point measurement unit capable of measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target as area points while tracking the target; and the measuring instrument having a scanner unit integrated with the point measurement unit and capable of obtaining point cloud data by rotating and irradiating a laser beam. In the surveying system, the method for obtaining point cloud data comprises the steps of: moving the target around the measurement object; measuring the three-dimensional coordinates of the target as area points by the point measurement unit at at least one position during the movement; calculating a region of a three-dimensional space including the measurement object based on the measurement results of the area points and a preset region setting pattern; obtaining point cloud data including the measurement object by the scanner unit; and selecting only the point cloud data included in the region from the point cloud data.

22. A point cloud data acquisition program for causing the surveying system according to any one of Claims 2, 6 to 13 to execute each step described in Claim 21.

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