Information projection system and information projection method

Abstract

To provide a technique for appropriately displaying information on a projection plane without depending on a distance image sensor, and directly projecting a wide range of information other than survey setting points onto a construction site.SOLUTION: A system (10) includes: a projector (50) including a tilt sensor (53) and at least one reflector (51); a measuring device (20) for measuring the position of the reflector; means having surface information (71); and means for setting a distance difference (D) between a projection plane (70) onto which the surface information is projected and the measuring device in a normal direction. The measuring device measures the reflector, and projects the surface information adjusted according to the distance difference in the normal direction onto the projection plane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information projection system and an information projection method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in surveying, a surveying instrument that measures distances, such as a total station, is used to drive stakes into predetermined locations. For this surveying work, devices have been devised that project an image of the target surveying point (target position) onto the ground (projection surface). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a projection technology in which a projection device is equipped with an inclination sensor to detect the inclination of the projection optical axis relative to the horizontal plane, and a "distance image sensor" is provided to eliminate errors caused by unevenness on the projection surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6130078 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology in Patent Document 1 has the advantage of eliminating errors caused by unevenness of the projection surface, but it requires the installation of a "distance image sensor." Also, the technology in Patent Document 1 projects an image of the measurement and installation point, but does not consider the projection of a wide range of information other than the measurement and installation point.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that can appropriately display information on a projection surface without relying on a distance image sensor, and can directly project a wide range of information other than measurement points onto a construction site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the system of the present invention comprises: a projector having a tilt sensor and at least one reflector; a measuring device having a tilt sensor and measuring the position of the reflector; a means for holding surface information; and a means for setting the distance difference in the normal direction between a projection surface onto which the position information is projected and the measuring device; wherein the measuring device measures the reflector and projects the surface information, which is adjusted to the distance difference in the normal direction, onto the projection surface.

[0007] Here, the projector may be any type that can project (display) surface information onto a projection surface.

[0008] The tilt sensor provided in the projector detects acceleration along at least one axis related to the projector. Preferably, it may detect acceleration along two orthogonal axes, and more preferably along three orthogonal axes related to the projector. The tilt sensor is not limited to an acceleration sensor, and may be another type such as a liquid surface tilt sensor.

[0009] The reflector provided in the projector is preferably a 360° prism, but it may be a reflective sticker or any other material that can reflect the distance measuring light and tracking light from the measuring device.

[0010] The measuring device may be any device that can measure the distance and angle (horizontal angle and vertical angle) from the measuring device (instrument center) to the reflector and measure the three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector (reflector coordinate information).

[0011] The base data for surface information includes location information of measurement points based on design data such as BIM (Building Information Modeling), location information of piping and electrical equipment on roads and buildings, and location information of component installation. In addition to such location information for construction, the base data for surface information includes a wide range of information related to the construction site, such as unevenness data obtained by a 3D scanner, deterioration diagnosis data obtained by a deterioration diagnosis app, and data visualized as a heat map. The base data for surface information may be configured to be created in advance and then read and used, or it may be configured to be acquired in real time using various devices (3D scanner, app, analysis device, etc.) and used. The means for obtaining surface information generates surface information to be projected onto the projection surface based on this base data.

[0012] The projection surface includes the ceiling, floor, wall, etc. at the construction site. A horizontal plane is the preferred projection surface, but if three-dimensional shape information such as the inclination or unevenness of the projection surface can be grasped in advance using base data, the projection surface can also be a shape that is not a horizontal plane, such as an inclined surface or an uneven surface.

[0013] There are various methods for setting the difference in distance between the projection surface onto which the surface information is projected and the measuring device in the normal direction, and these will be described later. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately display information on a projection surface without relying on a distance image sensor. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a technology for directly projecting a wide range of information other than staking and setting points onto a construction site. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information projection system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating how the information projection system is used at a construction site. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of the information projection system. [Figure 4] 3 is a flowchart illustrating an information projection method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information projection system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a projector device of the information projection system. FIG. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating how the information projection system is used at a construction site. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an information projection method according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is an image diagram of the estimation of the position of a second reflector according to the information projection method. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an image diagram of another estimation of the position of the second reflector according to the information projection method. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are conceptual diagrams relating to information processing by a projection image generation unit of an information projection system according to a first modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a conceptual diagram relating to information processing by a projection image generation unit of an information projection system according to a second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a projector device in an information projection system according to a third modification of the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an information projection system according to a fourth modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an information projection system according to a fifth modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an information projection system according to a sixth modification of the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a projector device in an information projection system according to a sixth modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, in each embodiment, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0017] 1. First Embodiment 1-1. Information projection system FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information projection system according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram explaining how the information projection system is used at a construction site, and FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram of the information projection system.

[0018] The information projection system 10 of this embodiment includes a measurement device 20 and a projector device 50. In this embodiment, the measurement device 20 and the projector device 50 are each placed on a tripod or the like at the construction site, but the measurement device 20 and the projector device 50 may be placed on a wheeled tripod or a dolly, or may be hand-held by a worker, as long as they can remain stationary during measurement (distance measurement). In this embodiment, the construction site is a closed space having a ceiling, floor, and walls as shown in FIG. 2, but is not limited to this.

[0019] 1-2. Measuring equipment The measuring device 20 may be any device capable of measuring the distance and angle (horizontal angle and vertical angle) from the measuring device (instrument center 20': FIG. 2) to the reflector 51 described below. Preferably, it is a total station, which is installed at a known point on the construction site, projects distance measuring light 11 (pulse laser beam: FIG. 1) toward the reflector 51, receives the reflected light (pulse reflected light) of the distance measuring light 11 from the reflector 51, measures the distance for each pulse, and averages the distance measurement results to perform highly accurate distance measurement. Alternatively, it may employ a phase difference measurement method using a light beam modulated at a predetermined frequency, or may employ another method, and is not limited to this embodiment.

[0020] In the case of a total station, the measuring device 20 comprises a leveling unit 35, a base unit 36, a support unit 37, and a telescope unit 38 (Fig. 2). It also comprises an inclination sensor 21, a communication unit 22, a memory unit 23, an EDM light transmitting and receiving unit 24, a tracking light receiving unit 25, a tracking light transmitting unit 26, an arithmetic and control unit 27, a horizontal angle detector 28, a vertical angle detector 29, a horizontal rotation drive unit 30, a vertical rotation drive unit 31, a display unit 32, and an operation unit 33 (Fig. 3).

[0021] The leveling unit 35 is a part attached to the tripod. The tilt sensor 21 is provided in the leveling unit 35 and is one of the means for setting the distance difference (D in FIG. 2) between the projection surface 70 (FIG. 2) onto which surface information is projected and the measuring device 20 (instrument center 20') in the normal direction of the projection surface 70, and detects acceleration in at least one axis (vertical direction in the example of FIG. 2) related to the measuring device 20. Preferably, acceleration in two orthogonal axes including the above-mentioned axis related to the measuring device 20 is detected, and more preferably, acceleration in three orthogonal axes including the above-mentioned axis is detected. There are various methods for setting the distance difference D, which will be described later.

[0022] The tilt sensor 21 detects the tilt of the measuring device 20 (telescope unit 38). In this embodiment, the tilt sensor 21 is provided in the leveling unit 35, and detects the tilt of the measuring device 20 (telescope unit 38) by detecting the tilt of the leveling unit 35 with respect to the horizontal plane. The tilt sensor 21 may be provided, for example, in the support unit 37 or in another location, as long as it detects the tilt of the measuring device 20 (telescope unit 38), and is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment.

[0023] The base unit 36 ​​is provided so that its angle of inclination with respect to the leveling unit 35 can be changed. A base unit 37 is provided on the base unit 36 ​​so that it can rotate horizontally around a vertical axis. A telescope unit 38 is provided on the base unit 37 so that it can rotate vertically around a horizontal axis. A display unit 32 and an operation unit 33 are provided on the base unit 37. The base unit 37 is driven by a horizontal rotation drive unit 30, and the telescope unit 38 is driven by a vertical rotation drive unit 31. The drive units 30 and 31 are, for example, motors. The horizontal rotation angle of the base unit 37 is detected by a horizontal angle detector 28, and the vertical rotation angle of the telescope unit 38 is detected by a vertical angle detector 29. The angle detectors 28 and 29 are, for example, encoders.

[0024] The telescope unit 38 incorporates a telescope optical system, an EDM light transmitting / receiving unit 24, a tracking light receiving unit 25, and a tracking light transmitting unit 26, and the base unit 37 incorporates an arithmetic control unit 27, a communication unit 22, and a memory unit 23 on the measuring device side.

[0025] The EDM light transmitter / receiver 24 projects a distance measurement light 11 (FIG. 1) in the direction of the collimation optical axis of the telescope. The calculation and control unit 27 (described later) receives the distance measurement light 11 reflected from the reflector 51 and measures the distance from the instrument center 20' (FIG. 2) to the reflector 51. The tracking light transmitter 26 projects a tracking light 12 (FIG. 1) whose optical axis is aligned with that of the distance measurement light 11. The tracking light receiver 25 includes an image sensor (e.g., a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor) and can identify the local coordinates of each pixel in a Cartesian coordinate system with the center of the sensor camera as the origin. The calculation and control unit 27 (described later) identifies the position of the tracking light 12 using the tracking light receiver 25 and the tracking light transmitter 26 from the difference between a landscape image including the tracking light 12 reflected by the reflector 51 and a landscape image excluding the tracking light 12. Hereinafter, the tracking light transmitting unit 26 and the tracking light receiving unit 25 will be collectively referred to as a tracking unit.

[0026] The communication unit 22 enables communication between the calculation control unit 56 (see Figure 3) on the projector side and the calculation control unit 27 on the measuring device side via the communication unit 54 (see Figure 3) on the projector side, and wireless communication is possible.

[0027] The calculation control unit 27 is connected to the tilt sensor 21, communication unit 22, memory unit 23, EDM light transmitting and receiving unit 24, tracking light receiving unit 25, tracking light transmitting unit 26, calculation control unit 27, horizontal angle detector 28, vertical angle detector 29, horizontal rotation drive unit 30, vertical rotation drive unit 31, display unit 32, and operation unit 33. The calculation control unit 27 performs overall control of the operation of the measuring device 20 using a program stored in the memory unit 23.

[0028] The arithmetic and control unit 27 controls the driving of the horizontal rotation drive unit 30 and the vertical rotation drive unit 31 to appropriately rotate the base unit 37 and the telescope unit 38, thereby enabling the telescope unit 38 to be pointed in a predetermined direction and to scan a predetermined range. The arithmetic and control unit 27 also controls the EDM light transmitting and receiving unit 24 to measure the distance to the reflector 51. At this time, the arithmetic and control unit 27 measures (calculates) the elevation angle and horizontal angle of the collimation direction of the telescope, thereby obtaining "reflector coordinate information 82 (three-dimensional coordinate position in absolute coordinates)" of the reflector 51.

[0029] The calculation and control unit 27 controls the driving of the driving units 30 and 31 based on information from the tracking units 25 and 26, thereby allowing the telescope unit 38 to always be pointed in the direction of (track) the reflector 51. Therefore, in the measuring device 20, the leveling unit 35, base unit 36, support unit 37, telescope unit 38, EDM light transmitting and receiving unit 24, tracking light receiving unit 25, tracking light transmitting unit 26, horizontal rotation driving unit 30, horizontal angle detector 28, vertical rotation driving unit 31, vertical angle detector 29, and tilt sensor 21 function as a surveying unit whose driving is controlled by the calculation and control unit 27.

[0030] 1-3.Projector equipment The projector device 50 projects surface information 71 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) onto a projection surface 70 (see FIG. 2). The projector device 50 includes a reflector 51, a projector 52, an inclination sensor 53, a communication unit 54, a memory unit 55, and an arithmetic and control unit 56 (see FIG. 3). The projector device 50 includes a box-shaped housing 60 as a whole, and includes a projection start point 61 of the projector 52 and one reflector 51 on one of its surfaces 60' (see FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the surface 60' is positioned facing upward so that the surface information 71 is projected onto the ceiling of the construction site, but it may also be positioned facing downward so that the surface information 71 is projected onto the floor, or sideways so that the surface information 71 is projected onto a wall.

[0031] The reflector 51 is preferably a full-circumference prism that can reflect light (ranging light 11 or tracking light 12) along the direction of incidence regardless of the direction from which the light is incident over the entire circumference (360°), but any reflector will do.

[0032] In this embodiment in which the number of reflectors 51 is one, a direction 51b is set to know "projector orientation information 83 (reference direction 51a in FIG. 1)." The reference direction 51a is a direction set in the housing 60 to detect the direction of the projection optical axis 57 (see FIG. 2) of the housing 60 (projector device 50). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, in order to know the longitudinal direction of a surface 60' on which the reflector 51 and the projection start point 61 are placed as the reference direction 51a, the reference direction 51a can be relatively identified by a direction 51b in which a plane perpendicular to the surface 60' faces the measurement device 20.

[0033] The tilt sensor 53 detects "projector tilt information 84." In this embodiment, the tilt sensor 53 is configured as a three-axis acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration in three directions, i.e., three mutually orthogonal axes, i.e., uv and w axes (see FIG. 1), set in the projector device 50, and is fixed to the housing 60. Therefore, the tilt sensor 53 detects the tilt of the projector device 50 based on the horizontal or vertical direction by detecting the tilt of the housing 60 with respect to the horizontal, thereby acquiring "projector tilt information 84." In this embodiment, one of the three detectable axes (e.g., the u axis) of the tilt sensor 53 is aligned with the projection optical axis 57 of the projector 52.

[0034] The projector 52 projects surface information 71 onto a predetermined range (projection range) centered on a projection optical axis 57 (see FIG. 2) (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Here, since the projector 52 projects an image onto a predetermined range centered on the projection optical axis 57, a location forming a plane intersecting the projection optical axis 57 is a projection surface 70 (see FIG. 2, etc.). In this embodiment, the projector 52 is configured such that three light sources emitting light of three colors (RGB) can emit light onto the same optical path, and a two-dimensional deflection mirror is provided on the optical path. The projector 52 projects an arbitrary image onto the projection surface 70 within the predetermined range centered on the projection optical axis 57 by appropriately driving the light sources and the two-dimensional deflection mirror under the control of the calculation control unit 56. Note that the projector 52 is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment as long as it can project an arbitrary image onto the projection surface 70. Furthermore, in the projector 52, the predetermined range (projection range) into which the image is projected, i.e., the projected image, is rectangular (see Figures 1 and 2), but the shape of the range (projected image) can be set appropriately and is not limited to this embodiment.

[0035] Here, since the reflector 51 and the projector 52 are fixed to the housing 60, their positional relationship in the housing 60 is constant. That is, the distance and direction of deviation between the reflection center (not shown) of the reflector 51 and the projection start point 61 ( FIG. 1 ) of the projector 52 are constant, and if the direction of deviation is set in advance based on the three axes or the reference direction 51 a of the tilt sensor 53, the coordinate information of the projection start point 61 of the projector 52 can be relatively identified from the “reflector coordinate information 82” of the reflector 51. Therefore, if there is relative direction information (“housing positional relationship information 85”) regarding the distance and direction of deviation between the reflector 51 and the projector 52, the position of the projection start point 61 from the reflector 51 can be identified by offset observation (for example, in FIG. 1 , it can be identified that the projector 52 (projection start point 61) is located at a position moved by a distance dw in the w-axis direction from the position of the reflector 51). In this embodiment, offset observation refers to obtaining coordinate information of a target position by moving known coordinate information of a reflector, etc., using software calculations. Housing positional relationship information 85 of the reflector 51 and projector 52 is measured in advance and stored in the storage unit 55, and is transmitted as needed in response to a request from the projection image generation unit 100, which will be described later.

[0036] The communication unit 54 enables communication with the calculation control unit 27 (see FIG. 2) on the side of the measuring device 20 via the communication unit 22 of the measuring device 20, and is capable of wireless communication.

[0037] The calculation control unit 56 is connected to the projector 52, the tilt sensor 53, the communication unit 54, and the storage unit 55. The calculation control unit 56 controls the overall operation of the projector device 50 using a program stored in the storage unit 55.

[0038] Here, either the arithmetic and control unit 27 on the measuring device side or the arithmetic and control unit 56 on the projector side includes a projection image generation unit 100 (see FIG. 11, described later). This projection image generation unit 100 is configured with electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The projection image generation unit 100 may be provided in either the measuring device 20 or the projector device 50, or may be provided in a separate arithmetic and control unit, as long as it can send and receive information to and from the measuring device 20 and the projector device 50 via communication. For this reason, it is omitted from FIG. 3.

[0039] The projection image generation unit 100 collects (i) "distance difference information 81" relating to the distance difference D between the projection surface and the measurement device, (ii) "reflector coordinate information 82" of the reflector 51, (iii) "projector orientation information 83," (iv) "projector tilt information 84," and (v) "housing positional relationship information 85" between the reflector 51 and the projector 52. The projection image generation unit 100 calculates the distance difference (referred to as projection distance difference D') from the projection start point 61 of the projector device 50 to the projection surface 70 from the projection distance difference D' and the direction of the projection optical axis 57, and generates a projection image (surface information 71) that matches the actual size on the projection surface 70. This will be explained using the flowchart in FIG. 4.

[0040] 1-4. Information projection method FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the information projection method according to the first embodiment.

[0041] In step S101, a worker installs the measuring device 20 at the construction site. The installation of the measuring device 20 includes an installation operation at a position whose coordinates are determined with respect to the design data (design drawing), and the measuring device 20 is fixed to a known point on the design drawing using a tripod or the like.

[0042] In step S102, the measuring device 20 sets the distance difference D ( FIG. 2 ) between the measuring device 20 and the projection surface 70 (the “distance difference information 81” is acquired). Setting the distance difference D involves determining the location of the instrument center 20′ of the measuring device 20 relative to the projection surface 70 at the construction site. If the measuring device 20 is equipped with an inclination sensor 21, the instrument height can be known. For example, if the ceiling height of the construction site is 3 m and the instrument height is 1 m from the design data, the distance difference D between the projection surface and the measuring device can be calculated to be 2 m. Alternatively, the distance difference D between the projection surface and the measuring device can be calculated by resection associated with the coordinate determination in step S101, or by placing another reflector (not shown) on the projection surface 70, measuring it with the measuring device 20, and then offsetting the reflector size from the coordinate information of the reflector to calculate the distance from the instrument center 20′ to the projection surface 70.

[0043] In step S103, the projection image generating unit 100 reads, from design data or the like, the base data of the surface information 71 to be projected onto the projection surface 70. However, this step only needs to be performed before the start of projection.

[0044] In step S104, the measurement device 20 starts tracking the reflector 51 of the projector device 50.

[0045] In step S105, the operator places the projector device 50 at an arbitrary position so that the direction 51b (FIG. 1) of the projector device 50 faces the measurement device 20 directly and the reference direction 51a can be identified. This allows the projection image generation unit 100 to identify the "projector orientation information 83."

[0046] In step S106, the measuring device 20 measures the distance and angle of the reflector 51, acquires the “reflector coordinate information 82” of the reflector 51, stores it in the storage unit 23, and transmits it to the projection image generating unit 100.

[0047] In step S107 , the tilt sensor 53 on the projector side reads the tilt of the projector device 50 on the uvw axes, acquires “projector tilt information 84 ”, and transmits it to the projection image generation unit 100 .

[0048] In the description up to this point, the projection image generating unit 100 collects (i) “distance difference information 81 (step S101)” regarding the distance difference D between the projection surface and the measuring device, (ii) “reflector coordinate information 82 (step S106)” of the reflector 51, (iii) “projector orientation information 83 (step S105)”, (iv) “projector tilt information 84 (step S107)”, and (v) “housing position relationship information 85 (read from memory unit 55)” between the reflector 51 and the projector 52.

[0049] In step S107, the projection image generation unit 100 can identify the direction of the projection optical axis 57 (FIG. 2) in the projector device 50 from the projector orientation information 83 and the projector tilt information 84, and can identify the absolute coordinates of the projection start point 61 based on offset observation from the reflector 51 from the reflector coordinate information 82, the projector tilt information 84, and the housing positional relationship information 85. Then, the projection image generation unit 100 can identify the projection distance difference D' from the projection start point 61 of the projector to the projection surface 70 from the distance difference information 81 related to the distance difference D between the projection surface and the measurement device and the coordinate information of the reference position of the projector device 50 (the reflector 51 or the projection start point 61). From the projection distance difference D' (FIG. 2) and the direction of the projection optical axis 57 (FIG. 2), the projection image generation unit 100 can generate a projection image (surface information 71) that is matched to the actual size of the projection surface 70. The projection image generation unit 100 projects the generated surface information 71 onto the projection surface 70 via the projector 52.

[0050] 1-5.Effects According to this embodiment, it is possible to directly project a wide range of information, not just measurement and installation points, onto the ceiling, floor, etc. of the construction site. Also, according to this embodiment, it is possible to project various information onto the construction site without using a distance image sensor. Since this embodiment does not use a distance image sensor, it is possible to build an information projection system at low cost.

[0051] 2. Second Embodiment 2-1. Information projection system Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information projection system according to a second embodiment, Fig. 6 is a diagram explaining the configuration of a projector device of the information projection system, and Fig. 7 is a diagram explaining how the information projection system is used at a construction site. Fig. 3 is used as a configuration block diagram of the information projection system according to the second embodiment.

[0052] The information projection system 10 of this embodiment also includes a measuring device 20 and a projector device 50. The configuration of the measuring device 20 is the same as that of the first embodiment. On the other hand, the projector device 50 includes two reflectors, namely, a first reflector 511 and a second reflector 512. The reflectors 511 and 512 are also preferably full-circumference prisms, but any reflectors will do.

[0053] 6, the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512 are arranged with offsets du and dw on any two of the three axes, uv and w, detected by the tilt sensor 53 (in this embodiment, the u axis (vertical direction) and w axis (horizontal direction)). In this embodiment, the offset du (difference in the vertical direction) on the u axis is provided so that the measuring device 20 can distinguish between the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512, and the offset dw (difference in the horizontal direction) on the w axis is provided so that the reference direction 51a, i.e., the "projector orientation information 83," can be known based on the line 51c connecting the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512.

[0054] 2-2. Information projection method 8 is a flowchart of the information projection method according to the second embodiment. Steps S201 to S204 are the same as steps S101 to S104, respectively.

[0055] In step S205, the worker places the projector device 50 at an arbitrary position. In this embodiment, the projector orientation information 83 can be automatically identified by the projection image generation unit 100 by tracking the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512 in the following steps S206 to S211.

[0056] In step S206, the measurement device 20 locks onto either the first reflector 511 or the second reflector 512 and measures the distance and angle (measures the first point; either one can be the first point). The measurement device 20 stores the "reflector coordinate information 82" of the first point in the memory unit 23 and transmits it to the projection image generation unit 100.

[0057] In step S207, the projection image generating unit 100 estimates the position of the second reflector based on the distance between the measuring device 20 and the first reflector coordinate information 82 and the offset (slant distance) between the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512.

[0058] FIG. 9 is an illustration of the estimation of the position of the second reflector in step S207. The tracking light receiving unit 25 detects both the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512. Here, which reflector the tracking light 12 locks onto depends on the search start point of the tracking light 12. For example, if the search start point of the tracking light 12 is S4, S5, or S6, the first reflector 511 is closer than the second reflector 512, so the tracking light 12 locks onto the first reflector 511. If the search start point of the tracking light 12 is S1, S2, or S3, the second reflector 512 is closer than the first reflector 511, so the tracking light 12 locks onto the second reflector 512. In contrast, the EDM light transmitting and receiving unit 24 cannot distinguish whether the first reflector 511 or the second reflector 512 has been locked onto or which reflector coordinate information 82 has been measured. Therefore, when the projection image generating unit 100 obtains the first reflector coordinate information 82, it calculates the diagonal distance sd between the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512 (it is not possible to distinguish between them) detected on the image of the image sensor from the first reflector coordinate information 82, calculates four search start points S11, S12, S13, and S14 diagonally spaced apart from the first reflector coordinate information 82 by at least the diagonal distance sd, and transmits the position information of the search start points S11, S12, S13, and S14 to the measuring device 20.

[0059] In step S208, the measuring device 20 selects one of the search start points S11, S12, S13, and S14, moves the collimation optical axis of the telescope unit 38 to that position, and starts tracking.

[0060] In step S209, the measuring device 20 measures the distance and angle of the tracked second reflector, and transmits the coordinate information 82 of the second reflector to the projection image generating unit 100. The projection image generating unit 100 determines whether the coordinate information 82 of the second reflector is the same as the coordinate information 82 of the first reflector.

[0061] If the coordinate information is the same, the search start point selected in step S208 has locked the same reflector as the first point, and therefore locking on the second reflector has failed. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S210, and tracking of the next search start point among the four candidates begins. On the other hand, if the coordinate information is not the same, changing the search start point to the one selected in step S208 has succeeded in locking on the second reflector, which is not the same reflector as the first point. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S211, and the measurement device 20 stores the second reflector coordinate information 82 in the memory unit 23 and transmits it to the projection image generation unit 100.

[0062] In step S212, the tilt sensor 53 on the projector side reads the tilt of the projector on the uvw axes, similar to step S107, obtains the “projector tilt information 84”, and transmits it to the projection image generation unit 100.

[0063] In the description up to this point, the projection image generating unit 100 collects (i) “distance difference information 81 (step S201)” regarding the distance difference D between the projection surface and the measuring device, (ii) “reflector coordinate information 82 (step S206 or S211)” of the reference reflector (the reflector with the smaller coordinates; in this embodiment, the first reflector 511, which has a lower height), (iii) “projector orientation information 83 (reference direction 51a that can be determined based on the line 51c connecting the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512)”, (iv) “projector tilt information 84 (step S212)”, and (v) “enclosure position relationship information 85 (read from memory unit 55)” of the reflector 51 and the projector 52.

[0064] In step S213, similarly to step S107, the projection image generation unit 100 can identify the direction of the projection optical axis 57 (FIG. 7) in the projector device 50 from the projector orientation information 83 and the projector tilt information 84, and can identify the absolute coordinates of the projection start point 61 by offset observation from the reference reflector 511 from the reflector coordinate information 82, the projector tilt information 84, and the housing positional relationship information 85. Then, the projection image generation unit 100 can identify the projection distance difference D' from the projector's projection start point 61 to the projection surface 70 from the distance difference information 81 relating to the distance difference D between the projection surface and the measurement device and the coordinate information of the reference position of the projector device 50 (the reflector 511 or the projection start point 61). From the projection distance difference D' (FIG. 7) and the direction of the projection optical axis 57 (FIG. 7), the projection image generation unit 100 can generate a projection image (surface information 71) that is adjusted to the actual size on the projection surface 70. The projection image generation unit 100 projects the generated surface information 71 onto the projection surface 70 via the projector 52.

[0065] In steps S206 to S211, estimation of the position of the second reflector is shown in four directions in Fig. 9, but it is also possible to estimate the position of the second reflector in two directions as shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is an image diagram of another estimation of the position of the second reflector in step S207. As described above, when the search start point of the tracking light 12 is S1, S2, or S3, the second reflector 512 is closer than the first reflector 511, so the tracking light 12 locks onto the second reflector 512, but the EDM light transmitting and receiving unit 24 cannot distinguish whether the tracking light 12 has locked onto the first reflector, the first reflector 511, or the second reflector 512. Therefore, after obtaining the first reflector coordinate information 82, the projection image generation unit 100 calculates, from the first reflector coordinate information 82, the elevation difference de between the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512 (which cannot be identified) detected on the image of the image sensor, calculates two search start points S21 and S22 that are separated vertically from the first reflector coordinate information 82 by at least twice the elevation difference de, and transmits the position information of the search start points S21 and S22 to the measurement device 20. In step S208, the measurement device 20 selects one of the search start points S21 or S22, moves the collimation optical axis of the telescope unit 38 to that position, and starts tracking. In step S209, the measurement device 20 measures the distance and angle of the tracked second reflector, and transmits the second reflector coordinate information 82 to the projection image generation unit 100. The projection image generating unit 100 determines whether the reflector coordinate information 82 for the second point is the same as the reflector coordinate information 82 for the first point. If the coordinate information is the same, the same reflector as the first point has been locked at the search start point selected in step S208, and the process proceeds to step S210. On the other hand, if the coordinate information is not the same, changing the search start point to the one selected in step S208 means that the second reflector has been successfully locked, and the process proceeds to step S211. With the estimation in FIG. 10, the number of candidates for the search start point can be reduced to two.

[0066] 2-3.Effects According to this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, in step 205, the worker can place the projector device 50 in any position without any constraints such as directly facing the measuring device 20. In other words, in this embodiment, the worker's work efficiency can be improved simply by adding one reflector to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0067] 3. Variations Preferred modifications that can be applied to the first and second embodiments will be described.

[0068] 3-1. Variation 1 11 is an image diagram relating to information processing by the projection image generation unit 100 of the information projection system 10 according to the first modified example of the embodiment. In the description up to this point, it has been explained that the projection image generation unit 100 may be in either the arithmetic and control unit 27 on the measurement device side or the arithmetic and control unit 56 on the projector side.

[0069] Pattern 1 in Fig. 11 is a case where the calculation and control unit 56 on the projector side is equipped with a projection image generation unit 100. In the case of pattern 1, the calculation and control unit 27 on the measurement device side transmits reflector coordinate information 82 and distance difference information 81 (D in Fig. 2) to the projector device 50. The calculation and control unit 56 on the projector side receives information from the measurement device 20, and also acquires base data for surface information 71 based on design data or the like via the storage unit 55 or communication unit 54, and generates a projection image (surface information 71) that matches the actual size of the projection surface 70 using the projection image generation unit 100.

[0070] 11 is a case where the arithmetic and control unit 27 on the measurement device side is equipped with a projection image generation unit 100. In the case of pattern 2, the arithmetic and control unit 56 on the projector side transmits projector tilt information 84 and housing positional relationship information 85 to the measurement device 20. The arithmetic and control unit 27 on the measurement device side receives information from the projector device 50, and acquires base data for surface information 71 based on design data via the storage unit 23 or the communication unit 22. The arithmetic and control unit 27 generates a projection image (surface information 71) whose actual size matches the projection surface 70 using the projection image generation unit 100, and transmits the generated projection image to the projector device 50. In the projector device 50, the projection image (surface information 71) whose actual size matches the projection surface 70, generated by the measurement device 20, is streamed on the projector 52.

[0071] 3-2. Variation 2 12 is an image diagram of information processing by the projection image generation unit 100 of the information projection system 10 according to the second modification of the embodiment, and is particularly an image diagram of deformation correction of the projection image (surface information 71). In the case of Pattern 1, in which the projection optical axis 57 of the projector device 50 is perpendicular to the projection surface 70, the projection image (surface information 71) that matches the actual size on the projection surface 70 may be as generated by the projection image generation unit 100. On the other hand, in the case of Pattern 2, in which the projection optical axis 57 of the projector device 50 is not perpendicular to the projection surface 70 but has an inclination angle, the projection image generation unit 100 preferably applies a known projection technique, such as keystone correction, to the generated surface information 71 to correct the projection image to match the actual size on the projection surface 70.

[0072] 3-3. Variation 3 13 is a configuration diagram of a projector device 50 of an information projection system 10 according to a third modification of the embodiment, and is a modification that is preferably applied to the second embodiment (two or more reflectors). The support 510 of the second reflector 512, which is positioned at a height different from the first reflector 511 serving as a reference, is preferably a hollow columnar body when viewed from the w-axis direction (see FIG. 5, etc.). This allows the distance measurement light 11 (tracking light 12) of the measurement device 20 to pass through the hollow of the support 510 and capture the first reflector 511, making it possible to perform measurement even when the first reflector 511 and the second reflector 512 are aligned in a straight line.

[0073] 3-4. Variation 4 FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of an information projection system 10 according to a fourth variation of the embodiment. In pattern 1, the information projection system 10 further includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (hereinafter referred to as UAV200) capable of autonomous flight, and the projector device 50 is attached to the underside of the UAV200 with a reflector disposed underneath. The measuring device 20 measures the reflector of the projector device 50 while the UAV200 is stationary in the air. Combining the projector device 50 with the UAV200 is particularly suitable for projecting surface information 71 onto floors and walls. In pattern 2, the information projection system 10 further includes a self-propelled robot 300, and the projector device 50 is attached to the top surface of the self-propelled robot 300. The self-propelled robot 300 may be, for example, a dog-shaped robot. The measuring device 20 measures the reflector of the projector device 50 while the self-propelled robot 300 is stopped and self-propelled. Furthermore, if the UAV 200 or the self-propelled robot 300 is equipped with an image recognition sensor to identify the worker's position and the projector device 50 is configured to follow the worker, the worker will no longer need to position the projector device 50.

[0074] 3-5. Variation 5 FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of an information projection system 10 according to a fifth variation of the embodiment. Variation 5 is a variation that is preferably applied to the first embodiment (one reflector). The projector device 50 of the information projection system 10 according to variation 5 includes a spherical camera 500, and a reflector 51 is disposed at the top of a housing that houses the spherical camera 500. Here, since the spherical camera 500 is fixed to a housing 60, the positional relationship between the reflector 51, the projector 52, and the spherical camera 500 in the housing 60 is constant, and each housing positional relationship information 85 can be identified. In this variation, the spherical camera 500 is a so-called 360-degree camera that has a first camera in a direction 51b directly facing the measurement device 20 and a second camera on the opposite side. By combining images from each camera, it is possible to capture images in all directions at once. However, a camera that captures only the direction 51b directly facing the measurement device 20 may also be used. By providing a camera in the projector device 50, the projection image generation unit 100 can determine the horizontal angle and vertical angle of the camera as seen from the measurement device 20 from the position of the image of the tracking light 12 captured in the camera image, and therefore can identify the attitude of the camera. As a result, even if there is only one reflector, the attitude of the camera, i.e., the attitude of the projector, can be identified, and projector direction information 83 and projector tilt information 84 can be identified.

[0075] 3-6. Variation 6 FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram of an information projection system 10 according to a sixth modification of the embodiment. The sixth modification is a modification that is preferably applied to the first embodiment (one reflector). At construction sites, a marking line 601 is often drawn. The projector device 50 of the sixth modification is provided with a line laser emitting unit 600 in order to use the marking line 601 for projector orientation information 83. The worker positions the projector device 50 so that the direction of the laser light is along the marking line 601. The line laser emitting unit 600 is preferably provided on a surface that emits laser light in the reference direction 51a (FIG. 1). As a result, the laser light is positioned to coincide with the marking line 601, so that the orientation information 83 of the projector device can be identified even if there is only one reflector.

[0076] 3-7. Variation 7 FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of a projector device 50 of an information projection system 10 according to a seventh modification of the embodiment. The seventh modification is a modification that is preferably applied to the first embodiment (one reflector). In the seventh modification, the projector device 50 includes a reflector support 700 between the housing 60 and the reflector 51, and the reflector 51 is movable relative to the reflector support 700. In pattern 1, the reflector support 700 is provided on the surface 60′, and the reflector 51 is movable in a reference direction 51a by a slide rail or the like. In pattern 2, the reflector support 700 is provided at an incline on the surface 60′, and the reflector 51 is movable in an inclined direction 51d, the direction of which can be specified relative to the reference direction 51a, by a slide rail or the like. In pattern 3, the reflector support 700 is provided on the surface 60′, and is rotatable about a rotation axis 51e, the direction of which can be specified relative to the reference direction 51a. In either pattern, the positional relationship of the reflector support body 700 in the housing 60 can be identified using the reference direction 51a, etc., and therefore housing positional relationship information 85 of the reflector 51 moving on the reflector support body 700 can be identified. This makes it possible to identify the projector orientation information 83 even if there is only one reflector. The reflector 51 may be moved manually or automatically by a mechanical mechanism.

[0077] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the above embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and these can be combined based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such forms are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 10 Information projection system 11 Ranging light 12 Tracking light 20 Measuring Equipment 21 Inclination sensor 22 Communications Department 23 Memory section 24 EDM light transmitting and receiving unit 25 Tracking light receiver 26 Tracking light transmitting unit 27 Calculation control unit 28 Horizontal angle detector 29 Vertical angle detector 30 Horizontal rotation drive unit 31 Vertical rotation drive unit 32 Display section 33 Operation section 35 Leveling section 36 Base 37 Ark section 38 Telescope Department 50 Projector equipment 51 Reflector 511 First Reflector 512 Second Reflector 51a Reference Direction 52 Projector 53 Inclination sensor 54 Communications Department 55 Storage section 56 Calculation control unit 57 Projection optical axis 60 cabinets One side of the 60´ enclosure 61 Projection start point 70 Projection plane 71 Page Information 81 Distance difference information 82 Reflector coordinate information 83 Projector orientation information 84 Projector tilt information 85 Housing position information 100 Projection image generation section 200 UAV 300 Self-propelled robot 500 Global Cameras 600 line laser emission part 700 Reflector support

Claims

1. A projector device comprising: a tilt sensor that detects tilt relative to a horizontal or vertical direction; at least one reflector; and a housing; a measuring device having an instrument center for measuring the position of the reflector by measuring the distance from the instrument center to the reflector and the horizontal and vertical angles of the reflector about an axis passing through the instrument center; a projection image generation unit that generates information on a surface onto which the projector device projects; The projection image generation unit distance information that is the distance between the projection surface and the measurement device in a normal direction of the projection surface; reflector coordinate information of the reflector measured by the measuring device; Projector orientation information, which is a reference direction set on the housing in order to detect the direction of the projection optical axis of the projector device, and is specified using the measurement device as a reference or position information of the reflector acquired by the measurement device; and tilt information of the projector detected by the tilt sensor of the projector device; Housing positional relationship information, which is a positional relationship between the reflector in the housing and a projection start point of the projector device; Collect and specifying a direction of the projection optical axis of the projector device from the projector orientation information and the projector tilt information; Identifying the position of the projection start point by observing an offset from the reflector based on the reflector coordinate information, the projector tilt information, and the housing positional relationship information; specifying a projection distance from the projection start point of the projector device to the projection surface from the distance information and the position of the projection start point; generating surface information that matches the actual size of the projection surface from the projection distance and the direction of the projection optical axis; An information projection system that projects, onto the projection surface, information about the surface that is adjusted to actual size on the projection surface.

2. the projector device includes two reflectors, the first reflector and the second reflector are arranged on the housing so as to be offset in the directions of two orthogonal axes detected by the tilt sensor; The orientation information of the projector is specified based on the offset in one axial direction relative to the direction of a line connecting the first reflector and the second reflector; The other axial offset distinguishes the first reflector from the second reflector.

2. The information projection system according to claim 1, wherein the information projection system is a projection system for projecting information onto a display screen.

3. the measuring device further includes a tracking unit that automatically tracks the first reflector and the second reflector using an image sensor; When one of the reflectors is measured and the coordinate information of the first reflector is acquired, (i) Calculating the diagonal distance between the first reflector and the second reflector detected on the image sensor, and determining four search start points that are diagonally spaced apart by at least the diagonal distance from the first reflector coordinate information point. (ii) calculating the difference in elevation between the first reflector and the second reflector detected on the image sensor, and determining two search start points that are separated vertically from the first reflector coordinate information by at least twice the difference in elevation; is calculated, and the tracking unit starts tracking in order from the search start point, and the reflector coordinate information of the second point, which is the other reflector, is obtained.

3. The information projection system according to claim 2.

4. 3. The information projection system according to claim 2, wherein the second reflector is supported by a columnar support that is hollow when viewed from one axial direction, and is offset from the first reflector in the other axial direction.

5. 2. The information projection system according to claim 1, wherein the projector device is attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle or a self-propelled robot capable of autonomous flight.

6. The information projection system according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector is disposed on the head of a spherical camera disposed in the housing.

7. 2. The information projection system according to claim 1, wherein the projector device further comprises a line laser emitting unit that emits laser light in the reference direction to detect orientation information of the projector.

8. 2. The information projection system according to claim 1, wherein the projector device includes a reflector support between the housing and the reflector, the reflector support allows the position of the reflector to be moved, and the housing positional relationship information of the reflector and the projection start point is identified via the reflector support.

9. A projector device comprising: a tilt sensor that detects tilt relative to the horizontal or vertical direction, at least one reflector, and a housing; and a measuring device that has an instrument center and measures the distance from the instrument center to the reflector and the horizontal angle and vertical angle of the reflector around an axis passing through the instrument center to measure the position of the reflector; acquiring distance information that is a distance between the measurement device and a projection surface on which the projector device projects surface information; acquiring projector orientation information, which is a reference direction set on the housing for detecting the direction of the projection optical axis of the projector device, and which is specified using the measurement device as a reference or position information of the reflector acquired by the measurement device; acquiring, by the measurement device, reflector coordinate information of the reflector disposed in the projector device; acquiring projector tilt information from the tilt sensor of the projector device; specifying the direction of the projection optical axis of the projector device from the projector orientation information and projector tilt information, specifying the position of the projection start point by observing an offset from the reflector from the reflector coordinate information, the projector tilt information, and housing positional relationship information which is a positional relationship between the reflector in the housing and the projection start point of the projector device, specifying a projection distance from the projection start point of the projector device to the projection surface from the distance information and the position of the projection start point, generating information on the surface that is adjusted to the actual size of the projection surface from the projection distance and the direction of the projection optical axis, and projecting the surface on the projection surface; 10. An information projection method comprising:

Images