Tripods and surveying equipment

Abstract

To provide a tripod which allows a survey instrumentation to be easily transported, and a survey instrumentation.SOLUTION: A tripod includes a main leg 5, a connector 6 provided in the main leg, two auxiliary legs 7 rotatable around their respective upper end parts in closer and farther directions relative to the main leg, and wheels 15 provided in respective lower parts of the auxiliary legs. The tripod is configured such that inclining the main leg and the auxiliary legs toward the auxiliary legs with the main leg and the auxiliary legs being closed allows only the wheels to be in contact with the ground.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tripod and surveying equipment that can be easily set up. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, surveying equipment has become smaller and lighter. Also, there is a demand for measurement methods that allow for measurements to be taken in a short time while moving between many measurement points.

[0003] However, when installing a surveying instrument on a reference point, it is usually installed using a tripod, and the instrument must be leveled horizontally on the tripod. Furthermore, the instrument's mechanical center must be positioned using a plumb ball or a telescope plummet so that it is located on a vertical line passing through the reference point. Furthermore, the height from the reference point to the mechanical center (the instrument height of the surveying instrument) must also be measured. For this reason, the installation of a surveying instrument is complicated, time-consuming, and requires skill.

[0004] In addition, tripods are made of wood or aluminum, and are heavy and have a sturdy structure, making them difficult to move. Furthermore, if a surveying instrument is equipped with a large-capacity battery or a high-performance processing system, the weight increases, making it even more difficult to move. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-90770 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-161411 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-151422 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-106813 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-15601 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-151423 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention provides a tripod and a surveying instrument that allow the surveying instrument to be easily transported. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a tripod comprising a main leg, a connector attached to the main leg, two auxiliary legs attached to the connector and rotatable around their upper ends in directions toward and away from the main leg, and wheels attached to the lower parts of the auxiliary legs, and configured so that when the main leg and the auxiliary leg are closed, the main leg and the auxiliary leg can be tilted toward the auxiliary leg, allowing only the wheels to touch the ground.

[0008] The present invention also relates to a tripod configured so that the axle of the wheel is eccentric with respect to the axis of the auxiliary leg in a direction away from the main leg.

[0009] The present invention also relates to a tripod configured so that the axis of the axle of the wheel is perpendicular to the axis of the auxiliary leg.

[0010] The present invention also relates to a tripod configured so that when the auxiliary legs are opened at a predetermined angle, only the lower ends of the main legs and the auxiliary legs come into contact with the installation surface, and a gap is formed between the installation surface and the wheels.

[0011] The present invention also relates to a tripod configured so that the lower ends of the main legs are positioned lower than the lower ends of the auxiliary legs and the lower ends of the wheels.

[0012] The present invention also relates to a tripod in which the wheels are configured to be parallel when the auxiliary legs are closed.

[0013] The present invention also relates to a tripod in which a main guide member is provided at the midpoint of the main leg, and an auxiliary guide member is provided at the midpoint of the auxiliary leg, and the main guide member and the auxiliary guide member are connected by a regulating member.

[0014] The present invention also relates to a tripod further comprising an auxiliary leg fixing member provided midway along the main leg, the auxiliary leg fixing member having a storage section capable of holding the auxiliary leg, and configured so that the auxiliary leg is held in the storage section when the auxiliary leg is closed.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a surveying instrument comprising the above-mentioned tripod, a fixture attached to the upper end of the tripod, and a surveying instrument body having a reference optical axis, which is attached to the fixture at a known distance from the lower end of the main leg and at a known angle relative to the axis of the main leg, the surveying instrument body comprising a distance measuring unit that emits distance measuring light to measure the distance to the object to be measured, an emission direction detecting unit that detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, and an attitude detector that detects the inclination of the surveying instrument body relative to the horizontal, and an arithmetic control unit that calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of a predetermined measurement point relative to a reference point based on the distance measurement result of the distance measuring unit, the measurement result of the emission direction detecting unit, and the detection result of the attitude detector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, a vehicle comprises a main landing gear, a coupler attached to the main landing gear, two auxiliary legs attached to the coupler and rotatable around their upper ends in directions toward and away from the main landing gear, and wheels attached to the lower parts of the auxiliary legs, and is configured so that when the main landing gear and the auxiliary legs are closed, the main landing gear and the auxiliary legs can be tilted toward the auxiliary legs, allowing only the wheels to come into contact with the ground. This allows only the wheels to come into contact with the installation surface without tilting the main landing gear significantly, making it easy to transport.

[0017] According to the present invention, the surveying instrument comprises the tripod, a fixture attached to the upper end of the tripod, and a surveying instrument body having a reference optical axis, which is attached to the fixture at a known distance from the lower end of the main leg and at a known angle relative to the axis of the main leg, and the surveying instrument body comprises a distance measuring unit that emits distance measuring light to measure the distance to the object to be measured, an emission direction detecting unit that detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, and an attitude detector that detects the inclination of the surveying instrument body relative to the horizontal, and a calculation control unit that calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of a predetermined measurement point with respect to a reference point based on the distance measurement result of the distance measuring unit, the measurement result of the emission direction detecting unit, and the detection result of the attitude detector, and the tripod can be placed so that only the wheels come into contact with the installation surface without tilting the tripod significantly, which has the excellent effect of allowing the surveying instrument body to be easily transported. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a surveying instrument according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] (A) is a front view showing the tripod in a closed position, and (B) is a view seen from the X arrow in (A). [Figure 3] (A) is a side view showing the tripod in a closed position with the main landing gear in a vertical position, (B) is a side view showing the main landing gear tilted from the position in (A) until the wheels come into contact with the installation surface, and (C) is a side view showing the main landing gear tilted from the position in (B) until the bottom end of the main landing gear moves away from the installation surface. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the tripod in an open position. [Figure 5] (A) is a side view showing the tripod in a closed position with the main legs in a vertical position, (B) is a side view showing the tripod in a position where the auxiliary legs are opened from the position of (A), and (C) is a side view showing the tripod in a position where the lower ends of the main legs and the auxiliary legs are each in contact with the installation surface from the position of (B). [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a surveying instrument main body according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10(A) to 10(D) are explanatory diagrams illustrating transportation of the surveying instrument by an operator. [Figure 8]10A and 10B are side views of a tripod according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) shows the tripod in a closed position with the main landing gear in a vertical position, (B) shows the main landing gear tilted from the position in (A) until the wheels come into contact with the installation surface, and (C) shows the main landing gear tilted from the position in (B) until the bottom end of the main landing gear moves away from the installation surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] 1 and 2 show a surveying instrument according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] The surveying instrument 1 comprises a tripod 2 , a fixture 3 provided at the upper end of the tripod 2 , and a surveying instrument main body 4 fixedly attached to the tripod 2 via the fixture 3 .

[0022] The tripod 3 has a main leg 5 and two auxiliary legs 7 connected to the main leg 5 via a connector 6. A ferrule 8 is provided at the lower end of the main leg 5, and the fixing device 3 is provided at the upper end of the main leg 5. Furthermore, the main leg 5 is provided with a main guide member 9 that slides along the main leg 5. The shapes of the main leg 5, the auxiliary leg 7, and the main guide member 9 can be selected as appropriate, but in this embodiment, a cylindrical shape is used.

[0023] The ferrule 8 has a tapered shape and its lower end is pointed. The lower end of the ferrule 8 coincides with the axis of the main landing gear 5, and the positional relationship (horizontal and vertical distances) between the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the upper end of the main landing gear 5 is known. In addition, the positional relationship between the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the fixture 3 is known, and the positional relationship between the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the mechanical center (point serving as the reference point for measurement) of the surveying device main body 4 fixedly attached to the fixture 3 is also known. In other words, the surveying device main body 4 is set at a known angle with respect to the axis of the main landing gear 5.

[0024] The auxiliary legs 7 are connected to the connectors 6 so as to be rotatable about their upper ends, and can rotate by a predetermined angle in the direction toward or away from the main legs 5. Each auxiliary leg 7 is configured to spread out radially at a required angle. Each auxiliary leg 7 also has an auxiliary guide member 11 fixedly provided at a predetermined position. The shape of the auxiliary guide member 11 can be selected appropriately depending on the usage state of the auxiliary legs 7, but in this embodiment, a cylindrical shape is used.

[0025] The main guide member 9 is connected to each sub-guide member 11 via rod-shaped regulating members 12, and the regulating members 12 are rotatable relative to the main guide member 9 and the sub-guide members 11. When closing the auxiliary legs 7, the main guide member 9 slides upward along the main legs 5. When opening the auxiliary legs 7, the main guide member 9 slides downward along the main legs.

[0026] At this time, since the main guide member 9 and the sub-guide member 11 are connected via the regulating member 12, the rotation of the auxiliary leg 7 in the direction away from the main leg 5 by more than a predetermined angle is regulated by the regulating member 12. In other words, the regulating member 12 makes it easy to maintain the tripod 2 at a constant opening angle. The regulating member 12 does not have to be rod-shaped. For example, the regulating member 12 may be chain-shaped or string-shaped. In this case, the main guide member 9 is fixedly provided to the main leg 5.

[0027] Further, a wheel mounting member 13 is provided on the lower part of each of the auxiliary legs 7. The wheel mounting member 13 protrudes in the direction in which the auxiliary legs 7 move away from each other, and a wheel 15 is rotatably mounted on the tip of the wheel mounting member 13 via an axle 14 (described later).

[0028] The axle 14 (center of rotation) of the wheel 15 is eccentric with respect to the axis of the auxiliary leg 7 in a direction away from the main leg 5. When the auxiliary leg 7 is closed, the two wheels 15 are configured to be concentric and parallel to each other.

[0029] The surveying device main body 4 has a distance measuring unit 17 (described later) as an electronic distance meter, and a measurement direction imaging unit 18 (described later). The reference optical axis of the optical system of the distance measuring unit 17 is the reference optical axis O. The optical axis of the measurement direction imaging unit 18 (hereinafter referred to as the imaging optical axis 19) is inclined upward at a predetermined angle (for example, 6°) with respect to the reference optical axis O, and the distance and positional relationship between the measurement direction imaging unit 18 and the distance measuring unit 17 are known. The distance measuring unit 17 and the measurement direction imaging unit 18 are housed inside the housing of the surveying device main body 4.

[0030] Next, the tripod 2 will be further described with reference to FIGS.

[0031] An auxiliary leg fixing member 21 is provided midway along the main leg 5. The auxiliary leg fixing member 21 has an arm 22 that extends at a required angle in the direction in which the auxiliary leg 7 moves away, and a semicircular storage section 23 is formed at the tip of the arm 22.

[0032] When the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, they are stored in the storage sections 23. When the auxiliary legs 7 are stored in the storage sections 23, they are held by the auxiliary leg fixing members 21 using a predetermined means such as a magnet. Alternatively, the storage sections 23 may be made of a flexible material such as resin, and the auxiliary legs 7 may be fitted into the storage sections 23 while bending them.

[0033] The lower end of the ferrule 8 is located lower than the lower end of the auxiliary leg 7 and the lower end of the wheel 15. That is, as shown in Figures 2(A) and 3(A), when the main leg 5 is in a vertical position, a gap of a predetermined distance A is formed between the installation surface and the lower end of the auxiliary leg 7, and between the installation surface and the lower end of the wheel 15. Note that although the position of the lower end of the auxiliary leg 7 and the position of the lower end of the wheel 15 are set to be the same in Figure 2(A), they may be positioned differently.

[0034] 3(B), when the main landing gear 5 is tilted by a predetermined angle C in the eccentric direction of the wheels 15 (auxiliary leg direction) with the auxiliary legs 7 closed, the ferrules 8 and the two wheels 15 come into contact with the installation surface. At this time, a gap of a predetermined size is formed between the lower ends of the auxiliary legs 7 and the installation surface.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(C), when the main landing gear is further tilted by a predetermined angle D from the state of Figure 3(B), the main landing gear 5 and the auxiliary landing gear 7 rotate around the contact point of the wheel 15. As a result, the ferrule 8 moves away from the installation surface, and only the wheel 15 comes into contact with the installation surface. In this case as well, a gap of a predetermined size is formed between the auxiliary landing gear 7 and the installation surface.

[0036] The angle between the axis of the main leg 5 and the vertical is made smaller than a predetermined angle C, and the wheels 15 are moved away from the installation surface. Furthermore, with the wheels 15 moved away (see FIG. 5(A)), the auxiliary legs 7 are opened by a predetermined angle E (see FIG. 5(B)), and the main legs 5 are tilted by a predetermined angle F to allow the tripod 2 to stand on its own with three-point support (see FIG. 5(C)), and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5(C), the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the lower ends of the two auxiliary legs 7 come into contact with the installation surface. At this time, a gap of a predetermined distance B is formed between the wheels 15 and the installation surface, and the wheels 15 are moved away from the installation surface.

[0037] The general configuration of the surveying instrument main body 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. As the surveying instrument main body 4, for example, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be used.

[0038] The surveying device main body 4 comprises the distance measuring unit 17, calculation control unit 24, memory unit 25, image processing unit 26, communication unit 27, optical axis deflection unit 28, attitude detector 29, measurement direction imaging unit 18, and emission direction detection unit 31, all of which are housed and integrated in a housing 32.

[0039] The distance measuring unit 17 and the optical axis deflection unit 28 are arranged on the reference optical axis O. The distance measuring unit 17 has a distance measuring optical axis 33 that passes through the center of the optical axis deflection unit 28. The distance measuring unit 17 emits distance measuring light 34 as a laser beam on the distance measuring optical axis 33, receives reflected distance measuring light 35 incident from the distance measuring optical axis 33, and measures the object to be measured based on the reflected distance measuring light 35. The distance measuring unit 17 functions as an optical distance meter. The distance measurement data obtained by the distance measuring unit 17 is stored in the memory unit 25.

[0040] The optical axis deflection unit 28 deflects the distance measurement optical axis 33 and collimates the distance measurement light 34 onto the measurement object. When the optical axis deflection unit 28 does not deflect the distance measurement optical axis 33, the distance measurement optical axis 33 and the reference optical axis O coincide with each other.

[0041] The laser beam may be continuous light, pulsed light, or intermittently modulated distance measuring light (burst light) as disclosed in Patent Document 2. Incidentally, pulsed light and intermittently modulated light are collectively referred to as pulsed light.

[0042] The communication unit 27 is capable of transmitting image data acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18, image data processed by the image processing unit 26, distance measurement data acquired by the distance measurement unit 17, and angle measurement data acquired by the emission direction detection unit 31 to a terminal device (not shown) such as a smartphone or tablet.

[0043] The storage unit 25 stores various programs such as an imaging control program, an image processing program, a ranging program, a display program, a communication program, a tilt angle calculation program that calculates the tilt angle and tilt direction of the main landing gear 5 based on the attitude detection result from the attitude detector 29 and further calculates the vertical component of the tilt angle (the tilt angle of the main landing gear 5 in the fore-and-aft direction with respect to the object to be measured) and the horizontal component of the tilt angle (the tilt angle of the main landing gear 5 in the left-and-right direction with respect to the object to be measured), a correction program that corrects the orientation of the captured image based on the calculated tilt, a measurement program for performing ranging, a deflection control program for controlling the deflection operation of the optical axis deflection unit 28, and a calculation program for performing various calculations. The storage unit 25 also stores various data such as distance measurement data, angle measurement data, and image data.

[0044] The arithmetic and control unit 24 executes the various programs in accordance with the operating state of the surveying instrument main body 4, and controls the distance measurement unit 17, the optical axis deflection unit 28, the measurement direction imaging unit 18, etc., to perform distance measurement. As the arithmetic and control unit 24, a CPU specialized for this instrument or a general-purpose CPU is used.

[0045] Furthermore, various storage means such as a HDD as a magnetic storage device, an internal memory as a semiconductor storage device, a memory card, a USB memory, etc. may be used as the storage unit 25. The storage unit 25 may be detachable from the housing 32. Alternatively, the storage unit 25 may be capable of sending data to an external storage device or an external data processing device via a desired communication means.

[0046] The following describes the optical axis deflection unit 28. As for the optical axis deflection unit 28, those disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 5, for example, can be used.

[0047] The optical axis deflection unit 28 includes a pair of optical prisms 36, 37. The optical prisms 36, 37 are disk-shaped and have the same diameter, and are arranged concentrically on the distance measurement optical axis 33, perpendicular to the distance measurement optical axis 33, and parallel to the distance measurement optical axis 33 at a predetermined interval. By controlling the relative rotation of the optical prisms 36, 37 and the integral rotation of the optical prisms 36, 37, the distance measurement optical axis 33 can be deflected to any angle between 0° and the maximum deflection angle.

[0048] Moreover, by continuously driving and deflecting the optical prisms 36 and 37 while continuously irradiating the distance measurement light 34, the distance measurement light 34 can be caused to perform two-dimensional scanning in a predetermined pattern.

[0049] The emission direction detection unit 31 detects the relative rotation angle of the optical prisms 36 and 37 and the integral rotation angle of the optical prisms 36 and 37, and detects the deflection direction (emission direction) of the distance measurement optical axis 33 in real time.

[0050] The emission direction detection result (angle measurement result) is associated with the distance measurement result and input to the arithmetic control unit 24, and further stored in the memory unit 25. When the distance measurement light 34 is emitted in bursts, distance measurement and angle measurement are performed for each intermittent distance measurement light.

[0051] The calculation control unit 24 calculates the horizontal angle and vertical angle of the measurement point with respect to the reference optical axis O from the deflection angle and emission direction of the distance measuring light 34. Furthermore, the calculation control unit 24 can calculate three-dimensional data (three-dimensional coordinates) of the measurement point by associating the horizontal angle and vertical angle of the measurement point with the distance measurement data. Thus, the surveying device main body 4 functions as a total station. Furthermore, by using the surveying device 1 as a total station, it is possible to collimate and measure the distance to the measurement object without changing the position of the imaging optical axis 19, thereby improving operability.

[0052] The attitude detector 29 detects the tilt angle of the surveying instrument main body 4 relative to the horizontal or vertical, and the detection result is input to the arithmetic control unit 24. As the attitude detector 29, the attitude detection device disclosed in Patent Document 6 can be used.

[0053] The calculation control unit 24 calculates the tilt angle of the main landing gear 5 in the longitudinal direction (tilt angle in the direction toward or away from the measurement object) and the tilt angle of the main landing gear 5 in the lateral direction from the detection results from the attitude detector 29. The tilt angle in the longitudinal direction appears as an inclination angle of the reference optical axis O with respect to the horizontal, and the tilt angle in the lateral direction appears as a tilt (rotation) of the image acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18.

[0054] The calculation control unit 24 calculates the tilt angle of the distance measurement optical axis 33 with respect to the horizontal based on the tilt angle and the deflection angle set by the optical axis deflection unit 28. The image processing unit 26 creates a vertical image based on the tilt of the image. The created vertical image is stored in the storage unit 25 or transmitted to a terminal device via the communication unit 27.

[0055] The measurement direction imaging unit 18 is a camera having an angle of view of, for example, 50° to 60°, which is approximately equal to the maximum deflection angle θ / 2 (for example, ±30°) of the optical prisms 36 and 37. The relationship between the imaging optical axis 19, the distance measurement optical axis 33, and the reference optical axis O is known, and the distance between each optical axis is also a known value.

[0056] Furthermore, the measurement direction imaging unit 18 can acquire still images, continuous images, or moving images in real time. The images (observation images) acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18 are sent to an operation unit (not shown). An operator can perform measurement work by observing the observation image displayed on the operation unit. The center of the observation image coincides with the imaging optical axis 19, and the reference optical axis O is positioned at a predetermined angle of view from the center of the observation image based on a known relationship with the imaging optical axis 19.

[0057] The arithmetic and control unit 24 controls the imaging of the measurement direction imaging unit 18. When the measurement direction imaging unit 18 captures the moving image or continuous images, the arithmetic and control unit 24 synchronizes the timing of acquiring frame images constituting the moving image or continuous images with the timing of scanning and distance measurement by the surveying device main body 4. Furthermore, when the measurement direction imaging unit 18 captures a still image, the arithmetic and control unit 24 synchronizes the timing of acquiring the still image with the timing of scanning by the surveying device main body 4. The arithmetic and control unit 24 also associates images with measurement data (distance measurement data, angle measurement data).

[0058] The imaging element (not shown) of the measurement direction imaging unit 18 is a CCD or CMOS sensor that is a collection of pixels, and the position of each pixel on the imaging element can be identified. For example, each pixel has pixel coordinates with the imaging optical axis 19 as the origin, and the position on the imaging element is identified by the pixel coordinates. Furthermore, since the relationship (distance) between the imaging optical axis 19 and the reference optical axis O is known, it is possible to correlate the measurement position by the distance measuring unit 17 with the position (pixel) on the imaging element. The image signal from the imaging element and coordinate information associated with the pixel are input to the image processing unit 26 via the arithmetic control unit 24.

[0059] The deflection and scanning actions of the optical axis deflection unit 28 will now be described.

[0060] The optical axis deflection unit 28 can arbitrarily change the deflection direction and deflection angle of the emitted distance measuring light 34 by combining the rotational positions of the optical prism 36 and the optical prism 37 .

[0061] Therefore, by changing the deflection angle while emitting a laser beam from the distance measuring unit 17 and further rotating the optical axis deflection unit 28, the distance measuring light 34 can be made to scan in an arbitrary two-dimensional pattern.

[0062] Next, the measurement of the surveying instrument 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The following measurement is performed by the calculation control unit 24 executing a program stored in the storage unit 25.

[0063] When the auxiliary legs 7 are installed in an open state (see FIG. 7(A)), first the main legs 5 are tilted to move the wheels 15 away from the installation surface, and then the auxiliary legs 7 are closed and fixed by the auxiliary leg fixing members 21 (see FIG. 7(B)).

[0064] After the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, the main legs 5 are tilted so that the ferrules 8 move away from the installation surface, leaving only the wheels 15 in contact with the installation surface (see Figure 7(C)). In this state, the operator pushes or pulls the surveying instrument 1 to move it to the approximate position of the reference point R.

[0065] At this time, the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, so the distance between the two wheels 15 is shortened. In other words, the turning radius is reduced, so the tripod 2 can be turned with the minimum radius, and the orientation of the tripod 2 can be easily changed (see Figure 7(D)).

[0066] When the surveying instrument 1 is moved to the approximate position of the reference point R, the reference optical axis O is directed toward the object to be measured, and the main landing gear 5 is tilted so that the lower end of the ferrule 8 coincides with the reference point R. After that, the main landing gear 5 is further tilted, and the wheels 15 are moved away from the installation surface (see FIG. 7(B)).

[0067] Finally, the auxiliary legs 7 are opened until they are restricted by the restricting members 12, and the main legs 5 are tilted to bring the auxiliary legs 7 into contact with the installation surface (see FIG. 7(A)). At this time, the wheels 15 are moved away from the installation surface. As a result, the surveying instrument 1 is supported at three points by the main legs 5 and the two auxiliary legs 7, with the main legs 5 tilted at a predetermined angle. The measurement direction imaging unit 18 is in an operating state when the surveying instrument 1 is installed.

[0068] When the surveying device 1 is installed, the observation image acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18 is displayed on the terminal device, and the direction and position of the reference optical axis O can be confirmed from the observation image. The tilt angle and tilt direction of the main landing gear 5 at this time are detected by the attitude detector 29.

[0069] Once the direction of the reference optical axis O has been determined, the measurable deflection range centered on the reference optical axis O can be confirmed on the observation image. The operator can designate any point in the measurable range in the observation image as the measurement point (measurement object). Upon designation of the measurement point, the calculation control unit 24 uses the optical axis deflection unit 28 to direct the distance measurement optical axis 33 toward the measurement object.

[0070] The distance measurement optical axis 33 is directed toward the measurement point, the distance measurement light 34 is emitted, and measurement (distance measurement, angle measurement) of the measurement point is performed. The direction of the distance measurement light 34, the distance measurement results, etc. are displayed on the terminal device. Also, in synchronization with the measurement of the measurement point, an image is acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18.

[0071] The tilt of the surveying instrument 1 with respect to the horizontal is detected in real time by the attitude detector 29. Therefore, even if the main landing gear 5 is tilted, the measurement results of the surveying instrument 1 can be corrected to measurement results based on the reference point R based on the detection result of the attitude detector 29. That is, the calculation control unit 24 can calculate the three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement point based on the reference point R. Therefore, it is possible to omit the leveling work for adjusting the surveying instrument 1 to be horizontal.

[0072] In the above explanation, the distance measuring optical axis 33 is fixed at the measurement point and the measurement is performed in the same manner as a total station, but the surveying instrument 1 can also be used as a laser scanner that performs two-dimensional scanning.

[0073] Furthermore, by associating the observed image with data along the trajectory obtained by two-dimensional scanning, an image having three-dimensional data for each pixel can be obtained.

[0074] When the surveying instrument 1 is to be moved again, as described above, the wheels 15 are moved away, the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, and then the lower end of the ferrule 8 is moved away from the installation surface and the wheels 15 are rolled to transport the surveying instrument 1 from the reference point R to another installation point. After transportation, the lower end of the ferrule 8 is aligned with the other installation point, and the auxiliary legs 7 are opened with the wheels 15 moved away, so that the surveying instrument 1 is supported at three points by the main leg 5 and the two auxiliary legs 7.

[0075] As described above, in the first embodiment, the wheels 15 are provided on the two auxiliary legs 7, and the surveying instrument 1 is moved via the wheels 15. Therefore, even if a large-capacity battery or a high-performance processing system is installed and the weight of the surveying instrument main body 4 increases, or even if the tripod 2 itself is heavy, the surveying instrument 1 can be moved easily without placing a burden on the operator.

[0076] Furthermore, the axle 14 of the wheel 15 is eccentric with respect to the axis of the auxiliary leg 7 in a direction in which the auxiliary leg 7 moves away from the main leg 5. Therefore, only the wheel 15 can be brought into contact with the installation surface without tilting the main leg 5 more than necessary, thereby improving the workability when moving the surveying instrument 1.

[0077] Furthermore, when the auxiliary legs 7 are opened, only the main legs 5 and the auxiliary legs 7 come into contact with the installation surface, and the wheels 15 are separated from the installation surface. Therefore, the surveying instrument 1 is supported at three points by the main legs 5 and the two auxiliary legs 7, which improves the stability of the tripod 2.

[0078] Furthermore, the main landing gear 5 is longer than the auxiliary landing gear 7. That is, the lower end of the ferrule 8 is located lower than the lower ends of the auxiliary landing gear 7 and the wheels 15. Therefore, the main landing gear 5 can be moved away from the installation surface of the wheels 15 simply by making it vertical or approximately vertical, so the auxiliary landing gear 7 can be easily opened and closed without tilting the main landing gear 5 more than necessary.

[0079] Furthermore, when the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, the two wheels 15 are configured to be parallel to one another. Therefore, the surveying instrument 1 can be easily moved and the turning radius is small, so there is no need to provide a separate turning mechanism on the tripod 2.

[0080] Furthermore, the main legs 5 and the auxiliary legs 7 are connected via the regulating members 12, and the auxiliary legs 7 are configured to not open beyond a predetermined angle by the regulating members 12. Therefore, the auxiliary legs 7 can always be opened to the same angle, improving workability during installation.

[0081] Furthermore, the auxiliary leg fixing members 21 are provided on the main legs 5, and when the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, the auxiliary legs 7 can be held in a closed state by the auxiliary leg fixing members 21, thereby preventing the auxiliary legs 7 from opening unintentionally during transportation, etc.

[0082] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8(A) to 8(C). In Figures 8(A) to 8(C), the same components as those in Figures 3(A) to 3(C) are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0083] In the second embodiment, a wheel 15 is attached to the auxiliary leg 7 via a wheel mounting member 13 so that the axis of the auxiliary leg 7 and the axis of the axle 14 are perpendicular to each other. In other words, the axle 14 is not eccentric in the direction in which the auxiliary leg 7 approaches or moves away from the main leg 5. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0084] In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(A), first, the main legs 5 are set vertically, and the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, so that a gap of a predetermined distance A is formed between the installation surface and the lower ends of the auxiliary legs 7, and between the installation surface and the lower ends of the wheels 15.

[0085] From this state, as shown in Figure 8(B), the main landing gear 5 is tilted by a predetermined angle G in the eccentric direction of the wheels 15 (towards the auxiliary legs), so that the two wheels 15 come into contact with the installation surface. After that, as shown in Figure 8(C), by further tilting the main landing gear 5 by a predetermined angle H, the main landing gear 5 and the auxiliary landing gear 7 rotate around the installation point of the wheels 15. This causes the ferrule 8 to move away from the installation surface, so that only the wheels 15 come into contact with the installation surface.

[0086] In the second embodiment, the surveying instrument 1 (see Figure 1) is also moved via the wheels 15, so even if the surveying instrument main body 4 (see Figure 1) or the tripod 2 is heavy, the surveying instrument 1 can be moved easily without placing a burden on the operator.

[0087] The predetermined angle G is larger than the predetermined angle C (see FIG. 3). Therefore, a handle or the like may be provided separately so that it extends upward when only the wheels 15 are placed on the ground, and the tripod 2 can be moved via the handle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1 Surveying equipment 2. Tripod 4 Surveying device body 5 Main landing gear 6 Connectors 7 Auxiliary legs 8 Ferrules 9 Main guide member 11 Sub-guide member 12 Regulatory elements 15 wheels

Claims

1. The tripod comprises a main leg having a ferrule at its lower end, a connector attached to the main leg, two auxiliary legs attached to the connector and rotatable around their upper ends in directions toward and away from the main leg, wheels attached to the lower parts of the auxiliary legs, and a restricting member for restricting the rotation of the auxiliary legs to a certain angle, The main landing gear and the two auxiliary landing gears do not have an extension or retraction function, The positional relationship between the lower end of the ferrule and the upper end of the main landing gear is known, The surveying instrument body is attached to the upper end of the main landing gear so that the axis of the surveying instrument body and the axis of the main landing gear are at a known angle, and the positional relationship between the mechanical center of the attached surveying instrument body and the lower end of the ferrule is known, a configuration in which, when the main landing gear and the auxiliary landing gear are closed and the main landing gear is perpendicular to a mounting surface, a lower end of the ferrule is positioned lower than a lower end of the auxiliary landing gear and a lower end of the wheel; When the auxiliary legs are released, the wheels are configured to move away from the installation surface, a configuration in which, with the main landing gear and the auxiliary landing gear closed, the main landing gear and the auxiliary landing gear are inclined toward the auxiliary landing gear, thereby allowing only the wheels to contact the ground; The tripod is configured so that the tripod is set on the reference point by matching the lower end of the ferrule with the reference point, opening the auxiliary legs until they are restricted by the restricting members, and allowing the tripod to stand on its own with three-point support between the main leg and the two auxiliary legs, The tripod is configured so that, with the main legs and the auxiliary legs closed, the main legs and the auxiliary legs can be tilted toward the auxiliary legs, allowing only the wheels to come into contact with the installation surface and enabling transport.

2. 2. The tripod according to claim 1, wherein the axle of the wheel is configured to be eccentric with respect to the axis of the auxiliary leg in a direction away from the main leg.

3. 2. The tripod according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the axle of the wheel is perpendicular to the axis of the auxiliary leg.

4. The tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the auxiliary legs are opened at a predetermined angle, only the lower ends of the main legs and the auxiliary legs come into contact with the installation surface, and a gap is formed between the installation surface and the wheels.

5. The tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wheels are configured to be parallel when the auxiliary legs are closed.

6. The tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a main guide member is provided at a midpoint of the main leg, and an auxiliary guide member is provided at a midpoint of the auxiliary leg, and the main guide member and the auxiliary guide member are connected by a regulating member.

7. The tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an auxiliary leg fixing member provided midway along the main leg, the auxiliary leg fixing member having a storage section capable of holding the auxiliary leg, and configured so that the auxiliary leg is held in the storage section when the auxiliary leg is closed.

8. a surveying instrument comprising: a tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a fixture provided at the upper end of the tripod; and a surveying instrument body provided on the main leg via the fixture at a known distance from the lower end of the main leg and at a known angle relative to the axis of the main leg, the surveying instrument body having a reference optical axis, wherein the surveying instrument body comprises: a distance measuring unit that emits distance measuring light to measure the distance to an object to be measured; an emission direction detecting unit that detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light; an attitude detector that detects the inclination of the surveying instrument body with respect to the horizontal; and a calculation control unit that calculates three-dimensional coordinates of a predetermined measurement point with respect to the reference point, based on the distance measurement result of the distance measuring unit, the measurement result of the emission direction detecting unit, and the detection result of the attitude detector.

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