Measuring machine

Abstract

To provide a surveying instrument that reduces a burden of centering work on a worker.SOLUTION: In a surveying instrument (1) capable of irradiating with, spotlight (SL) as visible light for centering toward a position below a vertical axis of the surveying instrument main body (12), the spotlight (SL) is configured that an irradiation shape is an annular shape. When visible light for centering, which passes through a center point (O) of the surveying instrument 1 and is projected on a position right below the surveying instrument (1), is projected in an annular shape having a hole opened at a center like a doughnut, both of an inner circle and an outer circle can be recognized, an outer shape of a measuring object having a target point can be used for target point alignment, there are many marks, and it is easier for a worker to align the annular shape with the target point than a point shape, so that a burden of centering work on the worker is reduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a surveying instrument that irradiates light below the vertical axis of a surveying instrument body for centering work.

Background Art

[0002] In surveying work, first, the surveying instrument needs to be placed above a known reference point (surveying mark), leveled (leveling work), and the center point of the surveying instrument and the reference point need to be aligned vertically (centering work). For centering work, for example, the operator looks through a centering telescope where the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body can be seen and moves the surveying instrument for fine adjustment (Patent Document 1). In recent years, there are also cases where a laser centering device that emits visible laser light directly downward is provided (Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when using a centering telescope as in Patent Document 1, the operator has to maintain a somewhat bent posture with a burden to finely adjust the position of the surveying instrument while looking through the centering telescope, resulting in a large burden on the operator. Also, when irradiating laser light directly below the surveying instrument as in Patent Document 2, since the irradiation shape on the surveying mark is a point, it is difficult for the operator to read and it is difficult to align the laser light with the center of the surveying mark.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of this, and provides a surveying instrument that reduces the burden on the operator for centering work.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problem, in one configuration of the present disclosure, a surveying instrument is capable of illuminating a spot light as a centering visible light downward from the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body, and the spot light is configured to have an annular shape.

[0007] In this configuration, a spot of visible light is projected below the vertical axis of the surveying instrument, and the operator can perform centering work by aligning the center of this spot of light with the survey marker on which the surveying instrument is to be placed. Due to the characteristics of human work, it is easier to align the center of a ring shape with an incenter and circumcenter, like a donut, than to align the center of a point or circle to the target location. Furthermore, survey markers that serve as reference points for surveying are provided with crosses or concentric circles, and a larger ring-shaped spot of light than a point makes alignment easier because these crosses, concentric circles, and even the outer shape of the survey marker can be used as landmarks. By making the landmark spot of light a donut-shaped ring, it is made easier for the operator to align the center of the spot of light with the center of the survey marker. Centering work becomes easier and the burden on the operator is reduced.

[0008] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the instrument is equipped with a distance measuring unit for calculating instrument height having a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit, and the spot light is configured to be light transmitted by the light transmitting unit downward along the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body for distance measurement. According to this embodiment, visible light with an annular irradiation shape is emitted from the light transmitting unit directly below the surveying instrument. The operator can perform centering work using this visible light emitted from the light transmitting unit as a spot light, and once the centering work is completed, since the spot light is a distance measuring light, the distance to the reference point can be measured as is, and the instrument height can be calculated.

[0009] In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the spot light at a position 1 m away from the bottom surface of the surveying instrument body is configured to be between 5 mm and 30 mm. In this embodiment, the spot light is of a size that does not extend beyond the survey target, and is also of a suitable size that is easy for the operator to align.

[0010] In one embodiment, the surveying instrument has a spot light emitting unit capable of irradiating the spot light downward along the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body. The spot light emitting unit comprises a light-emitting unit that emits visible light, a collimating lens positioned in front of the light-emitting unit and whose optical axis is aligned with the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body, and an annular light shaping unit positioned on the optical axis of the collimating lens and converting the irradiation shape of the incident light into an annular shape before emission. The irradiation shape of the spot light is configured to be a donut shape with a hole in the center. According to this embodiment, a donut-shaped spot light can be irradiated downward along the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body, making it easier for the operator to perform centering work. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention provides a surveying instrument that reduces the burden of centering work on the operator. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the surveying instrument and survey marker according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing the general configuration of the surveying instrument and survey markers. It is partially a broken diagram. [Figure 3] The optical configuration of the spot light irradiation section 40 is shown. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a light-forming section. Figure 4(A) shows the annular light-forming section of a lens. Figure 4(B) shows the annular light-forming section of a black material with a light-transmitting section. [Figure 5] The optical configuration of the spot light irradiation section according to the second embodiment is shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are illustrative and not limiting to the invention, and not all features or combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Furthermore, in the following descriptions of embodiments and modifications, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. (Total Station 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the total station 1 and the measuring target 2 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the schematic configuration of the total station 1 and the measuring target 2. In FIG. 2, it is a partially broken view.

[0014] The total station 1 is a total station equipped with a distance and angle measuring function. The measuring target 2 is a measuring reference point and is provided on the point of the benchmark 3.

[0015] The total station 1 includes a main body casing 12 as the casing of the total station. The main body casing 12 corresponds to the total station main body in the claims of this case. The main body casing 12 includes two columns 14, and between the two columns 14, a sighting telescope 16 is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis H.

[0016] A display 20 and an operation key group 21 are arranged at the lower part of the main body casing 12. Necessary information is displayed on the screen of the display 20. The operation key group 21 is an input means for inputting necessary setting conditions and commands.

[0017] Also, the main body casing 12 is arranged on a leveling base 25, and the leveling base 25 is fixed to the tripod 8 in a state of being placed on the tripod 8.

[0018] A shaft cylinder 26 is arranged at a fixing portion 24 at the lower part of the main body casing 12. Inside the shaft cylinder 26, a vertical shaft 28 provided on the main body casing 12 is inserted and is pivotally supported by the fixing portion 24 via a ball bearing so as to be rotatable. Thereby, the main body casing 12 can be rotated about the vertical shaft 28 with respect to the fixing portion 24. The leveling base 25 has an adjusting screw for finely adjusting the inclination, and the fixing portion 24 is fixed thereon. By rotating the adjusting screw, the total station 1 is adjusted horizontally.

[0019] At the upper ends of the shaft cylinder 26 and the vertical shaft 28, flange portions facing each other are formed, and a rotary encoder 22 is provided here. The rotary encoder 22 is a horizontal angle sensor, and the rotation amount of the main body casing 12 is detected.

[0020] The vertical shaft 28 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and the center line V of the vertical shaft 28 is orthogonal to the horizontal shaft H in extension. The intersection point of the horizontal shaft H and the center line V is defined as the center point O of the total station 1. Since the main body casing 12 that pivotally supports the sighting telescope 16 rotates around the center line V, the rotation amount of the sighting telescope 16 around the horizontal shaft H and the rotation amount around the center line V are detected by the angle sensor 18 provided on the horizontal shaft H and the above-mentioned rotary encoder 22.

[0021] Above the vertical shaft 28, a spot light irradiation unit 40 that irradiates a spot light SL is arranged. The spot light SL is visible light for centering, and the spot light irradiation unit 40 irradiates the spot light SL downward along the center line V of the vertical shaft 28 below the vertical axis of the total station 1 with the light emission direction of the light made to coincide with the center line V.

[0022] (Spot light irradiation unit) FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the optical system of the spot light irradiation unit 40. In the present embodiment, the spot light irradiation unit 40 includes a light irradiation unit 50 that irradiates the spot light SL downward along the center line V of the vertical shaft 28 as visible light for centering below the vertical axis of the total station main body, and a distance measuring unit 60 that measures the distance to an object below the vertical axis of the total station 1. The distance measuring unit 60 is provided to calculate the instrument height T, which is the height from the center point O of the total station 1 to the measuring target 2.

[0023] The spot light illumination unit 40 includes a light-emitting unit 51, a first collimating lens 52, an annular light-forming unit 53, a dichroic prism 54, a light-transmitting unit 61, a second collimating lens 62, a beam splitter 63, a light-receiving unit 64, a reflective mirror 65, and a shutter 66. The light illumination unit 50 mainly consists of a light-emitting unit 51, a first collimating lens 52, and an annular light-forming unit 53. The distance measuring unit 60 mainly consists of a light-transmitting unit 61, a second collimating lens 62, a beam splitter 63, a light-receiving unit 64, and a shutter 66.

[0024] The light-emitting unit 51 is a light-emitting diode (LED) and emits visible light. The first collimating lens 52 is positioned in front of the light-emitting unit 51, and the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 51 becomes parallel light in the first collimating lens 52. The optical axis of the first collimating lens 52 coincides with the center line V, and the optical axis is configured to pass through the center point O of the surveying instrument 1.

[0025] The annular photoforming section 53 emits incident light as light with an annular shape. For example, the annular photoforming section 53A shown in Figure 4(A) has its shape set by calculating the wavelength of light, and is a lens that emits circular light incident from the incident surface as light with an annular shape. The annular photoforming section 53A may consist of not only one lens but also multiple lenses.

[0026] Furthermore, the annular photoforming section 53B shown in Figure 4(B) is a thin plate whose surface is made of a light-absorbing material and has a light-transmitting section 53Ba that has the property of transmitting light. Incident light passes only through the light-transmitting section 53Ba and is absorbed elsewhere, so the irradiation shape is the shape of the light-transmitting section 53Ba. The light-transmitting section 53Ba is configured in a roughly annular shape, and the light that passes through the light-transmitting section 53Ba is emitted as annular-shaped light.

[0027] The annular photomolded portion 53B is formed by masking only the light-transmitting portion of a transparent resin sheet such as acrylic and applying black vapor deposition or black paint, by using a black resin sheet to cut out only the light-transmitting portion 53Ba and injection molding it, or by using a thin metal sheet to punch out the light-transmitting portion 53Ba and applying a light-absorbing paint to the surface.

[0028] The light emitted from the annular light-forming section 53, with its irradiation shape becoming an annular shape, passes through the dichroic prism 54, exits the vertical axis 28, goes through the through-holes formed in the leveling base 25 and tripod 8, and is projected as a spot light SL downwards along the vertical axis of the surveying instrument 1. The spot light SL is projected onto an object below the surveying instrument 1 and is visible as an annular-shaped light.

[0029] The optical axis of the spot light SL coincides with the center line V of the vertical axis 28, and since the spot light SL is projected below the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body, the spot light SL serves as a marker during centering work, acting as a visible light for centering that passes through the center point O.

[0030] The light transmitting unit 61 consists of a laser diode (LD), and the light receiving unit 64 consists of an avalanche photodiode (APD). The beam splitter 63 consists of a diclock prism.

[0031] The laser beam emitted from the light transmitting unit 61 passes through the second collimating lens 62, is split into a distance measuring beam and a reference beam by the beam splitter 63, and is selectively emitted by the shutter 66. The reference beam is directed towards the light receiving unit 64 and is received by the light receiving unit 64. The distance measuring beam is emitted towards the reflective mirror 65, then towards the dichroic prism 54, and is reflected coaxially with the optical path of the spot beam SL. Subsequently, it passes through the same optical path as the spot beam SL, is emitted from the surveying instrument 1 downwards along the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body, is reflected by the object to be measured below the surveying instrument 1, returns along the same path, is reflected by the beam splitter 63, and is directed towards the light receiving unit 64 and received by the light receiving unit 64. The measurement results are output to a calculation unit 90 such as a microcomputer having memory and a CPU, and the distance measurement value is calculated from the phase difference between the reference beam and the distance measuring beam.

[0032] When an operator sets up the surveying instrument 1 using the survey marker 2 as a reference point, the surveying instrument 1 is positioned on a tripod 8 approximately vertically above the survey marker 2, and the adjustment screw on the leveling base 25 is used to level the surveying instrument 1. Next, the spot light SL is shone on it, and while maintaining the leveled state, the surveying instrument 1 is slid to adjust its position so that the center of the survey marker 2 coincides with the center of the spot light SL. This centering operation may cause the instrument to tilt from the horizontal position, so the leveling and centering operations are repeated until the surveying instrument 1 is positioned horizontally vertically above the survey marker 2. When distance measurement is performed with the distance measuring unit 60, the distance measuring light transmitted from the light transmitting unit 61 measures the distance to the survey marker 2. Since the line directly above the survey marker 2 and the center line V coincide, and the arrangement relationship between the center point O of the surveying instrument 1 and the optical components of the distance measuring unit 60 (especially the light transmitting point of the light transmitting unit 61) is known, the instrument height T is calculated from the distance measurement result.

[0033] Both leveling and centering operations can be performed by the operator facing the surveying instrument 1, and the instrument height T is calculated automatically, thus reducing the burden on the operator in centering operations and setting up the surveying instrument 1.

[0034] In this embodiment, the spot light irradiation unit 40 combines a spot light irradiation function and a distance measuring function for measuring the instrument height. The spot light irradiation unit may consist only of the spot light irradiation function, or the distance measuring function for measuring the instrument height may be configured as a separate unit. Conventional configurations may be used for calculating the instrument height, such as guiding the measuring light from the sighting telescope 16 provided in the main casing 12 to below the vertical axis of the surveying instrument 1 and measuring it using the distance measuring function of the surveying instrument 1, or manually measuring the instrument height with a tape measure or scale. When the operator measures manually, the measured value is entered from the operation key group 21.

[0035] The spot light SL has a flat donut shape with a hole in the middle, and has an incenter circle which is the inner shape of the illuminated light and an circumcenter circle which is the outer shape of the illuminated light, both of which are the outer shapes of the illuminated light. A moderately wide band shape of light is preferable because it is recognized as a concentric circle shape with an inner circle and an outer circle, making it easier to align with the target point. In particular, since survey markers that serve as reference points in surveying are provided with auxiliary lines such as crosses or concentric circles, the annular shape of the spot light SL is a shape that is easier to align.

[0036] The width of the ring is preferably in the form of a strip rather than a string, so the outer diameter should be at least 1.1 times the inner diameter, and preferably between 1.2 and 4 times, as this makes it easier to recognize both the inner and outer diameters and align them with the marker. Furthermore, a donut shape with a diameter of 1.5 to 2.5 times is more easily recognized as concentric circles and is therefore even more preferable.

[0037] Furthermore, it is preferable that the outer shape of the spot light SL is of an appropriate size, as this allows not only the center of the measurement target 2 but also the outer shape of the measurement target 2 to serve as a landmark. For this reason, it is preferable that the size of the spot light SL that illuminates the measurement target 2 does not extend beyond the measurement target 2 and is larger than or equal to the laser center point. For this reason, it is preferable that the illumination shape of the spot light SL onto a virtual plane located 1 m away from the bottom surface of the surveying instrument 1 has an outer diameter of approximately 2 mm to 30 mm, and is more preferable if it has an outer diameter of 5 mm to 20 mm. Additional optical elements may be arranged to change the size and width of the illumination shape of the spot light SL, thereby making it possible to change the size and width of the spot light SL.

[0038] In this embodiment, the spot light irradiation unit 40 is positioned above the vertical axis 28, and all of its optical components are located there. However, it is not limited to this, and some of the optical components of the spot light irradiation unit 40 may be positioned on the vertical axis 28 or the fixing unit 24, for example, by attaching the light-emitting unit 51 to the main body casing 12 and arranging the collimating lens inside the hollow vertical axis 28.

[0039] (Second embodiment) Figure 5 is a diagram showing the optical system configuration of the spot light irradiation unit 140 provided in the surveying instrument 101 according to the second embodiment. The surveying instrument 101 is configured the same as the surveying instrument 1, except for the configuration of the optical system of the spot light irradiation unit 140. Therefore, the schematic configuration diagram is the same as that of Figures 1 and 2 and is therefore omitted.

[0040] The spot light irradiation unit 140 includes a light-emitting unit 151, a collimating lens 152, an annular light-forming unit 153, a beam splitter 154, a light-receiving unit 155, and a shutter 156.

[0041] In this embodiment, the light irradiation unit that emits a spot light SL and the distance measuring unit for calculating the instrument height are integrated into a single unit. Therefore, the visible light emitted by the light-emitting unit 151 is both a spot light SL for centering and a distance measuring light. In this embodiment, a red laser diode (LD) is used in the light-emitting unit 151.

[0042] The optical axis of the collimating lens 152 coincides with the center line V, and the optical axis is configured to pass through the center point O of the surveying instrument 1. The annular photoforming section 153 and the beam splitter 154 are positioned on the optical axis of the collimating lens 152. The optical characteristics of the annular photoforming section 153, the beam splitter 154, the light receiving section 155, and the shutter 156 are equivalent to those of the annular photoforming section 53, the beam splitter 63, the light receiving section 64, and the shutter 66, respectively.

[0043] Light emitted from the light-emitting unit 151 is made into parallel light by the collimating lens 152, and then emitted as a circular-shaped beam by the circular light-forming unit 153. The beam splitter 154 separates the beam into distance-measuring light and reference light, and the shutter 156 selectively emits them. The reference light is directed towards the light-receiving unit 155 and is received by the light-receiving unit 155. The distance-measuring light is emitted as a spot light SL directly below the vertical axis of the surveying instrument 101 and is visible as a circular-shaped beam. A portion of the distance-measuring light is reflected by the object to be measured illuminated by the spot light SL, returns to the surveying instrument 1, is reflected again by the beam splitter 154, and is directed towards the light-receiving unit 155, where it is received by the light-receiving unit 155. The measurement result is output to the calculation unit 90, and the distance value is calculated from the phase difference between the reference light and the distance-measuring light. Here, the measurement result is calculated as the average value of the distance to the circular-shaped surface illuminated on the target 2. This allows us to determine the instrument height T of the surveying instrument 101.

[0044] The spot light SL is a visible light used for centering, serving as a marker during centering operations and simultaneously measuring distance to calculate the instrument height T. The instrument height T is automatically calculated along with the centering operation to the target 2. During centering operations, the shutter 156 may be configured to guide only the distance measuring light and not the reference light, and then released after centering operations to perform distance measurements. The system may also be configured to change the position of the shutter 156 by inputting the start and completion of centering operations from the operation key group 21. The annular light shaping unit 153 may be positioned between the beam splitter 154 and the target 2 so as to be located in the distance measuring light path.

[0045] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and it is possible to combine them based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such forms are also included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1, 101: Surveying instrument 12: Main casing (surveying instrument body) 40: Spot light irradiation area 50: Light-irradiating section 51, 151: Light-emitting part 52, 152: Collimating lenses 53, 153: Circular photoforming area 60: Distance measurement section 61: Light transmitting unit (light emitting unit 151) 64, 155: Light receiving section SL: Spotlight T: Instrument height

Claims

1. In a surveying instrument capable of illuminating a spot light as a visible light for centering, downward along the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body, The surveying instrument body has a spot light irradiation unit that can irradiate the spot light downward along the vertical axis, The aforementioned spot light irradiation unit is A light-emitting part that emits visible light, A collimating lens is positioned in front of the light-emitting section and its optical axis is aligned with the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body, The annular photoforming section is positioned on the optical axis of the collimating lens and converts the irradiation shape of the incident light into an annular shape before emission, It has, The spotlight has an annular shape. A surveying instrument characterized by the following features.

2. It is equipped with a distance measuring unit for calculating instrument height, which has a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit. The spot light is the light transmitted by the light-transmitting unit downward along the vertical axis of the surveying instrument body for distance measurement. The surveying instrument according to feature 1.

3. The outer diameter of the spot light at a position 1 m away from the bottom surface of the surveying instrument body is 5 mm to 30 mm. The surveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The irradiation shape of the spot light is a donut shape with a hole in the center. A surveying instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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