Measurement module and three-dimensional data measurement system using same

Abstract

Provided are a novel measurement module and a novel three-dimensional data measurement system that make it possible to measure three-dimensional data without using a pole on which a prism is mounted. A three-dimensional data measurement system (1) comprises a prism (51), an optical distance meter (52), an inertia measurement device (53), a communication unit (58) that acquires position coordinates for the prism, and at least one processor (60). The processor (60) is a measurement module (50) that is configured to calculate position coordinates for the position of the module itself on the basis of orientation information and the position coordinates for the prism (51), and to calculate position coordinates for an irradiation point on the basis of the orientation information, the position coordinates for the position of the module itself, and the distance to the irradiation point. The processor (60) determines that the irradiation point is within an intended measurement point range that has been set at a prescribed threshold around an intended measurement point set in a measurement range for data in a measurement region and performs measurement.

Description

Measurement module and three-dimensional data measurement system using the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional data measurement system, and more particularly to a measurement module equipped with a prism and a three-dimensional data measurement system using the module and a surveying instrument.

[0002] Conventionally, as-built surface measurements in construction work have involved the use of a 3D data measurement system equipped with a total station with an automatic tracking function and a pole with a prism attached. In such a system, a worker places the pole over the measurement point and measures the prism while the total station automatically tracks it. During this process, the worker must visually check the vial to ensure the prism is level, which places a significant burden on the worker when the work takes a long time. Additionally, the length of the pole to be used must be measured in advance and entered into the system.

[0003] Therefore, in recent years, a three-dimensional data measurement system has been disclosed that is equipped with a GNSS receiver, a tilt sensor, a direction sensor, and an optical distance meter, and is capable of measuring the three-dimensional position information of the illumination point of the optical distance meter without using a pole (Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-248156

[0005] The 3D data measurement system of Patent Document 1 is capable of measurement without the need for poles, but it cannot perform measurements in indoor environments where it is difficult to receive radio waves from satellites. Furthermore, even in outdoor environments where radio waves from satellites can be received, there is a problem in that measurement accuracy deteriorates depending on the time of day (number of satellites, geometric arrangement of satellites).

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a new measurement module and a new three-dimensional data measurement system that enable measurement of three-dimensional data without using a prism-equipped pole.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a measurement module according to one aspect of the present invention has the following configuration: 1. A measurement module including a prism that retroreflects incident light, an electronic distance meter that detects the distance to an irradiation point by transmitting distance measuring light into a measurement range and receiving the reflected distance measuring light reflected from the irradiation point of the distance measuring light, an inertial measurement unit that measures three-dimensional acceleration and angular velocity and detects attitude information, a communication unit that acquires position coordinates of the prism, and at least one processor, wherein the processor is configured to calculate position coordinates of its own position based on the position coordinates of the prism and the attitude information, and to calculate the position coordinates of the irradiation point based on the position coordinates of its own position, the distance to the irradiation point, and the attitude information, and the processor determines that the irradiation point has entered a planned measurement point range that is set using a predetermined threshold around a planned measurement point set in the measurement range in measurement area data, and then performs measurement.

[0008] 2. In the aspect 1 above, it is also preferable that the measurement range is partitioned into a mesh pattern, and the planned measurement points are set in each mesh.

[0009] 3. In the above aspect 2, it is also preferable that the apparatus further comprises a display unit that displays a measurement screen showing the measurement status of the measurement range, and that the display unit displays the progress of the measurement for each mesh in real time so that it can be identified.

[0010] 4. In the above aspect 2 or 3, it is also preferable that the measurement screen displays the measured meshes in a color scale in which the measured meshes are colored in different colors according to their height, based on the measurement results of the meshes.

[0011] 5. In aspects 1 to 4 above, it is also preferable that the processor calculates an angle of incidence of the distance measurement light on the measurement surface based on the attitude information, determines whether the angle of incidence is within a range that satisfies a required accuracy, and then performs measurement.

[0012] 6. In aspects 1 to 5 above, it is also preferable that the processor calculates the angle of incidence of the distance measurement light on the measurement surface based on the attitude information, determines that the angle of incidence is not within a range that satisfies a required accuracy, and notifies an operator to that effect.

[0013] 7. In the above aspects 1 to 6, it is also preferable that the measurement module comprises a measurement module main body including at least the prism, the electronic distance meter, the inertial measurement unit, and at least one processor, and a measurement module controller including at least one processor and a display unit and capable of communicating with the measurement module main body, wherein the measurement module main body is attached to a moving object, and the moving object can be remotely controlled by the processor of the measurement module controller.

[0014] A three-dimensional data measurement system according to another aspect of the present invention has the following configuration: 8. It comprises a measurement module according to any one of aspects 1 to 7 above, and a surveying instrument having an automatic tracking function for automatically tracking the prism, transmitting distance measurement light to the prism, receiving reflected distance measurement light, measuring the distance and angle of the prism, calculating position coordinates of the prism, and including a communication unit, which outputs the position coordinates of the prism to the measurement module via the communication unit.

[0015] According to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a new measurement module and a new three-dimensional data measurement system that enable measurement of three-dimensional data without using a prism-equipped pole.

[0016] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a three-dimensional data measurement system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a configuration block diagram of the system. (A) is a diagram explaining how to set a measurement range in measurement region data used in the system, and (B) is a diagram explaining mesh-shaped sections set in the measurement range. (B) is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for setting measurement conditions for measurement using the system. It is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a measurement module in three-dimensional data measurement using the system. (A) to (C) are diagrams showing an example of a measurement screen displayed on the measurement module. (A) to (C) are diagrams explaining the relationship between the emission angle of distance measurement light from the measurement module, the angle of incidence of distance measurement light on the measurement surface, and the beam shape of the distance measurement light. It is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a measurement module in three-dimensional data measurement using a three-dimensional data measurement system according to one modification of the above embodiment. It is a diagram showing an example of measurement range data used in a three-dimensional data measurement system according to another modification of the above embodiment. It is a diagram showing an overview of a three-dimensional data measurement system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a configuration block diagram of the system.

[0017] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described 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.

[0018] I. First Embodiment 1. Overall Configuration Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the general configuration of a three-dimensional data measurement system (hereinafter simply referred to as the system) 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The system 1 is preferably used for measuring the current surface condition at a construction site. Fig. 2 is a configuration block diagram of the system 1. The system 1 generally comprises a surveying instrument 10 and a measurement module 50.

[0019] In the illustrated example, the surveying instrument 10 is a motor-driven total station with an automatic tracking function. The surveying instrument 10 is installed at a known point and used with its coordinates and direction angle known. In this specification, "installing a surveying instrument at a known point" does not only mean installing the surveying instrument at a known point, but also includes installing the surveying instrument at an arbitrary point and then generating the coordinates of the known point by resection or the like.

[0020] 1, the surveying instrument 10 externally comprises a base 6a, a support 6b that rotates horizontally around the H axis relative to the base 6a, and a telescope 6c that rotates vertically around the V axis at the center of the support 6b. The base 6a is attached to a leveling base 4 that is attached to a tripod 2.

[0021] The measurement module 50 also includes a handheld, substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 5. A prism 51, which will be described later, is fixed to the front top surface of the housing 5. A display serving as a display unit 57, which will be described later, is provided on the rear top surface of the housing 5, so that the operator OP can irradiate the measurement object with distance measurement light L3 while checking the display unit 57.

[0022] 2. Surveying Instrument 10 As shown in FIG. 2, the surveying instrument 10 includes a distance measuring unit 11, a horizontal angle detector 12, a vertical angle detector 13, a horizontal rotation drive unit 14, a vertical rotation drive unit 15, a tracking unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20, a memory unit 23, a clock 24, and a surveying instrument communication unit 25.

[0023] The distance measurement unit 11 includes a light-transmitting unit having a light-emitting element such as a laser diode that emits laser light (e.g., infrared laser light) as distance measurement light L1, a distance measurement optical system, and a light-receiving unit having a light-receiving element such as an avalanche photodiode (not shown). The distance measurement unit 11 is housed in the telescope 6c, and the optical axis of the distance measurement light is the collimation optical axis of the telescope 6c. The distance measurement unit 11 emits the distance measurement light L1 to the prism 51 via the distance measurement optical system, receives the reflected light with the light-receiving unit, and measures the distance to the center of the prism 51 from the phase difference or time difference between the distance measurement light L1 and the internal reference light.

[0024] The horizontal angle detector 12 and the vertical angle detector 13 are absolute encoders or incremental encoders. The horizontal angle detector 12 detects the horizontal angle of the base portion 6a, i.e., the horizontal angle of the collimation optical axis of the telescope 6c. The vertical angle detector 13 detects the vertical angle of the collimation optical axis of the telescope 6c.

[0025] The horizontal rotation drive unit 14 and the vertical rotation drive unit 15 are motors. They are controlled by the surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20. The horizontal rotation drive unit 14 drives a rotation shaft provided on the base unit 6a to rotate the base unit 6b horizontally. The vertical rotation drive unit 15 drives a rotation shaft that rotatably supports the telescope 6c relative to the base unit 6b to rotate the telescope 6c vertically. The cooperation of these two drive units rotates the telescope 6c in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0026] The tracking unit 16 includes a tracking light transmitting unit having a light emitting element such as a laser diode, a tracking optical system, and a tracking light receiving unit having an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) (not shown). The tracking unit 16 emits an infrared laser beam having a wavelength different from that of the distance measuring light L1 as tracking light L2, acquires landscape images in the collimation direction when the tracking light L2 is on and when the tracking light L2 is off, and outputs both images to the surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20. The surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20 determines the center of the image of the target prism 51 from the difference between the two images and calculates the position of the prism 51. Based on the detected position of the prism 51, the surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20 drives the horizontal rotation drive unit 14 and the vertical rotation drive unit 15 so that the distance between the center of the prism 51 and the center of the visual axis of the telescope 6c is within a certain value. As a result, the telescope 6c always faces the direction of the prism 51.

[0027] The input unit 17 is an input device such as a button key, which accepts inputs such as commands and settings for the measurement work from an operator and outputs them to the surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20. The output unit 18 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, which displays a measurement condition setting screen, a measurement result confirmation screen, etc. under the control of the surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20. The input unit 17 and the output unit 18 may be configured as an integrated touch panel display.

[0028] The storage unit 23 is a computer-readable storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), flash memory, etc. The storage unit 23 stores programs for the surveying instrument 10 to execute various functions such as the surveying function and the automatic tracking function. The storage unit 23 also stores various data such as measurement data acquired by the surveying instrument 10.

[0029] The clock 24 may be a system clock or a hardware clock, and adds a time to the transmitted data in order to synchronize the timing of measurements with the measurement module 50 .

[0030] The surveying instrument communication unit 25 is a communication interface that enables the sending and receiving of information between the surveying instrument 10 and the measurement module 50. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, etc. may be used as the communication means. The communication means is not limited to these, and known wired and wireless communication standards may also be used. The surveying instrument 10 assigns a time stamp to the prism measurement results, i.e., the position coordinates of the prism, and transmits them to the measurement module 50 via the surveying instrument communication unit 25.

[0031] The surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20 is a control and calculation unit that includes at least one processor 21, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and at least one memory 22, such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). If the processor 21 is a software-based processor such as a CPU, it executes the functions of the surveying instrument 10, which will be described below, by reading a program for executing the function into the memory 22 and executing it.

[0032] Furthermore, at least a part of the processor 21 may be configured with hardware such as a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

[0033] The surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20 controls the tracking unit 16, the horizontal rotation drive unit 14, and the vertical rotation drive unit 15 to automatically track the prism 51, and measures the distance and angle of the prism 51 at a predetermined timing using the distance measurement unit 11, the horizontal angle detector 12, and the vertical angle detector 13. The surveying instrument control and calculation unit 20 calculates the coordinates of the center position of the prism 51 based on the results of the distance and angle measurement of the prism 51, adds a time stamp, and transmits the calculated coordinates to the measurement module 50 via the surveying instrument communication unit 25.

[0034] 3. Configuration of Measurement Module 50 The measurement module 50 includes a prism 51, an electronic distance meter (EDM) 52, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 53, a storage unit 54, an operation unit 56, a display unit 57, a communication unit 58, a clock 59, and a control and calculation unit 60.

[0035] The prism 51 is, for example, a so-called omnidirectional prism formed by combining multiple triangular pyramidal prisms in a radial pattern, and retroreflects light incident from all directions (360°). The prism 51 is not limited to this, and may be any prism used in surveying.

[0036] The optical distance meter 52 includes a light-transmitting unit having a light-emitting element such as a laser diode that emits visible laser light as distance measuring light L3, a distance measuring optical system, and a light-receiving unit having a light-receiving element such as an avalanche photodiode (not shown). The optical distance meter 52 irradiates the measurement object with the distance measuring light L3 emitted from the light-transmitting unit, receives the reflected light from the measurement object, and measures the distance to the irradiation point of the distance measuring light L3 from the phase difference or time difference between the distance measuring light L3 and the internal reference light.

[0037] The inertial measurement unit 53 includes a three-axis gyro and a three-axis acceleration sensor, and detects the angular velocity and acceleration of the measurement module 50 in the three axial directions (roll, pitch, yaw) to detect the attitude of the measurement module 50 and obtain attitude information. ５０ (Figure 1).

[0038] The center of the prism 51, the origin of distance calculation of the light-wave distance meter 52, and the instrument center O ５０The positional relationship between the distance meter 52 and the optical axis of the light-wave distance meter 52 is known in advance. ５０ As a result, based on the position coordinates of the center of the prism 51 and the attitude information of the measurement module 50, the instrument center O of the measurement module 50 is calculated. ５０ , that is, the position coordinates of the measurement module 50 can be obtained.

[0039] The storage unit 54 is a computer-readable storage medium such as a HDD, a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 54 stores a program for executing the functions of the measurement module 50, which will be described later. The storage unit 54 also stores three-dimensional information data acquired by the measurement module 50.

[0040] The operation unit 56 is an input device such as buttons and keys, and accepts input of commands, settings, etc. to the measurement module by an operator. The display unit 57 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and displays an input screen for setting measurement conditions, a measurement screen, etc. under the control of the control and calculation unit 60. In the illustrated example, the operation unit 56 and the display unit 57 are integrated as a touch panel display. Furthermore, the operation unit 56 may be equipped with a voice input device such as a microphone in addition to buttons and keys.

[0041] The communication unit 58 is a communication interface that enables transmission and reception of information between the surveying instrument 10 and the measurement module 50. As a communication means, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, etc., should be used, but one that corresponds to the surveying instrument communication unit 25 should be used. The communication unit 58 receives the position coordinates of the prism 51 from the surveying instrument 10.

[0042] The clock 59 may be a system clock or a hardware clock, but is synchronized with the clock of the surveying instrument 10 and is used to synchronize the timing of measurements with the surveying instrument 10.

[0043] The control and calculation unit 60 is a control and calculation unit including at least one processor 61 such as a CPU, and at least one memory 62 such as an SRAM or DRAM. When the processor 61 is a CPU or the like that realizes functions through software, it reads a program for executing the functions into the memory 62 and executes it, thereby performing the functions of the measurement module 50 described below. At least a part of the processor 61 may be configured with hardware such as a CPLD or FPGA.

[0044] The control and calculation unit 60 enables remote control of the surveying instrument 10, and transmits measurement and automatic tracking instructions to the surveying instrument 10 via the communication unit 58. The control and calculation unit 60 acquires, at a timing synchronized with the surveying instrument 10, the distance to the irradiation point P measured by the light-wave distance meter 52 and the attitude information of the measurement module 50 detected by the inertial measurement unit 53. The control and calculation unit 60 receives from the surveying instrument 10 the position coordinates of the prism 51, the attitude information of the measurement module 50, and the known instrument center O of the prism 51 and the measurement module 50. ５０ Based on the positional relationship with the instrument center O, the current position of the measurement module 50 ( ５０ Based on the calculated coordinates of its own position, the attitude information of the measurement module 50, and the distance measurement value of the electronic distance meter 52, the position coordinates of the irradiation point P of the distance measurement light L3 are calculated.

[0045] The control and calculation unit 60 also reads the measurement area data 72 and sets a measurement range 80 on the data. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating the setting of the measurement range 80 on the display unit 57. In the illustrated example, the measurement area data 72 is map data. The measurement range 80 is a region of the measurement area 70 where three-dimensional data measurement is actually performed. The measurement range 80 may be set, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A , by displaying the measurement area data 72 on the display unit 57 and tapping four vertices 80a defining the measurement range 80 on a touch panel with a fingertip to select and set the measurement range 80 in a rectangular shape. Alternatively, the measurement range 80 may be set by swiping diagonally using a rectangular selection tool. Note that in the illustrated example, the measurement range 80 is set as a square, but this is not limited thereto. That is, the measurement range 80 may be a rectangle or a polygon other than a square. Furthermore, the measurement range 80 may be any shape that can be selected by tracing a circle with a fingertip.

[0046] The control and calculation unit 60 also defines mesh-like divisions at a pitch p within the measurement range 80. FIG. 3B illustrates the state in which the measurement range 80 in FIG. 3A has been divided into meshes. The mesh-like divisions shown in FIG. 3B are superimposed on the measurement range data 72 displayed in FIG. 3A, but the measurement range data 72 itself has been omitted for ease of explanation. In the illustrated example, each mesh is square for the square measurement range 80. The pitch p defines one side of each square, i.e., the dimensions of each mesh. Each mesh is not limited to a square, but may also be rectangular. In principle, each mesh has the same shape, but the periphery of the measurement range 80 may have an irregular shape depending on the shape of the measurement range 80. For example, for the purpose of observing the current state of a construction project, a pitch p of 10 to 50 cm is suitable. However, the pitch p can be determined appropriately depending on the size of the measurement range 80 and the required accuracy of the resulting product.

[0047] A planned measurement point 82 is set at a predetermined position, for example, the center, of each mesh in the measurement range 80. An area set around the planned measurement point 82 with a predetermined threshold is set as a planned measurement point range 83. Planned measurement point ranges 83A and 83B in FIG. 3B are examples of different shapes of planned measurement point ranges. For example, the planned measurement point range 83A has a side with a length of 2d and a center at the planned measurement point 82. １ In addition, the planned measurement point range 83B is set to a square shape with a radius d ２ The planned measurement points 82 and the planned measurement point range 83 are set in a circular shape. When there is no distinction between the planned measurement point ranges 83A and 83B, they are referred to as the planned measurement point range 83. The measurement value of any point within the planned measurement point range 83 can be considered to be the measurement value of the mesh. Note that the planned measurement points 82 and the planned measurement point range 83 do not necessarily have to be displayed on the display unit 57, as long as they are set in the data.

[0048] The control and calculation unit 60 determines whether the irradiation point P when the optical distance meter 52 of the measurement module 50 is directed toward the measurement range 8 of the site and irradiates the distance measuring light L3 is within the planned measurement point range 83, and when it determines that it is within the planned measurement point range 83, it performs the measurement and records the measurement value as the measurement result.

[0049] 4. How to Use the System 1 Next, we will explain how to use the system 1. First, when using the system on-site, as a preliminary preparation, the surveying instrument 10 is installed at a known point, and the coordinates and direction angle of the surveying instrument are input into the surveying instrument 10.

[0050] Also, a connection is established between the communication unit 58 of the measurement module 50 and the survey instrument communication unit 25 of the surveying instrument 10. Also, calibration is performed on the measurement module 50. Specifically, for example, the surveying instrument 10 and the measurement module 50 are faced directly together, and the prism 51 is measured by the surveying instrument 10 to identify the direction of the measurement module 50, and the opposite direction is set as the roll angle φ=0, pitch angle θ=0, and yaw angle ψ=0 of the inertial measurement unit 53.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of measurement using the system 1.

[0052] When measurement is started, first, in S01, the control and calculation unit 60 reads the measurement area data 72. Specifically, the measurement area data 72 is map data or design data of the site where the worker is to perform measurement. The measurement area data 72 may be read by, for example, storing the measurement area data 72 in advance in the storage unit 54. Alternatively, the measurement module 50 may be configured to have a communication interface connectable to the Internet, and the measurement area data may be stored in a cloud server or the like and read via the Internet.

[0053] Next, in step S02, the control and calculation unit 60 sets the measurement range 80 in accordance with an input by the operator. For example, the operator sets the measurement range 80 by tapping four vertices on the measurement area data 72 displayed on the display unit 57 configured as a touch panel.

[0054] Next, in step S03, the control and calculation unit 60 sets the size of the pitch p that defines the dimensions of each mesh for dividing the measurement range 80 into a mesh, in accordance with input by the operator from the operation unit 56. The set value of the pitch p can be set, for example, by selecting from predetermined numerical values ​​or by inputting it into an input window.

[0055] Next, in step S04, the control and calculation unit 60 sets a threshold value for the range of planned measurement points 83 in accordance with input from the operator OP. The threshold value for the range of planned measurement points 83 may be determined in advance. In this case, step S04 can be omitted.

[0056] Next, in step S05, a measurement range 80 is partitioned in accordance with the range and values ​​set in steps S02 to S04, planned measurement points 82 are set, a planned measurement point range 83 is set, measurement range data 85 is generated, and stored in storage unit 54. That is, FIG. 3B schematically shows measurement range data 85. Steps S01 to S05 are the initial steps in three-dimensional data measurement using system 1, and after step S05, steps from step S11 onwards, which will be described below, are continued.

[0057] A description will now be given of a three-dimensional data measurement method using the system 1. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the measurement module 50 in three-dimensional data measurement using the system 1.

[0058] When measurement is started, first, in step S11, the control and calculation unit 60 reads the measurement range data 85.

[0059] Next, in step S12, the control and calculation unit 60 instructs the surveying instrument 10 to start measurement via the communication unit 58. As a result, the surveying instrument 10 then tracks the prism 51, measures the prism 51 at predetermined intervals, and transmits the position coordinates of the prism 51 together with the time to the measurement module 50.

[0060] Next, in step S13, the control and calculation unit 60 receives the position coordinates of the prism 51 from the surveying instrument 10, detects the attitude information of the measurement module 50 at a timing synchronized with the measurement of the position coordinates of the prism 51, and calculates the position coordinates of its own position.

[0061] At the same time, in step S14, the control and calculation unit 60 measures the distance to the irradiation point P using the optical distance meter 52 at a timing synchronized with the measurement of the position coordinates of the prism 51, and calculates the position coordinates of the irradiation point P using the attitude information of the measurement module 50.

[0062] Thereafter, each time the control and calculation unit 60 receives the position coordinates of the prism 51 or at a predetermined timing, it calculates the position coordinates of the measurement module 50 itself and the position coordinates of the irradiation point P. Then, in step S15, the control and calculation unit 60 displays the measurement screen 90 on the display unit 57.

[0063] 6A shows an example of a measurement screen 90 displayed at this time. The measurement screen 90 displays a measurement range 80 partitioned in a mesh pattern, planned measurement points 82, a current position mark 91 indicating the current position of the measurement module 50, and an irradiation point mark 92 indicating the position of the irradiation point P. In addition, coordinate values ​​93 of the detected irradiation point P (corresponding to the irradiation point mark 92 on the measurement screen 90) may be displayed numerically.

[0064] Next, in step S16, the operator OP starts scanning the measurement surface with the measurement module 50 while irradiating the visible distance measurement light L3. After this, the operator OP can perform scanning while checking the measurement range 80 and irradiation point mark 92 on the measurement screen 90, and the measurement range 8 and irradiation point P on the site, so that the operator OP can reliably irradiate the distance measurement light L3 at the position to be measured. In addition, the operator OP can easily irradiate the distance measurement light L3 at the position he or she wishes to measure.

[0065] For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 6A, the operator OP selects the upper left planned measurement point 82 that displays the planned measurement point range 83B. １ If you want to start measurement from the target measurement point 82, you can move the measurement module 50 slightly to the right while checking the irradiation point mark 92. １ After that, in the illustrated example, the operator OP moves the measurement module from the top left of the measurement screen 90 back and forth from left to right, and then one step down and from right to left, moving the small mesh 81 to proceed with the measurement.

[0066] Next, in step S17, the control and calculation unit 60 determines whether the irradiation point P is within the planned measurement point range 83. The determination whether the irradiation point P is within the planned measurement point range 83 is performed, for example, as follows.

[0067] In the case of the square planned measurement point range 83A shown in FIG. 3B, the coordinates of the next planned measurement point 82 are (x, y), and the threshold value is d １ Let the coordinate value of the irradiation point P be (X, Y), then x-d １ <X<x+d １ , y-d １ < Y < y + d １ If the range is within the range of (x, y), it is determined that the irradiation point P is within the range of the planned measurement point 83A. In addition, in the case of the circular range of the planned measurement point 83B shown in FIG. 3B, the coordinates of the next planned measurement point 82 are (x, y), and the threshold value is d ２ In this case, when the coordinate value of the irradiation point P is (X, Y), (x-X) ２ +(y-Y) ２ <d ２ ２If the above condition is satisfied, it is determined that the irradiation point P falls within the range of the planned measurement point 83B.

[0068] Then, in step S17, if the irradiation point P is within the planned measurement point range 83 (Yes), in step S18, the control calculation unit 60 stores the calculated measurement value of the irradiation point P in the memory unit 54 as the measurement value of the mesh.

[0069] Also, in step S17, if the irradiation point P is not within the planned measurement point range 83 (No), the processing returns to step S16, and the operator OP moves the measurement module 50 so that the irradiation point P approaches the planned measurement point 82.

[0070] Once the measurement is performed and the measurement values ​​are recorded in step S18, the process proceeds to step S19, where the control and calculation unit 60 updates the display of the measurement screen 90, which shows the measurement status. Figure 6(B) shows an example of the measurement screen 90 updated after the first measurement point is measured. Specifically, the progress of the measurement for each mesh may be displayed in a distinguishable manner in real time by displaying the measured area 96 and the unmeasured area 97 in different colors. More specifically, the unmeasured area 97 may be displayed in white, and the measured area 96 may be displayed in a color scale based on the height value (Z coordinate value), allowing the three-dimensional shape of the measurement area to be grasped.

[0071] Next, in step S20, the control and calculation unit 60 determines whether there are any more scheduled measurement points to be measured, and repeats steps S16 to S20 until there are no more scheduled measurement points. When all scheduled measurement points have been measured, the process ends. Figure 6C shows an example of the measurement screen 90 after measurement has progressed partway. In Figure 6C, the measured area 96 is displayed using a color scale that indicates the height value at the bottom. The control and calculation unit 60 may also store the updated measurement screen 90 in the memory unit 54 each time the display is updated. In this embodiment, it is possible to acquire three-dimensional data that indicates the three-dimensional shape of such a measurement surface 84.

[0072] 5. Technical Effects As described above, in this embodiment, the measurement module 50 is equipped with the prism 51, the electronic distance meter 52, and the inertial measurement unit 53, and the position coordinates of the prism 51 can be acquired. Therefore, even if the operator moves the measurement module 50 in any position, the coordinates of the distance measurement light irradiation point can be acquired. This makes it possible to measure three-dimensional data without using a prism-equipped pole. Furthermore, in the system 1, the measurement module's own position is measured by the surveying instrument 10, and a GNSS receiver is not used, so measurements can be made indoors with the same accuracy as outdoors. Furthermore, there is no need to worry about the number of satellites or the geometric arrangement of the satellites.

[0073] Furthermore, data on the measurement area 70 (measurement area data 72) is read into the measurement module 50 in advance to set a measurement range 80, which is then divided into a mesh, and planned measurement points 82 are set in each mesh. Furthermore, a planned measurement point range 83 is set around the planned measurement points 82. The operator OP then moves the measurement module 50 he holds in his hand and scans the measurement range with the distance measurement light L3, and measurement is automatically performed when the irradiation point of the distance measurement light enters the planned measurement point range 83. This eliminates the need to stop at each measurement point and hold the pole still while taking measurements, reducing the workload and shortening the work time.

[0074] In observing the current state surface, it is preferable to divide the measurement range 80 into a mesh and set measurement points 82 in each mesh 81, but this is not essential, and it is also possible to simply set measurement points 82 as needed in the measurement range 80. In this case, the same technical effect can be achieved.

[0075] Furthermore, when the measurement module 50 measures the measurement range 80 partitioned like a mesh, the display unit 57 is configured to display a measurement screen 90 showing the measurement module's own position and the irradiation point P of the distance measurement light L3 within the measurement range 80. The measurement screen 90 is configured to distinguishably display a measured area 96 from an unmeasured area 97, so the operator OP can smoothly proceed with the measurement while checking the progress of the measurement on the measurement screen 90 in real time.

[0076] Furthermore, since the measuring light L3 in the measuring module 50 is visible light, the worker OP can move the measuring module 50 while checking the irradiation point P of the measuring light L3 on-site, thereby improving workability.

[0077] Furthermore, since the measured area 96 and the unmeasured area 97 are displayed in a distinguishable manner and the display is updated in real time for each measurement, unmeasured areas can be easily recognized, enabling complete measurement. Furthermore, if the measured area 96 is displayed on a color scale according to height values, the three-dimensional shape of the measurement range can be visually recognized in real time.

[0078] In the above description, the data of the measurement area 70 (measurement area data 72) ( FIG. 3A ) is map data, and the measurement range is the ground. However, as mentioned above, the measurement area data 72 may be 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) data, and the measurement range is not limited to the ground, but may be something other than the ground, such as a wall surface, the surface of a structure, or a ceiling. The measurement module 50 is configured to be portable, so it can measure various measurement ranges. Therefore, the system 1 can be used to measure three-dimensional data of various measurement objects depending on the purpose.

[0079] 6. Modifications Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described. Prior to a detailed description of the modification, the emission angle of the distance measurement light from the measurement module 50, the incident angle of the distance measurement light L3 on the measurement surface 84, and the beam spot (hereinafter simply referred to as the beam) B of the distance measurement light L3 will be described. ５０ The relationship with the shape of

[0080] 7A to 7C show the angle of incidence of the distance measurement light L3 emitted from the measurement module 50 onto a plane of the measurement range (hereinafter referred to as a measurement plane 84), and the beam B of the distance measurement light L3. ５０ 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the shape of the

[0081] In the following description, the angle of the distance measurement light L3 relative to the vertical downward direction will be referred to as the emission angle. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the distance measurement light L3 is emitted at an emission angle of 0° and the measurement surface 84 is a horizontal plane, the distance measurement light L3 is incident at an incident angle of 0°. At this time, the beam B of the distance measurement light L3５０ 7B, when the distance measurement light L3 is emitted at an emission angle α greater than 0° and the measurement surface 84 is a horizontal plane, the incident angle on the measurement surface 84 is β, which is equal to the emission angle α. In this case, the larger the emission angle α, the larger the incident angle β. The larger the incident angle β, the larger the beam B ５０ The shape becomes a flatter ellipse.

[0082] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the measurement surface 84 is not a horizontal plane, but the plane perpendicular to the measurement surface 84 is inclined so as to move away from the measurement module, even if the emission angle α of the distance measurement light L3 is the same as in FIG. 7B, the incident angle γ to the measurement surface 84 becomes larger than in FIG. 7B where the measurement surface 84 is horizontal, and the beam B of the distance measurement light L3 ５０ The shape becomes even more flattened.

[0083] Here, the flatter the beam shape, the greater the variation in the received light signal compared to a circular beam, resulting in a larger error in the distance measurement value of the electronic distance meter 52. Specifically, the flatter the beam shape, the wider the irradiation range on the measurement object, even for the same distance, resulting in a signal containing a mixture of signals representing different distances, increasing the error. Alternatively, if the measurement object is not an isotropic scatterer, an increase in the incident angle reduces the amount of received light, lowering the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal and increasing the error in the distance measurement value. In other words, the measurement accuracy of the electronic distance meter 52 varies depending on the incident angle on the measurement surface 84. Furthermore, the incident angle on the measurement surface 84 is determined based on the emission angle of the distance measurement light L3, which can be determined from the attitude information of the measurement module 50, and the three-dimensional shape of the measurement surface 84, such as its inclination and unevenness.

[0084] For this reason, in the system of variant example 1, when measuring the next planned measurement point, if the angle of incidence of the distance measurement light L3 during three-dimensional data measurement is such that the distance measurement value does not meet the required accuracy, the system is configured to not perform the measurement, but to guide the operator OP to change the position and attitude of the measurement module 50 so that the measurement satisfies the required accuracy.

[0085] The following describes a three-dimensional measurement method according to Modification 1. The mechanical configuration of the system according to this modification is the same as that of the system 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the measurement module 50 in three-dimensional data measurement according to Modification 1.

[0086] When measurement is started, in steps S21 to S27, the position coordinates of the prism 51, the attitude information of the measurement module 50, and the distance between the center of the prism 51 and the instrument center O are acquired in the same manner as in steps S11 to S17. ５０ The positional relationship between the distance measuring light L3 and the target object is acquired synchronously, and while calculating the coordinates of the target object's own position and the target object's irradiation point P of the distance measuring light L3, it is determined whether the target object's irradiation point P is within the range of the next target measurement point.

[0087] If the irradiation point P is within the range of the planned measurement point in step S27 (Yes), the process proceeds to step S28, where the control calculation unit 60 determines whether the current angle of incidence of the distance measurement light L3 on the measurement surface 84 is within a range that satisfies the required accuracy.

[0088] Specifically, for example, if the measurement surface 84 is the ground and the measurement area data 72 is map data that does not include three-dimensional shape information of the measurement surface 84, the control and calculation unit 60 assumes that the measurement surface 84 is a horizontal plane, calculates the emission angle of the ranging light L3 based on the attitude information of the measurement module 50, and calculates the incident angle of the ranging light L3 onto the measurement surface 84.

[0089] Alternatively, for example, if the measurement area data 72 is CAD data including three-dimensional shape information of the measurement surface 84, the angle of incidence of the ranging light L3 on the measurement surface 84 is calculated based on the three-dimensional shape of the measurement surface 84 and the emission angle of the ranging light L3 calculated from the posture information of the measurement module 50.

[0090] In this way, it is determined whether the calculated incident angle is within an allowable range that satisfies the required accuracy.

[0091] If it is determined in step S28 that the position is within the allowable range (Yes), the control and calculation unit 60 stores the calculated position of the irradiation point P in the storage unit 54 as the measurement value of the mesh in step S28.

[0092] If the incident angle deviates from the allowable range in step S28 (No), the process proceeds to step S32, where the control and calculation unit 60 displays a warning on the display unit 57 indicating that the incident angle is deviating from the allowable range, or provides guidance to change the irradiation direction of the distance measurement light L3 so that the incident angle remains within the allowable range. The warning and guidance may be provided by a display, or the measurement module 50 may be configured to further include a speaker and may provide a voice or warning sound. Steps S26 to S28 are then repeated until the incident angle falls within the allowable range in step S28.

[0093] Once the measurement value is recorded in step S29, the process proceeds to step S30, and similarly to step S19, the control and calculation unit 60 updates the display on the measurement screen 90. Then, similarly to step S20, in step S31, steps S26 to S31 are repeated until there are no more planned measurement points 82.

[0094] In this way, in the system 1 according to the first modified example, the angle of incidence of the distance measurement light L3 on the measurement surface 84 is calculated based on the posture information of the measurement module 50, and measurement is performed within an allowable range in which the angle of incidence satisfies the required accuracy of the distance measurement value, thereby making it possible to measure three-dimensional data with assured measurement accuracy.

[0095] 8. Modification 2 FIG. 9A shows an example of measurement range data 85A according to Modification 2. In addition to the measurement range data 85, the measurement range data 85A also includes a measurement order (measurement path) 89 for each mesh 81. When the measurement path 89 is set in the measurement range data 85A in this manner, as shown in FIG. 9B, a guidance message 94 may be displayed to guide the operator OP to sequentially move the measurement module 50 in the direction of the next planned measurement point 82 set on the measurement path 89 when the operator OP scans the distance measurement light L3 in steps S16 and S26. Setting an efficient path as the measurement path 89 allows the operator to perform efficient measurements simply by scanning the distance measurement light L3 along that path, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0096] 9. Other Modifications The system 1 according to this embodiment may be further modified as follows: When setting the measurement range 80, if the measurement region data 72 is CAD design data, the measurement range 80 may be set by selecting a specific area on the design data, such as the surface of one face of a building wall.

[0097] II. Second Embodiment Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional data measurement system 1A according to a second embodiment. Fig. 11 is a configuration block diagram of the system 1A. The system 1A comprises a surveying instrument 10, a measurement module main body 50A, a measurement module controller 50B, and a mobile body 30. The measurement module main body 50A is fixed to the upper part of the mobile body 30.

[0098] The surveying instrument 10 has the same mechanical configuration as the surveying instrument 10 of the system 1. The measurement module main body 50A includes a prism 51, an electronic distance meter 52, an inertial measurement unit 53, and a clock 59, which are equivalent to those of the measurement module 50. In addition, instead of the control and calculation unit 60 and the communication unit 58, the measurement module main body 50A includes a control and calculation unit 60A and a communication unit 58A. The control and calculation unit 60A measures the distance with the electronic distance meter 52 and detects the attitude information of the inertial measurement unit 53 in accordance with instructions from the control and calculation unit 41 of the measurement module controller 50B, and transmits the distance to the irradiation point P and the attitude information of the measurement module main body 50A to the measurement module controller 50B via the communication unit 58A.

[0099] The measurement module controller 50B is a portable terminal computer such as a smartphone or PDA. The measurement module controller 50B includes a control and calculation unit 41, a communication unit 44, a storage unit 45, an operation unit 46, and a display unit 47. The control and calculation unit 41 includes a processor 42 and a memory 43 equivalent to those of the measurement module 50. In the illustrated example, the operation unit 46 and the display unit 47 are configured as touch panel displays. The control and calculation unit 41 receives the distance value measured by the optical distance meter 52 and the attitude information of the measurement module main body 50A detected by the inertial measurement unit 53 via the communication unit 58A of the measurement module main body 50A.

[0100] Similarly to the control and calculation unit 60, the control and calculation unit 41 also enables remote control of the surveying instrument 10, and transmits measurement and automatic tracking instructions to the surveying instrument 10 via the communication unit 44. The control and calculation unit 41 acquires, at a timing synchronized with the surveying instrument 10, the distance to the irradiation point measured by the light-wave distance meter 52 and the attitude information of the measurement module 50 detected by the inertial measurement unit 53. The control and calculation unit 41 receives from the surveying instrument 10 the position coordinates of the prism 51, the attitude information of the measurement module 50, and the prism 51 and the known instrument center O of the measurement module 50. ５０ The control and calculation unit 41 calculates the coordinates of the measurement module 50's own position based on the positional relationship with the target object 30. The control and calculation unit 41 also calculates the position coordinates of the irradiation point P of the distance measurement light based on the calculated coordinates of the measurement module's own position, the attitude information of the measurement module 50, and the distance measurement value of the electronic distance meter 52. The control and calculation unit 41 also determines whether the irradiation point P is within the planned measurement point range 83, and when it determines that the irradiation point P is within the planned measurement point range 83, it executes measurement and records the measurement value as the measurement result. The control and calculation unit 41 also sets the measurement range 80 and measures three-dimensional data, similar to the control and calculation unit 60. The control and calculation unit 41 is configured to be able to remotely control the movement of the mobile object 30.

[0101] In the illustrated example, the moving body 30 is a dog-type robot. The moving body 30 includes a control calculation unit 31, a leg motor drive unit 34, a state sensor 35, and a communication unit 36.

[0102] The control and calculation unit 31 of the mobile body 30 is a control and calculation unit including at least one processor 32, such as a CPU, and at least one memory 33, such as an SRAM or DRAM. The processor 32 may be partially configured as hardware. The control and calculation unit 31 controls the leg motor drive units 34 to change the attitude of the mobile body and move its position. The control and calculation unit 31 controls the attitude and movement of the mobile body 30 in accordance with remote control from the control and calculation unit 41 of the measurement module controller 50B. This allows the mobile body 30 to be remotely controlled from the measurement module controller 50B.

[0103] Four legs 37 are provided at the bottom of the moving body 30. A joint motor is provided at each joint of the leg 37. A leg motor drive unit 34 drives the leg motors while detecting the motor rotation speed, speed, load on the joints, etc. using a status sensor 35, thereby enabling the moving body 30 to walk on four legs. This also makes it possible to change the attitude of the measurement module main body 50A mounted on the moving body 30. As a result, the emission angle of the distance measurement light L3 can be adjusted.

[0104] As a result, the operator can remotely control the moving body via the measurement module controller 50B, thereby enabling the measurement module main body 50A to perform three-dimensional measurement equivalent to that of the measurement module 50.

[0105] With this configuration, the measurement module main body 50A and the measurement module controller 50B can cooperate with the surveying instrument 10 to achieve the same effects as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, by providing the measurement module main body 50A on a mobile body, it is possible to perform three-dimensional data measurement even in dangerous places where workers cannot enter.

[0106] The moving body 30 is not limited to the dog-type robot in the above example, but may also be, for example, a car or a drone.

[0107] 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.

[0108] 1, 1A: 3D data measurement system 8: Measurement range 10: Surveying instrument 30: Mobile body 31: Control and calculation unit 36: Communication unit 41: Control and calculation unit 44: Communication unit 47: Display unit 50: Measurement module 51: Prism 52: Lightwave distance meter 53: Inertial measurement unit 57: Display unit 58: Communication unit 58A: Communication unit 60, 60A: Control and calculation unit 70: Measurement area 80: Measurement range 80a: Measurement surface 82: Planned measurement point 83, 83A, 83B: Planned measurement point range 84: Measurement surface 90: Measurement screen 94: Guidance display 95: Guidance display 82 １ : Planned measurement point

Claims

1. A measurement module comprising: a prism that retroreflects incident light; an electronic distance meter that transmits distance measuring light into a measurement range and detects the distance to an irradiation point by receiving the reflected distance measuring light reflected from the irradiation point of the distance measuring light; an inertial measurement device that measures three-dimensional acceleration and angular velocity and detects attitude information; a communication unit that acquires the position coordinates of the prism; and at least one processor, wherein the processor is configured to calculate the position coordinates of its own position based on the position coordinates of the prism and the attitude information, and to calculate the position coordinates of the irradiation point based on the position coordinates of its own position, the distance to the irradiation point, and the attitude information, wherein the processor determines that the irradiation point has entered a planned measurement point range that is set at a predetermined threshold value around a planned measurement point set in the measurement range in the measurement area data, and then performs measurement.

2. The measurement module according to claim 1, characterized in that the measurement range is divided into a mesh pattern, and the planned measurement points are set in each mesh.

3. The measurement module according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit for displaying a measurement screen showing the measurement status of the measurement range, the display unit displaying the progress of the measurement for each mesh in real time in a identifiable manner.

4. The measurement module according to claim 3, characterized in that the measurement screen displays the measured mesh in a color scale in which different colors are used according to height based on the measurement results of the mesh.

5. The measurement module according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor calculates the angle of incidence of the distance measuring light on the measurement surface based on the attitude information, determines that the angle of incidence is within a range that satisfies the required accuracy, and performs measurement.

6. The measurement module described in claim 1, characterized in that the processor calculates the angle of incidence of the distance measuring light on the measurement surface based on the attitude information, determines that the angle of incidence is not within a range that satisfies the required accuracy, and notifies an operator of this fact.

7. The measurement module according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: a measurement module main body consisting of at least the prism, the electronic range finder, the inertial measurement device, and at least one processor; and a measurement module controller having at least one processor and a display unit and capable of communicating with the measurement module main body, wherein the measurement module main body is attached to a moving body, and the moving body can be remotely controlled by the processor of the measurement module controller.

8. A three-dimensional data measurement system comprising: a measurement module according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and a surveying instrument having an automatic tracking function for automatically tracking the prism, sending distance measuring light to the prism, receiving reflected distance measuring light, measuring the distance and angle of the prism, and calculating the position coordinates of the prism; and comprising a communication unit, and outputting the position coordinates of the prism to the measurement module via the communication unit.

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