Surveying Instrument Camera Eccentricity Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In surveying instruments with eccentric camera and instrument centers, the camera image center does not align with the measurement point, requiring manual compensation for target distance, which is inconvenient and prone to error.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that automatically compensates for the offset between the tracking camera and the distance measuring device by using angle encoders and a drive system to rotate the surveying instrument components, ensuring accurate alignment without user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual compensation for camera eccentricity is implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs the eccentricity compensation calculation and adjustment without requiring user intervention. The computer system computes the offset between camera center and instrument center, then automatically adjusts the virtual indicator position based on target distance, eliminating the need for manual compensation while maintaining measurement precision.
2Productivity
If automatic tracking is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures images of the target, computes the offset between the virtual indicator and target center, and automatically adjusts the measuring head orientation based on this feedback. This closed-loop control enables automatic tracking that improves productivity while managing complexity through algorithmic rather than mechanical solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical tracking mechanisms with computational methods. The computer system calculates the required orientation adjustments based on image analysis and communicates these to the drive system, substituting mechanical complexity with software-based control that achieves the same tracking function more efficiently.
3Measurement precision
If virtual indicator alignment is adjusted for target distance, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-computes the offset between camera center and instrument center during setup. This preliminary calibration allows the system to automatically apply the correct virtual indicator position for any target distance without requiring the user to perform manual alignment adjustments, thereby maintaining precision while improving operational convenience.
Data Source
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AI summary
Computer-implemented method for operating a surveying instrument to track a target in a worksite, in which the surveying instrument and the target are deployed, comprising the steps: Instructing the tracking light source to emit tracking light, instructing the tracking camera to capture a first image, which shows the target to be tracked, instructing the drive system to rotate the measuring head to an orientation, in which, in the first image, a virtual indicator is aligned to the target, in that orientation, instructing the first angle encoder to measure first angle data in the first plane and/or the second angle encoder to measure second angle data in the second plane, computing a first angle gap in the first plane and/or a second angle gap in the second plane based on a distance value of the surveying instrument to the target and on the first offset, and instructing the drive system to rotate the support about the first angle gap and/or the measuring head about the second angle gap.