Wide-Angle Surveying Camera Layout for Lower Parallax Coloring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surveying instruments face challenges in utilizing a large portion of camera images for coloring measurement points due to significant parallax between the optical axes of the electronic distance meter and camera, leading to increased processing time and burden.
Innovation Solution
The surveying instrument incorporates a wide angle camera with an imaging optical axis tilted away from the distance measuring light optical axis, utilizing a deflection optical member to align the machine center on the extension line, reducing parallax and enabling efficient image utilization for point cloud coloring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a conventional camera is used with a large parallax between the optical axis of the electronic distance meter and the optical axis of the camera, then the camera can capture images, but only approximately half of the acquired image can be used for coloring the measurement point, requiring a large quantity of images and increasing processing time and burden
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by intentionally tilting the imaging optical axis of the camera relative to the optical axis of the electronic distance meter. This asymmetric configuration allows the camera to capture images with a usable range that extends beyond the traditional half-image limitation, thereby reducing the total number of images needed and decreasing processing time while maintaining accurate measurement point coloring.
2Area of stationary object
If the imaging optical axis is tilted away from the distance measuring light optical axis, then the usable image range for coloring measurement points is enlarged, but the parallax between the two optical axes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a deflection optical member as an intermediary element between the distance measuring light optical axis and the imaging optical axis. This deflection optical member carefully manages the parallax by deflecting the imaging optical axis in a controlled manner, enabling the camera to capture a larger usable image range for coloring measurement points while maintaining acceptable measurement precision through the mediating effect of the deflection optical member.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration reduces the number of images required for coloring point clouds, minimizing processing time and burden by enhancing the usable image range for measurement points.
Implementation Method 1
a light emitter for projecting a distance measuring light to an object, a photodetector for receiving a reflected distance measuring light from the object
Implementation Method 2
a deflection optical member for deflecting an optical axis of an incident background light in a direction separated from the optical axis of the distance measuring light
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A surveying instrument has a surveying instrument main body (3) accommodating a distance measuring light projecting module (23) having a light emitter (28) for projecting a distance measuring light (35) to an object, a distance measuring light receiving module (24) having a photodetector (39) for receiving a reflected distance measuring light (45) from the object, a wide angle camera (21) for acquiring an image with a predetermined angle of view, and an arithmetic control module for controlling the distance measuring light projecting module and the wide angle camera and for calculating a distance to the object based on a light receiving result of the reflected distance measuring light with respect to the photodetector, wherein the wide angle camera has an imaging optical axis (53) tilted in a direction separated from an optical axis (27) of the distance measuring light and a deflection optical member for deflecting an optical axis of an incident background light (61) in a direction separated from the optical axis of the distance measuring light, and the imaging optical axis is configured such that a machine center (30) of the surveying instrument main body is located on a substantial extension line.