Surveying Device Target Tracking with Uncertainty-Adaptive Re-Locking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surveying technologies face challenges in maintaining target lock during rapid or jerky movements and environmental obstructions, leading to inefficiencies in re-establishing target tracking.
Innovation Solution
A surveying system with adaptive target search functionality that utilizes a control and evaluation unit to determine target position uncertainty, adjusting light emitting and receiving units based on positional uncertainty, and employing sensor fusion for continuous target tracking and search.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional target tracking is used, then target lock can be maintained under stable conditions, but the system fails to re-establish tracking quickly after loss due to rigid search procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adaptation of the target search strategy based on real-time assessment of target position uncertainty. The control unit adjusts search parameters such as field of view width and search intensity according to the current uncertainty level, transitioning from rigid fixed procedures to flexible dynamic response. This enables faster re-locking when uncertainty is low while maintaining thorough search when uncertainty is high.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors target position uncertainty through sensor data fusion and provides feedback to the control unit, which then adjusts the search strategy accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from previous tracking states and adapt future search actions, reducing time to re-establish tracking by avoiding unnecessary search actions when uncertainty is low.
2Device complexity
If fixed search strategy is used, then search procedure is simple, but search efficiency decreases when target position uncertainty varies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the fixed search procedure into a dynamic one that automatically adapts to varying target position uncertainty conditions. The control unit adjusts search parameters including field of view width and search intensity based on real-time uncertainty assessment, enabling the system to optimize search efficiency for each specific condition without requiring complex manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes search parameters such as field of view width and search intensity based on the assessed target position uncertainty. When uncertainty is low, the system uses narrower field of view and lower search intensity; when uncertainty is high, it expands the field of view and increases search intensity. This parameter adaptation significantly improves search efficiency across varying conditions.
3Ease of operation
If wide field of view is used during target search, then target can be found more easily, but measurement precision decreases due to reduced resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the target search process into different phases based on uncertainty level. During the initial acquisition phase with high uncertainty, the system uses a wide field of view to easily locate the target. Once the target is acquired and uncertainty decreases, the system transitions to a precision phase with narrower field of view to establish accurate measurement. This segmentation allows the system to optimize for ease of operation during acquisition and for measurement precision during tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the field of view width based on real-time target position uncertainty assessment. When uncertainty is high during target acquisition, a wide field of view is used to maximize target detection ease. As uncertainty decreases and the target is locked onto, the field of view is narrowed to improve measurement precision. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing both wide field of view for ease of operation and narrow field of view for precision at different times.
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
Enables rapid and robust re-locking onto a lost target by dynamically adapting the search strategy to target position uncertainty, improving efficiency and reducing time loss during obstructions.
Implementation Method 1
the light originates from the target by being back-reflected
Implementation Method 2
photosensitive means (a light detector) for detecting light originating from the target
Data Source
AI summary
A surveying system and methods with a surveying device, e.g., a total station, and a target, whereby the target can be tracked and surveyed by the surveying device. The target comprises at least one sensor for sensing a target motion and/or position. An uncertainty of a target position derived from the sensor data is determined and used for adaption of a target surveying and/or searching.