Total Station Optical Aiming Point Misalignment Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanical total stations require manual operation and additional personnel to align the optical aiming point with a target, leading to increased complexity, cost, and potential measurement errors due to the lack of rotary actuators and object tracking circuitry.
Innovation Solution
A total station system that automatically compensates for misaligned optical aiming points by using an EDM unit and a pixelated image sensor to measure slope distances and compute offset angles, allowing for precise alignment of the aiming point with the target's center without the need for rotary actuators or tracking circuitry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual operation is used to align the optical aiming point with the target, then the total station can be operated without rotary actuators and tracking circuitry, but additional personnel are required and measurement errors increase due to alignment difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical alignment operations with an automated optical system. The pixelated image sensor detects the target's position, and the processor automatically calculates and applies offset angles to compensate for misalignment between the optical aiming point and target center. This substitution eliminates the need for manual alignment while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The total station performs self-alignment through automated detection and compensation. The system uses its own image sensor to detect target position, calculates the offset automatically, and adjusts measurements accordingly without requiring external assistance or manual intervention for alignment.
2Device complexity
If manual operation is used, then rotary actuators and tracking circuitry are eliminated, but user skill requirements increase and operation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Manual alignment operations are replaced with an automated optical detection and computational compensation system. The pixelated image sensor and processor work together to automatically detect target position and calculate offset angles, eliminating the need for skilled manual alignment while maintaining simplicity of the mechanical system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational system that bridges the gap between simple manual operation and precise automated alignment. The processor acts as an intermediary by taking raw sensor data and automatically computing the necessary offset corrections, making the system easy to operate while maintaining high precision.
3Productivity
If the optical aiming point is misaligned from the target center, then manual realignment is required, but this increases measurement errors and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring target position through the pixelated image sensor and automatically compensating for misalignment. The offset angle calculation provides real-time feedback that corrects for aiming point misalignment, eliminating measurement errors and maintaining both precision and efficiency without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual realignment operations are replaced with automated optical detection and computational compensation. When misalignment occurs, the system automatically detects it through the image sensor and applies offset corrections through the processor, eliminating measurement errors and maintaining efficiency without requiring manual realignment.
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 solution reduces user skill requirements, decreases measurement errors, and eliminates the need for manual focusing, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of measurements while maintaining the advantages of robotic total stations without their drawbacks.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a slope distance between the total station and the target using the EDM unit
Implementation Method 2
capturing, using a pixelated image sensor of the total station, a matrix of light values; and determining a position of the center point of the target based on the matrix of light values
Data Source
AI summary
A total station includes a telescope, an EDM unit, and an onboard computer. The telescope is manually adjusted by a user to cause a target to be set at last partially within an FOV of the EDM unit. After the manual adjustment, an optical aiming point associated with the telescope is misaligned from a center point of the target by an offset angle. A user input indicating that the manual adjustment has been performed is received via a user interface. In response to the user input, a slope distance is measured using the EDM unit and an angle associated with the optical aiming point is measured. The offset angle is computed based on the slope distance, and an angle associated with the center point of the target is computed based on the angle associated with the optical aiming point and the offset angle.