JP7499038B2 - Tripods and surveying equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tripod and surveying equipment that can be easily installed.

In recent years, surveying equipment has become smaller and lighter. There is also a demand for measurement methods that allow measurements to be taken in a short amount of time while moving between many measurement points.

However, when installing surveying equipment on a reference point, it is usually installed using a tripod, and the equipment must be leveled on the tripod. In addition, the equipment must be positioned using a plumb ball or a centripetal telescope so that its mechanical center is located on a vertical line that passes through the reference point. Furthermore, the height from the reference point to the mechanical center (the instrument height of the surveying equipment) must also be measured. For this reason, the installation work of surveying equipment is complicated and requires time and skill.

In addition, tripods are made of wood or aluminum, are heavy, and have a sturdy structure, making them difficult to move. Furthermore, if the surveying equipment is equipped with a large-capacity battery or a high-performance computing system, the weight increases, making it even more difficult to move the equipment.

JP 2019-90770 A JP 2016-161411 A JP 2016-151422 A JP 2017-106813 A JP 2019-15601 A JP 2016-151423 A

The present invention provides a tripod and surveying equipment that allows the surveying equipment to be easily transported.

The present invention relates to a tripod that includes a main leg, a connector attached to the main leg, two auxiliary legs attached to the connector and rotatable around their upper ends in directions toward and away from the main leg, and two wheels attached to the lower part of the main leg with the main leg sandwiched between them, and that is configured so that only the wheels can touch the ground by tilting the main leg and the auxiliary leg toward the main leg when the main leg and the auxiliary leg are closed.

The present invention also relates to a tripod in which the axle of the wheel is eccentric with respect to the axis of the main leg in a direction away from the auxiliary leg.

The present invention also relates to a tripod configured so that the axis of the wheel axle is perpendicular to the axis of the main landing gear.

The present invention also relates to a tripod configured so that when the auxiliary legs are opened to a predetermined angle, only the lower ends of the main legs and the auxiliary legs come into contact with the installation surface, and a gap is formed between the installation surface and the wheels.

The present invention also relates to a tripod configured so that the lower ends of the main legs are positioned lower than the lower ends of the auxiliary legs and the lower ends of the wheels.

The present invention also relates to a tripod in which the wheels are parallel and the distance between the wheels is approximately equal to the distance between the auxiliary legs when the auxiliary legs are closed.

The present invention also relates to a tripod in which a main guide member is provided at the midpoint of the main leg, and a sub-guide member is provided at the midpoint of the auxiliary leg, and the main guide member and the sub-guide member are connected by a regulating member.

The present invention also relates to a tripod further comprising an auxiliary leg fixing member provided at the midpoint of the main leg, the auxiliary leg fixing member having a storage section capable of holding the auxiliary leg, and configured so that the auxiliary leg is held in the storage section when the auxiliary leg is closed.

The present invention also relates to a surveying instrument comprising the above-mentioned tripod, a fixture attached to the upper end of the tripod, and a surveying instrument body attached to the fixture at a known distance from the lower end of the main leg and at a known angle relative to the axis of the main leg, the surveying instrument body having a reference optical axis, the surveying instrument body comprising a distance measuring unit that emits distance measuring light to measure the distance to the measurement object, an emission direction detection unit that detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, an attitude detector that detects the inclination of the surveying instrument body relative to the horizontal, and a calculation control unit that calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of a specified measurement point relative to a reference point based on the distance measuring result of the distance measuring unit, the measurement result of the emission direction detection unit, and the detection result of the attitude detector.

According to the present invention, a vehicle is provided with a main leg, a connector attached to the main leg, two auxiliary legs attached to the connector and rotatable around their upper ends in directions toward and away from the main leg, and two wheels attached to the lower part of the main leg, sandwiching the main leg. When the main leg and the auxiliary leg are closed, the main leg and the auxiliary leg are tilted toward the main leg, allowing only the wheels to touch the ground. This allows only the wheels to come into contact with the installation surface without tilting the main leg significantly, making it easy to transport.

According to the present invention, the device comprises the tripod described above, a fixture attached to the upper end of the tripod, and a surveying device body that is attached to the fixture at a known distance from the lower end of the main leg and at a known angle relative to the axis of the main leg and has a reference optical axis. The surveying device body comprises a distance measuring unit that emits distance measuring light to measure the distance to the measurement object, an emission direction detection unit that detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, and an attitude detector that detects the inclination of the surveying device body relative to the horizontal. The device also has a calculation control unit that calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of a specified measurement point based on a reference point based on the distance measurement result of the distance measuring unit, the measurement result of the emission direction detection unit, and the detection result of the attitude detector. Since only the wheels can be brought into contact with the installation surface without significantly tilting the tripod, the device body can be easily transported.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a surveying instrument according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a front view showing the tripod in a closed state, and FIG. 1B is a view seen from the X arrow direction in FIG. (A) is a side view showing the tripod closed and the main landing gear vertical, (B) is a side view showing the main landing gear tilted from the position (A) until the wheels come into contact with the installation surface, and (C) is a side view showing the main landing gear tilted from the position (B) until the lower end of the main landing gear moves away from the installation surface. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the tripod in an open position. FIG. 1A is a side view showing the tripod in a closed position with the main legs positioned vertically; FIG. 1B is a side view showing the tripod in a position with the auxiliary legs opened from the position of FIG. 1A; and FIG. 1C is a side view showing the tripod in a position with the lower ends of the main legs and the auxiliary legs each in contact with the installation surface from the position of FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a surveying instrument main body according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 13A to 13D are explanatory diagrams illustrating transportation of the surveying instrument by an operator. 10A is a side view of a tripod according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) shows the tripod when closed and the main landing gear is vertical, (B) shows the main landing gear tilted from the state in (A) until the wheels come into contact with the installation surface, and (C) shows the main landing gear tilted from the state in (B) until the bottom end of the main landing gear moves away from the installation surface.

The first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 show a surveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The surveying device 1 has a tripod 2, a fixture 3 provided at the upper end of the tripod 2, and a surveying device main body 4 fixedly attached to the tripod 2 via the fixture 3.

The tripod 2 has a main leg 5 and two auxiliary legs 7 connected to the main leg 5 via a connector 6. A ferrule 8 is provided at the lower end of the main leg 5, and the fixing device 3 is provided at the upper end of the main leg 5. Furthermore, the main leg 5 is provided with a main guide member 9 that slides along the main leg 5. The shapes of the main leg 5, the auxiliary leg 7, and the main guide member 9 can be selected as appropriate, but in this embodiment, a cylindrical shape is used.

The ferrule 8 has a tapered shape and its lower end is pointed. The lower end of the ferrule 8 coincides with the axis of the main leg 5, and the positional relationship (horizontal and vertical distances) between the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the upper end of the main leg 5 is known. In addition, the positional relationship between the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the fixture 3 is known, and the positional relationship between the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the mechanical center (the point serving as the reference point for measurement) of the surveying device main body 4, which is fixedly attached to the fixture 3, is also known. In other words, the surveying device main body 4 is set at a known angle with respect to the axis of the main leg 5.

The auxiliary legs 7 are connected to the connector 6 so as to be rotatable about their upper ends, and can rotate a predetermined angle in the direction toward or away from the main legs 5. Each auxiliary leg 7 is configured to radiate at a required angle. Furthermore, each auxiliary leg 7 has an auxiliary guide member 11 fixedly provided at a predetermined position. The shape of the auxiliary guide member 11 can be appropriately selected according to the usage state of the auxiliary legs 7, but in this embodiment, a cylindrical shape is used.

The main guide member 9 is connected to each sub-guide member 11 via a rod-shaped regulating member 12, and the regulating member 12 is rotatable relative to the main guide member 9 and the sub-guide member 11. When closing the auxiliary leg 7, the main guide member 9 slides upward along the main leg 5. When opening the auxiliary leg 7, the main guide member 9 slides downward along the main leg.

At this time, since the main guide member 9 and the sub-guide member 11 are connected via the regulating member 12, the rotation of the auxiliary leg 7 in the direction away from the main leg 5 beyond a predetermined angle is regulated by the regulating member 12. In other words, the regulating member 12 makes it easy to keep the tripod 2 at a constant opening angle. The regulating member 12 does not have to be rod-shaped. For example, the regulating member 12 may be chain-shaped or string-shaped. In this case, the main guide member 9 is fixedly provided to the main leg 5.

A wheel mounting member 13 is provided on the lower part of the main landing gear 5. The wheel mounting member 13 is, for example, on the bisector of the angle between the two auxiliary legs 7, and protrudes in the opposite direction to the direction in which the auxiliary legs 7 move apart. An axle 14 is provided at the tip of the wheel mounting member 13, and wheels 15 are rotatably attached to both ends of the axle 14. In other words, the wheel mounting member 13 protrudes in a direction in which the wheels 15 do not interfere with the auxiliary legs 7.

As described above, the wheels 15 are provided on either side of the main leg 5, and the axle 14 (center of rotation) is eccentric with respect to the axis of the main leg 5 in a direction away from the auxiliary leg 7. The two wheels 15 are also provided concentrically and parallel to each other. Furthermore, the distance between the two wheels 15 is, for example, approximately equal to the distance between the auxiliary legs 7 when the tripod 2 is closed, and is the minimum radius at which the tripod 2 can be moved stably.

The surveying device main body 4 has a distance measuring unit 17 (described later) as an optical distance meter, and a measurement direction imaging unit 18 (described later). The reference optical axis of the optical system of the distance measuring unit 17 is the reference optical axis O. The optical axis of the measurement direction imaging unit 18 (hereinafter, imaging optical axis 19) is inclined upward at a predetermined angle (e.g., 6°) with respect to the reference optical axis O, and the distance and positional relationship between the measurement direction imaging unit 18 and the distance measuring unit 17 are known. The distance measuring unit 17 and the measurement direction imaging unit 18 are stored inside the housing of the surveying device main body 4.

Next, the tripod 2 will be further explained with reference to Figures 2 to 5.

An auxiliary leg fixing member 21 is provided at the midpoint of the main leg 5. The auxiliary leg fixing member 21 has an arm 22 that extends at a required angle in the direction in which the auxiliary leg 7 moves away, and a semicircular storage section 23 is formed at the tip of the arm 22.

When the auxiliary leg 7 is closed, the auxiliary leg 7 is configured to be stored in the storage section 23. When the auxiliary leg 7 is stored in the storage section 23, the auxiliary leg 7 is configured to be held by the auxiliary leg fixing member 21 by a predetermined means such as a magnet. Alternatively, the storage section 23 may be made of a flexible material such as resin, and the auxiliary leg 7 may be configured to fit into the storage section 23 while bending it.

The lower end of the ferrule 8 is located lower than the lower end of the auxiliary leg 7 and the lower end of the wheel 15. That is, as shown in Fig. 2(A) and Fig. 3(A), when the main leg 5 is vertical, a gap of a predetermined distance A is formed between the installation surface and the lower end of the auxiliary leg 7, and between the installation surface and the lower end of the wheel 15. Note that in Fig. 2(A), the position of the lower end of the auxiliary leg 7 and the position of the lower end of the wheel 15 are the same, but the respective positions may be different.

Also, as shown in FIG. 3(B), when the main leg 5 is tilted at a predetermined angle C in the eccentric direction of the wheel 15 (main leg direction) with the auxiliary leg 7 closed, the ferrule 8 and the two wheels 15 come into contact with the installation surface. At this time, a gap of a predetermined size is formed between the lower end of the auxiliary leg 7 and the installation surface.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3(C), when the main leg is further tilted by a predetermined angle D in the eccentric direction of the wheel 15 from the state shown in FIG. 3(B), the main leg 5 and the auxiliary leg 7 rotate around the installation point of the wheel 15. As a result, the ferrule 8 moves away from the installation surface, and only the wheel 15 comes into contact with the installation surface. In this case, a gap of a predetermined size is also formed between the auxiliary leg 7 and the installation surface.

The angle between the axis of the main leg 5 and the vertical is made smaller than a predetermined angle C, and the wheel 15 is moved away from the installation surface. In addition, with the wheel 15 moved away from the installation surface (see FIG. 5(A)), the auxiliary leg 7 (see FIG. 5(B)) is tilted by a predetermined angle E on the opposite side of the eccentric direction of the wheel 15, and the main leg 5 is tilted by a predetermined angle F (see FIG. 5(C)). At this time, the lower end of the ferrule 8 and the lower ends of the two auxiliary legs 7 come into contact with the installation surface, and the tripod 2 stands on its own with three points of support. As shown in FIG. 4, when the tripod 2 stands on its own, a gap of a predetermined distance B is formed between the wheel 15 and the installation surface, and the wheel 15 is moved away from the installation surface.

The schematic configuration of the surveying device main body 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Note that the surveying device main body 4 may be, for example, that disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The surveying device main body 4 includes the distance measurement unit 17, the calculation control unit 24, the memory unit 25, the image processing unit 26, the communication unit 27, the optical axis deflection unit 28, the attitude detector 29, the measurement direction imaging unit 18, and the emission direction detection unit 31, all of which are housed and integrated in the housing 32.

The distance measuring unit 17 and the optical axis deflection unit 28 are disposed on the reference optical axis O. The distance measuring unit 17 has a distance measuring optical axis 33 that passes through the center of the optical axis deflection unit 28. The distance measuring unit 17 emits distance measuring light 34 as a laser beam on the distance measuring optical axis 33, receives reflected distance measuring light 35 incident from the distance measuring optical axis 33, and measures the measurement object based on the reflected distance measuring light 35. The distance measuring unit 17 functions as an optical distance meter. The distance measuring data obtained by the distance measuring unit 17 is stored in the memory unit 25.

The optical axis deflection unit 28 deflects the distance measurement optical axis 33 and collimates the distance measurement light 34 to the object to be measured. When the optical axis deflection unit 28 does not deflect the distance measurement optical axis 33, the distance measurement optical axis 33 and the reference optical axis O coincide with each other.

The laser beam may be continuous light, pulsed light, or the intermittently modulated distance measuring light (burst light) shown in Patent Document 2. Pulsed light and intermittently modulated light are collectively referred to as pulsed light.

The communication unit 27 is capable of transmitting image data acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18, image data processed by the image processing unit 26, distance measurement data acquired by the distance measurement unit 17, and angle measurement data acquired by the emission direction detection unit 31 to a terminal device (not shown) such as a smartphone or tablet.

The memory unit 25 stores various programs such as an imaging control program, an image processing program, a distance measurement program, a display program, a communication program, a tilt angle calculation program that calculates the tilt angle and tilt direction of the main landing gear 5 based on the attitude detection result from the attitude detector 29 and further calculates the vertical component of the tilt angle (the tilt angle of the main landing gear 5 in the front-to-rear direction relative to the object being measured) and the horizontal component of the tilt angle (the tilt angle of the main landing gear 5 in the left-to-right direction relative to the object being measured), a correction program that corrects the orientation of the captured image based on the calculated tilt, a measurement program for performing distance measurement, a deflection control program for controlling the deflection operation of the optical axis deflection unit 28, and a calculation program for performing various calculations. The memory unit 25 also stores various data such as distance measurement data, angle measurement data, and image data.

The arithmetic and control unit 24 deploys and executes the various programs according to the operating state of the surveying device main body 4 to control the distance measurement unit 17, the optical axis deflection unit 28, the measurement direction imaging unit 18, etc., and executes distance measurement. Note that a CPU specialized for this device or a general-purpose CPU is used as the arithmetic and control unit 24.

The storage unit 25 may be, for example, a HDD as a magnetic storage device, a built-in memory as a semiconductor storage device, a memory card, a USB memory, or other storage means. The storage unit 25 may be detachable from the housing 32. Alternatively, the storage unit 25 may be capable of sending data to an external storage device or an external data processing device via a desired communication means.

The optical axis deflection unit 28 will now be described. Note that the optical axis deflection unit 28 may be, for example, the ones disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 5.

The optical axis deflection unit 28 comprises a pair of optical prisms 36, 37. The optical prisms 36, 37 are each a disk shape of the same diameter, and are arranged concentrically on the distance measurement optical axis 33, perpendicular to the distance measurement optical axis 33, and parallel to the distance measurement optical axis 33 at a predetermined interval. By controlling the relative rotation of the optical prisms 36, 37 and the integral rotation of the optical prisms 36, 37, the distance measurement optical axis 33 can be deflected to any angle between 0° and the maximum deviation angle.

In addition, by continuously irradiating the distance measurement light 34 while continuously driving and deflecting the optical prisms 36 and 37, the distance measurement light 34 can be two-dimensionally scanned in a predetermined pattern.

The emission direction detection unit 31 detects the relative rotation angle of the optical prisms 36, 37 and the integral rotation angle of the optical prisms 36, 37, and detects the deflection direction (emission direction) of the distance measurement optical axis 33 in real time.

The emission direction detection result (angle measurement result) is associated with the distance measurement result and input to the calculation control unit 24, and is further stored in the memory unit 25. Note that when the distance measurement light 34 is emitted in bursts, distance measurement and angle measurement are performed for each intermittent distance measurement light.

The calculation control unit 24 calculates the horizontal angle and vertical angle of the measurement point relative to the reference optical axis O from the deviation angle and emission direction of the distance measurement light 34. Furthermore, the calculation control unit 24 can calculate three-dimensional data (three-dimensional coordinates) of the measurement point by relating the horizontal angle and vertical angle of the measurement point to the distance measurement data. Thus, the surveying device main body 4 functions as a total station. Furthermore, by using the surveying device 1 as a total station, it is possible to collimate and measure the distance of the measurement object without changing the position of the imaging optical axis 19, improving operability.

The attitude detector 29 detects the inclination angle of the surveying device main body 4 relative to the horizontal or vertical, and the detection result is input to the calculation control unit 24. Note that the attitude detector 29 can be the attitude detection device disclosed in Patent Document 6.

The calculation control unit 24 calculates the inclination angle of the main landing gear 5 in the forward/backward direction (the inclination angle in the direction of approaching/moving away from the object to be measured) and the inclination angle of the main landing gear 5 in the left/right direction from the detection results from the attitude detector 29. The inclination angle in the forward/backward direction appears as an inclination angle of the reference optical axis O relative to the horizontal, and the inclination angle in the left/right direction appears as a tilt (rotation) of the image acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18.

The calculation control unit 24 calculates the inclination angle of the distance measurement optical axis 33 with respect to the horizontal based on the inclination angle and the deflection angle by the optical axis deflection unit 28. The image processing unit 26 also creates a vertical image based on the inclination of the image. The created vertical image is stored in the memory unit 25 or transmitted to a terminal device via the communication unit 27.

The measurement direction imaging unit 18 is a camera having an angle of view of, for example, 50° to 60°, which is approximately equal to the maximum deviation angle θ/2 (for example, ±30°) of the optical prisms 36 and 37. The relationship between the imaging optical axis 19, the distance measurement optical axis 33, and the reference optical axis O is known, and the distance between each optical axis is also a known value.

The measurement direction imaging unit 18 can also capture still images, continuous images, or moving images in real time. The images (observation images) captured by the measurement direction imaging unit 18 are sent to an operation unit (not shown). An operator can perform measurement work by observing the observation image displayed on the operation unit. The center of the observation image coincides with the imaging optical axis 19, and the reference optical axis O is positioned at a predetermined angle of view from the center of the observation image based on a known relationship with the imaging optical axis 19.

The arithmetic and control unit 24 controls the imaging of the measurement direction imaging unit 18. When the measurement direction imaging unit 18 captures the moving image or continuous images, the arithmetic and control unit 24 synchronizes the timing of acquiring the frame images constituting the moving image or continuous images with the timing of scanning and distance measurement by the surveying device main body 4. When the measurement direction imaging unit 18 captures a still image, the arithmetic and control unit 24 synchronizes the timing of acquiring the still image with the timing of scanning by the surveying device main body 4. The arithmetic and control unit 24 also associates images with measurement data (distance measurement data, angle measurement data).

The imaging element (not shown) of the measurement direction imaging unit 18 is a CCD or CMOS sensor that is a collection of pixels, and the position of each pixel on the imaging element can be specified. For example, each pixel has pixel coordinates with the imaging optical axis 19 as the origin, and the position on the imaging element is specified by the pixel coordinates. In addition, since the relationship (distance) between the imaging optical axis 19 and the reference optical axis O is known, it is possible to correlate the measurement position by the distance measurement unit 17 with the position (pixel) on the imaging element. The image signal from the imaging element and the coordinate information associated with the pixel are input to the image processing unit 26 via the calculation control unit 24.

The deflection and scanning actions of the optical axis deflection unit 28 will now be explained.

The optical axis deflection unit 28 can arbitrarily change the deflection direction and deflection angle of the emitted distance measuring light 34 by combining the rotational positions of the optical prism 36 and the optical prism 37.

Therefore, by emitting a laser beam from the distance measuring unit 17, changing the deflection angle, and further rotating the optical axis deflection unit 28, the distance measuring light 34 can be scanned in any two-dimensional pattern.

Next, the measurement of the surveying device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The following measurements are performed by the calculation control unit 24 executing a program stored in the memory unit 25.

If the auxiliary leg 7 is installed in an open state (see FIG. 7(A)), first tilt the main leg 5 to move the auxiliary leg 7 away from the installation surface, and then close the auxiliary leg 7 and fix it with the auxiliary leg fixing member 21 (see FIG. 7(B)).

When the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, the main legs 5 are further tilted so that the ferrules 8 move away from the installation surface, and only the wheels 15 are in contact with the installation surface (see Figure 7 (C)). In this state, the operator pushes or pulls the surveying device 1 to move it to the approximate position of the reference point R.

At this time, the distance between the wheels 15 is approximately the same as the distance between the auxiliary legs 7 when closed, so the tripod 2 can move stably without tipping left or right relative to the direction of travel due to the weight of the auxiliary legs 7 during movement. Also, the distance between the wheels 15 is the minimum radius at which the tripod 2 can move stably, so it can be easily turned and the orientation of the tripod 2 can be easily changed (see FIG. 7(D)).

When the surveying device 1 is moved to the approximate position of the reference point R, the reference optical axis O is directed toward the object to be measured, and the main leg 5 is tilted so that the bottom end of the ferrule 8 coincides with the reference point R (see FIG. 7(B)). After that, the main leg 5 is tilted further, and the wheel 15 is moved away from the installation surface.

Finally, the auxiliary legs 7 are opened until they are restricted by the restricting members 12, and the main legs 5 are tilted to bring the auxiliary legs 7 into contact with the installation surface (see FIG. 7(A)). At this time, the wheels 15 are in a state of being separated from the installation surface. As a result, the surveying device 1 is supported at three points by the main legs 5 and the two auxiliary legs 7 with the main legs 5 inclined at a predetermined angle. The surveying device 1 is installed with the measurement direction imaging unit 18 in an operating state.

When the surveying device 1 is installed, the observation image acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18 is displayed on the terminal device, and the direction and position of the reference optical axis O can be confirmed from the observation image. The tilt angle and tilt direction of the main landing gear 5 at this time are detected by the attitude detector 29.

When the direction of the reference optical axis O is determined, the measurable deflection range centered on the reference optical axis O can be confirmed on the observation image. The operator can specify any point in the measurable range in the observation image as the measurement point (measurement object). When the measurement point is specified, the calculation control unit 24 uses the optical axis deflection unit 28 to direct the distance measurement optical axis 33 toward the measurement object.

The distance measurement optical axis 33 is directed toward the measurement point, the distance measurement light 34 is irradiated, and measurement (distance measurement, angle measurement) of the measurement point is performed. The direction of the distance measurement light 34, the distance measurement results, etc. are displayed on the terminal device. Also, an image is acquired by the measurement direction imaging unit 18 in synchronization with the measurement of the measurement point.

The inclination of the surveying device 1 relative to the horizontal is detected in real time by the attitude detector 29. Therefore, even if the main landing gear 5 is inclined, the measurement results of the surveying device 1 can be corrected to measurement results based on the reference point R based on the detection result of the attitude detector 29. In other words, the calculation control unit 24 can calculate the three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement point based on the reference point R. Thus, the leveling work for adjusting the surveying device 1 to be horizontal can be omitted.

In the above explanation, the distance measuring optical axis 33 was fixed at the measurement point and the measurement was performed in the same manner as a total station, but the surveying device 1 can also be used as a laser scanner that performs two-dimensional scanning.

In addition, by associating the observed image with data along the trajectory obtained by the two-dimensional scan, an image with three-dimensional data for each pixel can be obtained.

When the surveying device 1 is to be moved again, the auxiliary legs 7 are moved away from the installation surface, the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, and the lower end of the ferrule 8 is then moved away from the installation surface, and the wheels 15 are rolled to transport the surveying device 1 from the reference point R to another installation point. After transportation, the lower end of the ferrule 8 is aligned with the other installation point, the auxiliary legs 7 are opened with the wheels 15 moved away, and the surveying device 1 is supported at three points by the main leg 5 and the two auxiliary legs 7.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the two wheels 15 are provided on either side of the main leg 5, and the surveying device 1 is moved via the wheels 15. Therefore, even if a large-capacity battery or a high-performance computing system is installed and the weight of the surveying device main body 4 increases, or even if the tripod 2 itself is heavy, the surveying device 1 can be moved easily without placing a burden on the operator.

The axle 14 of the wheel 15 is offset from the axis of the main leg 5 in a direction away from the auxiliary leg 7. Therefore, only the wheel 15 can be brought into contact with the installation surface without tilting the main leg 5 more than necessary, improving the workability when moving the surveying device 1.

When the auxiliary legs 7 are opened, only the main legs 5 and the auxiliary legs 7 are in contact with the installation surface, and the wheels 15 are separated from the installation surface. Therefore, the surveying device 1 is supported at three points by the main legs 5 and the two auxiliary legs 7, improving the stability of the tripod 2.

The main leg 5 is also longer than the auxiliary leg 7. That is, the lower end of the ferrule 8 is located lower than the lower ends of the auxiliary leg 7 and the wheels 15. Therefore, the main leg 5 can be moved away from the surface on which the wheels 15 are placed simply by making it vertical or nearly vertical, so the auxiliary leg 7 can be opened and closed easily without tilting the main leg 5 more than necessary.

The wheels 15 are parallel, and the distance between the wheels 15 is the minimum radius at which the tripod 2 can be moved stably. This makes it easier to move the surveying device 1 and reduces the turning radius, eliminating the need to provide a separate turning mechanism on the tripod 2.

The main legs 5 and the auxiliary legs 7 are connected via the regulating member 12, and the auxiliary legs 7 are configured not to open beyond a predetermined angle by the regulating member 12. Therefore, the auxiliary legs 7 can always be opened to the same angle, improving workability during installation.

Furthermore, the auxiliary leg fixing member 21 is provided on the main leg 5, and when the auxiliary leg 7 is closed, the auxiliary leg fixing member 21 can hold the auxiliary leg 7 in a closed state, thereby preventing the auxiliary leg 7 from opening unintentionally during transportation, etc.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8(A) to 8(C). In Figures 8(A) to 8(C), the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in Figures 3(A) to 3(C), and their description will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, the wheels 15 are attached to the main landing gear 5 via the wheel mounting members 13 so that the axis of the main landing gear 5 and the axis of the axle 14 are perpendicular to each other. In other words, the axle 14 is not eccentric in the direction of approaching or moving away from the auxiliary landing gear 7 relative to the axis of the main axle 5. The rest of the configuration is the same as in the first embodiment.

In the case of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(A), first the main legs 5 are vertically aligned and the auxiliary legs 7 are closed, leaving a gap of a predetermined distance A between the installation surface and the lower ends of the auxiliary legs 7, and between the installation surface and the lower ends of the wheels 15.

From this state, as shown in Figure 8 (B), the main leg 5 is tilted a predetermined angle G in the opposite direction (main leg direction) relative to the auxiliary leg 7, so that the two wheels 15 come into contact with the installation surface. Then, as shown in Figure 8 (C), the main leg 5 is further tilted a predetermined angle H, so that the main leg 5 and the auxiliary leg 7 rotate around the installation point of the wheel 15. This causes the ferrule 8 to move away from the installation surface, so that only the wheel 15 comes into contact with the installation surface.

In the second embodiment, the surveying device 1 (see FIG. 1) is moved via the wheels 15, so even if the surveying device main body 4 (see FIG. 1) or the tripod 2 is heavy, the surveying device 1 can be moved easily without placing a burden on the operator.

The predetermined angle G is greater than the predetermined angle C (see FIG. 3). Therefore, a handle or the like that extends upward when only the wheels 15 are placed on the ground may be provided separately, and the tripod 2 may be moved via the handle.

Reference Signs List 1 Surveying instrument 2 Tripod 4 Surveying instrument body 5 Main landing gear 6 Connector 7 Auxiliary landing gear 8 Ferrule 9 Main guide member 11 Sub-guide member 12 Regulating member 15 Wheel

Claims (8)

the vehicle comprises a main landing gear, a connector provided on the main landing gear, two auxiliary legs provided on the connector and rotatable around their upper ends in directions toward and away from the main landing gear, and two wheels provided below the main landing gear with the main landing gear sandwiched between them, the vehicle is configured such that, with the main landing gear and the auxiliary landing gear closed, the main landing gear and the auxiliary landing gear can be tilted toward the main landing gear, allowing only the wheels to touch the ground,
The tripod is configured such that, when the auxiliary legs are opened at a predetermined angle, only the lower ends of the main legs and the lower ends of the auxiliary legs come into contact with a mounting surface, and a gap is formed between the mounting surface and the wheels. the vehicle comprises a main landing gear, a connector provided on the main landing gear, two auxiliary legs provided on the connector and rotatable around their upper ends in directions toward and away from the main landing gear, and two wheels provided below the main landing gear with the main landing gear sandwiched between them, the vehicle is configured such that, with the main landing gear and the auxiliary landing gear closed, the main landing gear and the auxiliary landing gear can be tilted toward the main landing gear, allowing only the wheels to touch the ground,
A tripod configured such that, when the main legs and the auxiliary legs are closed and the main legs are perpendicular to a mounting surface , a lower end of the main legs is positioned lower than the lower ends of the auxiliary legs and the lower ends of the wheels. The tripod according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the axle of the wheel is configured to be eccentric in a direction away from the auxiliary leg relative to the axis of the main leg. The tripod according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the axis of the wheel axle is configured to be perpendicular to the axis of the main leg. A tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the wheels are parallel and the distance between the wheels is approximately equal to the distance between the auxiliary legs when the auxiliary legs are closed. The tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which a main guide member is provided at the midpoint of the main leg, a sub-guide member is provided at the midpoint of the auxiliary leg, and the main guide member and the sub-guide member are connected by a regulating member. The tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an auxiliary leg fixing member provided at the middle of the main leg, the auxiliary leg fixing member having a storage section capable of holding the auxiliary leg, and configured so that the auxiliary leg is held in the storage section when the auxiliary leg is closed. A surveying instrument comprising a tripod according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a fixture attached to the upper end of the tripod, and a surveying instrument body attached to the fixture at a known distance from the lower end of the main leg and at a known angle relative to the axis of the main leg and having a reference optical axis, the surveying instrument body having a distance measuring unit that emits distance measuring light to measure the distance to a measurement object, an emission direction detection unit that detects the emission direction of the distance measuring light, an attitude detector that detects the inclination of the surveying instrument body relative to the horizontal, and a calculation control unit that calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of a specified measurement point relative to a reference point based on the distance measuring result of the distance measuring unit, the measurement result of the emission direction detection unit, and the detection result of the attitude detector.

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