# US 2013/0278752 A1 · Measuring appliance comprising a dynamic sighting functionality and associated method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0278752 A1 - Document ID: US20130278752A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/993,014 - Filed: 2012-01-10 - Published: 2013-10-24 - Earliest claimed: 2011-01-11 - Assignees: Leica Geosystems AG - Inventors: Christian Schorr; Frank Schroeder - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130278752A1 ## CPC - G01C 11/00: Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying - G01C 15/002: {Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105)} - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract According to the invention, the construction measuring device has a functionality for modifying the orientation of the sighting unit in a manually controllable manner, within the framework of which the orientation of the sighting unit is dynamically modified by the first or second rotary drive, according to a current direction and a current distance from a defined central anchor display point to a currently marked display point. The respective current direction defines an orientation modifying direction and the respective current distance defines an orientation modifying speed for changing the orientation of the sighting unit. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-15. (canceled) ### Claim 16 A measuring appliance for measuring spatial points of surfaces of a construction including interiors of buildings comprising: a base; a sighting unit, which is rotatable and pivotable relative to the base and provides distance measuring functionality, having a laser source designed to emit a laser beam in the direction of an aiming axis, and a laser light detector and also having an integrated digital camera aligned in the direction of the aiming axis; an evaluation and control unit; a display for representing an image of the camera; input means for marking display points on the display; a first and a second rotary drive make the sighting unit drivable and alignable; a spatial alignment of the sighting unit relative to the base is detectable by means of two goniometers; the evaluation and control unit is connected to the laser source, the laser light detector and also the goniometers in order to assign a detected distance to a corresponding alignment and thus to determine coordinates for spatial points, and is also connected to the camera; wherein the measuring appliance is equipped with a functionality for changing the alignment of the sighting unit in a manually controllable manner, in the context of which dynamically in a manner dependent on a constantly determined current direction and a constantly determined current distance from a defined central anchor display point to a currently marked display point, the alignment of the sighting unit is changed by the first and/or second rotary drive; and wherein the respective current direction predefines an alignment change direction and the respective current distance predefines an alignment change speed for changing the alignment of the sighting unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 16, wherein the anchor display point is defined as that display point which represents the position of the aiming axis in the image and thus a target image point. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 17, wherein the functionality can be activated by marking the reticle or the display point representing the target image point. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The measuring appliance as claimed claim 16, wherein the display is embodied as a touch-sensitive touchscreen, on which display points can be marked by touch, and the input means are thereby provided. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 16, wherein in the context of the functionality, the alignment change direction for changing the alignment of the sighting unit is analogous to the respective current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point, wherein the alignment change direction is thus chosen in such a way that it: contains an upwardly directed component including the sighting unit which is pivoted upward about a horizontal pivoting axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains an upwardly pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated above the anchor display point; contains a downwardly directed component including the sighting unit is pivoted downward about the horizontal pivoting axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a downwardly pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated below the anchor display point; contains a leftward directed component including the sighting unit is rotated leftward about a vertical rotation axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a leftward pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated to the left of the anchor display point; and contains a rightward directed component including the sighting unit is rotated rightward about the vertical rotation axis if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a rightward pointing component if the currently marked display point on the display is situated to the right of the anchor display point. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The measuring appliance as claimed claim 16, wherein in the context of the functionality: the alignment change speed is maximal if the current distance from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point is also maximal; and when the currently marked display point coincides with the anchor display point, the alignment change speed is equal to zero and a pause is then made in the current alignment of the sighting unit. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 16, wherein the display is subdivided into virtual sectors by means of a virtual line grid placed around the anchor display point, said grid being formed by concentric circular lines around the anchor display point and radial lines which proceed from the anchor display point and intersect said circular lines, wherein the sectors correspond to digitized values for the alignment change direction and the alignment change speed and the alignment of the sighting unit is changed with the alignment change direction and alignment change speed assigned to the respective sector for as long as one of the display points lying within said sector is marked, and the alignment change direction and alignment change speed are correspondingly changed as soon as a display point lying within a different sector is marked, namely to the alignment change direction and respectively alignment change speed corresponding to the different sector. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 22, wherein the concentric circular lines around the anchor display point correspond to different distances from the currently marked display point to the anchor display point, whereby alignment change speed levels are defined, wherein the outermost sectors correspond to the maximum alignment change speed. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 22, wherein the virtual line grid is established in such a way that a multiplicity of sectors are defined thereby. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 22, wherein the virtual line grid is established in such a way that a at least approximately 30 sectors are defined thereby. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 22, wherein the virtual line grid is established in such a way that at least approximately 50 sectors are defined thereby. ### Claim 27 (depends on 16) The measuring appliance as claimed in claim 16, wherein the anchor display point is defined as that display point which represents the position of the aiming axis in the image and thus a target image point and the latter is indicated on the display by a reticle that can be represented in a manner superimposed on the image. ### Claim 28 A method for the manually controlled alignment of a sighting unit of a measuring appliance on the basis of marking display points on a display, wherein the measuring appliance comprises: a base; sighting unit, which is rotatable and pivotable relative to the base and provides distance measuring functionality, having a laser source designed to emit a laser beam in the direction of an aiming axis, and a laser light detector and also having an integrated digital camera aligned in the direction of the aiming axis; an evaluation and control unit; the display for representing an image of the camera; input means for marking the display points; a first and a second rotary drive make the sighting unit drivable and alignable; a spatial alignment of the sighting unit relative to the base is detectable by means of two goniometers; the evaluation and control unit is connected to the laser source, the laser light detector and also the goniometers in order to assign a detected distance to a corresponding alignment and thus to determine coordinates for spatial points, and is also connected to the camera; wherein constantly a current direction and a current distance from a defined central anchor display point to a currently marked display point are determined and the alignment of the sighting unit is changed dynamically in a manner dependent on the respective current direction and the respective current distance by the first and/or second rotary drive; and the respective current direction predefines an alignment change direction and the respective current distance predefines an alignment change speed for changing the alignment of the sighting unit. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the anchor display point is defined as that display point which represents the position of the aiming axis in the image and thus a target image point. ### Claim 30 (depends on 28) The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein: the alignment change direction for changing the alignment of the sighting unit is chosen analogously to the respective determined current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point; the alignment change direction contains an upwardly directed component—that is to say the sighting unit is pivoted upward about a horizontal pivoting axis—if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains an upwardly pointing component—that is to say if the currently marked display point on the display is situated above the anchor display point; the alignment change direction contains a downwardly directed component—that is to say the sighting unit is pivoted downward about the horizontal pivoting axis—if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a downwardly pointing component—that is to say if the currently marked display point on the display is situated below the anchor display point; the alignment change direction contains a leftward directed component—that is to say the sighting unit is rotated leftward about a vertical rotation axis—if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a leftward pointing component—that is to say if the currently marked display point on the display is situated to the left of the anchor display point; and the alignment change direction contains a rightward directed component—that is to say the sighting unit is rotated rightward about a vertical rotation axis—if the current direction from the anchor display point to the currently marked display point contains a rightward pointing component—that is to say if the currently marked display point on the display is situated to the right of the anchor display point. ### Claim 31 The method as claimed in 28, wherein: the alignment change speed is maximal if the current distance from the currently marked display point to the anchor display point is maximal, and when the currently marked display point coincides with the anchor display point, the alignment change speed is equal to zero, that is to say that a pause is then made in the current alignment of the sighting unit. ### Claim 32 (depends on 28) The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the display is subdivided into virtual sectors by means of a virtual line grid placed around the anchor display point, said grid being formed by concentric circular lines around the anchor display point and radial lines which proceed from the anchor display point and intersect said circular lines, wherein the sectors correspond to digitized values for the alignment change direction and the alignment change speed and the alignment of the sighting unit is changed with the alignment change direction and alignment change speed assigned to the respective sector for as long as one of the display points lying within said sector is marked, and the alignment change direction and alignment change speed are correspondingly changed as soon as a display point lying within a different sector is marked, namely to the alignment change direction and respectively alignment change speed corresponding to the different sector. ### Claim 33 (depends on 28) A non-transitory computer program product comprising program code, stored on a machine-readable carrier, for carrying out the method for the manually controlled alignment of a sighting unit of a measuring appliance on the basis of marking display points on a display as claimed in claim 28. ### Claim 34 (depends on 28) The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the anchor display point is defined as that display point which represents the position of the aiming axis in the image and thus a target image point, in particular wherein the latter is indicated on the display by a reticle that can be represented in a manner superimposed on the image.