Surveying device having a fine targeting and target tracking functionality

A surveying device comprising:

• a control and evaluation unit with an evaluation, data processing and control functionality;
• a base;
• a targeting device which defines a target axis,
• means for changing the orientation of the target axis;
• a beam source for emitting an illumination beam of defined intensity in the direction of the target axis, wherein the emission duration can be controlled using the control and evaluation unit in such a manner that illumination beam flashes can be continuously generated;
• a photosensitive areal sensor for detecting reflected illumination beams, wherein
• image recording by the sensor can be controlled using the control and evaluation unit in such a manner that images capturing reflected illumination beam flashes can be continuously generated, and
• a radiation beam impinging on the sensor appears in the image as a light spot, wherein a respective illumination beam flash reflected by the target point appears in the image as a reflected spot;
• and
• a fine targeting and target tracking functionality, wherein, in the course of the fine targeting and target tracking functionality, a deviation between a respective current actual orientation of the target axis and a hypothetical orientation of the target axis sighting the target point is determined from the detected position of the reflected spot in the image, and the target axis is oriented for fine targeting and/or tracking of the target point using the determined deviation by means of the motorization means,
• wherein the control and evaluation unit is designed in such a manner that, in the course of the fine targeting and target tracking functionality, the emission of the illumination beam is varied according to a defined algorithm under the automatic control of the control and evaluation unit, with the result that a known sequence of different illumination beam flashes is produced during continuous generation of the illumination beam flashes.

A surveying device comprising:

• a control and evaluation unit with an evaluation, data processing and control functionality;
• a base;
• a targeting device, which defines a target axis;
• means for changing the orientation of the target axis;
• a beam source for emitting an illumination beam of defined intensity in the direction of the target axis, wherein the emission duration can be controlled using the control and evaluation unit in such a manner that illumination beam flashes can be continuously generated;
• a photosensitive areal sensor with a variable exposure time and a variable gain, for detecting reflected components of the illumination beam, wherein
• image recording by the sensor can be controlled using the control and evaluation unit in such a manner that images capturing reflected illumination beam flashes can be continuously generated, and
• a radiation beam impinging on the sensor appears in the image as a light spot, wherein a respective illumination beam flash reflected by the target point appears in the image as a reflected spot;
• a fine targeting and target tracking functionality, wherein, in the course of the fine targeting and target tracking functionality, a deviation between a respective current actual orientation of the target axis and a hypothetical orientation of the target axis sighting the target point is determined from the detected position of the reflected spot in the image, and the target axis is oriented for fine targeting and/or tracking of the target point using the determined deviation by means of the motorization means, wherein:
• wherein the control and evaluation unit is designed in such a manner that, in the course of the fine targeting and target tracking functionality,
• wherein a known sequence of illumination beam flashes is produced by continuously generating the illumination beam flashes, and
• wherein the exposure time of the photosensitive areal sensor is varied according to a defined algorithm, matched to the emission of the illumination beam, under the automatic control of the control and evaluation unit,
• with the result that a sequence of reflected spots corresponding to the known sequence of illumination beam flashes is captured during continuous generation of the illumination beam flashes, which sequence of reflected spots is used to identify illumination radiation reflected by the target point using detected brightnesses of the reflected spots on the basis of the variation of the exposure time,
• wherein for the identification, sequences of captured light spots are compared with the known sequence of illumination beam flashes with regard to detected brightnesses of the light spots using defined comparison criteria stored in the control and evaluation unit, and/or
• wherein recording parameters of the sensor are additionally varied, and/or the exposure time and/or gain is/are continuously adapted dependent on the detected brightness of the reflected illumination beam.

A method comprising:

• generating illumination beam flashes by emitting an illumination beam;
• continuously capturing reflected illumination beam flashes in the image as a reflected spot;
• determining a deviation between a respective current actual orientation of the target axis and a hypothetical orientation of the target axis sighting the target point from a detected position of the reflected spot in the image;
• orienting the target axis using the determined deviation,
• varying the intensity and/or emission duration of the illumination beam, and
• varying the exposure time and/or gain of the photosensitive areal sensor is varied.