A method implemented in a processing unit controlling a surveying instrument is provided. The method comprises obtaining a first set of data from optical tracking of a target with the surveying instrument, and identifying from the first set of data a dependence over time of at least one parameter representative of movements of the target. The method further comprises receiving a second set of data from a sensor unit via a communication channel, the second set of data including information about the at least one parameter over time, and determining whether a movement pattern for the optically tracked target as defined by the dependence over time of the at least one parameter is the same as, or deviates by a predetermined interval from, a movement pattern as defined by the dependence over time of the at least one parameter obtained from the second set of data.

A method for mapping an environment by an electronic device is described. The method includes obtaining a set of sensor measurements. The method also includes determining a set of voxel occupancy probability distributions respectively corresponding to a set of voxels based on the set of sensor measurements. Each of the voxel occupancy probability distributions represents a probability of occupancy of a voxel over a range of occupation densities. The range includes partial occupation densities.

Provided is a machine system having optical endpoint control and associated method for maintaining having is provided constant optical contact. Specifically, the machine system comprises a machine capable of movement in at least one direction. The machine is configured such that, during a calibration phase, a steerable retroreflective system is mounted upon the machine for movement therewith. A controller is configured to control the movement of the machine in at least one direction. The machine system may be configured to automatically adjust the feedrate of the machine, upon determining that a velocity required for the positioner to move the retroreflector to a desired position exceeds a certain segment feedrate threshold, such that an incident beam of light can maintain constant contact with the retroreflector throughout movement of the machine from the first position to the second position.

A target reflector search device. This device comprises an emitting unit for emitting an emission fan, a motorized device for moving the emission fan over a spatial region, and a receiving unit for reflected portions of the emission fan within a fan-shaped acquisition region, and a locating unit for determining a location of the reflection. An optoelectronic detector of the receiving unit is formed as a position-resolving optoelectronic detector having a linear arrangement of a plurality of pixels, each formed as an SPAD array, and the receiving unit comprises an optical system having an imaging fixed-focus optical unit, wherein the optical system and the optoelectronic detector are arranged and configured in such a way that portions of the optical radiation reflected from a point in the acquisition region are expanded on the sensitivity surface of the optoelectronic detector in such a way that blurry imaging takes place.

Laser scanning is performed along a transverse section of a tunnel while the amount of scanning is reduced as much as possible. A laser scanning apparatus includes a horizontal rotation unit, a vertical rotation unit disposed on the horizontal rotation unit, and an optical unit disposed on the vertical rotation unit and configured to emit and receive laser scanning light. A method includes obtaining laser scanning data of right and left wall surfaces of a tunnel, calculating a straight line that connects the right and left wall surfaces and that crosses a perpendicular line passing a position at which the laser scanning apparatus is set up, and calculating a direction orthogonal to the straight line in a horizontal plane, and performing laser scanning of a transverse section of the tunnel while the vertical rotation unit is rotated around a rotation axis in the calculated direction.

Provided is a survey method using a position acquiring device that acquires position coordinates of a worker and a mobile terminal capable of communicating with the position acquiring device. the mobile terminal sets an advancing direction of observation and a first measurement point in three-dimensional design data, and makes the position acquiring device acquire position coordinates of the worker, the mobile terminal guides the worker to the first measurement point, makes the position acquiring device acquire position coordinates of the worker at the first measurement point, and sets a point nearest from the first measurement point in the advancing direction as a second measurement point, and after that, a position of the worker, setting of a next measurement point, and guidance to the next measurement point are repeated.

A method for colourising a three-dimensional point cloud including surveying a point cloud with a surveying instrument. Each point of the point cloud may be characterised by coordinates within an instrument coordinate system having an instrument center. The method may include capturing a first image of the setting with a first camera. Each pixel value of the first image is assigned coordinates within a first camera coordinate system having a first projection center as origin and a first parallax shift relative to the instrument center. The method may include transforming the point cloud from the instrument coordinate system into the first camera coordinate system, resulting in a first transformed point cloud, detecting one or more uncovered points within the first transformed point cloud which are openly visible from the first projection center, and for each uncovered point, assigning a pixel value having corresponding coordinates in the first camera coordinate system.

A method for surveying an environment by a movable surveying instrument configured to be carried by a human with a progressional capturing of 2D-images by at least one camera and applying a visual simultaneous location and mapping algorithm (VSLAM) or a visual inertial simultaneous location and mapping algorithm (VISLAM) with a progressional deriving of a sparse evolving point cloud of at least part of the environment, and a progressional deriving of a trajectory of movement. The method comprises a progressional matching of the sparse evolving point cloud with a known CAD-geometry, with a minimizing of a function configured to model a distance between the sparse point cloud and the known CAD-geometry and deriving a spatial localization and orientation of the surveying instrument. At least one surveying measurement value of the environment by a spatial measurement unit is combined with the sparse point cloud or the plan information.

A method for image-based point measurement includes moving a surveying system along a path through a surrounding and capturing a series of images of the surrounding. A subset of images are defined as frames and a subset of frames are defined as key-frames. Textures are identified in first and second frames and are tracked in successive frames to generate first and second frame feature lists. A structure from motion algorithm is used to calculate camera poses for the images based on the first and second frame feature lists. Corresponding image points in images of the series of images are identified using feature recognition in at least a plurality of images. Three-dimensional coordinates of the selected image point are determined using forward intersection with the poses of the subset of images in which corresponding image points are identified. The three-dimensional coordinates of the selected image point are presented to the user.

A geodesic system for measuring the position of a target when the target is obstructed from view by a station. The geodesic system includes a rod fastener positioned on a housing axis for selectively coupling a housing to a survey rod, wherein the housing axis is collinear with a rod axis centrally-positioned within the survey rod when the system is coupled to the survey rod. The system further includes a cuboid-shaped station-scope for viewing the station along a station-line extending between the system and the station and for viewing the target along a target-line extending between the system and the target. The station-scope includes a mirror equally bisecting the station-scope. The housing axis equally bisects the mirror at an intersection of the station-line and the target-line. The station further includes a rangefinder for aligning a laser with the target, the laser having an origination point along the housing axis.