Method for using a handheld appliance to select, lock onto, and track a retroreflector with a laser tracker

• Main Authors: PEASE GREGORY D, BRIDGES ROBERT E, STEFFEY KENNETH
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 24.12.2014
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; NAVIGATION; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SURVEYING; TESTING

A method for locking onto and tracking a selected retroreflector target with a laser tracker (10) includes steps of: actuating by the operator a handheld appliance (410) and sending a wireless signal (420); responding to the wireless message by repetitively carrying out steps in the following loop and exiting the loop when an exit condition is met: reflecting part of a cone of light by at least one retroreflector target (26) and capturing an array image on a photosensitive array; determining which retroreflector target (26) meets the retroreflector target criterion, the retroreflector target that meets the retroreflector target criterion being referred to as the selected retroreflector target; determining whether a position detector of the laser tracker (10) is receiving a reflected portion of a light beam transmitted by the laser tracker (10); establishing that the exit condition is met when the position detector receives the reflected beam and the reflected beam comes from the selected retroreflector target