Patents by Inventor Bernhard Metzler

Bernhard Metzler has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11948286
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for enhancing images for metrological applications. The method comprises the steps: 1) providing a geometric correction image having an image geometric correctness higher than the processed image geometric correctness and showing at least a part of the scene of interest, and 2) at least partially reducing the loss of initial metrological information in the distorted metrological information by fusing the enhanced image with the geometric correction image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Bernhard Metzler, Harald Vennegeerts, Aldo Facchin
  • Publication number: 20240035820
    Abstract: An automatic stationing of a geodetic survey instrument. The instrument comprises a targeting unit to provide targeting data, an imaging sensor, wherein the axis is referenceable to a targeting direction, and a computing unit. The automatic stationing comprises the steps of 1.) acquiring an image of the environment, 2.) creating a catalog of features based on the image and providing a score of applicability for each feature, 3.) selecting a first set of features based on the score of applicability and providing a first targeting data, 4.) recognizing a relocation of the instrument 5.) selecting a second set of features from the first set of features, and providing a second targeting data and 6.) determining the fine pose relative to the first pose based on the first and second set of targeting data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Zoltán TÖRÖK, Bernhard METZLER, Elmar VAN DER ZWAN, Holger STRITTMATTER
  • Publication number: 20230377163
    Abstract: Image-based method of defining a scanning area with a measuring radiation-based measuring device such as a laser scanner, the method comprising roughly aligning a targeting axis of the measuring device towards an area of interest to be scanned, the area of interest having a coherent visual property, capturing with known orientation to the targeting axis an image covering the area of interest, displaying the image to a user, manually selecting by the user of at least one pixel of a group of pixels representing the area of interest in the image, automatically segmenting the group of pixels based on a similarity to the at least one selected pixel using a machine learning algorithm, and automatically defining the scanning area based on border pixels of the first group of pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicant: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard METZLER, Matthias SAURE
  • Publication number: 20230314618
    Abstract: Scanning method and scanning device for automatic scan point reduction, wherein a number of scan points are generated optoelectronically by detection of a measuring beam, in particular of a laser scanner or total station, with which objects' surfaces are sampled point-by-point, the scan points representing spatial positions of sampled surface points. The method comprises automatically reducing the generated number of scan points during the optoelectronic scanning by discarding of scan points, whereby the reduction of scan points is object and/or shape type-specific, whereby object type respectively shape type refers to the kind of object respectively shape.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventor: Bernhard METZLER
  • Patent number: 11740086
    Abstract: One aspect of the invention relates to a fully automatic method for calculating the current, geo-referenced position and alignment of a terrestrial scan-surveying device in situ on the basis of a current panoramic image recorded by the surveying device and at least one stored, geo-referenced 3D scan panoramic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard Metzler, Jochen Scheja
  • Patent number: 11620898
    Abstract: A monitoring system for locating and classifying an event in a monitoring area by a computation unit including a visual 3D capturing unit providing geometric 3D information and an acoustic capturing unit providing an acoustic information of the monitoring area. An event detector is configured with an acoustic channel and a visual channel to detect the event. The acoustic channel is configured to detect the event as a sound event in the acoustic information and to determine a localization of the sound. The visual channel is configured to detect the event as a visual event in the geometric 3D information and to derive a localization of the visual event. The event detector provides detected events with a region of interest for detected event, which is analyzed in order to assign the detected event a class within a plurality of event classes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Jan Glückert, Carl-Thomas Schneider, Bernd Reimann, Bernhard Metzler
  • Patent number: 11615219
    Abstract: A method of generating an information enhanced model of an industrial plant. The method includes providing a first digitalized topology of a plant by processing a spatial scan of the plant, wherein in course of the processing, plant structural elements and their interconnections are recognized and digitalized, providing a second digitalized topology of the plant, based on a process and instrumentation diagram, the second topology being representative of plant structural elements and their interconnections, and correlating the first and the second digitalized topology by at least semi-automatically identifying and interlinking corresponding structural elements in the first and second digitalized topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard Metzler, Nils Van Heijnsbergen
  • Patent number: 11604065
    Abstract: One aspect of the invention relates to a fully automatic method for calculating the current, geo-referenced position and alignment of a terrestrial scan-surveying device in situ on the basis of a current panoramic image recorded by the surveying device and at least one stored, geo-referenced 3D scan panoramic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard Metzler, Jochen Scheja
  • Patent number: 11566896
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Bernhard Richter, Zoltán Török, Elmar Vincent Van Der Zwan, Bernhard Metzler
  • Patent number: 11544860
    Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) point cloud generation using a stationary laser scanner and a mobile scanner. The method includes scanning a first part of a surrounding with the stationary laser scanner, obtaining a first 3D point cloud, scanning a second part of the surrounding with the mobile scanner, obtaining a second 3D point cloud, whereby there is an overlap region of the first part and the second part, and aligning the second 3D point cloud to the first 3D point cloud to form a combined 3D point cloud. The positional accuracy of points of the second 3D point cloud is increased by automatically referencing second scanner data of the overlap region, generated by the mobile scanner, to first scanner data of the overlap region, generated by the stationary laser scanner. Therewith, deformations of the second 3D point cloud and its alignment with the first 3D point cloud are corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Thomas Mörwald, Zoltán Török, Bernhard Metzler
  • Publication number: 20220375122
    Abstract: A surveying device for a coordinative position determination of a spatial point, wherein the surveying device comprises a camera which is fixedly mounted to a transmission unit in a way that its field-of-view moves with a targeting component. The surveying device further comprises an image evaluator, configured for automatically identifying corresponding image features in different images of the camera, wherein the corresponding image features represent reference points within the environment, and for a derivation of a spatial transformation parameter from a motion of the corresponding features, wherein the spatial transformation parameter provides for a determination of a difference of a spatial pose of a target axis of the surveying device between different distance measurements which correspond to different images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventor: Bernhard METZLER
  • Publication number: 20220333925
    Abstract: One aspect of the invention relates to a fully automatic method for calculating the current, geo-referenced position and alignment of a terrestrial scan-surveying device in situ on the basis of a current panoramic image recorded by the surveying device and at least one stored, geo-referenced 3D scan panoramic image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2022
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Applicant: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard METZLER, Jochen SCHEJA
  • Publication number: 20220283327
    Abstract: The invention relates to a measurement system, e.g. comprising a total station and an auxiliary measurement instrument in the form of a pole, and/or an auxiliary measurement instrument, e.g. a pole, and/or a method for determining positions in the field of geodesics or on construction sites, e.g. by means of a construction laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Josef MUELLER, Oliver FAIX, Jochen SCHEJA, Stefan PETKOV, Josef LAIS, Tim MAYER, Bernhard METZLER
  • Patent number: 11378398
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to an industrial or geodetic surveying device having a tracking unit configured to receive over a tracking channel a tracking signal which is used to track a cooperative target. According to the invention, the surveying device comprises a camera to generate image data, wherein based on the additional knowledge about the position of the cooperative target in an image generated in the locked state, the visual appearance of the target carrier is learned and the result is stored in the form of a detector for use in a backup tracking mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Hornung, Zoltán Török, Veroljub Maksimovic, Bernhard Metzler
  • Publication number: 20220172406
    Abstract: A method and device for displaying desired positions in a live image of a construction site. The method mat include recording at least one position-referenced image of the construction site; linking at least one desired position to the position-referenced image; storing the position-referenced image together with desired position linkage in an electronic memory; recording a live image of the construction site, in particular in the form of a video, wherein the live image and the position-referenced image at least partially represent an identical detail of the construction site; retrieving the stored position-referenced image from the memory; fitting the position-referenced image with the live image, so that the desired position linked to the position-referenced image can be overlaid in a position-faithful manner on the live image; and position-faithful display of the desired position as a graphic marking in the live image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Applicant: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AG
    Inventors: Josef MUELLER, Oliver FAIX, Jochen SCHEJA, Stefan PETKOV, Josef LAIS, Tim MAYER, Bernhard METZLER
  • Patent number: 11348321
    Abstract: A method of providing an augmented view of a real world scenery and of an occluded subsurface infrastructure. An image is taken by a camera with an image sensor and image reference information comprising a camera position and a camera orientation. From three dimensional information of a subsurface infrastructure, a two dimensional projection on the image sensor is made by using the reference information. A projection position of an anchor element of the subsurface infrastructure being visible on the at least one image is compared with an image position of the anchor element. A difference between the image position and the projection position is compensated for matching and overlaying the two dimensional projection derived from the three dimensional information of the subsurface infrastructure with the at least one image and thereby providing an improved augmented view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventor: Bernhard Metzler
  • Publication number: 20220157137
    Abstract: Systems and methods for surveillance of a facility including facility elements. The system includes a central computing unit providing a digital model of the facility providing topological or logical or functional relationships of the facility elements, surveillance sensors adapted for surveillance of a plurality of the facility elements and for generation of surveillance data, communication means for transmitting data from the surveillance sensors to the central computing unit, and state derivation means configured to analyse the surveillance data and derive a state of a respective facility element. The central computing unit is configured to record a state pattern by combining states of at least one facility element based on at least one relationship of the facility element provided by the facility model, provide a state pattern critical-noncritical classification model which considers relationships provided by the facility model, and perform a criticality-classification based on the relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard METZLER, Barbara HAUPT, Markus KÄCHELE, Bernd REIMANN, Stefan Martin Benjamin GÄCHTER TOYA, Alexandre HEILI
  • Publication number: 20220157138
    Abstract: Systems and methods for surveillance of a facility including facility elements. The system includes a central computing unit providing a digital model of the facility providing topological or logical or functional relationships of the facility elements, surveillance sensors adapted for surveillance of a plurality of the facility elements and for generation of surveillance data, communication means for transmitting data from the surveillance sensors to the central computing unit, and state derivation means configured to analyse the surveillance data and derive a state of a respective facility element. The central computing unit is configured to record a state pattern by combining states of at least one facility element based on at least one relationship of the facility element provided by the facility model, provide a state pattern critical-noncritical classification model which considers relationships provided by the facility model, and perform a criticality-classification based on the relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard METZLER, Barbara HAUPT, Markus KÄCHELE, Bernd REIMANN, Stefan Martin Benjamin GÄCHTER TOYA, Alexandre HEILI
  • Publication number: 20220157136
    Abstract: Systems and methods for surveillance of a facility including facility elements. The system includes a central computing unit providing a digital model of the facility providing topological or logical or functional relationships of the facility elements, surveillance sensors adapted for surveillance of a plurality of the facility elements and for generation of surveillance data, communication means for transmitting data from the surveillance sensors to the central computing unit, and state derivation means configured to analyse the surveillance data and derive a state of a respective facility element. The central computing unit is configured to record a state pattern by combining states of at least one facility element based on at least one relationship of the facility element provided by the facility model, provide a state pattern critical-noncritical classification model which considers relationships provided by the facility model, and perform a criticality-classification based on the relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard METZLER, Barbara HAUPT, Markus KÄCHELE, Bernd REIMANN, Stefan Martin Benjamin GÄCHTER TOYA, Alexandre HEILI
  • Publication number: 20220156950
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a scanning device being configured to enable efficient identification of scanned measurement points being associated with moving objects in an otherwise static environment. The scanning device is built as total station or laser scanner being typically used for scanning an environment and enabling, based on the scanning, the generation of a three dimensional (3D) point cloud representing the scanned environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: LEICA GEOSYSTEM AG
    Inventors: Christoph HERBST, Bernhard METZLER