Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Otani
Hitoshi Otani 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).
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Patent number: 11009893Abstract: The invention provides a flying vehicle tracking method, which comprises an optical tracking in which a tracking light is projected to a retro-reflector of a flying vehicle with the retro-reflector, the tracking light is received, and a tracking of the flying vehicle is performed based on a light receiving result, and an image tracking in which an image of the flying vehicle is acquired, the flying vehicle is detected from the image, and the tracking of the flying vehicle is performed based on a detection result, wherein the optical tracking and the image tracking are executed in parallel with each other, and in a case where the flying vehicle cannot be tracked by the optical tracking, the optical tracking is returned based on the detection result of the image tracking.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2017Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: TOPCON CorporationInventors: Hitoshi Otani, Daisuke Sasaki, Nobuyuki Fukaya, Takeshi Sasaki
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Patent number: 10602129Abstract: An image acquiring device comprises a first camera 14 for acquiring video images, consisting of frame images continuous in time series, a second camera 15 being in a known relation with the first camera and used for acquiring two or more optical spectral images of an object to be measured, and an image pickup control device 21, and in the image acquiring device, the image pickup control device is configured to extract two or more feature points from one of the frame images, to sequentially specify the feature points in the frame images continuous in time series, to perform image matching between the frame images regarding the frame images corresponding to the two or more optical spectral images based on the feature points, and to synthesize the two or more optical spectral images according to the condition obtained by the image matching.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2016Date of Patent: March 24, 2020Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Masayuki Momiuchi, Kazuki Osaragi
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Patent number: 10281580Abstract: The invention provides a surveying system, which comprises a surveying instrument, wherein the surveying instrument comprises a measuring unit for performing a distance measurement by projecting a distance measuring light toward an object to be measured and by receiving a reflected distance measuring light from the object to be measured, an image pickup unit having an image pickup optical axis running in parallel to a projection optical axis of the distance measuring light and for picking up an image including the object to be measured, an attitude detecting unit provided integrally with the measuring unit and for detecting a tilt angle with respect to the horizontal of the measuring unit, a coordinates acquiring unit for detecting a position of the surveying instrument and an arithmetic processing unit, wherein a first image of the object to be measured is acquired by the image pickup unit from a first position where coordinates of the first position are acquired by the coordinates acquiring unit, a second iType: GrantFiled: November 3, 2016Date of Patent: May 7, 2019Assignee: TOPCON CorporationInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Hitoshi Otani, Tetsuji Anai
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Patent number: 10198632Abstract: The efficiency of the work for identifying reference points that are included in photographed images is improved. Targets are located and are photographed from short distances, and the positions of the targets are measured. A 3D reference point model is generated by using the measured positions of the targets as apexes. Then, the positions of the targets that are detected from images taken by a UAV from the air are calculated from a three-dimensional model that are generated by the principle of the stereoscopic three-dimensional measurement, whereby a 3D relative model constituted of a TIN is obtained. After a matching relationship between the 3D reference point model and the 3D relative model is identified, the positions of the targets in the 3D relative model are estimated based on the identified matching relationship, and the positions of the reference points in the images taken from the UAV are estimated.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2016Date of Patent: February 5, 2019Assignee: TOPCON CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi Sasaki, Tetsuji Anai, Hitoshi Otani, Nobuo Kochi
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Patent number: 10088332Abstract: A flying vehicle has a retro-reflector, a position measuring instrument has a non-prism measurement function for performing a distance measurement and an angle measurement in non-prism and a prism measurement function for performing the distance measurement and the angle measurement with respect to the retro-reflector, a control device is adapted to have a flight range as set within a flat plane, to prepare an approximate flight plan having a two-dimensional approximate flying route as set within the flight range, to measure the approximate flying route by the non-prism measurement, to calculate a three-dimensional detailed flying route based on the measurement results and the approximate flying route, to prepare a detailed flight plan including the detailed flying route and to control the flying vehicle so as to fly in maintaining a distance between the flying vehicle system and a surface of the object to be measured at a constant value based on the detailed flight plan and a result of the prism measurement.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2017Date of Patent: October 2, 2018Assignee: TOPCON CorporationInventors: Hitoshi Otani, Daisuke Sasaki, Nobuyuki Fukaya, Takeshi Sasaki
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Patent number: 9958268Abstract: The invention provides a surveying system comprising a total station installed at a known point and having a tracking function, at least one movable measuring device having a prism for retro-reflecting a distance measuring light and a tracking light projected from the total station and capable of moving and of performing three-dimensional measurement on an object to be measured and an arithmetic control part, wherein the movable measuring device has an auxiliary measuring unit capable of measuring a distance and an angle of the object to be measured and an attitude detector capable of detecting a measuring direction, a tilting and a tilting direction of the movable measuring device, wherein the movable measuring device performs three-dimensional measurement on the object to be measured with reference to direction of the total station based on the measurement result of the auxiliary measuring unit and on the detection result of the attitude detector at an arbitrary measurement position as being sighted from thType: GrantFiled: October 20, 2014Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Hitoshi Otani, Kazuki Osaragi
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Publication number: 20180023974Abstract: A flying vehicle has a retro-reflector, a position measuring instrument has a non-prism measurement function for performing a distance measurement and an angle measurement in non-prism and a prism measurement function for performing the distance measurement and the angle measurement with respect to the retro-reflector, a control device is adapted to have a flight range as set within a flat plane, to prepare an approximate flight plan having a two-dimensional approximate flying route as set within the flight range, to measure the approximate flying route by the non-prism measurement, to calculate a three-dimensional detailed flying route based on the measurement results and the approximate flying route, to prepare a detailed flight plan including the detailed flying route and to control the flying vehicle so as to fly in maintaining a distance between the flying vehicle system and a surface of the object to be measured at a constant value based on the detailed flight plan and a result of the prism measurement.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2017Publication date: January 25, 2018Inventors: Hitoshi Otani, Daisuke Sasaki, Nobuyuki Fukaya, Takeshi Sasaki
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Patent number: 9829315Abstract: An omnidirectional image measuring instrument includes a horizontal rotary table, a horizontal rotary driving unit capable of rotating the horizontal rotary table, an electronic distance meter (EDM) device and an image pickup device provided on the horizontal rotary table, and a control device for synchronously controlling a distance measurement by the EDM device and an image pickup by the image pickup device.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2012Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Tadayuki Ito, Kazuki Osaragi
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Patent number: 9773420Abstract: The invention provides a measuring system comprising a remotely controllable flying vehicle system with a GPS device and a measuring device installed thereon, a position measuring device installed at an arbitrary position and able to measure distance and angle and to track, a ground base station for controlling a flight of a flying vehicle, a remote controller able to give and take data to and from the ground base station and able to perform wireless communication to and from the flying vehicle system, and a control unit provided on the flying vehicle system or the ground base station, and either one of the control units are configured to obtain an absolute coordinate or GPS coordinate of the installation point of the position measuring device based on the GPS coordinates of the two points and based on distance measurement results and on angle measurement results by the position measuring device.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2015Date of Patent: September 26, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Kazuki Osaragi, Hitoshi Otani
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Publication number: 20170248948Abstract: The invention provides a flying vehicle tracking method, which comprises an optical tracking in which a tracking light is projected to a retro-reflector of a flying vehicle with the retro-reflector, the tracking light is received, and a tracking of the flying vehicle is performed based on a light receiving result, and an image tracking in which an image of the flying vehicle is acquired, the flying vehicle is detected from the image, and the tracking of the flying vehicle is performed based on a detection result, wherein the optical tracking and the image tracking are executed in parallel with each other, and in a case where the flying vehicle cannot be tracked by the optical tracking, the optical tracking is returned based on the detection result of the image tracking.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2017Publication date: August 31, 2017Inventors: Hitoshi Otani, Daisuke Sasaki, Nobuyuki Fukaya, Takeshi Sasaki
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Patent number: 9733080Abstract: The invention provides a wide-angle image pickup unit, comprising at least two cameras (4a and 4b) to take digital images, wherein the two cameras are arranged in such a manner that optical axes (11a and 11b) of the two cameras cross perpendicularly each other on a same plane and images of wide field angle ? with the crossing point O as a center enable to be acquired, and wherein parts of field angles of the two cameras are superimposed on each other and an overlapping portion is formed by the two images superimposed on each other, and stereoscopic measurement can be performed based on the two images of the overlapping portion.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2010Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Hitoshi Otani
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Publication number: 20170131404Abstract: The invention provides a surveying system, which comprises a surveying instrument, wherein the surveying instrument comprises a measuring unit for performing a distance measurement by projecting a distance measuring light toward an object to be measured and by receiving a reflected distance measuring light from the object to be measured, an image pickup unit having an image pickup optical axis running in parallel to a projection optical axis of the distance measuring light and for picking up an image including the object to be measured, an attitude detecting unit provided integrally with the measuring unit and for detecting a tilt angle with respect to the horizontal of the measuring unit, a coordinates acquiring unit for detecting a position of the surveying instrument and an arithmetic processing unit, wherein a first image of the object to be measured is acquired by the image pickup unit from a first position where coordinates of the first position are acquired by the coordinates acquiring unit, a second iType: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2016Publication date: May 11, 2017Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Hitoshi Otani, Tetsuji Anai
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Patent number: 9648304Abstract: A photographing device comprises an image pickup unit to acquire a moving image and a still image of an object, an image pickup control unit, an angle sensor, an image processing unit for extracting characteristic points from a first still image, tracking the characteristic points in the moving image, identifying the characteristic points in a newest image and selecting an orientation point common to the first still image and the newest image, a storage unit, a display unit, and an arithmetic unit. The arithmetic unit performs relative orientation between the first still image and the newest image based on the orientation point and on detection result of the angle sensor, obtains a distance H to the object and a distance B between points where the images have been photographed and performs guidance display where still images can be acquired sequentially when the B/H value reaches a predetermined value or higher.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2013Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Tetsuji Anai, Kaoru Kumagai
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Patent number: 9609282Abstract: The invention provides a camera for photogrammetry, which comprises a shaft 11 tiltably supported in any direction via a gimbal 14, a GPS device having a GPS antenna 12 installed on an upper end of said shaft, and a photographic device main unit 13 installed on a lower end of said shaft, wherein optical axis of said photographic device main unit is designed so as to direct in vertical and downward direction, said photographic device main unit has an image pickup unit 24 installed in a known relation with said GPS antenna and a control device for controlling image pickup of said image pickup unit, and said control device 19 controls said image pickup unit so that still image is acquired by the image pickup unit, and an image pickup position at the time of image pickup is obtained by said GPS device.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2013Date of Patent: March 28, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Kazuki Osaragi, Mitsuharu Yamada
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Patent number: 9544575Abstract: An image acquiring device comprises a first camera 14 for acquiring video images, consisting of frame images continuous in time series, a second camera 15 being in a known relation with the first camera and used for acquiring two or more optical spectral images of an object to be measured, and an image pickup control device 21, and in the image acquiring device, the image pickup control device is configured to extract two or more feature points from one of the frame images, to sequentially specify the feature points in the frame images continuous in time series, to perform image matching between the frame images regarding the frame images corresponding to the two or more optical spectral images based on the feature points, and to synthesize the two or more optical spectral images according to the condition obtained by the image matching.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2012Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Masayuki Momiuchi, Kazuki Osaragi
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Patent number: 9541495Abstract: An image pickup device, which comprises an optical characteristics changing unit (15), an optical system (45) containing an objective lens (47) and for leading a light from the objective lens to the optical characteristics changing unit, and an image pickup element (52) for receiving a light via the optical characteristics changing unit, wherein the optical characteristics changing unit has two or more dividing units, and has a configuration where one of the dividing units is selectively disposed along an optical path, and the dividing unit has a first region to select a specific wavelength from the light coming from the optical system and a second region where optical characteristics of the light from the optical system are not changed.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2012Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Masayuki Momiuchi, Kazuki Osaragi
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Publication number: 20170004345Abstract: The efficiency of the work for identifying reference points that are included in photographed images is improved. Targets are located and are photographed from short distances, and the positions of the targets are measured. A 3D reference point model is generated by using the measured positions of the targets as apexes. Then, the positions of the targets that are detected from images taken by a UAV from the air are calculated from a three-dimensional model that are generated by the principle of the stereoscopic three-dimensional measurement, whereby a 3D relative model constituted of a TIN is obtained. After a matching relationship between the 3D reference point model and the 3D relative model is identified, the positions of the targets in the 3D relative model are estimated based on the identified matching relationship, and the positions of the reference points in the images taken from the UAV are estimated.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2016Publication date: January 5, 2017Applicant: TOPCON CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi SASAKI, Tetsuji ANAI, Hitoshi OTANI, Nobuo KOCHI
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Patent number: 9409656Abstract: An aerial photographing system, comprising a flying vehicle being remotely controlled, a camera (7, 8) tiltably supported in any direction via a gimbal (25), a retro-reflector (9) tilting integrally with the camera, being set in a known relation with the camera and used as an object to be measured, and a total station (3) for tracking the retro-reflector and for measuring position of the retro-reflector.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2014Date of Patent: August 9, 2016Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Kazuki Osaragi, Tetsuji Anai
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Publication number: 20160227197Abstract: An image acquiring device comprises a first camera 14 for acquiring video images, consisting of frame images continuous in time series, a second camera 15 being in a known relation with the first camera and used for acquiring two or more optical spectral images of an object to be measured, and an image pickup control device 21, and in the image acquiring device, the image pickup control device is configured to extract two or more feature points from one of the frame images, to sequentially specify the feature points in the frame images continuous in time series, to perform image matching between the frame images regarding the frame images corresponding to the two or more optical spectral images based on the feature points, and to synthesize the two or more optical spectral images according to the condition obtained by the image matching.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 8, 2016Publication date: August 4, 2016Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Hitoshi Otani, Masayuki Momiuchi, Kazuki Osaragi
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Patent number: 9369697Abstract: A measuring instrument comprises an spherical camera (8) for acquiring image data over total circumference, a laser scanner (6, 7) installed integrally with the spherical camera and for acquiring point cloud data of the surroundings, a synchronous control unit (9) for controlling acquisition of data of the spherical camera and the laser scanner, a storage unit (12) for recording the image data and the point cloud data, an absolute scale acquiring means for acquiring an absolute scale for obtaining an absolute position of when images are photographed by the spherical camera, and a control arithmetic unit (10), wherein the control arithmetic unit calculates a 3D model based on the image data, the point cloud data, and the absolute position.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2014Date of Patent: June 14, 2016Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Hitoshi Otani, Naoto Kasori, You Sasaki, Jun Sasagawa, Nobuyuki Fukaya