Patents by Inventor Kaoru Kumagai

Kaoru Kumagai 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: 8224030
    Abstract: The present invention provides a position measuring instrument, comprising a GPS position detecting device 7, an image pickup device 9 for continuously taking a digital image, a laser distance measuring device 8, and a measuring instrument main unit 2, wherein the GPS position detecting device measures positional data at a first point and a second point, the image pickup device continuously takes digital images on sceneries in surroundings during a process where the image pickup device moves from the first point, which is a known point, via the second point to a third point, which is an unknown point, the laser distance measuring device measures a distance to the object of image pickup in parallel to the image pickup by the image pickup device, and the measuring instrument main unit generates tracking point from the image obtained at the first point, sequentially identifies the tracking points from the tracing of points generated on the images to be acquired continuously, calculates three-dimensional position
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Hitoshi Otani, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Publication number: 20120162360
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Hitoshi Otani
  • Publication number: 20120162376
    Abstract: The invention provides a three-dimensional data preparing method, using image pickup units 8a and 8b to take an image of scenery in the surroundings and to acquire digital image data, comprising a step of continuously taking images of scenery in the surroundings by the image pickup unit while moving, a step of acquiring the images taken at predetermined time interval as images for measurement, a step of extracting a landmark from the image for measurement through pattern recognition by using the landmark as a template, a step of carrying out a matching of two adjacent images for measurement as time passes, and a step of obtaining three-dimensional coordinates of a point to take the image for measurement based on three-dimensional coordinates of a landmark of the image for measurement where three-dimensional coordinates of the landmark included at least in the first one image for measurement is already known.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Hitoshi Otani
  • Patent number: 8184267
    Abstract: The present invention provides a surveying instrument provided with a tracking function, said surveying instrument comprising a first image pickup means 40 with a first solid image pickup element 33, a second image pickup means 37 with a second solid image pickup element 19, an image pickup control instrument for controlling image pickup conditions of said first image pickup means and said second image pickup means, and a control unit for controlling the tracking operation of a target 36 based on a target image signal obtained at the first solid image pickup element or based on a target image signal obtained at the second solid image pickup element, wherein the first image pickup means can acquire an image in wider range by said second image pickup means, and wherein the image pickup control instrument controls so that a target image is acquired by the first image pickup means when the target image is out of a photodetection range of the target of the second solid image pickup element and controls so that the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Masahiro Saito
  • Publication number: 20120105824
    Abstract: A laser surveying instrument comprising a light source unit having two or more light emission sources for emitting pulsed distance measuring lights with different wavelengths, a light projecting unit for projecting the pulsed distance measuring lights with the two or more wavelengths on an optical axis, and a deflection member provided on the optical axis, is disclosed. The deflection member has two or more reflection surfaces which reflect each wavelength of the pulsed distance measuring lights independently, thereby dividing the pulsed distance measuring lights for every wavelength, and deflecting each of the distance measuring lights toward an object to be measured. The instrument comprises a single photodetection element for receiving reflected distance measuring lights from the object to be measured. In the laser surveying instrument, a measurement of distance is performed for every pulsed distance measuring light based on a photodetection signal produced by the photodetection element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Patent number: 8151474
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a surveying system, comprising a rotary laser irradiation device 1 installed at a known point and used for projecting two or more fan-shaped laser beams 3 with at least one of the fan-shaped laser beams tilted and for forming a laser reference plane, a photodetection device 4, which is mounted on a mobile support member 9, for receiving the laser beam and for calculating an elevation angle at a photodetecting position, and a monitor photodetection device 11 installed at a known position within the laser reference plane, wherein the monitor photodetection device has a monitor photodetection sensor for sensing and detecting the laser beam, a storage unit for storing a reference value of the laser reference plane, an arithmetic control unit for calculating positional changes over time of the laser reference plane based on the result of photodetection by the monitor photodetection sensor and on the reference value, and a transmitting unit for transmitting the positional changes ov
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Kunihiro Hayashi, Fumihiko Kamizono
  • Publication number: 20120057021
    Abstract: The invention provides a measuring device, comprising a distance measuring unit 8 for performing distance measurement on a measuring point by projecting a distance measuring light and by receiving a reflected distance measuring light from the measuring point, an image pickup unit 7 for acquiring a digital image of a measurement range, a distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit 16 for deflecting a distance measuring optical axis of the distance measuring light, an angle measuring unit 9 for measuring an angle of the distance measuring optical axis, an image processing unit 14 for extracting the measuring point through image processing of the digital image, and a control arithmetic unit 21, wherein the control arithmetic unit detects an angle of the measuring point on the digital image, controls the distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit based on the detected angle, directs the distance measuring optical axis toward the measuring point one after another and measures a distance to the measuring p
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Fumio Ohtomo
  • Publication number: 20120013917
    Abstract: The present invention provides a measuring device, comprising a light source unit 2 for projecting a pulsed distance measuring light 10 toward an object to be measured, a projecting light optical system 3 for projecting the pulsed distance measuring light emitted from the light source unit on the object to be measured, a light receiving optical system 4 for receiving a reflected pulsed distance measuring light 10? from the object to be measured, a light receiving part 6 having a single photodetector 12 for detecting the reflected pulsed distance measuring light as received, and a control unit 7 for measuring a distance by measuring time from light emission of the pulsed distance measuring light to receipt of the reflected pulsed distance measuring light based on a detection signal from the photodetector, wherein the light source unit has a plurality of light emitting sources 8 arranged in a known relation with respect to an optical axis of the projecting light optical system, and a driving unit 9 for driving
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Patent number: 8077293
    Abstract: The present invention provides a surveying device, which comprises rotators 53, 56 and 61 for deflecting a distance measuring light in horizontal direction and for projecting the distance measuring light in rotary irradiation, at least one extension member 62 for increasing a spreading angle in vertical direction of the distance measuring light, and a means for attaching or detaching the extension member so that the extension member can be inserted and removed to or from a distance measuring optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Kunihiro Hayashi, Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Publication number: 20110261368
    Abstract: The invention provides a laser scanner 1 for performing multi-point measurement by projecting a pulsed beam 12 over total circumference for scanning, comprising a main unit 3 and a rotating unit 4 rotatably mounted on the main unit, wherein the rotating unit has a deflection member 15 for projecting the pulsed beams by deflecting the beams perpendicularly to center axis of the rotating unit, the main unit comprises a plurality of light emitting sources 11 disposed in two-dimensional positions and used for emitting a plurality of pulsed beams, an optical system 6 for projecting and receiving the pulsed beams, a rotation angle detecting unit 19 for detecting a horizontal rotation angle of the rotating unit, a plurality of photodetectors 8 for receiving a reflection light 12? from an object via the deflection member and being disposed respectively at positions conjugate to the light emitting sources, a distance measuring unit 9 for measuring a distance based on a photodetection signal from the photodetector, and
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai, Minoru Chiba
  • Patent number: 7982665
    Abstract: The present invention provides a GPS-installed all-azimuth camera, comprising at least a pair of GPS antennas (29a and 29b) disposed on up and down in parallel to each other, a plurality of cameras (28a-28f) which are disposed on a plane running in parallel to the GPS antennas and are capable of obtaining images in all azimuths, and a case (27) for accommodating the cameras and the GPS antennas, wherein a reference position of the GPS antennas is concurred with an image reference position of the cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Fumio Ohtomo
  • Publication number: 20110169948
    Abstract: An electro-optical distance measuring device having a photodetection unit comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a predetermined arrangement is disclosed. A signal processing unit has a storage unit for storing the detection result in correspondence with each of the pixels, wherein the signal processing control unit sequentially changes a position of the division for every cycle wave at which the photodetection amount is detected and continues detections until a detected range becomes at least one cycle or more. The arithmetic processing unit calculates a waveform for at least one cycle stored in the storage unit for each pixel, obtains a phase difference of the waveform with respect to the irradiated distance measuring light, and calculates the distance based on the phase difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2011
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Publication number: 20110158475
    Abstract: The present invention provides a position measuring instrument, comprising a GPS position detecting device 7, an image pickup device 9 for continuously taking a digital image, a laser distance measuring device 8, and a measuring instrument main unit 2, wherein the GPS position detecting device measures positional data at a first point and a second point, the image pickup device continuously takes digital images on sceneries in surroundings during a process where the image pickup device moves from the first point, which is a known point, via the second point to a third point, which is an unknown point, the laser distance measuring device measures a distance to the object of image pickup in parallel to the image pickup by the image pickup device, and the measuring instrument main unit generates tracking point from the image obtained at the first point, sequentially identifies the tracking points from the tracing of points generated on the images to be acquired continuously, calculates three-dimensional position
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON
    Inventors: Hitoshi Otani, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Patent number: 7965383
    Abstract: The present invention provides a surveying device, which comprises a light source for emitting a distance measuring light 6, an elevation rotary mirror 56 for deflecting said distance measuring light in a direction toward an object to be measured, a high-speed deflection mirror 62 for deflecting said distance measuring light at a speed higher than said elevation rotary mirror, a distance measuring light projecting unit for projecting said distance measuring light, and an arithmetic control unit for controlling driving of said high-speed deflection mirror and said elevation rotary mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Kunihiro Hayashi, Fumio Ohtomo, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Patent number: 7916279
    Abstract: A measuring system includes a measuring apparatus provided at an already-known point, a plurality of light-receiving apparatuses provided at measured points, and a main calculating apparatus for instructing to the measuring apparatus and to the light-receiving apparatus, the measuring apparatuses including a wireless communication section for communicating a measurement data with the light-receiving apparatus or with the main calculating apparatus, wherein the measurement data includes an angle detected by the emission-direction detecting section and a distance measured by the distance-measuring section, the light-receiving apparatus including a light-receiving side wireless communication section communicating the measurement data of the measured point with the measuring apparatus or with the main calculating section, the main calculating sections including a main memory collecting and storing the measurement data which is measured by the measuring apparatus and by the plurality of light-receiving apparatuses
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Hajime Shinozaki, Kaoru Kumagai
  • Patent number: 7910876
    Abstract: A plant sensor includes a light source section having first and second light emitters configured to irradiate first and second measuring light toward an object to be measured, respectively, and a light receiver configured to receive reflected light from the object to be measured, and output light-receiving signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Shugo Akiyama
  • Patent number: 7884923
    Abstract: A laser surveying system, comprising a light source for emitting a laser beam, a projection optical system for turning the laser beam from the light source to a parallel luminous flux, a scanning unit for projecting the luminous flux of the projected laser beam for scanning, a scanning direction detecting unit for detecting a scanning direction, a photodetection optical system for receiving a reflected light of the projected laser beam from an object to be measured, a photodetection element for performing photo-electric conversion of the reflected light received via the photodetection optical system, and a distance measuring unit for measuring a distance based on a signal from the photodetection element, wherein the projection optical system has a luminous flux diameter changing means, and a luminous flux diameter of the projected laser beam is enabled to be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Kenichiro Yoshino, Yasushi Tanaka, Ikuo Ishinabe
  • Patent number: 7861423
    Abstract: A surveying instrument for measuring three-dimensional position of a measured object, has a detecting section for detecting a direction of the measured object by rotational emission of two or more fan-shaped laser beams in which at least one beam is inclined; an optical system including a tracking-light-emitting section for emitting a tracking light and a distance-measuring-light-emitting section for emitting a distance-measuring light; a tracking-light-receiving section for receiving the tracking light reflected by the measured object; and a driving section for driving the optical system in order to collimate the measured object according to an output of the detecting section and an output of the tracking-light-receiving section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Fumihiko Kamizono
  • Publication number: 20100229409
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a surveying system, comprising a rotary laser irradiation device 1 installed at a known point and used for projecting two or more fan-shaped laser beams 3 with at least one of the fan-shaped laser beams tilted and for forming a laser reference plane, a photodetection device 4, which is mounted on a mobile support member 9, for receiving the laser beam and for calculating an elevation angle at a photodetecting position, and a monitor photodetection device 11 installed at a known position within the laser reference plane, wherein the monitor photodetection device has a monitor photodetection sensor for sensing and detecting the laser beam, a storage unit for storing a reference value of the laser reference plane, an arithmetic control unit for calculating positional changes over time of the laser reference plane based on the result of photodetection by the monitor photodetection sensor and on the reference value, and a transmitting unit for transmitting the positional changes ov
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Kunihiro Hayashi, Fumihiko Kamizono
  • Patent number: 7788062
    Abstract: A three-dimensional position-measuring apparatus comprises a body, a rotational optical portion rotatable with respect to the body in a horizontal direction and comprising a reflective plate in which deflection in a vertical direction is controllable, a first data transmitting and receiving portion arranged in the body and comprising a first coil which has a rotational axis of the rotational optical portion as an axis, and a second data transmitting and receiving portion arranged in the rotational optical portion and comprising a second coil that has the same axis as that of the first coil and magnetically couples with the first coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Kenichiro Yoshino, Kaoru Kumagai