IMPROVED SURVEYING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CAPTURING AND GEOREFERENCING POINT CLOUDS

摘要

A spherical reference target enclosure is provided for use in conjunction witha wireless positioningsystem, such as a satellite-based positioning system, and a 3D scanner. Thespherical reference targetis adapted to enclose a GPS receiver such that the location of the phasecenter of the GPS receiver'santenna precisely coincides with the center of the spherical reference target.Constructed of a materialthat both reflects incident laser beams and does not interfere with the GPSperformance, the sphericalreference target enclosure allows for increased precision and efficiency inregistering, within the Earth'scoordinate system, data sets collected by the 3D scanner. The sphericalreference target enclosure canbe used to modify and augment the capabilities of existing surveying systemsat low cost. A sphericalreference target containing an integral GPS receiver is also provided. Amethod is provided for operatingthe spherical reference target and increasing precision and efficiency of asurveying task. A method isprovided for conducting surveying using a movable vehicle and a sphericalreference target.