trimble robotic total station field maintenance · 4/10/2015 1 trimble robotic total station field...

4/10/2015

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Trimble Robotic Total Station Field Maintenance

Steve RichterFrontier Precision, Inc. – St. Cloud, MN

• Transport

• Hard field handling

• Vibration & shock from construction equipment

• Extreme temperature changes

• Windy, rainy, snowy weather

• Equipment Accessories

IntroductionWhat happens to your robot that can have an

effect on your accuracy?

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• Instrument care and maintenance

• Understand and improve your radio link

• Check of electronic level

• Check & adjust tribrach bubble

• Check telescope for single face measurement

• Check Tracker vs. Optics

• Check & Adjust optical plumb in S-series instrument

• SurePoint, how it works

Session Agenda/Objectives

• Temperature Effects

Extreme temperature changes

– Let the instrument acclimate

– Shielding from the sun

• Wind

Do not collimate on windy days

• Tripod settlement

Let angles settle before collimation

Natural Errors

• Sufficient time for acclimation

Approx 1.2 minutes for every 1° F

• Example…

77°F transport temp.

23°F outside temp.

65 min. acclimation time

Instrument Acclimation

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• Transportation

• Do not transport in case without the tribrach

• Manufacturer’s recommendedminimum annual service calibrations

• Field collimation

• Different from a Calibration

• Before the start of large projects

• AT LEAST once every quarter

• Tracker Collimation once per month

• Large temperature changes

Instrument Use & Care

Robotic Radios: How they work

Antenna Angled Vertically

• Robotic radios are line-of-sight

• Always ensure you can see the instrument to maintain your radio link


Radio ShadowNo Signal

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Top View of Antenna

Signal in all directions


NO SIGNAL

NO SIGNAL

• Level the instrument

• Note the Trunnion and Sighting values

• Turn the instrument about 180 degrees

Start position

Checking the Electronic Level

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Data should be the same but with different signs

180 degreesStart position


Note, if TCU is attached to the instrument it will give 50cc difference, but that is expected.

If you get different values, how will that affect the result?

Difference @ 320 ft

8 seconds 0.007 feet

Difference @160 ft

24 seconds 0.01 feet


It is very important that the instrument have been powered up for

about 3 minutes before you start the calibration procedure.

This is to get the compensator warmed up.

Calibrate the Electronic Level

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Calibrate the Electronic Level

It is an automated process that takes just about 1 minute to complete.

AS EASY AS….

ONE

TWO

THREE

Robot level bubble in face 2 display:

The level bubble in the face 2 display has different options depending on what you want to see.

Default start-up display:

Default display has a scale of 1:250 of the bubble.

Level Bubble in Face 2 Display

Change scale:With a short press on the middle key (↓) it is possible to changethe scale of the bubble, from 1:250 to 1:100, 1:10 or 1:1. In the lastoption 1:1 it is very sensitive! In the top left corner the currentscale is displayed.


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Digital info:With a long press on the middle key (↓) it is possible to show digitalinfo instead.


Why should I use this?

There is no need to level the instrument better than the first display 1:250, the compensator takes care of the minor miss leveling that might still be there.

It is much more important to calibrate the compensator regularly!

However some users still want to level the instrument very accurately, which is why these options exist.

Once your S Series robot is digitally leveled, check adjust the level bubble in the tribrach.

Adjust the Tribrach Bubble

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Adjust the Tribrach Bubble

How to check manual aiming accuracy in single face measurement• Step 1: aim towards a target

Optics Check

Step 2

Change face

If it looks like this it is time to collimate

Optics Check

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Step 3: Calibrate if needed

Optics Check

Note: The Target must be at least 100 meters from your total station for line of sight collimation.

Step 3: Two Collimations• Line of Sight Collimation

• Vertical Angle Collimation

Optics Check

Note: The Target must be at least 100 meters from your total station for Line of Sight collimation.

Step 3: Line of Sight Collimation• Measure target minimum 3x

• Change Face and repeat to same target

Optics Check

Note: The Target must be at least 100 meters from your total station for Line of Sight collimation.

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Step 3: Vertical Angle Collimation• Measure target minimum 3x

• Change Face and repeat to same target

Optics Check

Step 3: Vertical Angle Collimation• Target must be 15° above or below 90°

Optics Check

Step 3: Check Collimation Results

Optics Check

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Difference between aiming Manually (left) and with Autolock (right).

Manual aiming Tracker aiming

How to check aiming:Optical vs. Tracker

• Coaxial optical path

• Coaxial tracker transmitter

• Coaxial tracker detector

Telescope Overview

Step 1: Aim to prism with Tracker (Autolock) disabled

Optical vs. Tracker Check

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• You can also check the HA and VA angles In Survey Basic mode and se the HA angle to Zero.

Step 2: Enable the Tracker (Autolock):



• Compare HA and VA with data from the Autolock measurement

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Step 3: Collimate if neededNote’s: • This is an automated adjustment.

Access will notify you when the process is complete.

• Use your Tracking Prism for this collimation.

• Prism must be 100m away from instrument, leveled up over flat ground.

• When the adjustment is finished, re-do Steps 1 & 2 to check the results.

• Important to understand how it works• Target ID’s

• Set on Prism• Same Setting in Trimble Access

• Diodes and glass• Tracking options in Trimble Access

• Passive vs. Active

• Proper use and care• Diodes Pressed In• When measuring Point to TS

• Getting the most accuracy

Getting the most out of your MultiTrack Prism:

ActiveTrack 360 Target

• Designed for robotic surveying with Trimble S3, S6, S8 and VX Total Stations

• 8 Channel ID’s• Lighter & More Accurate

than MultiTrack• Repairable by our Service

Centers• Active Tracking Only

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Laser adjustment plate

Aim to a Laser adjustment plate

Laser Pointer Adjustment


Laser adjustment plate

Make sure you refit the plugs in the holes correctly when you are done! Internal instrument damage can result.

Bad! Correct!!(will be a small dimple in the middle)


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Trimble S-series instruments are equipped with a built-in optical plumb. The benefit is that it is possible to quickly check how well adjusted the optical plumb is anywhere, and before you start to do a known station with high accuracy demand.

Checking & Adjusting the Built-in Optical Plumb


Step 1: have a stable visible mark on the ground.


Step 2:

Set the instrument up on a tripod so you get about 1.5 m (5 ft) instrument height. Then level the instrument over the reference point as you normally would. Here is a perfectly aimed cross-hair when looking through the optical plumb after the set-up. However you have no idea if it is good or not, it just might look good.

1,5m(5 ft)

~ 1,5m(5 ft)

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Step 3:

Now turn the instrument about 180 degrees.

Look through the optical plumb again. If it still points correctly the optical plumb is perfectly aligned, but if it looks like the picture below it is time to adjust the optical plumb.


Step 4: Find the tools needed.

In the instrument case, there is a tool kit to be used, for this adjustment it is the two smaller hex keys (the other larger hex key is to adjust the tribrachbubble).


Step 5: Adjusting the optical plumb “horizontally”

Now we are coming to the critical part, BE CAREFUL, do not over-tighten any screws.

To start, place the two tools as shown in the picture below.


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Which screw to start with?

In this example the cross-hair needs to be adjusted to the right. To start, release the right screw counter clockwise, then turn the screw on the left side clockwise to adjust the optical plumb to the right. Only adjust it half the way.

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Counterclockwise

Clockwise


Step 6: Adjusting the optical plumb “vertically”

Do the same as above but now vertically,

In this example the cross-hair needs to be adjusted “down”. To start, release the bottom screw counter clockwise and then the screw in the top

clockwise to adjust the optical plumb down. Only adjust it half the way.


Step 7: Now repeat from step 2 to check or adjust it again until you are happy. Remember to only adjust half the distance.

~1,5m(5 ft)


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To get a feeling for how big or little the error is, the bigger circle represents about a 5mm (0.2 inch) radius, and the smaller inner circle is about a 2.5 mm (0.1 inch) radius.

5 mm 0.2 inch


Tribrachs with optical plummets cannot use this adjustment method. It isrecommended they are calibrated by a service provider.

Make sure the instrument is seated properly in the tribrach and locked inplace before use!

Tribrach with Optical Plumb

• General rule, each year or after 3000h (about 8h/day 365days)

• Optical alignment of EDM and Tracker

• Calibration of EDM

• Calibration of servo and angle system

• Servo focus calibration and check

• Camera (Video) calibration

• Updates according to Service Bulletins

• Greasing of moving parts

• ..etc

What should be done at the service shop?

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Biggest Sources to Bad Measurements

1.) Bad (calibrated) instrument

2.) Poor Tribrach

3.) Poor tripod or instrument set-up (not recommended to use

all fiberglass tripods with S Series Instruments)

• Control loop active all the time• Always turns instrument to the current

reference angle

• Reference angle only changed when• Knobs are turned• Position commands are given• Instrument is turned firmly so that it

enters friction mode

• If instrument is disturbed slightly it will be aimed back at target

• Buttons pushed on instrument• Contact with instrument when looking

through telescope • Wind

SurePoint™

• What happens when you aim at a plumb line and turn the vertical knob?

• Old systems will only turn the vertical motor

• The aim will not follow the plumb line but the horizontal angle will be compensated for this drift

HA: 143.4532

VA: 95.0000VA: 90.0000VA: 85.0000VA: 80.0000VA: 75.0000VA: 70.0000VA: 65.0000VA: 60.0000VA: 55.0000VA: 100.0000VA: 50.0000

HA: 143.4478HA: 143.4431HA: 143.4363HA: 143.4301HA: 143.4268HA: 143.4216HA: 143.4141HA: 143.4097HA: 143.4051HA: 143.4004

Collimation error the old way

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• SurePoint™ will feed the corrections back into the control loop when the vertical knob is turned!

• SurePoint™ will use both motors and make the instrument follow the plumb line

VA: 95.0000VA: 90.0000VA: 85.0000VA: 80.0000VA: 75.0000VA: 70.0000VA: 65.0000VA: 60.0000VA: 55.0000VA: 100.0000VA: 50.0000

HA: 143.4532

Collimation error with SurePoint™

• Compact durable design

• Accurate and reliable

• Low power consumption

• Refresh rate of 6 Hz

• Mounted in the center of the instrument

Tilt Sensor

• Very simple principle

• A light beam is reflected in a liquid surface and the reflection is detected on an area array sensor

Liquid

Prism

Photo sensor

LED

Tilt Sensor

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• Tilt is calculated from the center of gravity of the light distribution on the camera chip

– The figure shows an image from the tilt sensor

– The leaning of the tilt sensor is proportional to the movement of the center of mass of the light distribution

Tilt Sensor

• Tilt change makes the aim drift off target

• The angles are compensated

• Angles will be correct but the instrument will not aim at target

HA: 234.5434 VA: 97.8320HA: 234.5434 VA: 97.8461HA: 234.5434 VA: 97.8603HA: 234.5434 VA: 97.8789HA: 234.5434 VA: 97.8975

Tilt compensation the old way

• Tilt change makes the aim drift off target

• SurePoint™ corrects the position back on to the target

HA: 234.5434 VA: 97.8320

Tilt compensation with SurePoint™

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• Recent News from Trimble….

• End of Life Announcement April 1st.

• What does this mean?

• Parts Availability Limited

• Still can service

Trimble 5600

• Check your instruments regularly

• Field checks are necessary when working with Autolock or Robotic Total Stations

• Instruments should be calibrated annually via Service Provider

• Robotic trackers need to be field collimated regularly

• Regular maintenance will go a long way in maintaining the accuracy of your instruments

Summary

trimble robotic total station field maintenance · 4/10/2015 1 trimble robotic total station field...

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