Patent Document ID: 8897482
Application ID: 12363693
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for determining coordinates of a target in relation to a surveying instrument having a first horizontal axis extending along a line of sight that is perpendicular to both a second horizontal axis and a vertical axis, the first horizontal axis, the second horizontal axis, and the vertical axis intersecting at a rotation center of the surveying instrument, the method comprising: determining coordinates of the surveying instrument using one or more GNSS signals, wherein the surveying instrument includes a camera having a projection center positioned eccentric to the rotation center of the surveying instrument; positioning the camera in a first camera position and orientation; capturing a first image using the camera in the first camera position and orientation; identifying, in the first image, an object point associated with the target; measuring first image coordinates of the object point in the first image; rotating the surveying instrument by about 180° around the second horizontal axis and by about 180° around the vertical axis in order to position the camera in a second camera position and orientation; capturing a second image using the camera in the second camera position and orientation, the rotation center of the surveying instrument being at substantially the same location during capture of both the first image and the second image, and an optical axis of the camera at the first camera position and orientation being substantially parallel to the optical axis of the camera at the second camera position and orientation; identifying, in the second image, the object point identified in the first image; measuring second image coordinates of the object point in the second image; and determining the coordinates of the target in relation to the surveying instrument based on the coordinates of the surveying instrument, the first image coordinates, and the second image coordinates.