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Electronic Distance Measurement

Electronic distance measurement (EDM) instruments measure distances by determining the number of full and partial waves of transmitted electromagnetic energy required to travel between two points. The first EDM instrument was introduced in 1948 and transmitted visible light over distances up to 25 miles. A second model from 1957 transmitted microwaves over distances up to 50 miles. Modern EDM instruments are combined with digital theodolites and microprocessors in total station instruments, which can simultaneously and automatically observe both distances and angles in real time.

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223 views

Electronic Distance Measurement

Electronic distance measurement (EDM) instruments measure distances by determining the number of full and partial waves of transmitted electromagnetic energy required to travel between two points. The first EDM instrument was introduced in 1948 and transmitted visible light over distances up to 25 miles. A second model from 1957 transmitted microwaves over distances up to 50 miles. Modern EDM instruments are combined with digital theodolites and microprocessors in total station instruments, which can simultaneously and automatically observe both distances and angles in real time.

Uploaded by

ArvindaLall
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Electronic distance measurement

A major advance in surveying instrumentation occurred approximately 60 years ago


with the development of electronic distance measuring (EDM) instruments. These
devices measure lengths by indirectly determining the number of full and partial
waves of transmitted electromagnetic energy required in traveling between the two
ends of a line. In practice, the energy is transmitted from one end6.18 Propagation
of Electromagnetic Energy 149 of the line to the other and returned to the starting
point; thus, it travels the double path distance. Multiplying the total number of
cycles by its wavelength and dividing by 2, yields the unknown distance. The
Swedish physicist Erik Bertrand introduced the first EDM instrument in 1948. His
device, called the geometer (an acronym for geodetic distance meter), resulted
from attempts to improve methods for measuring the velocity of light. The
instrument transmitted visible light and was capable of accurately observing
distances up to about 25 mi (40 km) at night. In 1957, a second EDM apparatus, the
tellurometer, was introduced. Designed in South Africa by Dry T. Wadley, this
instrument transmitted microwaves, and was capable of observing distances up to
50 mi (80 km) or more, day or night. The potential value of these early EDM models
to the surveying profession was immediately recognized. However, they were
expensive and not readily portable for field operations. Furthermore, observing
procedures were lengthy, and mathematical reductions to obtain distances from
observed values were difficult and time consuming. Continued research and
development have overcome all of these deficiencies. Prior to the introduction of
EDM instruments, taping made accurate distance measurements. Although
seemingly a relatively simple procedure, precise taping is one of the most difficult
and painstaking of all surveying tasks. Now EDM instruments have made it possible
to obtain accurate distance measurements rapidly and easily. Given a line of sight,
long or short lengths can be measured over bodies of water, busy freeways, or
terrain that is inaccessible for taping. In the current generation,EDM instruments are
combined with digital theodolites and microprocessors to produce total station
instruments (see Figures 1.3 and 2.5).These devices can simultaneously and
automatically observe both distances and angles. The microprocessor receives the
measured slope length and zenith (or altitude) angle, calculates horizontal and
vertical distance components, and displays them in real time. When equipped with
data collectors (see Section 2.12), they can record field notes electronically for
transmission to computers, plotters, and other office equipment for processing.
These so-called field-to-finish systems are gaining worldwide acceptance and
changing the practice of surveying substantially.
Propagation of electromagnetic energy
Electronic distance measurement is based on the rate and manner that
electromagnetic energy propagates through the atmosphere. The rate of
propagation can be expressed with the following equation

Where V is the velocity of electromagnetic energy, in meters per second; f the


modulated frequency of the energy, in hertz; and the wavelength, in meters. The
velocity of electromagnetic energy in a vacuum is 299,792,458 m/sec. Its
speed is slowed somewhat in the atmosphere according to the following equation

Where c is the velocity of electromagnetic energy in a vacuum, and in the


atmospheric index of refraction. The value of n varies from about 1.0001 to 1.0005,
depending on pressure and temperature, but is approximately equal to 1.0003.Thus,
accurate electronic distance measurement requires that atmospheric pressure and
temperature be measured so that the appropriate value of n is known. Temperature,
atmospheric pressure, and relative humidity all have an effect on the index of
refraction. Because a light source emits light composed of many wavelengths, and
since each wavelength has a different index of refraction, the group of waves has a
group index of refraction

Principles of EDM
In Section 6.17, it was stated that distances are observed electronically by
determining the number of full and partial waves of transmitted
electromagnetic energy that are required in traveling the distance between the two
ends of a line.In other words, this process involves determining the number of
wavelengths in an unknown distance.Then, knowing the precise length of the wave,
the distance canbe determined. This is similar to relating an unknown distance to
the calibrated length of a steel tape. The procedure of measuring a distance
electronically is depicted in Figure 6.9, where an EDM device has been centered
over station A by means of a plumb bob or optical plumbing device. The instrument
transmits a carrier signal of electromagnetic energy to station B. A reference

frequency of a precisely regulated wavelength has been superimposed or


modulated onto the carrier. A reflector at B returns the signal to the receiver, so its
travel path is double the slope distance AB. In the figure, the modulated
electromagnetic energy is represented by a series of sine waves, each having
wavelength The unit at A determines the number of wavelengths in the double
path, multiplied by the wavelength in feet or meters, and divided by 2 to obtain
distance AB. Of course, it would be highly unusual if a measured distance was
exactly an integral number of wavelengths, as illustrated in Figure 6.9. Rather, some
fractional part of a wavelength would in general be expected; for example, the
partial

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