Data Collector: Input of real-time total station data

The Data Collector module connects to a total station device, such as a Trimble S Series Total Station, and measures given target points in scheduled rounds.

Use this module to specify the site setup based on backsight points, to perform reference measurements, followed by repeated round measurements in the total station Long Range Finelock™, Finelock™, or Autolock™ mode. For the control of the total station it uses Business Partner Platform (BPP) and Trimble optical position communication components. The module stores the raw measurements in the central technical database.

Note - Trimble recommends to use Data Collector for measuring targets with distances of more than 20 m.

Adding the module

The Data Collector module is available from the Instrument Manager module. Trimble 4D Control Server accepts multiple Data Collector modules for the whole system.

Note - While one Controller can host an unlimited number of Data Collector modules, there is a restriction to the number of active connections to total stations running simultaneously. For each Controller (that is, computer in the system), up to ten total stations with active connections can measure at the same time, though only five of them can send their data using a radio connection. When an additional Data Collector is scheduled to start a measurement, a warning will indicate the exceedance of this limit.

When the module is being added, the Data Collector Properties dialog appears. It lets you define and select module configurations. Each configuration holds information on a total station site; that is the total station and the connection to it, its location, selection of target points, measurement settings and alarming thresholds. You may remove a configuration from here, if you do not need it anymore. You may change the settings of the selected Data Collector configuration at any time.

Tip - Before adding a Data Collector module to the module-tree of Trimble 4D Control Server, make sure that the data transmission between total station and the control center computer is working without problems. In particular, make sure that the Trimble Total Station device is in Monitoring mode. For more information on its survey modes, refer to the Trimble S8 documentation.

Running the module with third-party instruments

Trimble 4D Control Server supports Leica's Total Station GeoCOM interface which communicates through a serial connection. For establishing a connection, make sure to do the following:

At the total station side (for further information on the settings refer to the manual of your instrument):
1. The GeoCOM interface must be active at the Leica instrument.
2. Set the following connection parameters on the instrument: 9200 baud, N parity, 8 data bits, and 1 bit stop.
3. Set the atmospheric ppm correction value to 0. The Data Collector module derives the J constant and the N constant from the total station measurement and applies weather-dependent corrections, either derived from current weather data or from fixed or user-specified values.
4. Disable refraction corrections at the instrument. The Data Collector module applies a weather-dependent refraction coefficient.
5. Set the addition constant of the selected reflector to 0.
At the Data Collector module side (for further information on modules and their settings see this documentation):
1. For the Connection type of the Incoming connection, select Serial.
2. For the Instrument property, select Leica GeoCom. If not selected before, the Serial connection type will then be selected automatically.
3. For temperature data, add a Temperature Sensor module if a digital temperature sensor device is available. Alternatively, use a Data Logger module to connect to a temperature sensor, or set a fixed temperature value using the Temperature Data Collector module-property.
4. For introducing further weather data, also use the Data Logger module.
5. For specifying a weather-dependent refraction coefficient, use the Refraction coefficient module-property.
6. For the specification of the prism constant of the selected reflector, perform a site setup (see the Setting up the site and performing reference measurements section below) and edit the Prism constant value.

Data visualization

Once configured, the Data Collector module provides collective information about the entire site. Through the views available to this module, one can quickly determine the health and status of that particular total station setup.

In the Tree view, each Data Collector module is represented by its connection name and a status-identifying icon.

Importing and exporting site setup information

The Data Collector module lets you import site setup information or three-dimensional point coordinates, which are made available in data files. To start the import, do one of the following:

For importing full site setup information including point data from Trimble proprietary JobXML files that have been generated using the Trimble T4D Control Site Setup app for a Trimble total station, go to the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Import JXL File from Site Setup App.
Note - Use this command only for importing JobXML files that have been generated using the Trimble Site Setup app.
To import point coordinates given in a comma separated text file format, go to the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Point Import From CSV File.
Whenever you select points for the measured rounds, (for example, when setting up the round settings of the Data Collector module, or during a site setup) select the Import command for importing point data in a comma separated text file format.

For exporting point coordinates in the Trimble proprietary JobXML file format for a Trimble total station, go to the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Export JXL File to Site Setup App.

Setting up the site and performing reference measurements

The Data Collector module collects the information needed for a total station setup, typically based on control coordinates.

To perform such a site setup, do the following:

In the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Site Setup.

The Site Setup dialog appears. Use it to do the following:

To steer the connected total station instrument;
To specify the station setup mode;
To specify backsight points; you can also provide control coordinates, if you did not so using the System Properties dialog;
To perform reference measurements with specified settings.

Adjusting the total station orientation

If the total station has lost the orientation of the reference circle, you can perform a reset of the reference circle, either manually or automatically:

In the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Reset Reference Circle.

The Reset Reference Circle dialog appears. When Trimble 4D Control Server has connected to the total station, a question dialog appears that lets you select whether to re-establish the orientation automatically or not.

If you accept with Yes, the total station will automatically search for a target close enough to be measured in FineLock™ mode. The Data Collector module uses the elevation and the slope distance information to identify the point. Using the difference of the known and the measured horizontal angle, the Data Collector determines the new orientation of the total station and performs a plausibility check.
If no point of the mission can be measured in FineLock™ mode, click No. This discards the question dialog. Use the Reset Reference Circle dialog to steer the connected total station and to repeat the reference measurement for at least one target point.

Managing round measurements

Managing scheduled measurements

The Data Collector module performs scheduled round measurements of the target points. To select the target points and to configure time settings use the module properties.

Starting round measurements manually

If a valid reference measurement exists, you can manually start a round measurement:

In the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Measure Round.

Aborting round measurements

You can abort round measurements at any time:

In the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Abort Round.

Resetting the instrument

If the Trimble total station in use does not react anymore, and Trimble 4D Control Server cannot establish a connection to it, a reset command to the instrument may solve this issue. Resetting the instruments takes 20 seconds approximately:

In the Tree view, right-click the Data Collector entry to open its shortcut menu and select Reset Instrument.

Alarming

With alarming activated, the Data Collector module triggers alarms, if it is in one of the

(alarm) or

(disconnected) states.

Note - Use the Connection Lost alarm type for receiving alarms, if the battery of either the total station or of the radio is too low.

Logging into the database

The Data Collector module writes measurement history and raw measurements for all points into the central database. The database contains the following tables referring to the Data Collector system:

	Inactive, no measurement scheduled for the time being. No indication for an alarm status.
	Active, measuring. No indication for an alarm status.
	Alarm status. One of the following reasons: At least one face measurement could not be measured in all rounds of the current set of rounds (target not found; integrity check using tolerance thresholds failed); Round aborted manually.
	The total station is disconnected, due to one of the following reasons: Scheduled connection failed; Compensator is out of range; Connection to the total station has been interrupted; Low battery status of either the total station or the radio. A Connection Lost alarm appears.