Leica BLK360

Field Check User Manual

Contents
1 Overview......................................................................................................................................... 1
2 Field Check ..................................................................................................................................... 1
2.1 MEASUREMENT ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................2
2.2 CALIBRATION FIELD CHECK WORKFLOW ..............................................................................................4

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1 Overview
Leica Geosystems 3D laser scanners are manufactured, assembled, adjusted and calibrated to
the best possible quality. Nevertheless, extreme temperature changes and hard shocks can
cause deviations and influence the system’s accuracy. 3D laser scanners that are exposed to
such harsh conditions should be checked periodically to ensure that the measurement results
meet the specifications. This periodical check can be performed in the field by running through a
specific Field Check procedure.

2 Field Check
The Field Check procedure is a smart and user-friendly solution. It does not require a specific
measurement field containing a prescribed configuration of targets, which makes Field Check a
quick and fully automated procedure that allows the user to:

 Check the current angular accuracy of the Leica BLK360 imaging laser scanner

To start the Field Check procedure, simply connect the BLK360 to a PC via WiFi, start the BLK
Data Manager, Discover & Connect to the BLK360 and start the Calibration Field Check
procedure from the main page (Figure 1) by pressing the Calibration Field Check button. Then
confirm the start of the scanning procedure by pressing the Yes button (Figure 2).

The Field Check procedure collects a double scan with a medium resolution of 10 mm @ 10 m
without images. This takes approximately 4 minutes. Just one double scan in a suitable
environment is required to calculate the angular accuracy of the instrument.

Figure 1: Field Check in BLK Data Manger. Figure 2: Confirmation message

After the double scan is completed, it is verified if the scanned environment meets the
requirements of the Field Check procedure. There are two possible outcomes of this check:

 If the environment is not sufficient, a pop-up message informs the user to repeat the
scan at a different location.
 If the environment meets the requirements for the Field Check of the instrument and the
current angular accuracy of the instrument is calculated and a message is displayed if a
re-calibration is recommended or not.

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After each completed Field Check procedure, the according scan file is saved in the log folder of
the BLK Data Manager. Only the last scan data is saved and gets overwritten in case the Field
Check procedure is repeated.

2.1 MEASUREMENT ENVIRONMENT

The environment of the scan used for Field Check has an important role throughout the
procedure.

To get the best results, select a suitable location, to perform the Calibration Field Check, by
following the guidelines specified below.

Advised Avoid
General  Solid and stable surfaces in  A lot of moving objects and
range of up to 20 m vegetation
 Surfaces at higher elevation  A lot of high-reflective surfaces such
angles (>50°) at the distance as mirrors and glass walls
of at least 4 m  Unstable ground and environments
 Diverse geometry with vibrations or other disturbances
 Objects at range less than 1.5 m

Indoor  Spacious place  A lot of moving objects

Environment  Horizontal distances of at  A lot of high-reflective surfaces such
(recommended least 9 m as mirrors and glass walls
for the  Vertical distances of 4 m  Unstable ground and environments
BLK360) above the instrument with vibrations or other disturbances
 Position the instrument in a
corner, but at least 1.5 m
away from any wall
 Lower the tripod to increase
the distance to the ceiling

Outdoor  Tall buildings  Open spaces without solid objects

environment  At corner of tall buildings  A lot of moving objects and
vegetation

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Examples of suitable Calibration Field Check environments:

Location of scanner

Scan panorama of the environment Image of the situation

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2.2 CALIBRATION FIELD CHECK WORKFLOW

The Calibration Field Check is a guided procedure, which consist of the following steps.

Step Description
 Before starting the Calibration Field Check procedure, the instrument must be acclimatised
to the ambient temperature. Approximately two minutes per 1°C temperature difference
from storage place to working environment, but at least 15 minutes should be considered.
 The instrument should be protected from direct sunlight in order to avoid thermal warming
in general and especially on one side of the instrument housing.
It is also recommended to avoid strong heat shimmer and air turbulences. The best
conditions can be found usually in the morning and with an overcast sky or in indoor
environments.
 The tripod and the ground should be stable and secure from vibrations or other
disturbances.
 The Calibration Field Check procedure is available via the BLK Data Manager Software. To
make use of it a Notebook/Laptop is recommended on the test location to run the BLK
Data Manager software.
 The BLK360 firmware version v2.0.0 is mandatory to be able to run the Calibration Field
Check.

1 Define a Calibration Field Check setup location according to the guidelines described in section
2.1 Measurement Environment.

2 Set up the instrument on the tripod and make sure that the instrument is roughly levelled.
 Ensure that all the locking screws of the tripod legs are securely tightened.
 The tripod and the ground should be very stable and secure from vibrations or other
disturbances.

3 Boot the instrument and keep it powered on in order to acclimatise to the ambient
temperature.

4 Connect PC to BLK360 using the PC WiFi connection.

5 Start the BLK Data Manager Software

6 Use the Discover & Connect Device button in the

BLK Data Manager to connect to the BLK360.

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Step Description
7 Start the Calibration Field
Check procedure by using
the Calibration Field Check
button on the main page of
the
BLK Data Manager.

8 After starting the

Calibration Field Check
procedure, a confirmation
window is shown, the user
can:
 Start the Calibration
Field Check
procedure
by pressing Yes
 Cancel the whole
process here when
selecting No.

 After using the Yes

button step away from
the instrument and wait
until the scan is finished,
this will take approx. 4
minutes.
 Once started the
procedure cannot be
cancelled!
 Pressing No will cancel
the process here and
return to the BLK Data
Manager main page.
9 Calibration Field Check
measurement screen

A process bar is shown

indicating the overall
progress.

 During scanning, stay

away from the
instrument and wait
until the measurement is
completed.
10 Processing

After the double scan has

finished, the software

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Step Description
automatically proceeds with
processing the scan data.

 The calculation can take

a few minutes.

The processing phase has

three different possible
outcomes. They are
described in steps 10.1,
10.2 and 10.3.
10.1 Scan environment is not
sufficient to perform the
Calibration Field Check.

The environment of the

selected location does not
provide enough information
to perform the Calibration
Field Check. Please choose
another location (according
to the guidelines in chapter
2.1) and repeat the scan.

Use the OK button to close

the information window.
The user is automatically
redirected to the BLK Data
Manager main page (step
7).
10.2 The environment is
sufficient, and the angular
accuracy is inside the
specification.

The environment of the

selected location is
accepted by the algorithm
and provides enough
information to continue the
calculation of the angular
parameters. The result of
the calculated angular
accuracy is inside the
specifications.

Use the OK button to close

the information window.
The user is automatically
redirected to the BLK Data
Manger main page (step 7).

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Step Description
10.3 The environment is
sufficient, but the angular
accuracy is outside the
specification.

The environment of the

selected location is
accepted by the algorithm
and provides enough
information to continue the
calculation of the angular
parameters. The result of
the calculated angular
accuracy is outside the
specifications and a re-
calibration service for the
BLK360 is recommended.

Use the OK button to close

the information window.
The user is automatically
redirected to the BLK Data
Manger main page (step 7).
11 Accessing the scan data.

For any Calibration Field Check executed the scan data (raw data) is saved on the PC in the
Logs folder of the BLK Data Manager. In case of questions around the procedure or regarding
the results are arising please provide the scan file to support. Support helps analysing the
location and the results of the calculation.

The Logs folder of the

BLK Data Manager is
located here:

 Only the data of the last executed scan is available here and gets overwritten if the
procedure is started the next time.

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