New Prism Pole System Provides Significant Time Savings

An innovative prism pole system with tilt compensation, automatic pole height readings and unique target identification takes total station surveying to the next level.

How much time would you save on every surveying project if you didn’t have to stop to level your prism pole or measure the pole height after an adjustment?

These are just a couple of the advantages of the new Leica AP20 AutoPole from Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon. The groundbreaking technology combines an intelligent sensor module with a new reflector pole and operates with Leica Geosystems’ existing automated total stations to make surveying workflows fast and autonomous.

Tilt Compensation Increases Productivity

When Leica Geosystems in 2017 introduced the first calibration-free tilt-compensating GNSS solution, the Leica GS18 T, it was a true game-changer. The ability to measure without leveling the pole provided productivity gains of 20 percent or more. Now those same productivity gains can be realized in total station surveys with the new Leica AP20 AutoPole. 

The system’s tilt compensation capability decreases measurement time and increases flexibility and safety onsite by allowing you to easily measure points in inaccessible or hazardous locations. Rather than keeping an eye on the level bubble, you can focus on where you’re walking. A quick glance at your field software provides real-time information on the current pole tip accuracy. You can also flip the pole upside down to take inverted measurements.

“Because you don’t have to level up the pole, you can just keep moving,” says Burke Asay, US/Canada product marketing manager for Leica Geosystems. “It makes you very efficient in the field.”

Automatic Pole Height Measurement Eliminates Errors

If you’ve ever been on a survey and forgotten to enter a change in your prism pole height on your controller, you’re not alone; it happens to everyone. With the AP20 AutoPole, this problem is easily eliminated. 

Using a Bluetooth connection, the AP20 software automatically detects the pole height as soon as the upper tube of the pole is snap-locked into predefined lock positions, which are spaced at standard 5-cm intervals. The achieved accuracy in height is +/-1.0mm. Since you no longer have to read and type height changes in the field, you save time in post-processing corrections and avoid returning to the field to remeasure.

Automatic Target Identification Prevents Work Interruptions

On a busy construction site with multiple sensors and targets, finding and staying locked on to the correct target can be a challenge. The AP20 AutoPole overcomes this issue with the TargetID function, which uniquely identifies the correct target and ensures that your instrument will always lock to it.

Technology Extends Your Surveying Potential

Finding and keeping top talent, solving complex project challenges with confidence, creating accurate, meaningful deliverables quickly with no compromises—these are just some of the requirements to be successful in today’s fast-paced surveying and engineering professions. Technology provides an advantage. With innovations like the AP20 that increase your efficiency and confidence, you can complete more work in less time and continue to grow your business.

For more stories on how technology improves surveying efficiency and quality, visit https://pure-surveying.com/insights. 

To learn more about solutions to maximize your surveying potential, get in touch with a surveying and engineering expert at Leica Geosystems.