Temperature - Tap to view the current scanner temperature and to switch the scanner's fan on or off. See Temperature Sensors.

Inclinometer - Tap to level the scanner. See Inclinometer (Dual-Axis Compensator).

Compass - Tap to view the orientation of the scanner. See Compass.

GPS - Tap to view details regarding the current GPS position and accuracy. See GPS.

Altimeter - Tap to view the currently measured altitude of the scanner’s position and to sync the altimeter with a reference height. See Altimeter.

Temperature Sensors

The scanner has several integrated temperature sensors that measure the temperature at different points inside the scanner. This screen shows the temperature of the sensor with the currently most critical value.

If a sensor is outside of the recommended operating temperature, but not yet critical, the temperature display is highlighted in yellow. Scanning is still possible, but we recommend letting the scanner either warm up or cool down until the temperature display is again highlighted in green.

If the temperature is too high or too low, the temperature display is highlighted in red. In that case, scanning is not possible. The scanner shuts down within a few minutes.

Fan cooling switches the scanner's integrated fan on or off.

If the temperature is above the critical limit, ensure that the fan is switched on. If not, switch it on.

Switch the fan off in exceptional cases only!
If the fan is switched off for long periods, the scanner can overheat, resulting in an aborted scanning process or causing damage.

Inclinometer (Dual-Axis Compensator)

Manage > Sensors > Inclinometer

Figure 6-18 Inclinometer

Level the Scanner Using Inclinometer

The view displays a bulls-eye bubble level inclinometer, as if it were mounted on top of the scanner. If the background color is gray, the inclinometer is leveled within 2 degrees. The background color of the inclinometer turns yellow, if the scanner is tilted more than 2°. In this case, the accuracy of the inclination measurement is reduced.

If the inclination is larger than 5°, the background color of the level will turn red. This has two consequences:

• The inclinometer accuracy is further reduced

• The scan quality may be affected.

The two linear levels describe the direction of inclination: If the bubble in the upper level is on the left side, the scanner is tilted to the right, if you are standing in front of the display. If the scanner is tilted towards you, the bubble in the left level is in the upper half.

The inclinometer needs to know the latitude of the scanner to compensate for natural variations in the earth’s gravitational field. Without this information, scans in a project may have an incorrect inclination, which can increase registration errors.

If you use the inclinometer, ensure that you set the latitude for the project. See Latitude [°] .

Inclinometer Warnings

The Inclination Warning icon in the header bar is only visible, when the current inclination of the scanner is above 2°, in which case it is yellow . The icon becomes red , if the scanner is tilted more than 5°. Note that these icons are updated less frequently than the bubble level icon.

To get reliable measurements from the built-in dual-axis compensator, you must set up the scanner with an inclination less than 5° before starting your next scan. Note that inclinations greater than 2° are measured with less precision, which can affect the scan registration. To align the scanner, you can use either a bubble level at the tripod or the inclinometer screen.

The displayed warnings can be configured as follows:

All

An inclinometer warning is displayed, if the scanner is tilted more than 2°. This is the recommended setting.

Reduced

An inclinometer warning is displayed, if the scanner is tilted more than 5°.

Off

No inclinometer warnings is displayed in the header bar. (Not recommended.)

Compass

The built-in electronic compass measures the orientation of the scanner on the earth's surface. This information is useful for the registration process.

It is attached to each scan and can be used for the scan registration in SCENE. See the SCENE user manual for more information.

If you want SCENE to use the compass data for the scan registration, switch the Use Compass function to ON. Otherwise, switch it to OFF. This setting affects the current scanning parameters, and has the same function as the equivalent button in the parameters settings. See Setting the Scanning Parameters.

You can monitor the current orientation of the scanner on this screen. Initially, when entering this screen, the orientation is not displayed. To see the current orientation of the scanner, tap the Update Compass button on the bottom. For the measurement, the scanner needs to turn horizontally by 360°. Ensure that the scanner can move freely, and do not move the scanner during the measurement.

As soon as the scanner has completed the rotation and determined its orientation, a compass is displayed as if it were mounted on top of the scanner. This compass illustrates the current scanner orientation. Additionally, the measured orientation value is displayed in degrees.

To get updated orientation data, for example, if the scanner has been moved to another position, tap Update Compass again.

This manual compass measurement only affects the output on this screen. It is not necessary for the orientation data measured during scanning. During scanning, an orientation measurement is automatically performed.

The accuracy of compass measurements can be affected by environmental interference, such as magnetic interference. An indicator of the strength of environmental interference, and thus of the current compass measurement accuracy, is the displayed Horizontal field strength of the magnetic field. The typical strength of the earth's magnetic field depends on geographical position and varies from 0.3 to 0.6 gauss (G). The displayed horizontal field strength is lower than the absolute field strength because of the inclination of the field. For example, the typical horizontal field strength for Europe is about 0.2 gauss.

If the measured field strength differs significantly from the expected field strength, there might be a strong, artificial magnetic field near the scanner that is affecting the measurement. To get the most reliable orientation data for the scan registration, avoid positioning the scanner near strong magnetic fields. If the measured horizontal field still significantly differs, switch the compass data to OFF.

Ferromagnetic objects (such as radiators and steel pillars) and electromagnetic fields (e.g., from electrical cabinets or controller units) can disturb the earth magnetic field. This, as well as local variations in earth magnetic field (magnetic declination/variation) can lead to inaccurate compass measurements. In this case it’s recommended to switch off the use of the compass data.

GPS

The scanner's position information provided by the built-in GPS sensor is attached to each scan, and is used for the scan registration in SCENE, if the GPS sensor is switched ON.

Use GPS - Turn the GPS sensor ON or OFF. Unlike the other sensors, GPS data is only recorded and attached to each scan, if this sensor is turned ON. For more information, see Setting the Scanning Parameters

After the GPS sensor is switched ON, it begins searching for GPS satellites. Note that it can take a few minutes to find all available satellites, and to determine precise positional information. We recommended switching the GPS sensor OFF, if it is not needed or if a GPS signal is not available (e.g., if you are scanning indoors).

GPS information - Provides information about the currently measured GPS coordinates, including the latitude, longitude, and altitude, as well as the UTC time of the last satellite contact and the number of satellites that are currently in view. The GPS receiver needs the signal of at least three satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude). With four or more satellites in view, the receiver can determine the scanner’s 3D position (latitude, longitude, and altitude).

The signal strength bars below the GPS information appear for each satellite in view with the appropriate satellite number underneath. These indicate the signal strength for each satellite.

GPS precision - Provides information about the precision of the currently measured coordinates in meters or feet. The DOP (dilution of precision) values are an indicator of the current satellite constellation geometry's quality. In general, good position measurements can be achieved, when the satellites are located at wide angles relative to each other. In this case, the DOP values are low. Higher DOP values indicate a poor satellite geometry, which might have a negative effect on the position accuracy.

The current GPS status and signal quality are indicated by different GPS icons in the status bar of the operating software.

Before starting a scan, you should always look at the GPS icon and the indicated quality. If no GPS data is available or position deviation is high, try to find a position with better signal quality.

A limited GPS signal can have many different causes. As with portable navigation devices, make sure that the scanner always has an unobstructed view of the sky. Obstructions can block the signal reception, causing position inaccuracy or no position data. The GPS signal can also be reflected by objects (for example, buildings or mountains), causing the measured position to wander. The more satellites the sensor has in view, the better the fix is.

Altimeter

The barometric height sensor (altimeter) determines the altitude of the current scanner position. The altitude determination is based on the measurement of the atmospheric pressure. The measured altitude is attached to each scan, and can be used for the scan registration in SCENE. See the SCENE user manual for more information. If you want SCENE to automatically use the measured altitude for the scan registration, switch the Use Altimeter to ON; else switch it to OFF. This setting affects the current scanning parameters, and has the same function as the equivalent button in the parameters settings. See Setting the Scanning Parameters

To see the currently measured altitude on this screen, the altimeter must be switched ON.

For scan registration, you need only know the difference in altitude of the various scanner positions. Before starting your scan project, you should pick a position for your scanning site that you would like to use as the reference for the altitude measurements. Move the scanner to this reference position, enter any height you would like to use for this position, then reset the altimeter to this reference height by tapping Sync Reference Height. All further altimeter measurements are then done based on this reference height.

If you want comparable height measurements across different projects, sync the altimeter with a real altitude. Pick a reference position of your scanning site, where you know the approximate altitude above sea level. You can get this value from a GPS, topographic map, or from Google Earth.

Since the altimeter determines the altitude based on the atmospheric pressure measurement, changes in air pressure caused by changing weather conditions effect the resulting altitude. To get precise altitude measurements, periodically check the reference altitude; at least at the beginning of each project day and when the weather changes. To do this, move the scanner back to your reference position, and compare the altitude reading with the reference height. If there is a difference, re-sync the altimeter with the reference height.