Is it possible to use a reflectorless target such as Rothbutcher system with a robot, and particularly can the robot "autolock" with that type of target?
Whats a :Rothbutcher system"?
Sorry I spelled it wrong. Rothbucher. They are reflectorless targets (reflectors but not prisms) They are sold by Berntsen.
I visited http://www.meterriss.de/ and filled out the form for literature and free samples.. One problem, United States is not listed in the country selection on where to send the stuff.
I would suggest what I have used for years with close-range photogrammetry for targets. Reflexite is a tape that is either adhesive or sewable (for clothing) that consists of hundreds of retro-reflector targets per square inch. It is even available through a Google search in very small quantities in a variety of colors.
For about $10, you can order a small quantity and give it a try.
For my use, I use various sizes of office paper punches to make small circles of Reflexite. Using a flash with a camera makes the little targets stand out like a sore thumb. It is really good stuff. It will return (to the camera lens), a strobe light with an incidence angle as small as seventeen degrees. Great for photogrammetry, probably will work just dandy for an EDM/robot.
> Sorry I spelled it wrong. Rothbucher. They are reflectorless targets (reflectors but not prisms) They are sold by Berntsen.
I might be wrong here, but I though the whole idea behind the Rothbucher targets is that the were reflective, i.e. there are designed to be used with traditional rather than reflectorless total stations. They're just cheaper to mount for long term monitoring projects that traditional glass prisms.
They will "autolock" to them, but only in standard prism mode. It will not do so reliably though (e.g. different line of sight angles, etc.). We use these for monitoring with our robot in reflectorless mode, but aim manually.
Cliff, I purchased some of this tape a couple of years ago thinking I might use it instead of a prism for certain applications. I don't really understand the use of this product that you describe, i.e. with a strobe and camera. Nonetheless I'm going to experiment with this tape. Thanks for the reminder.
I think you're right. Thanks for straightening my fuzzy understanding on that point.
Your response, Adam, is exactly what I was looking for. I ended up calling Berntsen on this question, and they told me something similar, that the Rothbucher system will work with autolock on robots at distances up to around 500 feet, depending on target size, and apparently best with Leica robots for some reason. Like you, the Berntsen rep indicated that the results are not all that reliable. That said there may be applications where their use is warranted, but probably not for precision work. Of course, as you point out, with manual pointing, this is a different matter entirely. Thanks for your post.
> ...and apparently best with Leica robots for some reason.
They're both Teutonic 😉