Research on theodolite auto-collimation technique based on visual image analysis

With the high angle measurement precision, theodolite has been widely used in Spacecraft Assembly alignment. However, the use of theodolite is connected with manual operation and judgment of eyes, which cause a low efficiency and a attenuation of precision (over 3senconds error) during long time work. With research on visual image analysis technique and theodolite measurement, this paper will introduce a auto-collimation method based on visual image analysis and theodolite measurement. The result shows: the accuracy of the auto-collimation method based on visual image analysis and theodolite measurement is better than 2 seconds. This technique has been used in assembly work of GF-2 satellite and GF-4 satellite, which improve the alignment accuracy at the same time improve the efficiency.