Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system – Orientation or position
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-12
2002-10-29
Wachsman, Hal (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system
Orientation or position
C356S445000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473714
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inclination setting rotational laser apparatus for use in a laser surveying instrument in which a laser light beam can be projected with a tilt angle with respect to a level plane.
2. Description of the Related Art.
There has been available a rotational laser apparatus such as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open gazette No. 6-26861, for example. According to the rotational laser apparatus, as shown in
FIG. 12
, a laser beam can be projected rotationally so as to form a laser reference plane. Further, the arrangement shown in the figure allows the laser reference plane to be tilted.
That is, a laser projector
10
is disposed at substantially the center of a casing
5
, and a rotational scanning unit
13
is provided above the laser projector
10
. The rotational scanning unit
13
is arranged to be rotatable in the horizontal direction by means of a scanning motor
15
through gears. A pentaprism
18
is provided in the rotational scanning unit
13
, so that the laser light beam irradiated on the rotational axis of the rotational scanning unit
13
is polarized by 90 degrees to form the laser reference plane.
The laser projector
12
and the rotational scanning unit
13
are arranged to be tilted in two directions perpendicular to each other. The laser projector
12
is provided with a first inclination sensor
20
and a second inclination sensor
21
. The first inclination sensor
20
and the second inclination sensor
21
are disposed so as to intersect each other at right angles.
Further, the laser projector
12
is provided with a first setting inclination sensor
65
and a second setting inclination sensor
66
. The inclination directions of the first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
are made to agree with the two directions perpendicular to each other in which the first inclination sensor
20
and the second inclination sensor
21
extend, respectively. Thus, the laser projector
12
can be inclined with respect to the position determined by the first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
.
The first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
are provided on a base plate and the inclination angle can be arbitrarily set by means of a first arbitrary angle setting unit
52
and a second arbitrary angle setting unit
53
(not shown).
The first arbitrary angle setting unit
52
and the second arbitrary angle setting unit
53
are arranged to be driven by a first tilting motor
58
and a second tilting motor
59
(not shown) through a gear.
The casing
5
is provided with a first inclination setting unit
35
and a second inclination setting unit
36
(not shown). The first inclination setting unit
35
and the second inclination setting unit
36
are utilized to incline the laser projector
12
and the rotational scanning unit
13
so that the directions of the first inclination sensor
20
and the second inclination sensor
21
are perpendicular to each other.
The first inclination setting unit
35
and the second inclination setting unit
36
are driven by a first inclination adjusting motor
31
and a second inclination adjusting motor
32
(not shown) through a gear.
The laser projector
12
has a first arm
25
and a second arm
26
(not shown) extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to the laser projector
12
The first arm
25
and the second arm
26
are engaged with the first inclination setting unit
35
and the second inclination setting unit
36
, respectively.
When an inclination is set in the apparatus, the laser reference plane is made to agree with the horizontal plane for setting the reference position. The tilting mechanism corresponds to tilting means.
When the horizontal plane is set in the apparatus, the horizontal position is detected by the first inclination sensor
20
and the second inclination sensor
21
. At this time, the rotational axis of the rotational scanning unit
13
is made vertical and the first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
are made horizontal.
Then, the first arbitrary angle setting unit
52
and the second arbitrary angle setting unit
53
are driven based on the tilting angle inputted through inputting device so that the first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
are inclined in the negative direction with respect to a predetermined inclination angle.
After the first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
are inclined in the negative direction, the first inclination setting unit
35
and the second inclination setting unit
36
are driven until the first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
indicate the horizontal state with their output signals, whereby the laser projector
12
and the rotational scanning unit
13
are inclined. When the first setting inclination sensor
65
and the second setting inclination sensor
66
indicate the horizontal state with their output signals, the inclination setting operation is completed.
FIG. 13
is a diagram showing a control block for controlling the apparatus.
The first fixed bubble tube
20
and the first arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
65
supply detection results through a first switching circuit
85
to a first angle detecting circuit
87
while the second fixed bubble tube
21
and the second arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
66
supply detection results through a second switching circuit
86
to a second angle detecting circuit
88
.
The first angle detecting circuit
87
and the second angle detecting circuit
88
have a reference angle
91
and a reference angle
92
set therein, respectively. The reference angle
91
and the reference angle
92
are set to zero in the ordinary state.
When the first angle detecting circuit
87
is supplied with a signal from the first fixed bubble tube
20
through the first switching circuit
85
, the first angle detecting circuit
87
detects a deviation amount relative to the reference angle
91
. Then, the first angle detecting circuit
87
supplies a signal to a first motor controller
89
and a first level adjusting motor
31
is controlled by the first motor controller
89
.
When the first angle detecting circuit
87
is supplied with signals from the first fixed bubble tube
20
and the arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
65
through the first switching circuit
85
, the first angle detecting circuit
87
generates a signal corresponding to the deviation amount. Then, the signal indicative of the deviation amount is supplied to a first inclination drive circuit
83
, and a first drive motor
58
is controlled in its drive by the first inclination drive circuit
83
. Further, when the second angle detecting circuit
88
is supplied with a signal from the second arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
66
through the second switching circuit
86
, the second angle detecting circuit
88
detects a deviation amount relative to the reference angle
92
. Then, the second angle detecting circuit
88
supplies a signal to a second motor controller
90
and a second level adjusting motor
32
is controlled by the second motor controller
90
.
The signal of the second angle detecting circuit
88
is supplied to the second motor controller
90
, and the second level adjusting motor
32
is controlled in its drive by the second motor controller
90
. Then, the signal of the second angle detecting circuit
88
and the signal of an arbitrary angle setting circuit
82
are supplied to a second inclination drive circuit
84
, and a second drive motor
59
is controlled in its drive by the second inclination drive circuit
84
.
Then, the angle deviations generated from the first angle detecting circuit
87
and the second angle detecting circuit
88
are supplied to a discriminator
93
. The discriminator
93
selects the larger angle deviation from the angle deviation
Kumagai Kaoru
Nishi Masayuki
Ohtomo Fumio
BakerBotts LLP
Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
Raymond Edward
Wachsman Hal
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