Geometrical instruments – Straight-line light ray type – Alignment device
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-18
2004-04-13
Fulton, Christopher W. (Department: 2859)
Geometrical instruments
Straight-line light ray type
Alignment device
C033S281000, C033SDIG002, C366S138000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06718643
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a laser line beam emitting apparatus, which is utilized for production of a vertical reference line drawn on a floor, a ceiling, and wall(s), and/or a horizontal reference line drawn on wall(s), for, e.g., provision of a partition to divide a room, in employment of the construction industry. Particularly, the present invention relates to a laser line beam emitting apparatus which allows for production of a laser line beam drawn in the range of wider angle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nowadays, the construction industry uses the laser line beam emitting apparatus in place of the marking (or ink pad) technique, which carpenters or construction workers measure the objectives by drawing a vertical or horizontal line on respective surfaces with a Chinese ink or a chalk.
The laser line beam emitting apparatus is provided with a laser beam source unit for production of the drawn vertical or horizontal line. It is also provided with a gimbals mechanism having a pendulum hang threrefrom with maintenance in the location at the right angle with respect to the earth. The light source unit is mounted to the pendulum so that it is allowed to produce a vertical, or horizontal reference line passing walls, a ceiling and a floor, or front, back, right and left walls in a room. It is desired that the drawn, emitted vertical or horizontal reference line would be in the range of wider angle in the room, as shown in
FIGS. 3
,
2
.
FIG. 3
shows that the emitted laser beam flux from a laser line beam emitting apparatus
1
positioned on a floor
2
forms a vertical reference line drawn on a ceiling
5
, walls
3
and
4
on the right and left sides as well as the floor
2
without the discontinuity. Such the emission of the vertical reference line beam is desired to cover the area which is at wider angle &thgr; with respect to the apparatus. It is also desired that the emission of the horizontal reference line beam drawn on walls
3
around the laser line beam emitting apparatus
1
allows for covering the area in the range of wider angle &thgr; as shown in FIG.
2
.
FIG. 4
is, as an example, a schematic view of a conventional laser line beam emitting apparatus having two laser beam source units which respectively comprise laser beam sources; collimator lenses through which the laser beams from respective laser beam sources are collimated; and cylindrical lenses through which respective collimated laser beams are diffused or widened, wherein the diffused or widened laser beams go rightward and leftward or in the opposite directions from each other as shown in the figure, respectively, and thus the foregoing laser line beam emitted therefrom and drawn on the objects without the discontinuity appears.
In
FIG. 4
, a laser line beam emitting apparatus on a floor has a base board
11
having three legs
12
mounted on and extending from the underside surface thereof to the floor. The base board
11
also has some columns or bars
13
mounted on and extending from the topside surface thereof. The upper columns or bars
13
are provided with respective gimbals mechanisms
14
from which a pendulum
15
is hung. The gimbals mechanisms
14
are, according to the figure, briefly shown. In detail, it has horizontal shafts orthogonal to each other, and is hanging the pendulum
15
from some swinging elements which are swingy held through the horizontal shafts combined such that the pendulum can move to all directions and can be, irrespective of the base board
11
being tilted, always at the position where it is plumb with respect to the horizontal.
The pendulum
15
has a pair of laser beam source units
21
,
22
mounted at the top end thereof on respective left and right sides. The pair of laser beam source units
21
and
22
, which are mounted on the pendulum
15
, are arranged such that the left unit
21
faces to the left outward and tilts the head up, while the right unit
22
faces to the right outward and tilts the head up, with respect to the earth. The left and right units
21
,
22
comprise elements such as laser diodes
23
,
26
, collimator lenses
24
and
27
through which the emitted laser beams from the laser diodes
23
,
26
are collimated, and cylindrical lenses
25
and
28
through which the collimated, emitted laser beams are widened in only the vertical direction with respect to the horizontal, respectively. The laser beams from the laser beam source units
21
and
22
widen to the areas in the range of angles &thgr;1 and &thgr;2 with respect to the centers of the cylindrical lenses
25
and
28
, respectively.
The widened laser beams from respective laser beam source units
21
and
22
overlap in part with formation of a laser line beam on the objective surfaces, wherein the laser line beam widens to the area in the range of the angle &thgr; as shown in
FIG. 3
, that is at the angle wider than the forgoing angles &thgr;1 and &thgr;2.
For performance of the production of widened laser line beam(s) that form the reference line drawn on the objects at the wide area in the range of the angle &thgr; as shown in
FIG. 3
, the foregoing conventional laser line beam emitting apparatus requires two or a pair of laser beam source units each having a laser beam source, and collimator and cylindrical lenses. This raises cost of the sales. Such the emitting apparatus also requires that the pair of laser beam source units are angularly adjusted into a position such that emission of laser line beams therefrom can produce a straight line drawn on the objects without the discontinuity. This is very hard works.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the subject matters as stated above, it is the first object of the present invention to provide a laser line beam emitting apparatus having functions of emission of at least one laser line beam into the area at the wide-angle as well as reduction in cost of the sales. In addition, it is the second object of the present invention to provide a laser line beam emitting apparatus, which allows for facilitation of the angular adjustment of laser beams going toward the objects.
The laser line beam emitting apparatus according to the present invention performs production of a vertical or horizontal straight laser line beam by use of only a single cylindrical lens. The cylindrical lens is positioned ahead of at least two pointer units, in place of the foregoing laser beam source units. Each of the pointer units points their own outlet at the cylindrical lens.
The pointer units are arranged such that the emitted laser beams from respective outlets cross each other. The single cylindrical lens is positioned at the intersection point of the laser beams, wherein the central axis of the cylindrical lens lies at right angles to the vertical or is parallel to the vertical. The laser beams go toward the cylindrical lens after being collimated through respective collimator lenses provided in respective pointer units. Passing through the cylindrical lens, the collimated laser beams are vertically or horizontally diffused in the opposite directions from each other so that a straight laser line beam without the discontinuity appears.
The intersection point of the laser beams is at the center axis of the cylindrical lens, and both the optical axes of the laser beams from respective pointer units are at right angles to the central axis of the cylindrical lens. Such the crossing laser beams provides a precise straight line plumb or parallel to the horizontal.
The cylindrical lens and pointer units are mounted to a pendulum which is pendant through gimbals mechanism(s). The combination of the pendulum and gimbals mechanism(s) prevents the tilted laser line beam emitting apparatus affecting production of precisely drawn reference vertical or horizontal line beam from the combination of the pointer units and cylindrical lens. This can accommodate the cylindrical lenses and pointer units to the marking technique in the construction industry.
The foregoing construction of the laser line beam emitting apparatus enables preci
Fulton Christopher W.
Hoolahan Amanda J
Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-Technica
Welsh & Katz Ltd.
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