Optics: measuring and testing – Range or remote distance finding – With photodetection
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-01
2001-06-19
Buczinski, Stephen C. (Department: 3662)
Optics: measuring and testing
Range or remote distance finding
With photodetection
C356S139070, C356S139100, C356S141100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249338
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a laser survey instrument, by which it is possible to provide a measurement reference plane by a laser beam, and in particular to provide, in addition to a horizontal reference plane, an arbitrary tilt setting plane tilted at a given angle to the horizontal reference plane.
Laser survey instruments are used for providing a horizontal reference plane in wide range instead of optical level.
By such laser survey instruments, the horizontal reference line is formed by projecting a laser beam in a horizontal direction, or the horizontal reference plane is formed by projecting the laser beam in a horizontal direction via a rotating prism.
In architectural engineering work and civil engineering work, positioning and horizontal level setting are performed by utilizing the horizontal reference plane. For example, a reference position is determined by the detection of the laser beam by a photodetector, and this is used for setting-out of mounting position for windows or of a horizontal line for ceiling in interior finishing work.
Also, as proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Publication Laid-Open No. 6-26861, such a laser survey instrument is now used not only for the setting of horizontal level but also in the setting of tilt level, and it is widely used in construction work such as the setting of water drainage inclination of a road or the setting of a road surface gradient.
Description is now given on the laser survey instrument proposed in Japanese Patent Publication Laid-Open No. 6-26861, referring to
FIGS. 28
to
35
.
At the center of a casing
5
, a recess
6
in truncated conical shape is formed, and a support seat
7
is provided at the center of the recess
6
. The support seat
7
comprises projections
9
, which are protruded smoothly with tertiary curved surface at
3
equally spaced positions on inner periphery of a circular through-hole
8
.
A laser projector
10
for emitting a laser beam is placed in the through-hole
8
, and a head
11
of the laser projector
10
is engaged in and supported by the support seat
7
. The head
11
has its lower portion designed in spherical shape, and this spherical portion
11
a
slidably contacts the above three projections
9
. The laser projector
10
is supported in such manner that it can be tilted in any direction with respect to the vertical line.
A motor seat
14
is provided on the head
11
, and a scanning motor
15
is arranged on the motor seat
14
. A gear
16
is engaged with the output shaft of a scanning motor
15
. The gear
16
is engaged with a scanning gear
17
, which is to be described later.
The axis of the laser projector
10
is aligned with the head
11
of the laser projector
10
, and a mirror holder
13
is rotatably arranged via a bearing
12
. The scanning gear
17
is engaged on the mirror holder
13
. As described above, the scanning gear
17
is engaged with the gear
16
so that the mirror holder
13
can be rotated around the vertical shaft by the scanning motor
15
. A pentagonal prism
18
is provided on the mirror holder
13
, and the laser beam emitted from the laser projector
10
is irradiated in a horizontal direction via a light projecting window
19
.
At the middle portion of the laser projector
10
, a sensor support shelf
63
is arranged, on which fixed bubble tubes
20
and
21
, serving as tilting detectors for detecting the horizontality, are provided so that they are directed perpendicular to each other. The fixed bubble tubes
20
and
21
are electric bubble tubes of capacitance detection type and each of them issues an electrical signal corresponding to a tilt angle with respect to the horizontal plane.
At the lower end of the laser projector
10
, a base plate
64
of approximately in form of a right-angled triangle is fixed, and a strut
70
is erected near the vertex of the rectangular portion of the base plate
64
, and a ball
67
is fixed on the upper end of the strut
70
. An L-shaped tilting plate
62
is arranged above the base plate
64
, and a conical recess
99
is formed at the vertex on the rear surface of the tilting plate
62
. The ball
67
is engaged with the recess
99
, and the apical portion of the tilting plate
62
is supported on the strut
70
so that the tilting plate
62
is pivotable on the ball
67
. Further, a spring
68
is provided between the tilting plate
62
and the base plate
64
, and the conical recess
99
is pressed against the ball
67
, and the tilting plate
62
is pushed clockwise in FIG.
28
.
Arbitrary angle setting bubble tubes
65
and
66
, serving as tilting movement detectors, are arranged on the tilting plate
62
along the L-shaped portion so that the arbitrary angle setting bubble tubes lie in two directions perpendicular to each other.
A bearing plate
72
is positioned under the sensor support shelf
63
and is protruded from the laser projector
10
. Tilting screws
52
and
53
are rotatably mounted at such positions on the base plate
64
as to form a triangle with the strut
70
at its vertex, and the upper ends of the tilting screws
52
and
53
are rotatably supported on the bearing plate
72
.
The lower end of the tilting screw
52
is protruded downward from the base plate
64
, and tilting gear
54
is engaged with the protruding end of the tilting screw
52
. The tilting gear
54
is then engaged with a tilting gear
56
to be described below. The lower end of the tilting screw
53
is protruded downward from the base plate
64
, and a tilting gear
55
is engaged with the protruding end of the tilting screw
53
. The tilting gear
55
is then engaged with a tilting gear
57
to be described below.
A tilting nut
48
is engaged on the tilting screw
52
, and a nut pin
50
having circular cross-section is protruded on the tilting nut
48
. A tilting pin
60
having circular cross-section is protruded at such position on the end surface of the tilting plate
62
closer to the arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
65
as to be in parallel to the center line of the arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
65
, and the tilting pin
60
is brought into contact with the nut pin
50
. Further, two parallel guide pins
71
are connected and they bridge between the base plate
64
and the bearing plate
72
, and the tilting pin
60
is slidably held by the two guide pins
71
in order to restrict rotation of the tilting plate
62
in a horizontal direction and to allow the tilting pin
60
to rotate in a vertical direction and around the shaft of the tilting pin
60
.
A tilting nut
49
is engaged on the tilting screw
53
, and a nut pin
51
having circular cross-section is protruded at such position on the tilting nut
49
. A tilting pin
61
having circular cross-section is protruded at such position on the end surface of the tilting plate
62
closer to the arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
66
as to be in parallel to the center line of the arbitrary angle setting bubble tube
66
, and the tilting pin
61
is brought into contact with the nut pin
51
.
On the lower surface of the base plate
64
, a post
73
is suspendedly mounted, and a tilt detecting piece
23
, also serving as a motor base, is fixed via this post
73
. On the upper surface of the tilt detecting piece
23
, tilting motors
58
and
59
are provided, and the tilting gear
56
aforementioned is engaged on the output shaft of the tilting motor
58
, and the tilting gear
57
is engaged on the output shaft of the tilting motor
59
so that the tilting gears
56
,
57
are engaged with the tilting gears
54
and
55
respectively.
On the lower surface of the tilt detecting piece
23
, a ring-shaped reflection mirror is arranged. At positions face-to-face to the tilt detecting piece
23
, a given number (
4
in the present embodiment) of optical sensors
24
a
,
24
b
,
24
c
and
24
d
are arranged, each of which comprises a set of light emitting elements and photodetector elements on the same circumferential periphery around the shaft of the laser projector when the casing
5
a
Davidson Richard W.
Hirano Satoshi
Ohtomo Fumio
Buczinski Stephen C.
Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
Nields & Lemack
LandOfFree
Laser survey instrument does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Laser survey instrument, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Laser survey instrument will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2512351