Geometrical instruments – Straight-line light ray type – Level
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2001-11-13
Hirshfeld, Andrew H. (Department: 2859)
Geometrical instruments
Straight-line light ray type
Level
C033SDIG002, C033S285000, C033S286000, C033S291000, C033S292000, C356S399000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314651
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rotary laser irradiating system for forming a reference point, a reference line and a reference plane for measurement by projecting laser beam or by reciprocally scanning and rotating laser beam, and, in particular, for simultaneously forming a tilt setting plane tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal reference plane in addition to the horizontal reference plane. The invention also relates to a photodetection system for identifying a plurality of reference planes formed by the rotary laser irradiating system without erroneously recognizing the reference planes.
With the purpose of providing a horizontal reference level for a wide range, a rotary laser irradiating system is now used instead of an optical type leveling system.
In recent years, the rotary laser irradiating system has been used for the case where a line or a plane is formed according to the measurement in a height direction—in particular, according to a reference height. In the rotary laser irradiating system, laser beam is irradiated in a horizontal direction, or it is rotated or reciprocally scanned or stopped, and a rotary reference plane is formed or a partial reference line, a reference plane, and further, a reference line and a reference point are formed.
For example, it is used for forming a reference horizontal line for the purpose of positioning of window frames in interior finishing work, or for forming a reference horizontal plane with the purpose of ground filling or for forming graded soil surface in civil engineering and construction work. Further, the rotary laser irradiating system is also used for the setting of a reference point to determine tilting in case of construction of staircase, for example. There are also systems for forming a reference plane, which is tilted in one or two directions.
A conventional type rotary laser irradiating system for forming a tilted reference plane is disclosed in JP-A-6-26861. Brief description will be given now on this conventional type rotary laser irradiating system referring to FIG.
11
.
At the center on the upper surface of a casing
1
, a recessed portion
2
in shape of truncated cone is formed. A laser projector
3
is penetrating the center of the recessed portion
2
in a vertical direction, and the laser projector
3
is tiltably supported on the recessed portion
2
via a spherical seat
4
. The head of the laser projector
3
has a pentagonal prism
9
and is acting as a rotator
5
which is freely rotated. The rotator
5
is rotated by a scanning motor
6
via a driving gear
7
and a scanning gear
8
. Around the laser projector
3
, two sets of tilting mechanisms
10
(only one is shown in the figure) are provided. The tilting mechanism
10
comprises a tilting motor
11
, a tilting screw
12
, and a tilting nut
13
, and the tilting motor
11
rotates the tilting screw
12
via a driving gear
14
and a tilting gear
15
. The tilting nut
13
is connected to the laser projector
3
via a tilting arm
16
. When the tilting motor
11
is driven, the tilting nut
13
is moved up or down, and when the nut is moved up or down, the laser projector
3
is tilted.
At the middle of the laser projector
3
, there are provided a fixed tilt sensor
18
positioned in parallel to the tilting arm
16
and a fixed tilt sensor
19
positioned perpendicularly to the fixed tilt sensor
18
. At the lower end of the laser projector
3
, a flange
20
is fixedly mounted. On a pivot pin
21
erected on the flange
20
, an L-shaped tilt base
22
is pivotally supported on the corner. Two edges of the tilt base
22
running perpendicularly to each other are connected to two sets of tilt setting mechanisms
25
(only one is shown in the figure) respectively. On the tilting base
22
, an angle setting tilt sensor
29
is arranged in the same direction as the fixed tilt sensor
18
, and an angle setting tilt sensor
30
is arranged in the same direction as the fixed tilt sensor
19
.
The tilt setting mechanism
25
comprises a tilt angle setting motor
26
, a tilt setting screw
27
to be rotated by the tilt angle setting motor
26
, and a nut block
28
screwed on the tilt setting screw
27
, and one end of the tilting base
22
is engaged with the nut block
28
. When the tilt angle setting motor
26
is driven, the nut block
28
is moved up or down via the tilt setting screw
27
, and the tilting base
22
is tilted.
Inside the laser projector
3
, a projection optical system (not shown) is incorporated, which comprises a laser light emitting unit (not shown) and a collimator lens to turn the laser beams emitted from the laser light emitting unit to parallel beams. The laser beams from the projection optical system are deflected to the horizontal direction by the pentagonal prism
9
and are projected through a projection window
31
.
The setting of tilt angle is performed by the tilt setting mechanism
25
. With the fixed tilt sensors
18
and
19
indicating horizontal position, the tilt angle setting motor
26
is driven, and the tilt setting screw
27
is rotated to move the nut block
28
up or down, and the tilting base
22
is tilted by the same angle &thgr; as the setting angle in a direction opposite to the setting angle. Tilt angle of the tilting base
22
is detected by an encoder, etc. which is connected to the tilt angle setting motor
26
.
Next, the laser projector
3
is tilted in a tilting direction by the tilting mechanism
10
. When the tilting base
22
detects horizontal position, the angle of the laser projector
3
is at the setting tilt angle. With the tilt angle of the laser projector
3
set in the setting condition, laser beams are irradiated in the horizontal direction from the laser projector
3
via the pentagonal prism
9
, and the rotator
5
is rotated or reciprocally scanned within a predetermined angle, and a tilted reference plane is formed.
In order to form a tilted reference plane in the conventional type rotary laser irradiating system as described above, it is necessary to support the laser projector
3
so that it can be freely tilted and also to have two sets of tilt setting mechanisms to tilt in two directions. Also, it is necessary to have an angle setting tilt sensor
29
in the same direction as the fixed tilt sensor
18
. Further, a control circuit is required for driving and controlling the two sets of tilt setting mechanisms. This makes the system more complicated and requires higher manufacturing cost. Further, in the conventional type rotary laser irradiating system as described above, only one reference plane can be formed. Therefore, it is not possible to form a tilted reference plane with respect to the horizontal reference plane at the same time, and relative relation between the horizontal reference and the tilted reference plane or the relative relation between two tilted reference planes with different tilt angles cannot be determined.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a system, by which it is possible to form a plurality of reference planes at the same time without tilting the laser projector. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a system, by which it is possible to identify each of references planes on light receiving side without causing erroneous operation when a plurality of reference planes are formed at the same time.
To attain the first object, the rotary laser irradiating system of the present invention comprises means for irradiating a plurality of laser beams by separating the laser beams in a vertical direction and means for forming a plurality of laser beam reference planes by rotary irradiation of the plurality of laser beams. Further, the rotary laser irradiating system of the present invention comprises a laser light emitting unit for emitting a plurality of laser beams, a rotator for projecting laser beams emitted from the laser light emitting unit by rotary irradiation and for forming a laser reference plane, and an image rotator prism dispose
Hayashi Kunihiro
Ohtomo Fumio
Guadalupe Yaritza
Hirshfeld Andrew H.
Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
Nields & Lemack
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