Laser measurement system, virtual detector probe and carriage yaw compensator
First Claim
1. An optical device for use with a laser beam to locate the position of a measurement point, comprising:
- detector means having a target point for sensing a laser beam;
mirror means for reflecting a laser beam toward said detector means;
a probe element having an end point adapted to be placed on a desired measurement point; and
means for mounting said detector means, said at least one mirror and said probe element with respect to each other such that a laser beam directed toward said desired measurement point and reflected by said mirror means will fall on said target point when said probe end point is placed on said desired measurement point.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A technique for measuring the distance between two points on an object along a laser beam axis, along with devices and methods of reducing measurement errors in such laser measurement systems are disclosed. The laser measurement system includes a source laser, a rotatable penta-prism for reflecting the source through 90° and for generating a plane perpendicular to the source upon rotation thereof, and a carriage upon which the penta-prism is mounted to allow the penta-prism to be moved parallel to the source. The position of the penta-prism along the source is adjusted until alignment with the two points on the object is detected, at which time the positions of the penta-prism which produce the alignments are noted on a scale parallel to the source. A virtual detector probe including an optical detector, at least one mirror and a probe adapted to be placed on each of the two points causes the target point of the optical detector to be virtually located at the associated point on the object when the probe is placed on the desired point, by relatively disposing the optical detector, the mirror and the probe at predetermined locations. The virtual location of the target point of the optical detector at the desired point will be substantially unaffected by movements of the optical device as long as the probe remains on the desired target. In this manner, an optical detector may be virtually placed at locations on a body to be measured which cannot otherwise be physically accomplished. The virtual detector probe may alternatively be used as a carriage yaw compensator for compensating for any errors in measurement due to non-linearities in the carriage upon which the penta-prism is mounted.
28 Citations
23 Claims
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1. An optical device for use with a laser beam to locate the position of a measurement point, comprising:
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detector means having a target point for sensing a laser beam; mirror means for reflecting a laser beam toward said detector means; a probe element having an end point adapted to be placed on a desired measurement point; and means for mounting said detector means, said at least one mirror and said probe element with respect to each other such that a laser beam directed toward said desired measurement point and reflected by said mirror means will fall on said target point when said probe end point is placed on said desired measurement point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 9)
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3. An optical device for use with a laser beam comprising:
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an optical detector having a target point; at least one mirror having a plane surface adapted to reflect a laser beam along an optical path toward said optical detector; and a probe means having an end point for placing on a desired measurement point, the distance between any given point on said plane surface of said at least one mirror and the end point of said probe means being fixed and substantially equal to the optical distance along the reflected path of said laser beam between said given point and said target point. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10)
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11. A method of detecting whether the axis of a laser beam is passing through a desired measurement point, comprising the steps of;
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(i) disposing at least one mirror with plane surface located a preselected distance form said desired measurement point; (ii) directing the axis of the laser beam toward said desired measurement point while reflecting said laser beam off said at least one mirror; (iii) detecting the location of said reflected laser beam with an optical detector having a target point located thereon separated from said surface on said mirror along the optical path of said reflected laser beam a distance substantially equal to said preselected distance; and (iv) adjusting the point of reflection of said laser beam on said at least one mirror until the reflected laser beam falls on said target point on said optical detector. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An optical device for use with a laser measurement system including a scale, comprising:
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a housing having a predetermined point thereon, adapted to be placed on said scale in said measurement system; an optical detector having a target point; and at least one mirror adapted to reflect a laser beam toward said optical detector; and means for mounting said optical detector and said at least one mirror relatively on said housing such that said target point is virtually located optically at said predetermined point on said scale when said housing is placed on said scale.
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18. An optical device for use with a laser measurement system including a scale, comprising:
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a housing adapted to be placed substantially adjacent to said scale in said measurement system; an optical detector having a target point; at least one mirror having a plane surface adapted to reflect a laser beam toward said optical detector; and indication means disposed on said housing for defining an indication point cooperating with said scale; and wherein said optical detector and said at least one mirror are relatively disposed such that the distance between said surface of said at least one mirror and said indication point is substantially equal to the optical distance between said surface and said target point.
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19. In a laser measurement system wherein a rotatable penta-prism reflects an incident laser beam substantially perpendicular to said incident laser beam, a method of detecting an error in the indicated position on a measurement scale produced by indication means operatively disposed on said penta-prism, comprising:
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disposing at least one mirror at a predetermined angle and distance relative to said indicated position on said scale; disposing an optical detector having a target point at a predetermined position relative to said at least one mirror and said indicated position; rotating said penta-prism such that said laser beam reflected by said penta-prism is further reflected by said at least one mirror; and detecting the location of said laser beam reflected by said at least one mirror relative to said optical detector, to thereby determine said error. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A laser measurement system for precisely measuring the distance between two points on an object along a first axis, comprising:
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a laser source for providing an incident laser beam substantially parallel to said first axis; a penta-prism module for reflecting said incident laser beam to provide a reflected beam, said penta-prism module being rotatable to generate a plane substantially perpendicular to said incident laser beam using said reflected beam; a carriage upon which said penta-prism module is slidably mounted, said carriage allowing said module to be moved substantially parallel to said first axis, until a first alignment of said reflected beam with a first of said two points is detected, and to be further moved until a second alignment of said reflected beam with a second of said two points is detected; a scale adapted to be disposed substantially parallel tosaid first axis; and indicator means operatively associated with said scale for indicating on said scale the locations of said plane which produce said first and second alignments, said indicator means comprising; means defining an indicator point for cooperating with locations along said scale; an optical detector having a target point; and at least one mirror disposed to reflect the swept laser beam toward said optical detector; and wherein the distance between a given point on said at least one mirror and said indication point is substantially equal to the optical distance between said given point and said target point. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A method for measuring the distance between two points on an object along a first axis, comprising the steps of:
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reflecting a source laser beam directed substantially parallel to said first axis in a penta-prism to provide a reflected laser beam perpendicular to the source laser beam; moving said penta-prism substantially parallel tos aid source laser beam until a first alignment of said reflected laser beam with a first of said two pionts is detected; further moving said penta-prism substantially parallel to said source laser beam until a second alignment of said reflected laser beam with a second of said two points is detected; and reading the positions of said penta-prism module which produce said first and second alignments along a scale disposed substantially parallel to said source laser beam by; disposing at least one mirror with a plane surface a predetermined distance from a marker on said scale; disposing an optical detector with a target point said predetermined distance along an optical path from said plane surface; moving said at least one mirror, said marker, and said optical detector in fixed relation along said scale until the laser beam, swept by rotation of said penta-prism module at said first position, is reflected by said plane surface of said mirror to said target point and noting the position of said marker on said scale; repeating the preceding moving step at said second position; and noting the distance along said scale, between the respective noted marker position.
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Specification