Knock-down satellite positioning system antenna supporting tripod
First Claim
1. A knocked-down portable survey station in kit-form adapted to be assembled on-site for geodetic surveying comprising:
- a surveyor'"'"'s stake having an upper end and a lower end, said stake comprising a plurality of sections, each of said sections including means for releasably attaching a first section to a second section;
a satellite positioning system antenna releasably attachable to the upper end of said stake; and
a tripod having a tripod head and at least three legs releasably and hingedly attachable at their upper ends to said tripod head, each of said legs comprising at least one of said plurality of sections;
said tripod head including;
a base platform releasably attachable to said tripod legs; and
a base positioning assembly movably attached to said platform for providing a pivot assembly at least two dimensional freedom of motion in a planes said base positioning assembly comprising a first housing slidably mounted on said platform to permit said first housing to move along a first directional path, and a second housing slidably mounted to said first housing to permit said second housing to move along a second directional path which is different from said first directional path;
said pivot assembly pivotally being attached to said base positioning assembly for providing at least partial freedom of rotation about at least two orthogonal axes, said pivotal assembly includes a gimbal pivotally mounted to said second housing to permit said gimbal to pivot about both an x-axis and a y-axis, said gimbal including a central cavity for receiving said stake.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A knocked-down portable geodetic surveying station in kit form is disclosed which utilizes a GPS antenna attached to the top portion of a surveyor'"'"'s stake, or other type monopole. By positioning the bottom portion of the monopole directly upon a desired ground location, and adjusting the angular position of the monopole so that it is precisely vertical, the GPS antenna may be quickly and accurately positioned level and directly above the desired ground location. The GPS antenna and monopole are designed to be used in conjunction with a newly designed geodetic surveying tripod which can be quickly and conveniently set up to support the monopole in its vertical position directly above the desired ground location. The tripod of the present invention includes a tripod head which comprises a base platform, a first housing slidably mounted on the platform to permit the first housing to move along a first directional path, and a second housing slidably mounted within the first housing to permit the second housing to move along a second directional path, generally orthogonal to the first directional path. Mounted pivotally within the second housing is a gimbal which includes a central cavity for receiving the shaft of the monopole. The gimbal allows the angular position of the monopole and GPS antenna to be adjusted independently of the angular position tripod platform.
143 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A knocked-down portable survey station in kit-form adapted to be assembled on-site for geodetic surveying comprising:
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a surveyor'"'"'s stake having an upper end and a lower end, said stake comprising a plurality of sections, each of said sections including means for releasably attaching a first section to a second section; a satellite positioning system antenna releasably attachable to the upper end of said stake; and a tripod having a tripod head and at least three legs releasably and hingedly attachable at their upper ends to said tripod head, each of said legs comprising at least one of said plurality of sections; said tripod head including; a base platform releasably attachable to said tripod legs; and a base positioning assembly movably attached to said platform for providing a pivot assembly at least two dimensional freedom of motion in a planes said base positioning assembly comprising a first housing slidably mounted on said platform to permit said first housing to move along a first directional path, and a second housing slidably mounted to said first housing to permit said second housing to move along a second directional path which is different from said first directional path; said pivot assembly pivotally being attached to said base positioning assembly for providing at least partial freedom of rotation about at least two orthogonal axes, said pivotal assembly includes a gimbal pivotally mounted to said second housing to permit said gimbal to pivot about both an x-axis and a y-axis, said gimbal including a central cavity for receiving said stake. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A tripod assembly comprising:
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a tripod head, said tripod head including; a base platform securable to a support means for supporting said platform at a fixed position above a surface; and a base positioning assembly movably attached to said platform for providing a pivot assembly at least two dimensional freedom of motion in a plane, said base positioning assembly comprising a first housing slidably mounted on said platform to permit said first housing to move along a first directional path, and a second housing slidably mounted to said first housing to permit said second housing to move along a second directional path which is different from said first directional path; said pivot assembly including a gimbal pivotally mounted to said second housing to permit said gimbal to pivot about both an x-axis and a y-axis, said gimbal including a central cavity for receiving a stake; said base platform including a plurality of tripod leg mounting assemblies hingedly connected to said platform, each of said mounting assemblies being releasably attachable to a respective tripod leg, each of said mounting assemblies including stop means for restricting motion of a respective tripod leg to a maximum, fixed outward position. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for performing geodetic surveying using a knocked-down portable survey station in kit-form adapted to be assembled on-site, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) assembling a plurality of sectional members together to form a plurality of tripod legs and a monopole; (b) mounting a satellite positioning system antenna onto a top portion of the monopole; (c) attaching each of the plurality of tripod legs to a respective mounting assembly on a tripod base to thereby form a tripod; (d) positioning said tripod generally over a desired spot on the ground, said tripod base including a base platform, a first housing slidably mounted on said platform to permit said first housing to move along a first directional path, a second housing slidably mounted within said first housing to permit said second housing to move along a second directional path which is different from said first directional path, and a gimbal pivotally mounted within said second housing to permit said gimbal to pivot about both an x-axis and y-axis, said gimbal including a recess for receiving said monopole; (e) inserting said monopole through said gimbal recess; and (f) adjusting the position and angle of the monopole to ensure that said antenna is level and located at a predetermined height directly above said spot. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification