Laser survey instrument

• US 5,898,490 A
• Filed: 03/11/1997
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Hirano, Satoshi, Ohtomo, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US08/820,725
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 356/141.1, 356/141.3
• US Class Current: 356/141.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/004 Reference lines, planes or sectors

Abstract

A laser survey instrument according to the present invention comprises at least an object reflector detecting unit for irradiating a detection laser beam, a main body rotating unit for rotating the object reflector detecting unit, and an object reflector for reflecting the detection laser beam toward the object reflector detecting unit, whereby said object reflector detecting unit comprises a light emitter for emitting said detection laser beam, a rotator for irradiating the laser beam for reciprocal scanning, a reflection light detecting unit for receiving and detecting the reflection laser beam from the object reflector, and a scanning controller for controlling said rotator, and the object reflector detecting unit detects the object reflector and determines the direction of the object reflector detecting unit by the main body rotating unit and automatically sets the direction of the laser survey instrument.

Claims

1. A laser survey instrument, comprising a laser irradiation unit for forming a reference plane by irradiating and rotating a reference laser beam and for irradiating a detection laser beam in the same direction as said reference laser beam, said laser irradiation unit having tilting means for setting the tilt position of said laser irradiation unit with respect to a horizontal plane, an object reflector detecting unit for irradiating said detection laser beam toward an object reflector positioned in a direction of the tilt position of said laser irradiation unit and for detecting said object reflector based on the reflected laser beam from said object reflector, and a main body rotating unit for rotating the object reflector detecting unit and the laser irradiation unit together so as to turn said object reflector unit and said laser irradiation unit toward said object reflector according to the photodetecting conditions of said object reflector detecting unit.

2. A laser survey instrument according to claim 1, wherein said laser irradiation unit tilting means tilts said reference laser beam and said detection laser beam, said reference laser beam forming a tilt reference plane, whereby the tilt direction of said tilt reference plane corresponds to an irradiation direction of said detection laser beam directed to a reference position of said object reflector detecting unit.

3. A laser survey instrument according to claim 1, wherein said object reflector detecting unit comprises a light emitter for emitting said detection laser beam, a rotator for reciprocal scanning said detection laser beam, an encoder for detecting a rotating position of said rotator, a reflection light detecting unit for receiving and detecting said reflection laser beam from said object reflector and a position identifier for detection of the central position of said object reflector based on signals from said reflection light detecting unit and said encoder, and, said main body rotating unit comprises a rotation motor for rotating the main body so as to turn to said object reflector and a rotation controller for controlling said rotation motor based on a signal from said position identifier.

4. A laser survey instrument according to claim 1, wherein the object reflector detecting unit causes said detection laser beam to reciprocally scan in a vertical direction within a given angle.

5. A laser survey instrument according to one of claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the object reflector detecting unit comprises optical means for irradiating the detection laser beam by spreading said laser beam in a fan shape in a vertical direction and for reciprocally scanning the detection laser beam in a horizontal direction within a given angle.

6. A laser survey instrument according to one of claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the object reflector detecting unit irradiates the detection laser beam for reciprocal scanning in horizontal and vertical directions within a given angle.

7. A laser survey instrument according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object reflector detecting unit comprises a vertical laser beam emitter for irradiating a vertical laser beam in a vertical direction and a vertical compensator to direct the vertical laser beam irradiated from said vertical laser beam emitter toward a vertical direction.

8. A laser survey instrument according to claim 2, wherein said tilting direction of the tilting means of the laser irradiation unit and the direction of the detection laser beam from the object reflector detecting unit form a given angle.

9. A laser survey instrument according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object reflector detecting unit can be attached to or removed from the laser irradiation unit.

10. A laser survey instrument according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body rotating unit can be attached to or removed from the laser irradiation unit.

11. A laser survey instrument according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein there is provided a main body rotating unit for rotating the laser irradiation unit and the object reflector detecting unit and the main body rotating unit can be attached to or removed from the laser irradiation unit.

12. A laser survey instrument according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body rotating unit comprises rotation restraining means, manual rotating means for converting the rotation of a rotating knob to the rotation of the object reflector detecting unit, and means for allowing rotation when a force higher than a given rotating force is applied.

13. A laser survey instrument according to claim 2, wherein the object reflector detecting unit is mounted on the laser irradiation unit, and the laser irradiation unit is mounted on the main body rotating unit.

14. A laser survey instrument according to claim 2, wherein the laser irradiation unit is mounted on the object reflector detecting unit, and the objet reflector detecting unit is mounted on the main body rotating unit.