Laser alignment system

• US 6,308,428 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pinpoint Laser Systems
• Original Assignee: Pinpoint Laser Systems
• Inventors: Creighton, Albert M. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Diego
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEJESUS, LYDIA M
• Application Number:
  US09/219,332
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 332/86, 335/33, 336/45, 33D/IG.21
• US Class Current: 33/286
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/004 Reference lines, planes or sectors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 33/21 with laser

Abstract

An alignment system includes a laser transmitter and receiver. The receiver includes a linear photodetector array centered at a predetermined location with respect to machined surfaces that define a receiver reference plane. An indicator on the receiver displays a deviation of the position of the laser beam from a predetermined location on the photodetector array thereby to quantify any misalignment of a surface supporting the receiver with respect to the transmitted laser beam.

Claims

1. An alignment system comprising:

A) a transmitter for projecting a laser beam along a projection axis; and

B) a receiver including;

i) a housing with means for defining a receiver reference plane,

ii) detector means having a predetermined location in said housing relative to the receiver reference plane for generating an enabling signal which causes a visual indicator on the receiver to announce that the receiver is receiving a laser beam in response to detecting at least a predetermined laser beam intensity on said detector means,

iii) means responsive to the enabling signal from said detector means for generating a quantitative value as a display of the position of the laser beam projection axis relative to the predetermined location and the reference plane.

2. An alignment system as recited in claim 1 wherein said transmitter includes a laser that generates the laser beam and a housing for supporting said laser, said transmitter housing defining a transmitter reference plane parallel to the projection axis.

3. An alignment system as recited in claim 2 wherein said transmitter reference plane comprises a plurality of spaced, coplanar machined surfaces on said transmitter housing.

4. An alignment system as recited in claim 2 wherein the projection axis is parallel to the transmitter reference plane and said transmitter additionally includes optical means for projecting the laser beam along the projection axis.

5. An alignment system as recited in claim 4 wherein said laser projects a laser beam having a non-circular cross section and said optical means includes first lens means for forming the non-circular cross section laser beam from said laser into a beam with a circular cross section and a second lens means for directing the laser beam from said first lens means along the projection axis.

6. An alignment system as recited in claim 2 wherein the projection axis is fixed relative to said housing and said transmitter housing additionally includes level means for indicating the orientation of the projection axis.

7. An alignment system as recited in claim 6 wherein said level means includes horizontal and vertical levels for indicating the orientation of the projection axis relative to the horizontal and vertical, respectively.

8. An alignment system as recited in claim 6 wherein said housing transmitter additionally includes means for enabling the attachment of accessories to said transmitter.

9. An alignment system as recited in claim 6 wherein said laser is battery operated.

10. An alignment system as recited in claim 2 wherein said receiver housing includes machined surfaces in a plane for defining the receiver reference plane.

11. An alignment system as recited in claim 10 wherein said detector means includes a linear photodetector array mounted in said receiver housing perpendicularly to the receiver reference plane.

12. An alignment system as recited in claim 11 wherein said receiver additionally includes an optical window enabling the laser beam to pass to said photodetector array.

13. An alignment system as recited in claim 11 wherein said linear photodetector array generates first and second signals representing the positions of the center of the laser beam relative to the opposite ends of said linear photodetector array and said display means includes means for displaying the quotient obtained by dividing a difference value corresponding to the difference between the first and second signals by a sum value corresponding to the sum of the first and second signals.

14. An alignment system as recited in claim 13 wherein said display means includes a numeric display for displaying the value of the quotient.

15. An alignment system as recited in claim 13 additionally including means connected to said display means for an offsetting the difference value.

16. An alignment system as recited in claim 13 additionally including means connected to said display means for offsetting the difference signal by a variable amount.

17. An alignment system as recited in claim 13 additionally comprising means connected to said display means for comparing the sum value to a threshold and visual means responsive to said comparing means for indicating whether the sum value exceeds the threshold.

18. An alignment system as recited in claim 13 wherein said display means includes fixed gain means for generating the sum value and variable gain means for generating the difference value, said receiver additionally comprising means for adjusting the gain of said difference value generating means.