Multiple laser beam generation

• US 6,327,090 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2000
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LeveLite Technology, Inc. (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Litvin, Timothy J., Rando, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): MAI, HUY KIM
• Application Number:
  US09/686,128
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 359/618, 359/627-629, 359/633, 359/636, 359/471, 359/482, 430/5, 430/945, 356/138, 356/149
• US Class Current: 359/618
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/004 Reference lines, planes or sectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/106 for splitting or combining a plurality of identical beams or images, e.g. image replication
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1073 characterized by manufacturing or alignment methods
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/108 for sampling a portion of a beam or combining a small beam in a larger one, e.g. wherein the area ratio or power ratio of the divided beams significantly differs from unity, without spectral selectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/143 using macroscopically faceted or segmented reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/144 using partially transparent surfaces without spectral selectivity G02B27/147 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/145 having sequential partially reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence

Abstract

A system which is preferably employed in a laser alignment instrument produces up to five orthogonal beams from a single laser diode beam. In one embodiment the optics take advantage of the elliptical shape of the beam from a laser diode which when collimated produces a plurality of orthogonal beams by reflection off a plurality of 45°-angled reflective surfaces intercepting outer portions of the beam. In one preferred embodiment a solid reflective element was four 45°-angled facets to produce four beams from outer portions of a preferably non-elliptical beam, and a fifth orthogonal beam is produced by transmission of a central portion of the beam through the element. The element can be solid glass, or it can be glass or other material with a central hole.

Claims

1. A portable self-leveling instrument for producing a plurality of reference light beams on orthogonal and intersecting lines, comprising:

a housing with a platform,

a diode laser source on the platform, providing a laser beam,

a lens on the platform for collimating the beam, and

a plurality of reflective surfaces mounted on the platform, positioned obliquely in different portions of the path of the collimated beam so as to reflect the collimated beam to produce a plurality of differently-directed output reference beams, said reflective surfaces including two reflective surfaces each oriented substantially at 45°

to the beam and in the path of two opposed outer portions of the collimated beam, so as to produce two oppositely directed output reference beams on essentially the same line, and including orthogonal beam means for producing from a middle portion of the collimated beam, an orthogonal additional reference beam on a line which intersects the other two oppositely directed beams and substantially at 90°

to the other two beams.

2. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the orthogonal beam means comprises means for providing said additional reference beam from said middle portion by transmission, without reflection.

3. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the orthogonal beam means comprises a third reflective surface oriented substantially at 45°

and in the path of the middle portion of the collimated beam, and producing an orthogonal beam on a line which intersects the other two oppositely direction beams and substantially at 90°

to the other two beams.

4. The instrument of claim 1, including a one-piece reflective element having a center portion and having facets positioned outward from the center portion in positions to receive the outer portions of the collimated beam.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the reflective element comprises a solid glass block.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the center portion of the reflective element between said facets comprises a beam transmission portion serving as said orthogonal beam means, producing said orthogonal additional reference beam by transmission, without reflection.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the reflective element comprises a solid glass block.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the reflective element comprises a solid block with a central hole defining the transmission portion.

9. The system of claim 1, including a reflective element providing said plurality of reflective surfaces, the reflective element having a center portion and having four facets positioned at four sides surrounding the center portion and each substantially at 45°

to the collimated beam, two opposed facets being in the path of said two outer portions of the collimated beam and two other opposed facets being in the path of opposed portions of the middle portion of the beam, so as to produce four output reference beams essentially on two intersecting lines by reflection of portions of the collimated beam.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the center portion of the reflective element comprises a center transmission portion positioned to receive and transmit part of the middle portion of the collimated beam, without reflection, producing a fifth orthogonal beam.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the reflective element comprises a solid glass block.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the reflective element has an opening at said center portion for transmission of the fifth beam.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the reflective element comprises a solid block with a central hole for transmission of a fifth beam.

14. The system of claim 1, including a metal component on the platform, and wherein said two reflective surfaces comprise machined mirror-like finishes on the metal component and oriented substantially at 45°

to the beam.

15. A method using a portable laser instrument for laying out construction work, comprising:

providing a housing of the portable laser instrument, with a pendulously mounted platform in the housing,

providing a laser diode source on the platform within the housing, and projecting a laser beam from the laser source and through a lens on the platform, thereby collimating the laser beam,

providing a plurality of reflective surfaces mounted on the platform, positioned obliquely in different portions of the path of the collimated beam and thereby reflecting the collimated beam from the reflective surfaces to produce a plurality of differently-directed output beams, said reflective surfaces including two reflective surfaces each oriented substantially at 45°

to the beam and in the path of two opposed outer portions of the collimated beam, thus producing two oppositely directed output reference beams on essentially the same line, and producing from a middle portion of the collimated beam, and orthogonal additional reference beam on a line which intersects the other two oppositely directed beams and substantially at 90°

to the other two beams, and

using the three orthogonal beams in construction layout.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of producing the orthogonal additional reference beam comprises providing said additional reference beam from said middle portion by transmission, without reflection.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of producing the orthogonal additional reference beam comprises including a third reflective surface oriented substantially at 45°

and in the path of the middle portion of the collimated beam, to produce an orthogonal additional reference beam on a line which intersects the other oppositely directed beams and substantially at 90°

to the other two beams, and including using said orthogonal additional reference beam to locate one of said two points.

18. A portable self-leveling instrument for producing a plurality of reference light beams on orthogonal and intersecting lines, comprising:

a housing with a platform, the platform being pendulously mounted within the housing,

a diode laser source on the platform, providing a laser beam,

a collimating lens on the platform in the path of the laser beam, producing a collimated beam, and

three reflective surfaces mounted on the platform, each positioned substantially at 45°

to the collimated beam and in different portions of the path of the collimated beam so as to reflect the collimated beam to produce three differently-directed and orthogonally-related output reference beams essentially within a single plane, two of the reference beams being oppositely directed and on essentially the same line.

19. The instrument of claim 18, wherein the collimated beam is generally elliptical in shape with a long dimension and a short dimension, and wherein the two oppositely directed output reference beams are produced by two of said reflective surfaces which are positioned near outer ends of the long dimension of the collimated beam.

20. The instrument of claim 19, wherein the two reflective surfaces producing said oppositely directed output beams are formed at 90°

to each other on a single reflective metal component.

21. The instrument of claim 18, including a one-piece reflective element having facets positioned outward from a center, in positions to receive outer portions of the collimated beam, each facet being substantially at 45°

to the path of the collimated beam.

22. The instrument of claim 21, wherein the single component comprises a solid block with a central hole defining the transmission portion.

23. The system of claim 18, including a reflective element providing said plurality of reflective surfaces, the reflective element having a center portion and having four facets positioned at four sides surrounding the center portion and each substantially at 45°

to the collimated beam, two opposed facets being in the path of said two outer portions of the collimated beam and two other opposed facets being in the path of opposed portions of the middle portion of the beam, so as to produce four output reference beams essentially on two intersecting lines by reflection of portions of the collimated beam.

24. The instrument of claim 18, including a metal component on the platform, and wherein said three reflective surfaces comprise machined mirror-like finishes on the metal component, each oriented substantially at 45°

to the beam.

25. A method involving a portable laser instrument for producing orthogonally related laser beams and using the beams for laying out construction work, comprising:

providing a housing of the portable laser instrument, and a platform within the housing having a laser diode source secured to the platform,

collimating a laser beam of the laser diode source,

securing to the platform three reflective surfaces, positioned obliquely in different portions of the path of the collimated beam so as to reflect the collimated beam to produce three differently-directed and orthogonally-related output reference beams essentially within a single plane, two of the reference beams being oppositely directed and on essentially the same line, and

using the three orthogonal beams projected from the portable laser instrument in construction layout.