Laser line beam emitting apparatus having functions of laser marking or plumb instrument, or leveler

• US 6,536,122 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-technica
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-technica
• Inventors: Tamamura, Akihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Fulton, Christopher W.
• Application Number:
  US10/056,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: G01/C.1510
• US Class Current: 33/283
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/105 Optical plumbing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 33/21 with laser

Abstract

There is provided a laser line beam emitting apparatus with high durability. The apparatus according to the present invention has avoidance of deformed or damaged shafts by construction where possible free maintenance of the balance of the pendulum being locked against the swings prevents production of applied unnatural force to the shaft. It includes a pendulum 60 having a laser beam source unit assembled thereinto, gimbals mechanism having the pendulum 60 hung therefrom, a stopper 70 having a function of stop of swings of the pendulum 60, and a pressure member 75 to press the pendulum against the stopper for stop of swings of the pendulum 60. The gimbals mechanism comprises a plurality of links 53, 55, 57, which are linked in series through combination of a plurality of horizontal shafts 52, 54 disposed in a parallel arrangement with each other and a plurality of horizontal shaft 56, 58, which is at the right angle to the horizontal shafts 52, 54. When the pressure member 75 presses on the pendulum 60, each of the plurality of links 53, 55, 57 has preferred swings with the maintained balance of the pendulum.

Claims

1. A laser line beam emitting apparatus comprising a housing having a first surface formed inside thereof;

a laser beam source unit to emit a laser line beam therefrom;

a pendulum into which said laser beam source unit is assembled, having swings, the pendulum having a second surface and a third surface on the side opposite from the second surface;

a gimbals mechanism from which said pendulum with the assembled laser beam source unit is hung, provided in said housing;

a stopper having a fourth surface opposite the first surface of said housing, and a fifth surface opposite the second surface of said pendulum, provided in said housing; and

a pressure member provided in said housing at an opposite position to the third surface of said pendulum, having contribution to push of the third surface of said pendulum for movement and hold of the second surface of said pendulum into the fifth surface of said stopper so as to stop swings of said pendulum.

2. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said gimbals mechanism comprises a plurality of first horizontal shafts provided in a parallel arrangement;

a plurality of second horizontal shafts provided in a parallel arrangement, being at right angles to said plural first horizontal shafts; and

said plurality of links, respectively, linked in series through any of said first and second horizontal shafts with one of the links having a swinging hold on said pendulum, whereby said pendulum maintains a predetermined balance.

3. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the fifth surface of said stopper is a reference surface, which establishes both of hold of the second surface of said pendulum and maintaining of balance of said pendulum being held by said stopper.

4. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said reference surface is a sectional V-shape groove.

5. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first surface of said housing and the fourth surface of said stopper are connected to each other, wherein said connected first and fourth surfaces in combination with the second surface of said pendulum being held into the fifth surface of said stopper locates the laser line beam emitted from said laser beam source unit, and wherein said housing has at least one external surface, which has a precise contact in whole with a surface of an objective to examined, whereby the located, emitted laser line beam provides information of verticality or horizontality of the examined objective.

6. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the fifth surface of said stopper is a reference surface, which establishes hold of the second surface of said pendulum, and a predetermined location of the laser line beam emitted from said laser beam source unit.

7. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said reference surface is a V-shape sectioned groove.

8. A laser line beam emitting apparatus comprising

a housing having a first surface formed inside thereof;

a laser beam source unit to emit a laser line beam therefrom;

a pendulum into which said laser beam source unit is assembled, having swings, the pendulum having a second surface and a third surface on the side opposite from the second surface

a gimbals mechanism from which said pendulum with the assembled laser beam source unit is hung, the gimbals mechanism comprising a first horizontal shaft horizontally extending from an internal surface of said housing, a second horizontal shaft provided in a parallel arrangement with said first horizontal shaft, third and fourth horizontal shafts provided at right angle to said first and second shafts, a first link having free swings about said first horizontal shaft on the side of its trailing end portion, a second link linked with a leading end portion of said first link through said second horizontal shaft on the side of its trailing end, and a third link linked with a leading end portion of said second link through said third horizontal shaft on the side of its trailing end and having free swings about said third horizontal shaft, said pendulum being swingly hung from said fourth horizontal shaft through said third link having said fourth horizontal shaft on the side of its leading end, said pendulum maintaining its balance;

a stopper having a fourth surface opposite the first surface of said housing, and a fifth surface opposite the second surface of said pendulum, provided in said housing; and

a pressure member provided in said housing at an opposite position to the third surface of said pendulum, having contribution to push of the third surface of the said pendulum for movement and hold of the second surface of said pendulum into the fifth surface of said stopper so as to stop swings of said pendulum.

9. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the fifth surface of said stopper is a reference surface, which establishes both of hold of the second surface of said pendulum and maintaining of balance of said pendulum being held by said stopper.

10. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 9,

wherein said reference surface is a sectional V-shape groove.

11. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first surface of said housing and the fourth surface of said stopper are connected to each other, wherein said connected first and fifth surfaces in combination with the second surface of said pendulum being held into the fifth surface of said stopper locates the laser line beam emitted from said laser beam source unit, and wherein said housing has at least one external surface, which has a precise contact in whole with a surface of an objective to examined, whereby the located, emitted laser line beam provides information of verticality or horizontality of the examined objective.

12. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the fifth surface of said stopper is a reference surface, which establishes hold of the second surface of said pendulum into the fifth surface of said stopper, and a predetermined location of the laser line beam emitted from said laser beam source unit.

13. The laser line beam emitting apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said reference surface is a sectional V-shape groove.