Optical instrument with angle indicator and method for operating the same

• US 7,841,094 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spectra Precision Inc. (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRIMBLE Kaiserslautern GmbH (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Schumacher, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): BENNETT, GEORGE B
• Application Number:
  US12/360,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20100186243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 332/81, 332/82, 332/83, 332/90, 332/91, 340/689
• US Class Current: 33/282
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/22 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/008 combined with inclination sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/06 Electric or photoelectric indication or reading means

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical instrument with an angle indicator and a method for operating the same enabling simple monitoring of instrument inclination and operation in a large angle range. The optical instrument comprises a base portion, a head portion tiltable relative to the base portion within a device angle range, a base angle indicator attached to the base portion for determining a base angle of the base portion and a determination unit for determining an indication angle range of the head portion based on the base angle and the device angle range.

Claims

1. Optical instrument, comprising

a base portion;

a head portion tiltable relative to the base portion within a device angle range having a maximum device angle and a minimum device angle;

a base angle indicator attached to the base portion for determining a base angle of the base portion; and

a determination unit for determining an indication angle range of the head portion based on the base angle and the device angle range.

2. Optical instrument of claim 1, wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine the indication angle range by adding the base angle to the device angle range.

3. Optical instrument of claim 1, wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine whether a desired indication angle is within the indication angle range.

4. Optical instrument of claim 1, wherein the determination unit is adapted to determine whether the base angle of zero is within one of the indication angle range and a sub range of the indication angle range.

5. Optical instrument of claim 3, further comprising an alert unit for outputting an alert signal on the basis of the determination result.

6. Optical instrument of claim 1, wherein the determination unit is adapted to repeatedly determine the indication angle range during operation.

7. Optical instrument of claim 1, further comprising a head angle indicator attached to the head portion for determining a head angle of the head portion.

8. Optical instrument of claim 7, wherein the determination unit is adapted to obtain the difference between the base angle and the head angle and to output an enable signal if the absolute value of the difference is smaller than a self leveling threshold.

9. Optical instrument of claim 1, wherein at least one of the base angle indicator and the head angle indicator is a micro-electromechanical sensor, MEMS.

10. Optical instrument of claim 1, further comprising a reference level angle indicator for calibrating at least one of the base angle indicator and the head angle indicator.

11. Method for operating an optical instrument, the optical instrument comprising a base portion and a head portion tiltable relative to the base portion within a device angle range having a maximum device angle and a minimum device angle, wherein the method comprises

determining a base angle of the base portion;

and

determining an indication angle range of the head portion based on the base angle and the device angle range.

12. A program including instructions adapted to cause data processing means to carry out the method of claim 11.

13. A computer readable medium, in which a program is embodied, where the program is to make a computer execute the method of claim 11.

14. A computer program product comprising the computer readable medium according to claim 13.