Sighting device, in particular telescopic sight, for a geodetic measuring apparatus and optical objective unit assembly for such a sighting device

• US 8,839,526 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leica Geosystems AG (Hexagon AB)
• Original Assignee: Leica Geosystems AG (Hexagon AB)
• Inventors: Hinderling, Juerg, Stauffer, Laurent, Saupe, Frank, Scheja, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): FULTON, CHRISTOPHER W
• Application Number:
  US13/502,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20120198712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 332/92, 332/90
• US Class Current: 33/292
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/04 Adaptation of rangefinders for combination with telescopes or binoculars
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4812 transmitted and received beams following a coaxial path
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/04 for the purpose of beam splitting or combining, e.g. fitted with eyepieces for more than one observer G02B23/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/1805 for prisms G02B7/181 takes precedence

Abstract

A sighting device includes an objective unit, an image unit, a transmitter for emitting measurement beams as transmitted beams and/or a receiver for capturing measurement beams as received beams, and at least one optical deflection means for coupling the transmitted beams into the optical beam path of the sighting device. The at least one lens comprises a cylindrical recess around the optical axis, the recess extending in the direction of the optical axis. Furthermore, the deflection means comprises a cylindrical fastening section that extends inside the recess such that a gluing gap is created between the outer lateral surface of the fastening section and at least a portion of an inner lateral surface of the lens defined by the recess, and the deflection means is fastened to the at least one lens, mediated by an adhesive located in the gluing gap.

Claims

1. A sighting device for a surveying apparatus having angle measurement functionality, which sighting device comprises:

an objective unit, which defines an optical axis, and includes at least one optical component formed as a lens or as an optical plane-parallel plate;

an image unit which includes a camera sensor and/or an eyepiece, for acquiring and/or providing an image of a sighted target object, an optical beam path being defined between the objective unit and the image unit;

a transmission unit for emitting measurement beams as transmission beams and/or a reception unit for acquiring measurement beams as reception beams, and

at least one optical deviation means for coupling the transmission beams into the optical beam path and/or for coupling the reception beams out of the optical beam path, wherein;

the at least one optical component includes a cylindrical recess which extends in the direction of the optical axis;

the deviation means includes a cylindrical fastening section extending inside the recess and corresponding in shape and size to the recess, so that a bonding gap is formed between the outer lateral face of the fastening section and at least a part of an inner lateral face, defined by the recess, of the optical component; and

the deviation means is fastened to the at least one optical component by means of an adhesive contained in the bonding gap, the adhesive is distributed uniformly in the bonding gap and around the fastening section, so that the outer lateral face of the fastening section is essentially coated completely with adhesive and is placed in the recess without direct contact with the at least one optical component.

2. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening section extends inside the recess without contact with the inner lateral face, so that there is a continuous bonding gap with uniformly distributed adhesive contained in the bonding gap.

3. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening section extends inside the recess without contact with the inner lateral face, so that there is a continuous bonding gap with uniformly distributed adhesive contained in the bonding gap with the fastening section essentially extending centrally inside the recess and corresponding in shape and size to the recess so that the bonding gap has a uniform defined width and in particular is axisymmetric.

4. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess has a round, oval or polygonal base face, which is directed perpendicularly to the optical axis.

5. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical deviation means is formed integrally as a spigot comprising the fastening section, of which a surface of an input coupling end side facing toward the target object is chamfered relative to the optical axis and rendered optically reflective so that the transmission beams are coupled into the beam path in the direction of the target object coaxially with the optical axis.

6. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical deviation means is formed integrally as a spigot comprising the fastening section, an output coupling end side facing away from the target object is chamfered relative to the optical axis and provided with a reflective coating so that the reception beams are coupled out of the beam path toward the reception unit.

7. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adhesive has:

a thermal expansion coefficient of less than 60 ppm/K; and

/or

a water absorption coefficient of less than 2%, in particular less than 0.5%;

the adhesive being a capillary adhesive.

8. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adhesive has:

a thermal expansion coefficient of less than 40 ppm/K; and

/or

a water absorption coefficient of less than 0.5%;

the adhesive being a UV capillary adhesive which can be cured by UV light.

9. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sighting device comprises a mirror system, by means of which the reception beams are directed toward the deviation means and/or the reception unit.

10. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess comprises a notch as a reservoir for the adhesive to be introduced into the bonding gap when fastening the deviation means on the optical component.

11. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess is configured as a continuous recess, wherein the continuous recess includes:

on one side a first notch as a reservoir for the adhesive to be introduced into the bonding gap when fastening the deviation means, and

on the other side a second notch as an adhesive propagation barrier for the adhesive spreading in the bonding gap by capillary forces when fastening the deviation means.

12. The sighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sighting device is a telescopic sight for a surveying apparatus having angle and distance measurement functionality, wherein the at least one optical component includes a cylindrical continuous recess around the optical axis.

13. An optical assembly for an objective unit of a sighting device as claimed in claim 1, the optical assembly comprising:

the at least one optical component includes a cylindrical continuous recess around the optical axis, which recess extends in the direction of the optical axis.

14. A method for producing an optical assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the fastening section of the optical deviation means is inserted into the recess of the optical component in the direction of the optical axis of the optical component, the optical component being mounted horizontally and the longitudinal axis of the fastening section being oriented parallel to or coaxially with the optical axis of the optical component;

the optical component and the deviation means are mounted so that the deviation means and the optical component are movable relative to one another in a horizontal plane, essentially without friction;

the adhesive is introduced into the bonding gap so that under the effect of internal stresses in the adhesive with capillary forces, the adhesive is both distributed uniformly over the bonding gap and, likewise owing to the internal stresses in the adhesive, a continuous bonding gap is produced between the inner lateral face of the optical component and the outer lateral face of the fastening section; and

the adhesive is cured in the state uniformly distributed over the bonding gap, so that the deviation means is fastened by means of the adhesive with a homogeneous stress distribution over the bonding gap to the at least one optical component.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the adhesive is both distributed uniformly over the bonding gap and, owing to the internal stresses in the adhesive, the fastening section is essentially centrally located in the recess and the bonding gap is produced with a uniform width between the inner lateral face of the optical component and the outer lateral face of the fastening section.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein while the adhesive is being introduced into the bonding gap and/or is being distributed uniformly over the bonding gap, the fastening section is readjusted in the recess by the high-precision adjustment devices.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least while the adhesive is being distributed in the bonding gap, the optical component or the deviation means is mounted floating in a horizontal plane so that relative mobility of the optical component and the deviation means relative to one another in a horizontal plane is ensured.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein during the introduction, distribution and in particular curing of the adhesive, the optical component together with the deviation means, inserted with the fastening section into the recess, is rotated about a vertical axis.

19. A method for producing an optical assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the fastening section of the optical deviation means is inserted into the recess of the optical component in the direction of the optical axis of the optical component, the longitudinal axis of the fastening section being oriented parallel to or coaxially with the optical axis of the optical component;

the fastening section is adjusted in the recess by high-precision adjustment devices while observing the bonding gap with a microscope camera or by using image acquisition and evaluation means so that the fastening section is placed in the recess without contact with the inner lateral face, and has a continuous bonding gap between the inner lateral face of the optical component and the outer lateral face of the fastening section, so that the fastening section is placed essentially centered in the recess and the bonding gap has a uniform width; and

the adhesive is introduced into the bonding gap and under the effect of internal stresses in the adhesive by capillary forces is distributed uniformly over the bonding gap and is subsequently cured with a homogenous stress distribution over the bonding gap while the optical component and the deviation means are held fixed in the adjusted position.