Self-leveling multi-line laser device

• US 9,891,051 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Zimmermann, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): FULTON, CHRISTOPHER W
• Application Number:
  US14/468,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 33281, 33286, 33291
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/26 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/004 Reference lines, planes or sectors

Abstract

A self-leveling multi-line laser device is disclosed. The multi-line laser device includes at least two laser beams and at least two reflecting cones, wherein the cone axes of the reflecting cones are perpendicular to each other and each of the laser beams can be directed, preferably eccentrically, parallel to the axis of one of the reflecting cones against the tip of said reflecting cone. With the multi-line laser device, at least two projectable laser lines can be generated.

Claims

1. A self-leveling multi-line laser device comprising:

three laser beams generated by at least one laser beam source; and

three reflective cones,

wherein cone axes of the reflective cones are perpendicular to one another and each of the laser beams is configured to be directed parallel to the axis of a respective reflective cone of the three reflective cones against the vertex of said respective reflective cone, as a result of which three projectable laser lines are generated.

2. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflective cones have at least partial areas of a lateral surface of a right circular cone having a cone aperture angle of 90°

.

3. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the three reflective cones has non-reflective partial areas.

4. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a diaphragm arranged in the beam path of the laser diode.

5. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one laser beam of the three laser beams is generated by a laser diode as the laser beam source and is configured to be collimated by at least one of a collimating optical element and a collimator lens.

6. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

at least one laser beam of the three laser beams includes an elliptical beam cross section generated by the laser diode,

the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section has a parallel offset relative to the cone axis and is spaced apart from the cone axis in the direction of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section, and

the distance between the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section and the cone axis is less than the length of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section.

7. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

an optical system carrier, on and/or in which the at least one laser beam source, the collimating optical element, and the three reflective cones are mounted,

wherein the optical system carrier is alignable in a gravitational field, as a result of which the laser beams and cone axes are alignable in the direction of the gravitational vector or perpendicularly thereto.

8. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the optical system carrier includes one of a vibration damping arrangement, a magnetic damping arrangement, and an eddy-current damping arrangement.

9. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

an optical system carrier, on and/or in which the at least one laser beam source, the collimating optical element, and the three reflective cones are mounted,

wherein the optical system carrier is embodied in self-leveling fashion and is suspended in oscillating fashion on two mutually perpendicular bearing axes aligned substantially horizontally in an operating state.

10. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a partly reflective optical element configured to couple out the three laser beams from the laser beam source by beam splitting.

11. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the partly reflective optical element is a partly transmissive mirror, and

the partly transmissive mirror in each case forms angles of 45°

with the axes of the reflective cones and is arranged at the point of intersection of the axes of the three reflective cones.

12. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a beam splitter, which in each case forms angles at 45°

with the axes of the reflective cones and is arranged at a point of intersection of the axes of the three reflective cones,

the laser beam source generates a source laser beam that the beam splitter is configured to split into three mutually perpendicular partial laser beams to form the three laser beams.

13. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a useable angular range of the projectable laser lines emitted from the reflective cones is at least 180°

in the horizontal plane and greater than 240°

in the vertical plane.

14. A self-leveling multi-line laser device comprising:

three laser diodes, each of which is configured to generate a laser beam; and

three reflective cones,

wherein cone axes of the reflective cones are perpendicular to one another and each of the laser beams is configured to be directed parallel to the axis of a respective reflective cone of the three reflective cones against the vertex of said respective reflective cone, as a result of which three projectable laser lines are generated.

15. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the laser beams is configured to be collimated by a collimator lens.

16. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

an optical system carrier, on and/or in which the three laser diodes, the collimating lenses, and the three reflective cones are mounted,

wherein the optical system carrier is embodied in self-leveling fashion and is suspended in oscillating fashion on two mutually perpendicular bearing axes aligned substantially horizontally in an operating state, and

wherein the optical system carrier includes one of a vibration damping arrangement, a magnetic damping arrangement, and an eddy-current damping arrangement.

17. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

the three laser diodes are configured to generate the laser beams such that the laser beams have an elliptical beam cross section,

the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section has a parallel offset relative to the cone axis and is spaced apart from the cone axis in the direction of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section, and

the distance between the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section and the cone axis is less than the length of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section.

18. A self-leveling multi-line laser device comprising:

three laser diodes, each of which is configured to generate a laser beam; and

three reflective cones,

wherein cone axes of the reflective cones are perpendicular to one another and each of the laser beams is configured to be directed parallel to the axis of a respective reflective cone of the three reflective cones against the vertex of said respective reflective cone, as a result of which three projectable laser lines are generated, and

wherein each laser diode of the three laser diodes is configured to be jointly or separately activated.

19. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of the laser beams is configured to be collimated by a collimator lens.

20. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 19, further comprising:

an optical system carrier, on and/or in which the three laser diodes, the collimating lenses, and the three reflective cones are mounted,

wherein the optical system carrier is embodied in self-leveling fashion and is suspended in oscillating fashion on two mutually perpendicular bearing axes aligned substantially horizontally in an operating state, and

wherein the optical system carrier includes one of a vibration damping arrangement, a magnetic damping arrangement, and an eddy-current damping arrangement.

21. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

the three laser diodes are configured to generate the laser beams such that the laser beams have an elliptical beam cross section,

the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section has a parallel offset relative to the cone axis and is spaced apart from the cone axis in the direction of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section, and

the distance between the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section and the cone axis is less than the length of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section.

22. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

actuating elements configured to jointly or separately activate the three laser diodes.

23. A self-leveling multi-line laser device comprising:

three laser diodes, each of which is configured to generate a laser beam; and

three reflective cones,

wherein cone axes of the reflective cones are perpendicular to one another and each of the laser beams is configured to be directed parallel to the axis of a respective reflective cone of the three reflective cones against the vertex of said respective reflective cone, as a result of which three projectable laser lines are generated, and

wherein the useable angular range of the laser line emitted from the reflective cone is greater than 200°

in the horizontal plane and greater than 240°

in the vertical plane.

24. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 23, wherein each of the laser beams is configured to be collimated by a collimator lens.

25. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 24, further comprising:

an optical system carrier, on and/or in which the three laser diodes, the collimating lenses, and the three reflective cones are mounted,

wherein the optical system carrier is embodied in self-leveling fashion and is suspended in oscillating fashion on two mutually perpendicular bearing axes aligned substantially horizontally in an operating state, and

wherein the optical system carrier includes one of a vibration damping arrangement, a magnetic damping arrangement, and an eddy-current damping arrangement.

26. The self-leveling multi-line laser device as claimed in claim 23, wherein:

the three laser diodes are configured to generate the laser beams such that the laser beams have an elliptical beam cross section,

the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section has a parallel offset relative to the cone axis and is spaced apart from the cone axis in the direction of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section, and

the distance between the center axis of the elliptical beam cross section and the cone axis is less than the length of the short semiaxes of the elliptical beam cross section.