Patent ID: 6035540
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
An automatic optical levelling, plumbing and verticality-determining apparatus comprising:a base (1);a supporting and driving means (2) adjustably mounted on said base (1), said supporting and driving means (2) including: a supporting disk (21) rotatably secured with a plurality of adjusting screws (22) in the supporting disk (21) for adjustably mounting the supporting disk (21) on the base (1), a central hole (20) formed in a central portion of the supporting disk (21), a plurality of bearings (23) provided on the supporting disk (21) for rotatably mounting a frame (3) on the supporting disk (21), a driving motor (24) powered by a power source (26) and having a driving gear (26) secured on a driving shaft of the driving motor (25) for rotating the frame (3);said frame (3) rotatably mounted on and driven by said supporting and driving means (2), said frame (3) including: a bottom disk (31) rotatable mounted on the supporting disk (21) of the supporting and driving means (2) and having a follower gear (32) diametrically formed within the bottom disk (31) to be engageable with the driving gear (25) of the driving motor (24), a central hole (33) formed in a central portion of the bottom disk (31), and a cylindrical housing (34) protruding upwardly from the bottom disk (31) for pendulously mounting a horizontality calibrator (5) and a plumb device (4) on the cylindrical housing (34);said plumb device (4) including: a plumb weight (41) fixed on a pendulating stem (42) secured with and hung under the horizontality calibrator (5) pivotally secured on the frame (3), with the pendulating stem (42) having a central through hole (43) longitudinally formed through the pendulating stem (42) and defining a plumb line P aligned with a longitudinal center of the central through hole (43) in the pendulating stem (42) and aligned with a gravity center of the plumb device (4), with a top surface (421) of the pendulating stem (42) being horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal center of the stem (42);said horizontality calibrator (5) including: an outer ring (51) pivotally mounted on an upper portion of the cylindrical housing (34) of the frame (3) by an outer damping pivoting means (52), an inner ring (53) pivotally secured with the outer ring (51) by an inner damping pivoting means (54), a lower nut (55) secured on the pendulating stem (42) and positioned below the inner ring (53) for retaining the inner ring (53) having an anti-slipping ring (551) packed between the inner ring (53) and the lower nut (55), a washer (56) locked on a top flange (533) of the inner ring (53), an upper nut (57) retaining the washer (56) and secured on an upper portion of the pendulating stem (42): and upper plumb-line illuminator (6), a horizontal-line illuminator (7), and a vertical-line illuminator (8) mounted on a top portion of the pendulating stem (42);the upper plumb-line illuminator (6) and a lower plumb-line illuminator (6a) respectively mounted on a top and a bottom of said plumb device (4) for emitting an upward optical beam and a downward optical beam, each said optical beam respectively aligned with or parallel to the plumb line (P) for optical plumbing;the horizontal-line illuminator (7) and the vertical-line illuminator (8) symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of said plumb device (4) for respectively emitting a horizontal optical line for levelling and a vertical optical line for calibrating a verticality;each of said illuminators (6,6a,7,8) being a laser diode for emitting a laser beam outwardly through a lens and a prism; and a transparent cover (9) encasing the illuminators (6,7,8) and said frame (3).