Abstract:
An optical calibrating apparatus includes: a laser illuminator ( 6 ) disposed in an eccentric adjusting sleeve ( 5 ), an inner inclined adjusting sleeve ( 4 ) within a jacket ( 3 ), an outer inclined adjusting sleeve ( 2 ) outside the jacket ( 3 ), and a cylindrical casing ( 1 ), in which a laser line is emitted by the illuminator ( 6 ) for checking levelling, plumbing and verticality and the laser line has been calibrated for a horizontality or a verticality by rotating the eccentric adjusting sleeve ( 4 ), the inner and outer inclined adjusting sleeves ( 4, 2 ) until the emitted laser line is aligned with a standard laser line emitted from a standard optical calibrator or aligned with a mark preset by a standard instrument.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/024,340 filed on: Feb. 17, 1998 by the same inventor, C. Y. Wu of this application disclosed an automatic optical levelling, plumbing, and verticality-determining apparatus having a plumb device secured with a horizontality calibrator universally pendulously mounted on the frame, in which a plurality of screws are provided for operatively adjusting the horizontality calibrator by slidably moving the inner ring of the calibrator about the longitudinal center of the pendulating stem of the plumb device until a gravity center of the plumb device is aligned with the plumb line of the plumb device as checked by a bubble level. 
     However, the screws used for the adjustment may cause deformation for the instrument elements having thin wall and may also accumulate stress as tightened by the screws during their adjustment, thereby gradually releasing the stress to further cause deviation from the horizontality or verticality, and influencing the measurement precision accordingly. 
     The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the conventional optical device and invented the present optical calibrating apparatus. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide an optical calibrating apparatus including: a laser illuminator ( 6 ) disposed in an eccentric adjusting sleeve ( 5 ), an inner inclined adjusting sleeve ( 4 ) within a jacket ( 3 ), an outer inclined adjusting sleeve ( 2 ), and a cylindrical casing ( 1 ), in which a laser line is emitted by the illuminator ( 6 ) for checking levelling, plumbing and verticality and the laser line has been calibrated for a horizontality or a verticality by rotating the eccentric adjusting sleeve ( 4 ), the inner and outer inclined adjusting sleeves ( 4 ,  2 ) until the emitted laser line is aligned with a standard laser line emitted from a standard optical calibrator or aligned with a mark preset by a standard instrument. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the elements of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional drawing of the present invention as assembled. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional drawing of the present invention when assembled. 
     FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional drawing of the present invention showing a primary calibration adjustment. 
     FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional drawing of the present invention showing a secondary calibration adjustment. 
     FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional drawing of another modification of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal sectional drawing of still another modification of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in FIGS.  1 ˜ 4 , the present invention comprises: a cylindrical casing  1 , an outer inclined adjusting sleeve  2 , a jacket  3 , an inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 , an eccentric adjusting sleeve  5 , a laser illuminator  6  and a base  7 . 
     The cylindrical casing  1  includes: a hollow cylinder  11  having a front cover  12  fixed on a front end portion  111  of the hollow cylinder  11 , and a rear cover  13  secured on a rear end portion  112  of the hollow cylinder  11 , having a longitudinal axis X defined at a longitudinal center of the hollow cylinder  11 . 
     The hollow cylinder  11  is formed with an annular extension  113  on an inside wall at an intermediate position of the hollow cylinder  11 , and is formed with a screw hole  114  adjacent to the front end portion  111  of the hollow cylinder  11  to be fixed therein with a sealing screw  115 . 
     The front cover  12  is formed with a front opening  121  having a transparent glass  122  secured in the front opening  121  and a front chamber C 1  defined between the transparent glass  122  and the annular extension  113  in the hollow cylinder  11  for mounting the elements in construction of the present invention. 
     The rear cover  13  is secured with a push button  141  of the switch  14  in a rear opening  131  formed in the rear cover  13 . A rear chamber C 2  is defined between the push button  141  and the annular extension  113  in the hollow cylinder  11  for storing battery  15  in the rear chamber C 2 . 
     The outer inclined adjusting sleeve  2  includes: an outer cylindrical surface  21  slidably rotatably engageable with an inside wall of the front chamber C 1  of the hollow cylinder  11  as defined between the front cover  12  and the annular extension  113  positioned at an intermediate portion in the hollow cylinder  11 , an inside cylindrical hole  22  defining a longitudinal axis X 1  at a longitudinal center of the inside cylindrical hole  22  within the outer inclined adjusting sleeve  2  with the longitudinal axis X 1  inclined from the longitudinal axis X of the hollow cylinder  11  of the casing  1  and with the inside cylindrical hole  22  for disposing the jacket  3  therein; and a screw hole  23  formed in the outer inclined adjusting sleeve  2  for inserting a sealing screw  24  therein. 
     The jacket  3  is formed with: a front cylindrical portion  31  having a front opening  311  formed in a front end of the front cylindrical portion  31  for securing a transparent glass  312  in the front opening  311 ; an annular extension  33  annularly formed in an inside hole  32  formed through the front cylindrical portion  31 ; a front socket  34  defined between the transparent glass  312  and the annular extension  33  for mounting a cylindrical-surfaced lens or prism  35  in the front socket  34  as transversely inserted through a lens opening  331  formed in the front cylindrical portion  31 ; and a rear cylindrical portion  36  combinable with the front cylindrical portion  31  for mounting the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 , the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  and the laser illuminator  6  within the rear cylindrical portion  36  of the jacket  3 . 
     The inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4  includes: an outer cylindrical surface  41  slidably rotatably engageable with an inside wall in the rear cylindrical portion  36  of the jacket  3  as defined between the annular extension  33  and the rear cylindrical portion  36  of the jacket  3 , and an inside cylindrical hole  42  defining a longitudinal axis X 2  at a longitudinal center of the inside cylindrical hole  42  with the longitudinal axis X 2  deviated from the longitudinal axis X of the hollow cylinder  11  of the casing  1  for disposing the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  within the inside cylindrical hole  42  in the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 . 
     The eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  includes: an outer cylindrical surface  51  slidably rotatably engageable with the inside cylindrical hole  42  of the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 , and an inner eccentric hole  52  eccentrically formed through the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  with the inner eccentric hole  52  longitudinally parallel to the outer cylindrical surface  51  of the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5 , and with a rear sleeve portion of the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  protruding rearwardly to be positioned beyond a rear end of the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 . 
     The laser illuminator  6  includes: an outer cylindrical surface  61  slidably rotatably engageable with the inner eccentric hole  52  of the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5 , a focussing lens  62  fixed at a front end of the laser illuminator  6  and aligned with the cylindrical-surfaced lens  35  in the jacket  3 , an integrated circuit (including laser diode)  63  for producing laser light for the laser illuminator  6  formed at a rear portion of the laser illuminator  6 , and an electrically conductive spring coil  64  retained, adjacent to the annular extension  113  of the casing  1 , between the integrated circuit  63 , protruding through a rear opening of the rear cylindrical portion  36  of the jacket  3 , and the battery  15  stored in the rear chamber C 2  of the casing  1 , thereby powering the integrated circuit  63  for lighting the laser illuminator  6  by the battery  15 . The illuminator  6  is controlled by the switch  14  provided at a rear portion of the casing  1 . 
     The base  7  includes: a stem  71  protruding upwardly from a bottom disk  73  having a horizontal bottom surface B formed at a bottom of the bottom disk  73 , a plurality of screws  72  rotatably mounted in the base  7  through a plurality of screw holes  712  vertically formed through the stem  71 , an arcuate recess  711  concave in an upper portion of the stem  71  to be rotatably engageable with the hollow cylinder  11  of the casing  1  for resting the hollow cylinder  11  of the casing  1  on the arcuate recess  711  of the base  7 , with each screw  72  rotatably engageable with a screw hole  116  formed through the hollow cylinder  11  for securing the base  7  under the hollow cylinder  11  of the casing  1 , and a magnet  74  mounted in a cavity  731  recessed in the bottom of the base  7  to be magnetically attracted on a flat horizontal or vertical surface made of ferrous material. 
     When assembling the elements of the present invention (FIG.  5 ), the laser illuminator  6  is slidably engaged in the inner eccentric hole  52  of the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  and the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  is slidably engaged in the inside cylindrical hole  42  of the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 , while the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4  is slidably engaged in the inside hole  32  of the jacket  3 ; and the illuminator  6  and sleeves  4 ,  5  are mounted on a standard calibration instrument having a horizontal platform (not shown), whereby upon lighting of the illuminator  6  to project laser light outwardly to display the optical image (laser line) on a wall to check whether it is coincided with a mark as preset by the standard calibrating instrument (The mark may be an optical image, a horizontal or vertical line as emitted from a standard laser instrument). If there is a deviation of optical image as effected by the present invention from the preset mark, the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 , the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  and the laser illuminator  6  may be rotated respectively to match the optical image of the present invention with the preset mark for a primary calibration for obtaining, for instance, a datum horizontal or vertical laser line of the present invention. 
     After completing the primary calibration or adjustment, an adhesive (not shown) may be filled into the apertures among the laser illuminator  6 , the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5 , the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4  and the jacket  3  for deadly locking the position of the elements ( 6 ,  5 ,  4 ) within the jacket  3  by combining the rear and front cylindrical portions  36 ,  31  of the jacket  3 . After curing of the adhesive in the jacket  3 , the jacket  3  is slidably mounted in the outer inclined adjusting sleeve  2 . The outer inclined adjusting sleeve  2  is then slidably mounted in the front chamber C 1  in the hollow cylinder  11  of the casing  1 , and the hollow cylinder  11  is then fixed and rested on the base  7 . 
     Upon lighting of the illuminator  6  for further calibrating the laser light (line) as emitted from the illuminator  6  and through the lens  35  on the jacket  3  when the apparatus of this invention is placed on a standard horizontal platform (not shown), the outer inclined adjusting sleeve  2  or the jacket  3  may be rotated (such as for adjusting the height of the emitted light) until matching the laser light from the illuminator  6  with a mark as preset by the standard calibrating instrument (The mark may be an optical image such as a horizontal or vertical line as emitted from a standard laser instrument). Then, the adhesive may be filled, through the screw hole  24  in the outer sleeve  2 , into the boundary between the outer sleeve  2  and the jacket  3  for stably bonding the outer sleeve  2  with the jacket  3 . Also, the adhesive may be filled, through the screw hole  114  in the hollow cylinder  1 , into the boundary between the hollow cylinder  11  and the outer sleeve  2  for bonding the hollow cylinder  11  with the outer sleeve  2 . The front cover  12  may be finally covered on the front portion of the casing. The adhesive may be cured by drying for firmly fixing the elements of the present invention. 
     After completing the secondary calibration (FIG.  6 ), the sealing screws  24 ,  115  may be respectively fixed into the screw holes  23 ,  114  and the front cover  12  may be secured on a front portion of the hollow cylinder  11  of the casing  1  as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     As shown in FIG. 7, the arrangement, the dimension, and the inclination angles of the relevant sleeves  2 ,  4 ,  5  may be varied from that as shown in FIG. 3 to form another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The sleeve  5  is now modified as an inclined sleeve having an inclined inside hole formed therethrough; while the sleeve  4  is modified to be an eccentric sleeve having an eccentric hole formed therethrough. 
     As shown in FIG. 8, the eccentric adjusting sleeve  5  may be modified to be another inclined adjusting sleeve having an inclined inside cylindrical hole similar to the inclined inside cylindrical hole  42  as formed in the inner inclined adjusting sleeve  4 , which is not limited in the present invention. 
     The present invention may emit a datum laser light (line) for optical calibration and is superior to the prior art because the eccentric and inclined sleeves may be freely rotated to have a convenient calibration for the laser instrument to prevent from deformation or errors caused by stress released from the conventional device which is adjusted by screws. 
     After completing the calibration, the adhesive is provided for bonding the corresponding parts or elements to prevent breakage or damage of the instrument for a prolonged service life. 
     The present invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.