Patent Publication Number: US-10788321-B2

Title: Laser measuring device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM. 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to measuring devices and more particularly pertains to a new measuring device for remote distance measuring. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a first housing and a second housing that are pivotally coupled. A power module, a microprocessor, and sensing unit are coupled to and positioned in the first housing. The microprocessor is operationally coupled to the power module and the sensing unit is operationally coupled to the microprocessor. The sensing unit is configured to measure an angle between the first housing and the second housing. A first range finder that is coupled to the first housing is configured to measure a first distance between the first housing and a first point. A second range finder that is coupled to the second housing is configured to measure a second distance between the second housing and a second point. The microprocessor is positioned to calculate a distance between the first point and the second point. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric perspective view of a laser measuring device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new measuring device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the laser measuring device  10  generally comprises a first housing  12  that defines an interior space  14  and a second housing  16  that defines an internal space  18 . The second housing  16  and the first housing  12  are pivotally coupled proximate to a second endpoint  20  of the first housing  12  and a second end  22  of the second housing  16 . The first housing  12  is substantially rectangularly box shaped. The second housing  16  is substantially dimensionally equivalent to the first housing  12 . 
     A power module  24 , a microprocessor  26 , and a sensing unit  28  are coupled to the first housing  12  and are positioned in the interior space  14 . The power module  24  comprises a battery  30 . The microprocessor  26  is operationally coupled to the power module  24 . The sensing unit  28  is operationally coupled to the microprocessor  26 . The sensing unit  28  is configured to measure an angle between the first housing  12  and the second housing  16  and to communicate the angle to the microprocessor  26 . 
     The sensing unit  28  comprises a first channel  32  that extends through the first housing  12  proximate to the second endpoint  20  of the first housing  12 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . A first recess  34  extends radially from the first channel  32  on an inner surface  36  of the first housing  12 . A first annulus  38  is coupled to the first housing  12  and is positioned in the first recess  34 . A plurality of first teeth  40  is positioned on an inner perimeter  42  of the first annulus  38 . 
     A second channel  44  extends into the second housing  16  proximate to the second end  22  of the second housing  16 . The second channel  44  is aligned with the first channel  32 . A second recess  46  extends radially from the second channel  44  on an inner face  48  of the second housing  16 . A second annulus  50  is coupled to the second housing  16  and is positioned in the second recess  46 . The second annulus  50  comprises a plurality of capacitive sensors  52 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The second annulus  50  comprises copper. 
     A spring  54  is positioned in the second channel  44 . A gear  56  is coupled to the spring  54  and extends through the second annulus  50  and the first annulus  38 . A plurality of second teeth  58  that is positioned on the gear  56  is selectively couplable to the plurality of first teeth  40  to fixedly position the first housing  12  relative to the second housing  16 . 
     A pin  60  that is coupled to the gear  56  is opposingly positioned relative to the spring  54  so that the pin  60  extends into the first channel  32 . A first button  62  is coupled to the pin  60  distal from the gear  56 . The first button  62  protrudes from the first housing  12 . The first button  62  is positioned to be depressed to urge the gear  56  into the second channel  44 . The first housing  12  is positioned to be selectively rotated relative to the second housing  16 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The plurality of capacitive sensors  52  is positioned to measure a displacement between the gear  56  and the second annulus  50  and to send an electrical signal to the microprocessor  26 . The microprocessor  26  is positioned to determine the angle between the first housing  12  and the second housing  16 . 
     A first range finder  64  is coupled to the first housing  12 . The first range finder  64  is operationally coupled to the microprocessor  26 . The first range finder  64  is configured to measure a first distance between the first housing  12  and a first point and to communicate the first distance to the microprocessor  26 . 
     A second range finder  66  is coupled to the second housing  16 . The second range finder  66  is operationally coupled to the microprocessor  26 . The second range finder  66  is configured to measure a second distance between the second housing  16  and a second point and to communicate the second distance to the microprocessor  26 . The microprocessor  26  is positioned to calculate a distance between the first point and the second point based on the law of cosines. Specifically, the law of cosines is used to solve for the length of a third side of a triangle when the lengths of the other two sides and the angle between the other two sides are known. The present invention provides for measuring the first distance between the first housing  12  and the first point, as well as the second distance between the second housing  16  and the second point—two sides of a triangle. The angle between the first housing  12  and the second housing  16  is the angle between the two sides of the triangle, allowing the microprocessor  26  to apply the law of cosines to solve for the third side of the triangle and to provide the distance between the first point and the second point. 
     The first range finder  64  comprises a first laser transmitter  68  and a first laser receiver  70 . The first laser transmitter  68  is coupled to the first housing  12  and is positioned in the interior space  14 . The first laser transmitter  68  protrudes from a first endpoint  72  of the first housing  12  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The first laser receiver  70  is coupled to the first endpoint  72  of the first housing  12 . The first laser transmitter  68  is configured to lase the first point. The first laser receiver  70  is configured to detect light that is reflected from the first point. The microprocessor  26  to calculate the first distance between the first housing  12  and the first point based on a time required for the light to travel from the first laser transmitter  68  to the first laser receiver  70 . 
     The second range finder  66  comprises a second laser transmitter  74  and a second laser receiver  76 . The second laser transmitter  74  is coupled to the second housing  16  and is positioned in the internal space  18 . The second laser transmitter  74  protrudes from a first end  78  of the second housing  16  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The second laser receiver  76  is coupled to the first end  78  of the second housing  16 . The second laser transmitter  74  is configured to lase the second point. The second laser receiver  76  is configured to detect light that is reflected from the second point. The microprocessor  26  is positioned to calculate the second distance between the second housing  16  and the second point based on a time required for the light to travel from the second laser transmitter  74  to the second laser receiver  76 . 
     A screen  80  is coupled to the first housing  12 . The screen  80  is operationally coupled to the microprocessor  26 . The microprocessor  26  is positioned to command the screen  80  to display the distance between the first point and the second point. 
     A second button  82  is coupled to the first housing  12 . The second button  82  is operationally coupled to the microprocessor  26 . The second button  82  is depressible. The second button  82  is configured to be depressed a first time to operationally couple the microprocessor  26  to the power module  24 . The second button  82  is configured to be depressed a second time to decouple the microprocessor  26  from the power module  24 . 
     A third button  84  is coupled to the first housing  12 . The third button  84  is operationally coupled to the microprocessor  26 . The third button  84  is depressible. The third button  84  is configured to be depressed to select a respective unit of measurement for displaying the distance between the first point and the second point on the screen  80 . The third button  84  also is configured to be depressed to display the angle between the first housing  12  and the second housing  16  on the screen  80 . 
     In use, the first button  62  is positioned to be depressed to urge the gear  56  into the second channel  44 . The first housing  12  is positioned to be selectively rotated relative to the second housing  16  to position the first laser transmitter  68  to lase the first point and the second laser transmitter  74  to lase the second point. The first laser receiver  70  and the second laser receiver  76  are configured to detect the light reflected from the first point and the second point, respectively. The microprocessor  26  is positioned to calculate the first distance and the second distance based on the times required for the light to travel from the first laser transmitter  68  to the first laser receiver  70  and from the second laser transmitter  74  to the second laser receiver  76 , respectively. The plurality of capacitive sensors  52  is positioned to measure the displacement between the gear  56  and the second annulus  50  and to send the electrical signal to the microprocessor  26 . The microprocessor  26  is positioned to determine the angle between the first housing  12  and the second housing  16 . The microprocessor  26  then is positioned to calculate the distance between the first point and the second point based on the angle, the first distance, and the second distance. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.