Patent ID: 7272891

Claim:
An automatic plumbing device for positioning and maintaining a target in a plumb orientation, in spite of a tilted condition of the device itself, the device comprising: a housing having at least one opening in the top and at least one opening in the bottom thereof; a base plate having a top surface and a bottom surface and an opening near the center thereof tiltably mounted in said housing so that it can tilt in a first X axis and a second Y axis; pivotable bracket coupling means mounted to said base plate in the center and over top of the opening of said base plate and tiltably mounted so that it can tilt in said first X axis and said second Y axis; a receiver tube with a top end and a bottom end that extends through both said top opening and bottom opening of said housing tiltably mounted to said pivotable bracket coupling means so that it can tilt in said first X axis and said second Y axis about said pivotable bracket coupling means; a threaded bolt mounted at the top end of said receiver tube and oriented in a third Z axis; at least two first actuators having a base end and a movable plunger end, wherein the two first actuators are mounted to the lower surface of said base plate and which, when activated, move said receiver tube and target about said pivotable bracket coupling means in said first X axis and said second Y axis for maintaining said receiver tube in a vertical plumb position; at least one second actuator having a base end and a movable plunger end and which, when activated, moves said base plate, receiver tube, pivotable bracket coupling means, and target in said third Z axis, substantially orthogonal to both said first X axis and said second Y axis, for maintaining said base plate, receiver tube, pivotable bracket coupling means, and target at a constant height above ground; a first sensor mounted inside said housing to said receiver tube for determining if said receiver tube is in a vertically plumb position; communication means between said first sensor and the at least two first actuators for controllably activating said at least two first actuators to tilt said receiver tube in either or both of said first X axis or said second Y axis for maintaining said receiver tube in a vertically plumb position; a second sensor mounted to the bottom end of said receiver tube outside and below said housing for determining if said receiver tube is at a constant height above ground; communication means between said second sensor and the at least one second actuator for controllably activating said at least one second actuator to move said base plate, receiver tube, pivotable bracket coupling means, and target in said third Z axis for maintaining said receiver tube at a constant height above ground; and means for visually aligning said device with objects to be surveyed or measured.