JPS6225967B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a distance measuring device for optically measuring the distance between two or more measurement points. Devices of this type usually consist of a light source and at least one deflection means arranged to deflect the light beam projected from the light source. The light beam is deflected by deflection means towards the measurement point whose mutual distance is to be determined.

Devices of the above type known in the art have a plurality of deflection means serving to deflect the incoming and/or outgoing light rays. However,
In the known device, the light beam projected by the light source is polarized at right angles in two mutually opposite directions, and the two deflected beams are re-deflected by a prism placed on the measuring arm in order to transmit the light to the respective object. Ru. By virtue of the fact that the measuring arms are arranged to move in parallel relative to each other and that one of the measuring arms is provided with a measuring scale marked by reference point indicating means on the other measuring arm, the distance between the prisms is can read the position of When the light beam deflected through the prism is incident on the object to be measured, the prism is located at a distance corresponding to the distance between the objects to be measured. In order for this to hold true, the measuring arm must be parallel to the straight line extending between the objects to be measured. However, this parallelism is difficult to examine.

Thus, the device outlined above is relatively complex, comprising multiple mirrors or prisms, and
It has two measuring arms that are movable relative to each other. Therefore, there is a need for a device that is as precise as devices known in the art, yet simpler and less expensive.

The present invention aims to provide a measuring device capable of solving such problems, and is characterized by providing a measuring beam parallel to the direction in which the measurement is to be made between the measuring points, and connecting the measuring beam to one end of the measuring beam. a laser beam generating parallel beams; at least two beam deflection means movable along said measuring beam for projecting a beam onto said measurement point; , a graduated member is provided which moves relative to the other beam deflecting means together with the one beam deflecting means and indicates the distance between the two beam deflecting means at the position of the other beam deflecting means; This is achieved by providing measurement pillars that constitute measurement points.

According to the measuring device of the present invention, since the beam deflecting means is configured to move along the stationary measuring beam, stable and highly accurate measurement can be performed with a simple configuration, and The presence of obstacles does not impede measurement performance. Also, measurements can be made regardless of whether the measurement points are located at various distances from the device. This is because there is no need to optically focus the beam between the measuring point and the deflection means. Furthermore, the device also has the important advantage that it requires only one person to operate it.

In the present invention, two or more light beam deflecting means are arranged along the measurement beam, and each deflection means deflects the light beam from the light source to a measurement point, so that the light beam projected from one laser light source can be directed to a plurality of measurement points. By making it possible to simultaneously project the images to , it is possible to simultaneously confirm that the previous measurement point has not deviated from its adjusted position while adjusting each measurement point in sequence.

Further, in the present invention, the measurement point is constituted by a measurement column attached to the object to be measured, and the position of the measurement point with respect to the reference plane can be measured by projecting the deflected light beam onto the vertical scale of the measurement column. , it is possible to obtain information about the vertical distance deviation of measurement points, and therefore when it is necessary to measure the difference in vertical length at various measurement points of the object to be measured, such as when measuring a car body. It is particularly useful for

Furthermore, in the present invention, the measuring means is fixed to one of the light beam deflecting means, and is moved together with the one light beam deflecting means relative to the other light beam deflecting means. Since a graduated member is used to indicate the distance between the two beam deflecting means at the position, the distance between the two measuring points can be read immediately and directly.

Furthermore, since a laser light source is used, it is convenient to be able to provide a clear reference point to the object to be measured even during the daytime.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, further beam deflection means are provided which are movable along the measuring beam constituting a path of movement perpendicular to the first measuring beam, by means of which the device can be moved over the distance to be measured. It can be adjusted exactly parallel to the This embodiment can also be used to measure distances in two directions perpendicular to each other.

Furthermore, by providing each deflection means with an angle display means, the set position of each deflection means can be more safely recorded.

In measuring devices of the above type, it is important that the light beam obtains the same deflection angle, regardless of the position of the deflection means on the path of motion. The precision of the surface of the measuring beam forming the path of movement of the beam deflection means and the precision of the measuring beam itself are therefore extremely important. Since such measuring devices are often used in factories and subjected to rough handling, etc., it is difficult to maintain the devices in their initial accurate condition. Also, it is expensive to fabricate the measurement beam with the tolerances required to obtain good measurement results.

The solution to the above problem of providing each deflection means with an angle indicating means reduces the requirements on the accuracy of the movement path of the measuring beam. This is because the angular position of the beam deflection means can always be observed by means of the associated angle display means. By providing the individual beam deflection means with manually or automatically operated angular adjustment means, the deflection means can be continuously adjusted to a constant angular position irrespective of the state of the movement path.

It has also proven particularly convenient to use a pentagonal prism as the beam deflection means. This is because the prism is insensitive to small changes in the lateral displacement of the incident light beam. Of course it is also possible to use other prisms or mirrors.

Next, the apparatus of the present invention will be explained in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings serve only to illustrate in a simplified manner various embodiments of the measuring device according to the invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a laser light source, which is placed at one end of the measurement beam 2. In FIG. Ray deflection means 7a, 7b sliding on the top surface of the measuring beam 2 are arranged in line with the light source 1. The light beam projected from the laser light source 1 is shaped into a wide ribbon or is divided into a number of partial beams L ₁ , L ₂ , which are incident on the respective beam deflection means 7a, 7b. The light is simultaneously incident on the beam deflection means 7a, 7b, and the incident partial beams L ₁ , L ₂ are deflected towards measuring points A, B which are aligned in a line parallel to the measuring beam 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the measuring beam 2 can be raised and lowered on the columns 5, 6.

According to one measurement method, the beam deflection means 7a, 7
b is moved along measurement beam 2 and the partial ray
L ₁ and L ₂ enter the intended measurement points A and B. When this occurs, the desired distance measurement is carried out by the beam deflection means 7
a, 7b is directly given, and this distance is measured by a measuring means attached or attached to the device. In this measuring means, a casing 11 of a measuring tape 12 like a tape measure is provided on one light beam deflecting means 7a, and one end of the measuring tape 12 is attached to the other light beam deflecting means 7b. automatically rolled up inside.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the measuring device according to the invention. In this embodiment, the beam deflection means 7
c, 7d are arranged in line with each other and with the light source 1 on the measuring beam 2. The reason why this is possible is that the prism 9 of the light beam deflecting means 7c located closest to the light source 1 deflects a portion of the light beam L projected from the light source 1 as a partial light beam _L3 toward the measurement point A. The remaining part of the light beam L is transferred to the next light beam deflection means 7d.
This is because it is configured to project to. Light beam deflection means 7c, 7d in the embodiment of FIG.
is a pentagonal prism 9 to deflect the light rays.
a, 9b. One beam deflection means 7c
The prism 9a includes a partially reflective wall and an auxiliary prism 10 that allows the remaining portion of the light beam L to pass through. Although the measuring means is not shown in this embodiment, the distance is measured in the same manner as in FIG. 1.

In the measuring device according to the present invention, an embodiment in which another measuring beam 3 is added as shown in FIG. 3 is also possible.
This measuring beam 3 is perpendicular to the first measuring beam 2 and supports the beam deflection means 8a, 8b in the same manner as the first measuring beam 2. In this case, the distance between two measurement points A and B on the object F is measured. In the measurement operation, after arranging the device or object in a desired manner, the beam deflecting means 7c, 7d are moved along the measuring beam 2 to positions where the deflected beams are incident on the measuring points A and B, respectively. The distance between them in a direction parallel to the beam 2 is measured in the manner described above. The beam deflection means 7d is then moved along its path of movement to the end of the measuring beam 2, and with it the deflected beam L impinges on the beam deflection means 8a, 8b. By moving the beam deflection means 8a, 8b along the measurement beam 3, the re-deflected beam L is incident on the measurement points A and B from different directions, respectively, and the distance between the measurement points A and B in the direction parallel to the beam 3 is (distance perpendicular to the distance originally read)
Measure. Thus, the above device can measure the coordinates of a large number of measurement points on the XY plane. Note that 7a and 7b can be used instead of 7c and 7d as the beam deflection means, and the measurement beams 2 and 3 are provided with beam deflection means 7a, 7b, 7b, respectively.
It is also possible to arrange a large number of light beam deflecting means having the same configuration as 7c, 7d, 8a, and 8b. Furthermore, instead of moving the beam deflection means 7d, a stationary beam deflection means may be provided at the end of the measurement beam 2 closest to the measurement beam 3.

Furthermore, the embodiment of FIG. 3 can also be used to make the measuring beam 2 parallel to the direction connecting the measuring points A and B to enable accurate measurements. i.e. measuring beam 3 located at right angles to measuring beam 2.
A beam deflection means 8a is arranged in such a way that the beam deflected from the beam deflection means located at the end of the measuring beam 2 enters this beam deflection means 8a.
By moving the beam deflection means 8a along the measuring beam 3, the operator can thus determine whether the deflected beam L impinges on the measuring points A and B. If the deflected beam is incident on both measurement points A and B, beam 2 is not parallel to the line connecting both measurement points A and B. On the other hand, if the ray L is not incident on the measurement point A, the beam 2 is parallel to this line.

In the measuring apparatus of each of the above embodiments, by further adding a measuring column located at the measuring point and perpendicular to the measuring beams 2 and 3 and having a scale with respect to the reference plane, the apparatus can be adjusted in the Z direction. The mutual position of measurement points can be measured. I mean,
This is because a light spot created by the incidence of the light beam L on each added column appears on the scale and is read. For example, an object to be measured, such as a car body, is suspended from a traverse or the like, and a measuring column is suspended from a point that serves as a fixation point for the object. Such a measuring operation naturally requires precise adjustment of the horizontal position of the measuring beams 2, 3.

The beam deflection means may be a pentagonal prism as shown at 8a and 8b as previously described. It is also possible to use different types of prisms or provide mirrors in the lenses. One advantage of a pentagonal prism is that the path of the light in the deflection means is insensitive to rotational deviations.

However, due to relatively small defects in the movement path of the measuring beam or its support, the measuring beam 2,
It has been found that the beam deflection means during movement along 3 deviates from the desired position to various degrees. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, there is provided an adjusting means 15, 16, which can consist of two adjusting screws for setting the exact angular position with respect to the horizontal plane, and an elastically mounted lens housing 21, arranged on the measuring beam 2. individual beam deflection means 7, which can be in the form of a mobile body 20,
8, accurate measurement values can be obtained. In order to clearly indicate the erroneous angle of the beam deflection means, the means are provided with angle display means 17, 18, which in the illustrated embodiment consist of two spirit levels, but instead of two spirit levels. It is also possible to use a single circular level placed in the horizontal plane.

When using lenses other than pentagonal prisms, it is also necessary to provide display means to clearly indicate the rotational deviation of the beam deflection means 7, 8. FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-section of the beam deflection means 7, 8 with a triangular prism 13. However, the beam deflecting means 7 and 8 of the lever are 3
It must be checked and adjusted for two different positions. The three positions are the angle of rotation of the prism 13 about its vertical axis, and two horizontal positions forming an angle of 90°. In order to indicate the error of the two last-mentioned corners, two spirit levels are provided as in the embodiment of FIG. 4, only one of which is 18
is shown. In order to account for errors in the rotation angle, the entrance wall S of the prism 13 is made partially reflective, so that the incident ray L partially passes through the prism and is refracted to form a test ray L ₁₃ . inspection ray
L ₁₃ is incident on the display means, which in the illustrated embodiment consists of a single transparent graduation 19 . Prism 13 is suitably rotatably mounted and connected to adjustment means (not shown). In this way, the beam deflection means 7,
You can always check whether 8 is positioned correctly.

The angular display means 17-19 can also be in the form of electrical units. For example, level 1
7, 18 can be replaced by a mercury flip-flop switch, and the scale 19 can be replaced by a photodiode with associated circuitry.

As is clear from the foregoing, the distance measuring device according to the invention can be modified in many ways, and the embodiments described and illustrated are merely given for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention.

Embodiments of the present invention are listed below.

The light beam deflection means are arranged in a laterally or vertically displaced relationship with respect to each other, and the light beam projected by the light source is either formed into a wide light band or consists of a number of partial beams incident on each light beam deflection means. Apparatus as claimed in the claims.

characterized in that at least one beam deflection means along the measurement beam is provided with a partially reflecting prism so as to deflect a part of the beam projected by the light source and to pass the remainder of the beam through the deflection means. An apparatus as claimed in the claims.

Adding at least one beam deflection means having a beam direction perpendicular to the beam direction of each first-mentioned beam deflection means, the added beam deflection means being in a direction measurable by the first deflection means. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is used for measuring distances between measurement points with respect to a direction perpendicular to the surface of the object.

Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each beam deflection means is provided with an angle indicating means.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle indicating means consists of two spirit levels located in a horizontal plane and at right angles to each other.

Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the corner indicating means consists of a circular spirit level located in a horizontal plane.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the angle display means comprises a display device which allows a small portion of the light beam projected onto the light beam deflection means to be incident as a test light beam.

2. The device according to item 1, wherein the angle display means comprises a combination of a spirit level and a display device.

Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the beam deflection means comprises a pentagonal prism.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a first embodiment of a measuring device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is configured in the manner shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a third embodiment with two measuring beams extending at right angles to each other; FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an angle display means consisting of a combination of a spirit level located in a horizontal plane and a light beam deflection means. 1... Laser beam, 2, 3... Measurement beam, 7
a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 8a, 8b...Light beam deflection means, 9a, 9b...Pentagonal prism, 10...Auxiliary prism, 11...Casing of measuring tape 12, 1
3... Triangular prism, 15, 16... Adjustment means, 1
7, 18... Angle display means, 19... Transparent scale, A, B
...Measurement point, F...Object, L, _L1 to _L3 , _L13 ...Light ray.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a distance measuring device that optically measures the distance between two or more measurement points on a vehicle body, etc.,
A measuring beam parallel to the direction to be measured between the measuring points is provided, a laser light source that generates a beam parallel to the measuring beam is provided at one end of the measuring beam, a deflecting prism is provided, and the laser beam is projected onto the measuring point. at least two beam deflection means movable along the measuring beam, fixed to one of the beam deflection means and arranged together with the one beam deflection means relative to the other beam deflection means; providing a graduated member that moves and indicates the distance between the two beam deflecting means at the position of the other beam deflecting means;
A distance measuring device further comprising a measuring column constituting the measuring point.