To permit easy, accurate movement of the transit element of an electronic tacheometer, about its support axis, without interference by connecting cables or heavy electronic component attachments, the electronic components of the tacheometer are placed in a housing which is rotatable about the main support post of the transit unit, connected by cables to the transit unit, so that the electronic components and the transit unit can rotate together, without, however, introducing a drag on the transit, or heavy weight on the telescope or transducer structure.
A tacheometer utilizes a gallium arsenide laser diode in a phase shifting distance encoder, a sinusoidal interpolator in a phase shifting shaft angle encoder, a mercury pool in a phase shifting two axis off-level encoder, a shared phase to digital decoder and a digital processor, to measure angles and distances corrected for off-level, speed of light variations, refraction and the earth's curvature.
4305209 - Adaptor - Owned by Precision International, Inc. (Tullahoma, TN)
An adaptor for mounting one instrument, such as an electronic distance measuring device, atop another instrument, such as a telescope or theodolite, for movement together about a horizontal axis with a base member attached to the upper device and presenting two downwardly facing cam surfaces and support members engaging the cam surfaces for vertical movement against springs to counteract the forces produced by the upper instrument as it pivots.
A method for aligning pieces of equipment on board a vehicle, particularly on board an aircraft is disclosed. The method assumes the use of at least one computer on board the vehicle working in connection with the pieces of equipment. Under this method: a reference pattern assembly representative of the reference axis system of the vehicle is disposed on board the vehicle; a specific pattern assembly representative of a specific piece of equipment is disposed on board the vehicle at the position deemed most desirable for placing the particular piece of equipment; the position parameters reflecting the relative positions of the reference pattern assembly and specific pattern assembly are measured through the use of a distance measuring system which preferably uses a pair of theodolyte distance measuring devices which are preferably of the data processing type; the position parameters are stored in a memory; the memory is associated with the computer on board the vehicle; the specific pattern assembly is removed and the piece of equipment is substituted into the position previously occupied by the specific pattern assembly. An assembly of devices necessary for performing the method of the invention is also disclosed.
A survey instrument having an alidade portion and a fixed portion rotatably holding the alidade portion. The survey instrument comprises a light-emitting portion provided in at least one of the alidade portion and the fixed portion, a light-receiving portion provided in the other of the alidade portion and the fixed portion so as to make a pair with the light-emitting portion, and a transmission optical system for directing to the light-receiving portion the beam emitted from the light-emitting portion.
A system is disclosed for materializing in space a point whose coordinates in a system of reference axes are known, comprising: an optical aiming apparatus, occupying a pre-determined position with respect to said system of axes and making it possible to determine, in said system of axes, the coordinates of any point aimed at, and a tooling assembly comprising a stand, one part at least of which is movable with respect to said system of axes and a hemispherical ball joint mounted in a spherical concave seat fixed to said movable part of the stand, the center of said ball joint being marked so as to be visible by said aiming apparatus.
