Surveying instrument with optical stage compensating for temperature variations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11300409-B2
Application number	US-201816006596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2018
Priority date	Dec 15, 2015
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a surveying instrument including a chassis, an optical system having an optical axis, a stage attached to the chassis and an optical component. The optical system may be adapted to receive and/or transmit light. The optical component is located at, or in proximity to, the optical axis. The received and/or transmitted light passes through the optical component. The stage includes an actuating member arranged to act on the optical component for movement thereof. The actuating member may be responsive to temperature so as to induce a displacement of the optical component relative to the chassis along the optical axis in response to a temperature change.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A surveying instrument comprising:
a chassis;
an optical system having an optical axis, the optical system being adapted to receive or transmit light;
an optical component located at said optical axis, the received or transmitted light passing through said optical component; and
a stage attached to said chassis, the stage including an actuating member arranged to act on the optical component for movement thereof;
said actuating member being responsive to temperature so as to induce a displacement of the optical component relative to the chassis along the optical axis in response to a temperature change;
wherein actuation by the actuating member is caused by a mechanical deformation of the actuating member in response to said temperature change, thereby causing the displacement of said optical component;
wherein the stage further comprises a movable part, the optical component being attached to the movable part and the actuating member being arranged to act on the movable part for movement thereof; and
wherein the stage includes a base with a flexible section securely attached to the base of the stage, the movable part being an arm arranged to swing on said flexible section upon actuation by said actuating member.

2. The instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a receiver configured to receive the received light via said optical component and/or an optical light source configured to emit light to be transmitted via said optical component.

3. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical deformation is at least one of a bending or an expansion of the actuating member.

4. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the actuating member is a plate extending along said arm.

5. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the optical component is mounted on the movable part in proximity to at least one contact point at which the actuating member engages with the movable part.

6. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the actuating member is arranged to permanently apply a force on the movable part or vice versa.

7. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein said actuating member includes at least one of a bimetal, a trimetal, a tetrametal, or an arrangement including at least two thermally expandable elements of different materials.

8. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the optical component is an optical fiber ferrule to which an optical fiber is connected for receiving and/or transmitting light.

9. The instrument of claim 8 , wherein the optical fiber ferrule is configured to establish an optical connection between the optical system and a transmission line, or optical waveguide, transmitting light received at the optical system to a receiver or light transmitted from the optical light source to the optical system.

10. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein parameters of the actuating member are calibrated to determine the amount of displacement of said optical component along the optical axis in response to a temperature change.

11. The instrument of claim 10 , wherein the parameters include at least one of material and dimensions of said actuating member.

12. The instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to determine a distance based at least on the received light.

13. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the surveying instrument further comprises an alidade, a base and a center unit having said chassis and being mounted on the alidade for rotation about a first axis, said alidade being mounted on the base of the surveying instrument for rotation about a second axis intersecting the first axis, and the optical system, the stage and the optical component being arranged within said center unit.

14. A surveying instrument comprising:
a chassis;
an optical system having an optical axis, the optical system being adapted to receive and transmit light;
an optical component aligned with said optical axis, the received and transmitted light passing through said optical component; and
a stage attached to said chassis, the stage including an actuating member arranged to act on the optical component for movement thereof;
said actuating member being responsive to temperature so as to induce a displacement of the optical component relative to the chassis along the optical axis in response to a temperature change;
wherein actuation by the actuating member is caused by a mechanical deformation of the actuating member in response to said temperature change, thereby causing the displacement of said optical component;
wherein the stage further comprises a movable part, the optical component being attached to the movable part and the actuating member being arranged to act on the movable part for movement thereof; and
wherein the stage includes a base with a flexible section securely attached to the base of the stage, the movable part being an arm arranged to swing on said flexible section upon actuation by said actuating member.

15. The instrument of claim 14 , wherein the mechanical deformation is at least one of a bending or an expansion of the actuating member.

16. The instrument of claim 14 , wherein the actuating member is a plate extending along said arm.

17. The instrument of claim 14 , wherein the surveying instrument further comprises an alidade, a base and a center unit having said chassis and being mounted on the alidade for rotation about a first axis, said alidade being mounted on the base of the surveying instrument for rotation about a second axis intersecting the first axis, and the optical system, the stage and the optical component being arranged within said center unit.

18. A surveying instrument comprising:
a chassis;
an optical system having an optical axis, the optical system being adapted to receive or transmit light;
an optical component aligned with said optical axis, the received or transmitted light passing through said optical component; and
a stage attached to said chassis, the stage including an actuating member arranged to act on the optical component for movement thereof;
said actuating member being responsive to temperature so as to induce a displacement of the optical component relative to the chassis along the optical axis in response to a temperature change;
wherein actuation by the actuating member is caused by a mechanical deformation of the actuating member in response to said temperature change, thereby causing the displacement of said optical component;
wherein the stage further comprises a movable part, the optical component being attached to the movable part and the actuating member being arranged to act on the movable part for movement thereof; and
wherein the stage includes a base with a flexible section securely attached to the base of the stage, the movable part being an arm arranged to swing on said flexible section upon actuation by said actuating member.

19. The instrument of claim 18 , wherein the actuating member is a plate extending along said arm.

20. The instrument of claim 18 , further comprising a receiver configured to receive the received light via said optical component and/or an optical light source configured to emit light to be transmitted via said optical component.

Assignees

• Trimble Ab

Inventors

• Von Matern Johan

Classifications

• G01S17/08

  for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) · CPC title

• G01S7/497

  Means for monitoring or calibrating · CPC title

• G01C1/02

  Theodolites · CPC title

• G01S7/4816

  of receivers alone · CPC title

• G01C15/002 Primary

  Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105) · CPC title