Laser surveying device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9612319-B2
Application number	US-201514810859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2015
Priority date	Aug 26, 2014
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

The invention provides a laser surveying device, which comprises a light emitting unit for emitting a pulsed distance measuring light, a photodetection unit for receiving a reflected pulsed distance measuring light and a control arithmetic unit for controlling the light emitting unit and for calculating a distance to an object to be measured based on a photodetection signal from the photodetection unit, wherein the light emitting unit has a pump laser source for emitting a pump laser beam, a spot diameter changing means for changing a spot diameter of the pump laser beam, and an optical cavity for emitting the pump laser beam entering via the spot diameter changing means as the pulsed distance measuring light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laser surveying device, comprising a light emitting unit for emitting a pulsed distance measuring light, a photodetection unit for receiving a reflected pulsed distance measuring light and a control arithmetic unit for controlling said light emitting unit and for calculating a distance to an object to be measured based on a photodetection signal from said photodetection unit, wherein said light emitting unit has a pump laser source for emitting a pump laser beam, an optical cavity for emitting said pump laser beam as said pulsed distance measuring light and a spot diameter changing means provided between said pump laser source and said optical cavity, and wherein said spot diameter changing means enables to change a pump spot diameter of said pump laser beam entering said optical cavity.

2. A laser surveying device according to claim 1 , wherein said spot diameter changing means has a liquid lens, wherein said spot diameter changing means changes a focal length of said liquid lens by changing a voltage to be applied on said liquid lens and changes said pump spot diameter of said pump laser beam entering said optical cavity.

3. A laser surveying device according to claim 2 , wherein said liquid lens has two or more electrodes divided in a circumferential direction, said spot diameter changing means applies voltage on each of the electrodes, and changes a focusing direction of said pump laser beam.

4. A laser surveying device according to claim 1 , wherein said control arithmetic unit increases a light emission frequency when a spot diameter of said pump laser beam is small, and decreases the light emission frequency when the spot diameter of said pump laser beam is large.

5. A laser surveying device according to claim 2 , wherein said control arithmetic unit increases a light emission frequency when a spot diameter of said pump laser beam is small, and decreases the light emission frequency when the spot diameter of said pump laser beam is large.

6. A laser surveying device according to claim 3 , wherein said control arithmetic unit increases a light emission frequency when a spot diameter of said pump laser beam is small, and decreases the light emission frequency when the spot diameter of said pump laser beam is large.

Assignees

• Kk Topcon

Inventors

• Eno Taizo

Classifications

• G01S7/4814 Primary

  of transmitters alone · CPC title

• G02B26/128

  Focus control · CPC title

• G01S7/484

  Transmitters · CPC title

• G02B3/14

  of variable focal length · CPC title

• G01S7/481

  Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements · CPC title