Measuring instrument
US5704130A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 15, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 6, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 15, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01C2009/066
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical measuring system to indicate or determine the relative position of an object and/or a substrate in relation to a horizontal plane comprises an at least partially transparent measuring chamber containing two non-miscible media with different densities, one of the media being at least partially transparent or translucent and at least the other being a fluid medium. The relative position is found on the basis of the position of the at least partially transparent or translucent medium in the measuring chamber, when what is concerned is an optical instrument operating on the principle of a spirit level. On one side of the measuring chamber is a light source and on the opposite side there is an optical measuring cell or a flat, light-sensitive sensor. The light transmitted from the light source through the at least partially transparent or translucent medium is projected on the optical measuring cell or the flat, light-sensitive sensor and the projection is used to determine the relative position of the object in relation to the horizontal.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.