Rotating head optical transmitter for position measurement system
US6452668B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 13, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 17, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 13, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S5/16
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical transmitter for use in position location or position measurement systems includes (i) an assembly including two optical sources that generate two optical beams which diverge in known ways in a first and second plane, respectively, and are narrow in the orthogonal planes, (ii) a power source which provides power to the assembly to rotate it at a constant angular velocity or with a previously known pattern of velocities through each complete rotation of the assembly, and (iii) a signaling unit that emits a synchronization signal at a specific rotational position of the assembly. The optical transmitter can be used in systems for determining points, lines, planes, distances, areas, volumes, azimuth, elevation, range, angles, or any other positional or spatial variable. The optical transmitter has wide application in, for example, surveying, construction, and the creation of virtual or real environments.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.