Robotic laser pointer apparatus and methods
US9869549B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 27, 2015 |
| Grant date | Jan 16, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 10, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01C15/00
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A robotic laser-pointing apparatus has an instrument center, a first rotation axis, a second rotation axis, and a pointing axis, with the first rotation axis, the second rotation axis and the pointing axis in a known relationship to the instrument center. A laser source provides a pointing-laser beam along the pointing axis. A pointing drive system aims the laser beam by rotating the pointing axis about the instrument center in response to a pointing-direction control. Focusing optics having a focusing-optics drive serve to focus the pointing-laser beam in response to a focusing-optics control. A processor, responsive to target-position information, generates the pointing-direction control and the focusing-optics control. Some embodiments include an electronic-distance-measurement system having a measurement beam. Some embodiments provide for compensation of aiming errors of the pointing-laser beam and the measurement beam.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.