Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02491597 2004-12-24
Attorney Docket No. 4386 P 03S PATENT
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DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICE WITH LASER INDICATING DEVICE
DESCRIPTION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] 'Ibis application claims priority from Chinese Application No.
Zp0420028160.9,
filed on June 21, 2004.
PEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Nat Applicable.
TECHNICAL FIELDT~
[0(!03] The present invention relates to a distance measuring device, and more
particularly to a distance measuring device which provides at least one laser
beam that is
beamed onto a surface to form at least one refetence line vertical to the
direction in whictw tile
measuring signal emiued.
BACICGROUND OP TI-IE INVENTION
[0004] Conventional distance measuring devices comprise a measuring signs!
projecting
and deuxting means, wherein the measuring signal can be ultrasonic or laser.
The distance
measurement device measut~es the distance between said device and an object
surface by
sending out a measuring signs! towards said surface sad detecting the
reflected signal
thereafter and then calculating the distance by a certain circuit. Many such
devices are
disclosed tn the prlOr art-
[0005] In practical use, additional operations are often needed after a
distance is
determined, such as cutting, drilling, hanging a picture, etc. Very often,
after a position is
dete<mined by use of an ordinary distance measurement device, a separate laser
leveling
device is also needed to help achieve said additions! operations. Thus, while
distance
measuring devices according to the prior art provide a number of advantageous
features, they
nevertheless have certain limitations. The present invention seeks to overcome
certain of
these limitations and other drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide new
features not
heretofore available-
CA 02491597 2004-12-24
Attorney Docket No: 4386 P 035
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SUMMARX OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present inv~tion ~ncrally provides a distance treasuring device
with laser
indicating device.
[0007] According to one embodiment, the distance measuring device preferably
comprises a housing of an upper clamshell housing and a lovwCr clamshell
housing, a
measuring signal projecting and detecting means, a laser indicating device, a
display, a
circuit, a sat of battery cells, a switch and some operation buttons. Said
measuring signal
projecting and detecting means sends out a measuring signal from the front end
of said
housing to an object surface, stud detects the reflected signal thereafter.
Said laser indicating
device can also project at least one laser beam onto a surface. thereby to
form ac (cast one
visible reference line vto the direction in which the measuring signs)
emitting.
[000$] A~ordittg to another embodiment, the distance me&suring device can
further
comprise a pedestal which can be removable mounted to the housing. The
pedestal
comprises a base body, a clamping means, and at least one button connected
with at feast one
needle which is retractable and can be pushed out into a positioning surface.
[0009] According to another embodiment, chc distance measurement device can
also
comprise at least one horizontal indication device to indicate whether said
reference line is
horizontal or plumb.
[0010] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from
the
following Cxamples in the specification taken in cot5junction with the
following drawings.
HRI~ DESCRIP~TiON OP TIIE DRAwBYGs
[0011] To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of
example,
with reference to the accotnpanylng drawings in which:
[001Z] 1?IG. 1 is a perspective view of a distance measuring device with two
laser beams
pt~ojectittg onto a surface to form two reference lircs;
(0013) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower clamshell housing of the
distance
tneasurir,g device;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an inner perspective view of the distance measuring device
with its
upper clamshell housing removed away;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a removable pedestal for the distance
measuring
device;
CA 02491597 2004-12-24
Attorney Docket No. 4386 P 035
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[0016) FIG. S is a perspective view of the removable pedestal with a series of
needles
pushed out; and,
[001'1) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the distance measuring device mounted
to the
removable pedestal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018) While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different
forms, and
will herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the invention are
disclosed with
the undet'standing that the present disclosure is to be considered as
exemptifrcations of the
principles of the invention and are not intended tv limit the broad aspects of
the invention to
the embodiments illustrated.
[0019) Itefetriag to FIGS. 1-3, the preferred embodiment of a distance
measuring device
comprises a housing 1 defined by an upper clamshell housing t0 and a lower
clamshell
housing 12, a measuring signal projecting and detecting means 2, a laser
indicating device 3.
a display I6, a circuit (not shown), a set of battery cells (not shown), a
ctuunber 40 for
containing the battery cells, a cover 42 for the chamber 40. a switch 5 and a
series of
operation buttons 6.
[0020) In practical use, when the switch 5 is pressed down the battery cells
are then
electrical connecued to the circuit, the measuring signal projecting and
detecting means 2
sends out a signal from the front end 114 of the housing 1 to an object
surface I9 in the
direction A and detects the reflected signal thereafter. The circuit then
calculates the distance
between a pt~edetermined position on said housing 1 and the object surface 19.
A general
distance measuring anti calculating means and method is a prior art, any
further detailed
description is not provided here.
[0021] Additionally, the laser indicating device 3 emits at least one laser
beam onto a
surface to form at least one visible reference line. Referring to PIG. 3, in a
preferred
embodiment the laser indicating device 3 cornpriscs two laser generating
assemblies 30, 32,
each of which comprises a laser diode and a sec of lens (not exactly shown) to
fan the laser
generated by the laser diode to a planar Laser beam 300, 320. The laser beams
300, 320 pass
through corresponding aperntres 304 and 324 formed in the housing 1, and
project to a
surface 18 to form two visible reference lines 302, 322, as shown in PIG. t.
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Attorney Docket No. 4386 P 035
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(0022) The laser indicating device 3 can also comprise only one laser diode
and a series
of optical units which can divide a laser beam into one or scyeral fan-shaped
laser beams in
dif~ent directions.
[0023] In another embodiment, the laser indicating device 3 comprises one yr
more laser
diodes and a set of optical units which includes one or mere tenticuisr prism
array so that the
laser indicating device 3 cart project a plane of diverging laser bums onto
the surface 18 to
form a series of discrete spots to def-tne at feast one visible reference
tine, as described in U.S.
Patent No. 6,005,719.
[0024] The laser indicating device 3 can be switched on or off by the switch
S.
Additionally, it can also be controlled by some other switch- In the preferred
embodiment,
referring to FIG. 1, tire distance measuring device comprises two independent
laser switches
60, d2 which can be pressed to trigger the corresponding laser generating
assemblies 30, 32.
[0025] The distance measuring device comprises such a circuit that when no
laser beam
is generated, the measuring result will reach the distance between the rear
end 112 of the
housing 1 and the object surface 19. Otherwise, when at least oue laser beam
300 or 320 is
generated, the measuring result will reach the distance between the lasex beam
300 or 320 and
the object ~surfaee 19.
[0026] The distance measuring device of the present invention is preferred to
comprise at
Least one horizontal indication device for indicating whether a plane is
horizontal- Referring
to FIG. 1, a first horizontal indication device $1 and a second horizontal
indication device 82
are positioned in the housing 1, vertical to each other. lire first and second
horizontal
indication device 81, 82 can be two water-bubble tubes. When the bubble is in
the middle,
the water-bubble tube is horizontal- Therefore precise horizontal or vertical
referencx lines
can be provided with the two water-bubble tubes-
(0027] Referring to FIGS. 4-d, the distance measuring device of the present
invention
may also include a pedestal 9 which can be retrtovably mounted to the housing
1. The
pedestal 9 comprises a base body 91, a clamping means 92, at least one button
94 connected
with at least one needle 95 which is retractable and can be pushed out into a
positioning
surface. A hook portion 93 protrudes from the middle of the clamping means 92.
Referring
to FIG- d, this is a perspective view showing how the distaace measuring
device can be
mounted to the pedestal 9 with the whole housing 1 received in the clamping
means 92 and
one end held by the hook portion 93.
CA 02491597 2004-12-24
At#orfley Docket No. 4386 P 035
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j00Z8] When in practice, a user can switch on the distance measuring device
without
actuating the laser indicating device, and data will be visible on the display
shown the
distance between the rear end of the housing and the object surface. A user
can also switch
on die laser indicating device when measuring distance such that the result
shown on the
display is the distance between the laser beams and the object surface. Then,
the distance
measuring device can be placed in the position where a desired distance is
attained, so that
the user can go on for hislher next work, such as cutting, drilling. hanging a
picture, ate, with
the reference of the visible lines formed by the Laser beams.
(00Z9] If a user only wants to measure the distance between an enact position
and a
surface, the user can also switch on the laser indicating device with the
laser beams passing
across the position when measuring. With such a step, the measuring result
will be very
Pte.
(0030] Additionally, the distance measuring device with a laser indicating
device of the
present invention can also be used only for leveling and indicating.
[0031 Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and
illustrated herein. A, person of ordinary skilled in the art would appreciate
the features ef the
individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of d1e
components. A
person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the
embodiments could
be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein_
Additionally,
the terms "first," "second," and "third" as used herein are intended for
illustrative purposes
only and do not limit the embodiments in any way. Further, the term
"plurality" as used
herein indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or
conjunctively, as
necessary, up to an infinite number.
[0032] It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other
specific
fotrns without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof.
The present
examples and embodiments, thcnefore, are to be considered in all respects as
illustrative and
not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given
herein.
