JPH03181811A - Range finder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To quickly perform much measurement by connecting a clutch with an adjusting shaft which can rotate a shaft and a distance scale without moving a movable optical member, and conforming the distance scale to the movable optical member. CONSTITUTION: An adjusting screw 46 is connected with a shaft 38 for adjustment by a clutch assembly 52, so that the screw is rotated by rotating the shaft 38. A disk 62 as a scale for distance is installed in a cylindrical cup 56 fixed to the shaft 38. The disk 62 is irradiated with a light which has passed a light diffusion window 66 of a top half body 25. The light passes the disc 62 and is reflected by a mirror 67. The reflected light is focused by a lens 68. The image of the disc 62 is reflected to an eyepiece 24 by a mirror 69, so that a user can see a distant object and the disc 62 at the same time.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an optical distance meter, particularly an optical distance meter having a distance scale read through a finder and a mechanism for adjusting or calibrating the scale. .

[Prior Art] Distance meters that operate on the principle of optical triangulation are well known.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,621 has an eyepiece at the rear of the housing and two spaced apart optical members at the front of the housing to project an image from a distant object to the eyepiece. An optical rangefinder is listed. One of the optical elements is a beam splitter that allows some light from the distant object to pass directly to the eyepiece and reflects the remaining light; the other optical element allows some light from the distant object to pass directly to the eyepiece. A mirror that reflects the light to the beam splitter, which reflects some of the light to the eyepiece.

one of the optical elements is pivotably adjusted relative to the other optical element until the two images coincide, and a distance scale coupled to the adjustment mechanism provides a reading of the distance of the distant object; However, the distance scale is read through a separate window in the housing, and the user cannot read the distance scale through the viewfinder.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,058,484 describes a rangefinder in which the distance scale is mounted on a secondary window and moved by an adjustment mechanism. Light from a distant object and the scale is reflected simultaneously through a secondary window into the eyepiece, and there is no calibrating mechanism to calibrate the scale for accurate readings.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention provides a rangefinder having a range scale that can be read through a finder. The distance scale is mounted on an adjustment shaft extending perpendicular to the axis of the eyepiece, and an image of the distance scale is reflected into the eyepiece separately from the two images of the distant object. A clutch is connected to the adjustment shaft that allows rotation of the axis and distance scale without moving the movable optical member, thereby allowing the distance scale to be calibrated relative to the movable optical member. Users can measure distances without taking their eyes off the rangefinder, and can make many measurements quickly and with a minimum of movement.

In the following, the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1 The rangefinder 20 has a housing 20 with a pair of front openings 22, 23 and an eyepiece 24 at the rear of the housing 2o. Housing 20 is formed from a top half 25 and a bottom half 26 secured together by screws 27 (FIG. 6).

A rubber cover 28 extends across the front of the housing 21 and holds a window 29 (FIG. 8.9) in the front opening 22.23.

Referring to FIG. 2, a mirror 30 is provided behind the front opening 22. The mirror 30 has an L-shaped bracket 31 and a screw 3
2 is mounted on the frame plate as shown in FIG.

A beam splitter 33 is provided behind the frontage 23. This beam splitter 33 is attached to an f-triangular arm 34 which is pivotally supported by a pivot bin 35. Beam splitter 33 is a conventional dichroic device that reflects a portion of the light from mirror 30, such as yellow light, to eyepiece 24. Beam splitter 33 also allows a portion of the light entering front aperture 23 , for example blue light, to pass to eyepiece 24 .

When viewing a distant object through the eyepiece 24, a double image of the object is seen. An image of the object is reflected by mirror 30 and beam splitter 33 to eyepiece 24.

A second image of the object is formed by a beam splitter in the front aperture 23.
Viewed directly via 33. These two images are placed around the pivot bin 35 relative to the mirror 30 at the beam splitter 3.
You can make them match by rotating 3.

The position of beam splitter 33 is controlled by adjustment mechanism 37. Adjuster #R37 is beam splitter 3
3 and has a shaft 38 rotatably mounted to the bottom half 26 for rotation about an axis extending perpendicular to the pivot axis of the eyepiece 3 and the optical path of the eyepiece 24. Knob 39 is attached to one end of shaft 38 and extends through grooves 40 in top half 25 and bottom half 26 so that knob 39 and adjustment shaft 38 can be rotated by the user.

The shaft 38 is rotatably supported in semicircular grooves 41 in the walls 42, 43, 44 of the bottom half 26 and the corresponding walls of the top half 25. Ribs 44 extend radially along knob 39 and are engageable with stop shoulders 45 (FIG. 14) to limit rotation of knob 39 to one revolution.

An adjustment screw 46 is threaded into a nut 47 mounted on a metal frame 48 supporting the pivot bin 35.

The metal frame 48 has a flat pedestal 49 attached to the bottom half 26 by a screw 50 and a vertical wall 51 (FIG. 8) to which a nut 47 is attached. tlIn screw 4
6 is connected to the adjustment shaft 38 by a clutch assembly 52, so that rotation of the shaft 38 causes rotation of the adjustment screw 46.

Clutch assembly 52 includes a cylinder 53 and an elastic plug 54. A long groove 55 is provided at one end of the cylinder 53, and is sized such that the groove end is connected to the inside of a cylindrical cup 56 at the end of the adjustment shaft 38.

A compressible resilient plug 54 is received inside the grooved end of the clutch assembly 52 and resiliently urges the grooved end against the inner wall of the cup 56. The other end of the cylinder 53 of the clutch assembly 52 is provided with a square hole 57 that slidably receives a square head 58 of the adjustment screw 46.

The frictional force exerted by the grooved end of the cylinder 53 and the resilient plug 54 against the cup 56 causes the cylinder 53 to rotate together with the adjustment shaft 38, causing rotation of the cylinder 53 of the clutch assembly 52. rotates adjustment screw 46 so that the screw advances or retracts within nut 47.

The end of the adjustment screw 46 is attached to a vertical plate 60 that extends upwardly from the pivotable arm 34 that supports the beam splitter 33.
is in contact with. The arm 34 is brought into contact with the adjusting screw 46 by a spring 61 , one end of which is locked to the pivotable arm 34 and the other end connected to the frame 48 .

As adjustment screw 46 advances or retracts, arm 34 and beam splitter 33 pivot relative to fixed mirror 30. The adjustment knob 39 is rotated until the two images of the distant object are superimposed and coincide.

A distance scale is provided by a transparent disc 62 attached to a cylindrical cup 56 attached to the adjustment shaft 38. The scale is printed with numerical and radial graduations (FIG. 3) and has a plate 65 (second Points and marks 64 are provided in the area (Fig. 8.12). The pointer cooperates with the scale to make a distance reading.

Distance scale or circle! 162 is illuminated by light passing through the light diffusion window 66 in the top half 25. light is mirror 6
7 through the scale and focused by lens 68. The image of the scale is reflected by the mirror 69 onto the eyepiece 24, so that the user can view the distant object and the scale simultaneously, as shown in FIG. The vertical wall 6 of the arm 34 allows light to pass from the mirror 30 to the beam splitter 33 and from the mirror 67 to the mirror 69, respectively.
0 is provided with a pair of windows 70.71 (Fig. 2.10).

A clutch assembly 52 (FIG. 2) allows adjustment of the position of the scale relative to the adjustment screw 46, and a graduated button 73 (see FIG. 11) surrounds the cylinder 53 and closes the bottom semi-rest 26.
It has a bushing button 74 extending through the lower part 5. The graduated button 73 also has a semicircular brake rib 76 located around the bottom half 26 of the cylinder 53.
and an elastic tool 177 extending upward from the brake rib 76.
It has The drill bit 176 is disposed within an annular groove 78 on the surface of the cylinder 53 and has a U-shaped elastic hoop 77.
engages the top half 25 of the housing 21 so that the brake rib 76 is normally held out of contact with the cylinder 53. The brake rib 76 is connected to a pair of vertical walls 79 (
A pair of pivot bins 80 (FIG. 8) are formed into graduated buttons 73 and are pivotally supported by a vertical wall 79.

The distance reading on the scale 62 can be calibrated after the rangefinder is assembled or for some reason the distance reading is not accurate. The user looks at an object at a known distance from the rangefinder and turns the adjustment knob 39 until the two images of the object coincide.
Rotate. If the distance scale 62 reads incorrectly, push the button 74 of the scale button inward and hold it. Press the elastic tool 177 of the scale button to move the brake rib 76 into engagement with the cylinder 53. The force exerted by the finger on the brake rib 76 exerts a sufficient frictional force on the cylinder 53 to overcome the frictional force exerted by the cylinder 53 and the elastic plug 54 on the cylindrical cup 56 of the adjusting shaft 38. Make it. Therefore,
When the adjustment knob 39 is now rotated, the distance scale or disc 62 rotates, while the cylinder 53 and the adjustment screw 46 remain fixed, 1), and the image of the object remains coincident. Adjustment knob 39 is rotated until the correct distance is indicated by pointer or mark 64. Bush button 74 is then released and elastic hoop 77 moves so that brake rib 76 disengages cylinder 53. Distance scale i.e. circle! 162 can then be rotated with adjustment screw 46 to provide accurate distance readings.

The theory of optical distance forms is well known and a detailed explanation of how j130 and beam splitter 33 form a double image on the eyepiece is considered unnecessary. The vertical inclination of the M2O is determined by an L-shaped bracket 83 which is threadedly engaged with the metal frame 48 and fixed to the bracket 31 for supporting the M2O.
The E-ring 84 and washer 85 of the six adjusting screws 82, which can be adjusted by adjusting screws 82 (FIG. 13) extending through them, maintain the position of the bracket 83 fixed relative to the adjusting screws 82. The support bracket 31 of the mirror when moving forward or backward within the threaded hole of the frame 48
and jJ 30 pivot about the pivot point 86 of the support bracket 31. The head of the adjustment screw 82 is located within the opening in the bottom half 26 so that the adjustment screw 82 is accessible from the outside of the housing 21 (FIG. 6).

Although in the foregoing description specific embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of illustration, many of the details herein described may be modified considerably by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. That will be understood.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rangefinder constructed according to the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded schematic perspective view of the rangefinder, Figure 3 is a view as seen through the eyepiece of the rangefinder, and Figure 4. Figure 5 is a plan view of the rangefinder, Figure 5 is a front view of the rangefinder, Figure 6 is a bottom view of the rangefinder, Figure 7 is a rear view of the rangefinder, and Figure 8 is a partially broken bottom half of the rangefinder. The plan view shown in Figure 9 is 9- in Figure 8.
A cross-sectional view taken along line 9, Figure 10 is 10-101 in Figure 8.
11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 8, FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 8, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14-1411 in FIG.
2.23: Front opening, 24: Eyepiece, 25: Top half, 26: Bottom half, 28: Caher, 29: Window, 30
:ji, 31 nib bracket, 33: beam blister
, 34: Arm, 35: Pivot bin, 37: Adjustment mechanism, 38: Adjustment shaft, 39 Nip, 44: Rib, 46:
Adjustment screw, 47: Nut, 48: Metal frame, 49:
Base, 52: Clutch assembly, 53 Niji cylinder, 54; Elastic plug, 55: Long groove, 56: Cylindrical cup, 57: Hole, 61: Spring, 62: Transparent disk, 63 Niji sleeve, 6
4: Mark, 65 nibrate, 67.69: Sword, 68:
Lens, 70.71: Window, 73: Eye II (size button, 7
4: push button, 75: opening, 76: brake rib, 77: elastic hoop, 78: annular groove, 80: pivot pin, 82: adjustment screw, 83 nib bracket, 84: E-shaped ring, 85: washer.

Claims (11)

[Claims] (1) a housing having an eyepiece; first and second spaced apart optical members within the housing for projecting two images of a distant object onto the eyepiece, and for providing alignment of the images at the eyepiece; an optical member in which the first optical member is movably mounted relative to a second optical member; an adjustment device for moving the first optical member having an axis rotatably mounted in the housing; a distance indicative mark; a scale mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, a display device on the housing cooperating with the scale to indicate the distance of the object from the housing when the two images coincide at the eyepiece; a portion of the scale; A rangefinder comprising a third optical member in the housing that projects an image from the display to the eyepiece, so that a portion of the scale and the display can be viewed through the eyepiece at the same time as two images of the object. (2) One optical member is rotatably supported around a first axis, the axis rotates around a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, and the scale is attached to the second axis. 2. A rangefinder according to claim 1, comprising a generally flat disc extending perpendicular to the axis. 3. The rangefinder of claim 2, wherein the disc is transparent and has a fourth optical member mounted within the housing to reflect light through the disc to a third optical member. (4) The rangefinder according to claim 3, wherein the housing is provided with a window adjacent to the fourth optical member so that light can reach the fourth optical member from outside the housing. 5. The rangefinder of claim 1, wherein the display device has a mark mounted on the housing adjacent the scale so that as the scale rotates, the marks on the scale move past the mark. (6) having a movable mounting device for mounting the first optical member for movement relative to the second optical member, the adjustment device being movably mounted within the housing and having a movable mounting device for movement with the movable mounting device; and a clutch device between the contact portion and the shaft, and the clutch device normally connects the contact portion and the shaft to rotate the contact portion when the shaft rotates. 2. The rangefinder of claim 1, wherein the shaft is allowed to rotate independently of the contact portion when actuated, thereby allowing the scale to rotate without rotating the contact portion. 7. The rangefinder according to claim 6, wherein the scale comprises a transparent flat disc mounted on the shaft. (8) The clutch device includes a cylindrical cup attached to the shaft, a cylindrical clutch attached to the cylindrical cup, and a clutch engagement device that engages with the clutch and overcomes the engagement of the clutch. The distance meter according to claim 6. (9) The rangefinder according to claim 8, wherein the clutch engagement device has an actuation button accessible from outside the housing. (10) The clutch engagement device includes a rib that can be freely engaged with the clutch, an elastic hoop that engages with the housing to normally maintain separation between the rib and the clutch, and an elastic hoop that can be accessed from outside the housing to engage the rib with the clutch. 9. A rangefinder according to claim 8, further comprising an actuating part movable to move the rangefinder. (11) The contact part of the adjustment device has a screw with a non-circular head received in a non-circular hole of the cylindrical clutch, whereby the screw is rotated together with the clutch but axially relative to the clutch. 9. A rangefinder as claimed in claim 8, including a nut which is slidable and is mounted on the housing and is threadedly engaged with the screw.