JPH0719871A - Inclination correction device for optical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an inclination correction device for optical instrument of which constitution is very simple, assembling and adjustment are easy and seismic resistivity and durability are excellent. CONSTITUTION:At least two liquid prisms 3, 4 constituted by sealing refraction liquid 5, 6 in transparent vessels 13, 14 are arranged in series in a light beam path and the light beam emitted from a light source 2 and having passed the liquid prisms 3, 4 is always emitted to the vertical direction. The refractivity of the refraction liquid 5, 6 constituting at least two liquid prisms 3, 4 is desirable to be 3.0 in total. By utilizing the light beam in the vertical direction emitted from at least two liquid prisms 3, 4, an automatic plummet can be constituted and also, by reflecting the light beam in the vertical direction to horizontal direction with a reflection optical system, an automatic level gauge can be constituted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tilt correction device for an optical device, and is applicable to, for example, an automatic vertical device and an automatic horizontal device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, an automatic vertical device is provided with a tilt correcting device so that a light beam is always emitted in a vertical direction even if the main body of the device is installed tilted. Conventional tilt correction devices of this type are mainly mechanical ones that use a gyro gimbal, mechanical and optical ones that apply the principle of automatic level, and electrical and mechanical ones that use a horizontal sensor. There is.

[0003]

According to the inclination correcting device used in the conventional automatic vertical device and the like, it is necessary to precisely machine the constituent parts, and it is necessary to perform complicated adjustment in the assembled state. However, there is a problem that it requires skill, is expensive, and is inferior in earthquake resistance and durability.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has an extremely simple structure, is easy to assemble and adjust, and is excellent in earthquake resistance and durability. An object is to provide a device tilt correction device.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses at least two liquid prisms in which a liquid is enclosed in a transparent container, and these at least two liquid prisms are used for the passage of a light beam. Was mounted in series with the optical device, and the light beam passing through the two liquid prisms was always emitted in the vertical direction. The reflectances of the liquids forming the at least two liquid prisms are together 3.
It is desirable to set it to 0. An automatic vertical device can be obtained by utilizing a vertical light beam emitted from at least two liquid prisms. An automatic leveler can be obtained by providing a reflection optical system that horizontally reflects a vertical light beam emitted from at least two liquid prisms.

[0006]

When the optical device tilts, the liquid prism tilts. However, since the liquid surface of the liquid prism is always kept horizontal, the liquid surface of the refraction liquid and the inner bottom surface of the container, which is the bottom surface of the refraction liquid, are not parallel to each other, so that a wedge-shaped prism is formed. When a light beam is made incident on and passed through this liquid prism, the light beam is refracted and emitted. By arranging at least two such liquid prisms to transmit the light beam, the outgoing beam is always in the vertical direction. An automatic vertical device can be obtained by utilizing this vertical light beam, and an automatic vertical device can be obtained by providing a reflection optical system that reflects the vertical light beam in the horizontal direction.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of an inclination correcting apparatus for an optical apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but before that, the principle of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, the prism 20 having a small ridge angle σ is generally called a thin prism. When a light beam is incident on this prism 20 as shown in FIG.
The incident light is refracted by the prism 20 and emitted in a direction different from the incident direction. Letting ε be the turning angle that is the difference between the incident direction and the outgoing direction, the relationship between the turning angle ε and the ridge angle σ is expressed by ε = (n−1) σ.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the liquid prism 23 is made by enclosing the refracting liquid 25 in a transparent container 26 made of glass or the like and having a rectangular cross section. This liquid prism 23 is attached to a lens barrel 21 of an optical device such as an automatic vertical device, and a light beam such as a laser beam is emitted from a light source 22 composed of a semiconductor laser, a He-Ne laser or the like to move the liquid prism 23 downward from above. It shall pass through. Moreover, when the lens barrel 21 is in a truly vertical posture, the light beam from the light source 22 is adjusted to be vertically incident on the horizontal liquid surface of the refraction liquid 25 of the liquid prism 23. And

Now, as shown in FIG. 7, the lens barrel 2 of the optical device is shown.
It is assumed that 1 is inclined by an angle σ with respect to the vertical line. Lens barrel 21
When is tilted, the liquid prism 23 is also tilted. However, since the liquid surface of the refraction liquid 25 of the liquid prism 23 is always kept horizontal, the transparent container 26 that is the liquid surface of the refraction liquid 25 and the bottom surface of the refraction liquid 25.
The inner bottom surface of the refracting liquid becomes non-parallel, and the refracting liquid 25 forms a wedge-shaped thin prism having the same ridge angle ε as the tilt angle σ. When a light beam is incident on the liquid prism 23 from the upper light source 22 and transmitted, the light beam is refracted by the refraction liquid 25 and emitted downward.

Here, the refractive index of the refracting liquid 25 is n, and the directional turning angle of the light beam passing through the liquid prism 23 is ε ₁ . Assuming that the direction turning angle ε ₁ and the tilt angle σ of the lens barrel 21 are the same.
, The light beam passing through the liquid prism 23 coincides with the vertical line, so that the light beam is always emitted in the vertical direction regardless of the inclination of the lens barrel 21. Since the condition at this time is ε ₁ = σ, (n
−1) = 1, that is, a refractive liquid having a refractive index n of 2.0 may be used. However, it is difficult to obtain a liquid having a high refractive index n of 2.0, an appropriate viscosity, and an excellent light transmission characteristic.

Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, two liquid prisms 3 and 4 are arranged in series and attached to a lens barrel 1 of an optical device, and these liquid prisms 3 and 4 are attached.
A light source 2 such as a laser mounted above the light source 2 emits a light beam toward the two liquid prisms 3 and 4. The two liquid prisms 3 and 4 are composed of rectangular transparent containers 13 and 14 made of glass or the like, and refracting liquids 5 and 6 enclosed in these transparent containers 13 and 14, respectively.

Now, of the two prisms 3 and 4, the refractive index of the refraction liquid 5 of the upper first liquid prism 3 is n ₁ , the direction change angle by this refraction liquid 5 is ε ₁ , and the lower second liquid prism 3 is Assuming that the refractive index of the refracting liquid 6 of the liquid prism 4 is n ₂ and the direction turning angle by the refracting liquid 6 is ε ₂ , the direction turning angle ε of the light beam passing through the two prisms 3 and 4 is ε = Since ε ₁ + ε ₂ , ε = (n ₁ −1) σ + (n ₂ −1) σ = (n ₁ + n ₂ −2) σ, and when n ₁ + n ₂ = 3.0, ε = σ Holds. That is, the reflectances ε ₁ and ε _{2 of} the refracting liquids 5 and 6 forming the two liquid prisms 3 and 4 may be set to 3.0 in total.

Usually, it is easy to obtain a liquid having a reflectance of about 1.5. Therefore, by combining refracting liquids satisfying the condition of n ₁ + n ₂ = 3.0, the tilt angle σ of an optical device and two The direction turning angle ε of the light beam obtained by combining the liquid prisms 3 and 4 is matched. By the way, since the refractive index of water is 1.3, if this is combined with a refraction liquid having a refractive index of 1.7, the direction turning angle ε of the light beam is converted into the inclination angle σ of the optical device.
However, it is difficult to obtain a liquid having a high refractive index such as 1.7. Therefore, for example, three liquid prisms may be arranged in series and the total refractive index of the respective refractive liquids of the three liquid prisms may be set to 3.0.

The optical machine shown in FIG.
Is vertically emitted from the lower end of the. Such an optical machine is called a beam lowering device and is used, for example, for inspecting the vertical line of a building.

According to the embodiment described above, since the liquid prism in which the refracting liquid is enclosed in the transparent container is attached to the optical device and the light beam emitted from the light source is transmitted through the liquid prism, the optical device is inclined. Along with this, the liquid prism is tilted to change the turning angle of the light beam by the liquid prism, and the deviation of the emission direction of the light beam due to the tilt of the optical machine can be automatically corrected. Moreover, since the two liquid prisms 3 and 4 are arranged in series in the passage of the light beam, the total refractive index of the refracting liquids 5 and 6 of the two liquid prisms 3 and 4 is set to 3.0, and the light source 2 It is easy to always emit the light beam from the above-mentioned two liquid prisms 3 and 4 in the vertical direction, and to set the total refractive index of the two refracting liquids 5 and 6 to 3.0. Is also easy. In addition, unlike conventional mechanical, mechanical / optical, and electric / mechanical tilt correction devices, there is no need to precisely machine components or make complex adjustments in the assembled state, so the configuration is It is possible to obtain a tilt correction device for an optical device that is extremely simple, easy to assemble and adjust, and excellent in earthquake resistance and durability.

As a result of searching for a refraction liquid having a refractive index of 1.5, for example, in a microscope having an objective lens with a large magnification, the refraction index of the liquid interposed in the minute space between the object and the objective lens is accurate. I found that it was adjusted. By constructing two liquid prisms with such a refracting liquid and arranging them in series, a desired inclination correcting apparatus for optical equipment can be obtained.

Next, various application examples of the device of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is an example in which an automatic vertical device is constructed using the device of the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 2 is a light source, and 3 and 4 are liquid prisms. Two liquid prisms 3,
4, a tilt correction device similar to that shown in FIG. 1 is configured, and a right-angle prism 7 that bends the output light in the horizontal direction is provided on the output light path in the vertical direction downward from the tilt correction device. A right-angled roof prism 8 that bends incident light upward is arranged on the optical path reflected by the right-angled prism 7. The right-angle prism 7 and the right-angle roof prism 8 are arranged so that the light-reflecting surfaces are orthogonal to each other and are arranged on three surfaces, and have substantially the same configuration as the corner cube. Therefore, the light incident on the right-angle prism 7 and the light emitted from the right-angle roof prism 8 are parallel to each other. Since the light incident on the right-angle prism 7 is always in the vertical direction as described above, the light emitted from the right-angle roof prism 8 is always in the vertical direction regardless of the inclination of the device.

As described above, the optical device shown in FIG. 2 constitutes an automatic vertical device that always emits an upward vertical light beam regardless of the inclination of the device. It is used to set up and manage the verticality of steel frames.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an automatic leveler constructed by using the present invention. In FIG. 3, a light source 2 and a tilt correction device composed of two liquid prisms 3 and 4 are arranged in a lens barrel 10 of an automatic leveling device, and the tilt correction device extends downward from the tilt correction device. A right-angle prism 11 that bends the emitted light in the horizontal direction is arranged on the emission light path, and a right-angle roof prism 12 that bends the incident light upward is arranged on the reflection light path of the right-angle prism 11. A pentaprism 15 for reflecting the light beam from the right-angled roof prism 12 in the horizontal direction is arranged above the right-angled roof prism 12. The two liquid prisms 3 and 4 are used as the light source 2
Since the tilt correction device that always emits the light beam from the vertical direction is configured, the light beam reflected by the right-angle prism 11 and further reflected by the right-angle roof prism 12 is always in the vertical direction and reflected by the pentaprism 15. The emitted light beam is always horizontal.

The example of FIG. 4 is a modification of the automatic leveler shown in FIG. 3, and the two right-angle prisms 11, 11 in the example of FIG.
In place of 12, a penta prism 15 is arranged. Since the two liquid prisms 3 and 4 form an inclination correction device that always emits the light beam from the light source 2 in the vertical direction, the light beam reflected and emitted by the penta prism 15 is always in the horizontal direction. .

In general, when a liquid is put in a container, the surface flatness changes near the wall surface of the container due to surface tension.
Especially when the container is small, the entire liquid surface becomes spherical,
The correct prism cannot be constructed. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), a float 18 in which a portion that optically passes a light beam is formed in a parallel plane is floated on the liquid surface. By doing so, at least the portion of the float 18 is not affected by the surface tension of the liquid 5, so that a correct prism can be constructed. Further, since the float 18 also has an effect of eliminating ripples on the surface of the liquid 5, it is possible to obtain a stable liquid prism, and by applying such a liquid prism to the optical device as described above, stable optical You can get the equipment.

[0023]

According to the present invention, since the liquid prism in which the refracting liquid is enclosed in the transparent container is attached to the optical device and the light beam emitted from the light source is transmitted through the liquid prism, when the optical device tilts. At the same time, the liquid prism is tilted to change the direction turning angle of the light beam due to the liquid prism, and it is possible to automatically correct the deviation of the emission direction of the light beam due to the tilt of the optical machine. Moreover, since at least two liquid prisms are arranged in series in the passage of the light beam, the total refractive index of the refractive liquids of the at least two liquid prisms is optimized so that at least two liquid prisms are emitted from the light source. It is also easy to make the light beam that passes through always emit in the vertical direction. In addition, unlike conventional mechanical, mechanical / optical, and electric / mechanical tilt correction devices, there is no need to precisely machine components or make complex adjustments in the assembled state, so the configuration is Extremely simple, assembly,
It is possible to obtain a tilt correction device for an optical device that is easy to adjust and has excellent earthquake resistance and durability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an optical layout diagram showing an embodiment of a tilt correction apparatus for an optical apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an optical layout diagram showing an example of an automatic vertical device which is an application example of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an optical layout diagram showing an example of an automatic leveler which is an application example of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an optical layout diagram showing a modified example of an automatic leveler which is an application example of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a modified example of a liquid prism applicable to the device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an optical system diagram showing the refraction action of a thin prism.

FIG. 7 is an optical layout diagram showing a refraction action of a liquid prism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Light Source 3 Liquid Prism 4 Liquid Prism 5 Refractive Liquid 6 Refractive Liquid 13 Transparent Container 14 Transparent Container 15 Reflective Optical System

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. At least two liquid prisms, each of which has a refracting liquid sealed in a transparent container, are arranged in series in a passage of a light beam and are attached to an optical device. A tilt correction device for an optical device, wherein a light beam that passes through is always emitted in a vertical direction. 2. The tilt correction device for an optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflectances of the refracting liquids forming at least two liquid prisms are 3.0 in total. 3. The tilt correction apparatus for an optical device according to claim 1, wherein the device is an automatic vertical device utilizing vertical light beams emitted from at least two liquid prisms. 4. The tilt correcting apparatus for an optical device according to claim 1, wherein a reflection optical system for horizontally reflecting a vertical light beam emitted from at least two liquid prisms is provided as an automatic leveler.