Polar axis alignment assisting device for equatorial telescope

Abstract

To provide a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial telescope capable of supporting polar axis alignment of the equatorial telescope by simply and highly accurately directing an azimuth of a polar axis side support leg of a tripod to a polar axis direction by using a cross line laser beam without being affected by a magnetic field of the equatorial telescope with a motor.SOLUTION: After leveling by a digital angle meter 36 of a device main body 31, a radiation port 37a of a cross line laser beam 30 is directed to the true north by an electronic compass 35. Thereafter, the installation surface of the equatorial telescope 15 is irradiated with the cross-line laser beam 30 from the cross-line laser oscillator 37. Therefore, the horizontal line L1 and the vertical line L2 are projected onto the installation surface. Next, the polar-axis-side support leg 11 of the tripod 14 is arranged on the north side of the optical-axis L3 on the vertical line L2, the west-side support leg 12 is arranged on the west side of the optical-axis L3 on the horizontal line L1, and the east-side support leg 13 is arranged on the east side of the optical-axis L3 on the horizontal line L1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a polar axis alignment assistance device for an equatorial mount that uses a cross-line laser beam to assist in polar axis alignment, which sets the polar axis of an equatorial mount mounted on a tripod so that it is parallel to the earth's axis. [Background technology]

[0002] An equatorial mount mounted on a tripod with three support legs arranged at 120° intervals is known as a mount for an astronomical telescope (telescope tube) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This equatorial mount has an astronomical telescope mounted via a right ascension body and a declination body on the upper base (platform head) of the tripod with three support legs. The three support legs consist of a polar support leg (northern support leg in the northern hemisphere, southern support leg in the southern hemisphere), a western support leg, and an eastern support leg. Hereinafter, astronomical observation in the northern hemisphere will be used as an example. During astronomical observation, the desired celestial object is brought into view using the telescope by adjusting two axes: the polar axis (diameter ascension axis) passing through the center of the right ascension body, and the declination axis passing through the center of the declination body supported on the tip of the right ascension body.The telescope is then automatically tracked by rotating the motor around the polar axis in accordance with the diurnal motion (the speed of the Earth's rotation). In this case, if a camera is attached to the astronomical telescope, it becomes possible to track and photograph the desired celestial object.

[0003] Incidentally, astronomical observations using an equatorial mount require "polar axis alignment," which involves setting the mount's polar axis parallel to the Earth's rotation axis (earth's axis). Polar axis alignment involves first observing the northern sky with an astronomical telescope, and then adjusting the azimuth and altitude of the equatorial mount so that Polaris is attached to one end of the declination body and positioned a predetermined distance from the center of the telescope's field of view, which is set parallel to the right ascension axis. The tripod for an equatorial mount is configured so that, when mounted on the equatorial mount, one of the three legs (hereinafter referred to as the north leg) is positioned on the polar axis of the declination body in a plan view, via a horizontal support pin protruding from the top surface of the upper base. When observing celestial bodies in the Southern Hemisphere, the south leg, not the north leg, is positioned on this polar axis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-201703 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] By the way, when setting up a typical equatorial mount, you need to use a compass to point the mount's (polar axis) direction to true north. However, equatorial mounts have built-in electric motors, and many of the metal parts (including screws) that make up the equatorial mount are also magnetized. Therefore, if a compass is used near an equatorial mount, it is difficult to determine the direction of the polar axis due to the influence of the magnetic fields of these electric motors and magnetized parts. This means that, for example, the user must adjust the north support leg to point due north while looking at a compass held in their hand or placed in a remote location, which is a tedious task, and the accuracy of the adjustment of the direction is low.

[0006] As a result of extensive research, the inventors discovered that when using an equatorial mount mounted on a 120° pitch tripod, if two legs are pointed due east and due west using cross-line laser light during astronomical observation, the remaining leg (the northern leg) will always be pointed due north.

[0007] That is, during astronomical observation, the device body is leveled using a goniometer, and the optical axis is first oriented toward the celestial polar axis (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the polar axis) using an electronic compass, and a cross-line laser beam is projected from the cross-line laser oscillator onto the installation surface of the equatorial mount. This projects a horizontal line indicating the east-west line and a vertical line indicating the north-south line onto the installation surface. It was discovered that all of the above-mentioned problems can be solved by subsequently arranging the east and west support legs of the tripod on the horizontal line, while arranging the polar axis support leg on the vertical line, and thus the present invention was completed.

[0008] Furthermore, when aligning the polar axis of an equatorial mount mounted on a tripod, first a cross-line laser beam with an optical axis parallel to the polar axis is directed toward a cross target on a laser irradiation guide attached to the equatorial mount. The inventors discovered that aligning the horizontal line of the cross-line laser beam with the horizontal line of the cross target, while aligning the vertical line of the cross-line laser beam with the vertical line of the cross target, can provide more accurate support for aligning the polar axis of the equatorial mount, and completed the present invention.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount that can support the alignment of the polar axis of an equatorial mount by simply and highly accurately orienting the polar axis side support leg of the tripod in the direction of the polar axis (due north in the northern hemisphere, due south in the southern hemisphere) while orienting the east and west side support legs in the corresponding due east or due west direction, without being affected by the magnetic field of an equatorial mount with an electric motor, using a cross-line laser beam.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount that can support more accurate polar axis alignment of an equatorial mount by irradiating a cross-line laser beam, with the optical axis oriented in the polar axis direction, onto a cross target on a laser irradiation guide when aligning the polar axis of an equatorial mount mounted on a tripod. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention as set forth in claim 1 is a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount that supports polar axis alignment of an equatorial mount mounted on a tripod with three support legs arranged at 120° intervals, wherein the three support legs are each comprised of a polar axis side support leg that is arranged in the direction of the celestial polar axis during astronomical observation, an east side support leg that is arranged east of the polar axis side support leg, and a west side support leg that is arranged west of the polar axis side support leg, and the east side support leg and the west side support leg are arranged on a horizontal line indicating an east-west line on which the east side support leg and the west side support leg are arranged, and a vertical line indicating a north-south line on which the polar axis side support leg is arranged. a cross-line laser oscillator that uses the electronic compass to measure direction using geomagnetism, a goniometer that measures angles in the up and down directions relative to the horizontal, and a cross-line laser oscillator that uses the electronic compass to irradiate the cross-line laser light from an irradiation port while orienting the optical axis of the linear portion where the horizontal line and the vertical line intersect perpendicularly toward the azimuth of the celestial pole.

[0012] The polar axis alignment support device for equatorial mounts referred to here is a device that uses an electronic compass to assist in the polar axis alignment of an equatorial mount during astronomical observations, mainly by orienting the tripod's polar axis support leg (the north support leg in the northern hemisphere, the south support leg in the southern hemisphere) toward the celestial pole (due north in the northern hemisphere, due south in the southern hemisphere), and by positioning the eastern support leg eastward (due east) from the polar axis support leg and the western support leg westward (due west) from the polar axis support leg.

[0013] "Polar axis alignment" refers to the process of aligning the polar axis of an equatorial mount, which is the right ascension axis, with the celestial polar axis (approximately the Earth's axis of rotation (earth's axis)). Note that there is a certain deviation (declination) between magnetic north and true north (the same applies to magnetic south and true south) depending on the location and time. Therefore, when determining true north (or true south) using an electronic compass, it is naturally necessary to correct the declination from the direction of magnetic north (or magnetic south).

[0014] Any type of tripod can be used as long as it has three legs (polar axis leg, east leg, and west leg) arranged at 120° intervals around the upper base (pan head). Each support leg may have various types of extendable structure, such as a telescopic type, and may be adjustable in height (length). The polar axis support leg is the north support leg that faces due north when observing astronomical objects in the northern hemisphere (when aligning the polar axis), or the south support leg that faces due south when observing astronomical objects in the southern hemisphere.

[0015] The eastern support leg is the leg of the three legs that is positioned due east (east of the polar support leg) during astronomical observations in the southern or northern hemisphere. The western support leg is the leg that is positioned due west (west of the polar support leg) during astronomical observations in the southern or northern hemisphere. Any of the three supports may be designated as the polar support leg, eastern support leg, or western support leg. There are no restrictions on the type of equatorial mount, as long as it automatically tracks the desired celestial object by rotating the astronomical telescope around the celestial polar axis (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the polar axis) using a motor in accordance with the diurnal motion (the Earth's rotation speed).

[0016] The main body of the device is required to include at least an electronic compass, a goniometer, and a cross-line laser oscillator, and the main body case that houses these components may be made of any material, shape, size, etc. Any type of electronic compass can be used. For example, an integrated type that combines a three-axis magnetometer and a two-axis tilt sensor can be used. Using the electronic compass, for example, the optical axis of the cross-line laser light (laser irradiation port) can be directed toward the celestial polar axis. Any type of goniometer may be used. For example, various digital goniometers may be used. This goniometer is used to, for example, level the device body.

[0017] The type of laser used in the cross-line laser oscillator is arbitrary, including various gas lasers (CO2 laser, excimer laser, etc.), various solid-state lasers (ruby laser, Nd:YAG laser, etc.), various liquid lasers (dye laser, etc.), and various semiconductor lasers (laser diode, etc.). The optical axis of the cross line laser light is a line of light that extends in the irradiation direction of the cross line laser light and appears when a horizontal line and a vertical line irradiated from the cross line laser oscillator intersect.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention described in claim 2 is the polar axis alignment assistance device for an equatorial mount described in claim 1, characterized in that it has a laser irradiation guide that is attached to the equatorial mount and has a cross target that serves as a target for the cross-line laser light, with a horizontal line for alignment with the horizontal line and a vertical line for alignment with the vertical line arranged in a cross shape. The material, shape, and size of the laser irradiation guide are not limited. For example, the shape of the laser irradiation guide may be a plate, a block, or a box. The material, shape and size of the cross target are also optional. Furthermore, the width of the horizontal and vertical lines arranged on the cross target may also be arbitrary.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention described in claim 3 is the polar axis alignment assistance device for an equatorial mount described in claim 2, characterized in that the laser illumination guide is long in the front-to-back direction and is attached to the equatorial mount so that this front-to-back direction is parallel to the right ascension axis, and is a trapezoid whose top surface and left and right sides each gradually widen toward the rear, and the cross target is formed on the front surface of the laser illumination guide, while vertical extension lines that are extensions of the vertical lines of the cross target are formed on the top surface of the laser illumination guide, and horizontal extension lines that are extensions of the horizontal lines of the cross target are formed on the left and right sides of the laser illumination guide, respectively.

[0020] The trapezoidal body referred to here is, for example, a trapezoidal box (trapezoidal container) or a trapezoidal column. The laser irradiation guide can be attached to any position on the equatorial mount, such as the outer surface of the declination body or the telescope mounting surface of a tube holder unit that clamps the astronomical telescope tube to the tip of the declination body. The width of the vertical and horizontal extension lines is arbitrary, and may, for example, be the same as the width of the corresponding horizontal or vertical line of the crosshair target.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention described in claim 4 is a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount described in claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of guide lines, each parallel to the right ascension axis and for aligning with the horizontal and vertical lines of the cross-line laser light, are displayed on the outer surface of the right ascension body of the equatorial mount at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the right ascension body.

[0022] Each guide line may be, for example, printed on a transparent or non-transparent sticker, or may be drawn or engraved directly on the outer circumferential surface of the equatorial body. The number of guide lines is optional. The spacing between adjacent guide lines is also arbitrary. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] In the present invention described in claim 1, for example, when observing astronomical objects in the Northern Hemisphere, the device body mounted on a small tripod or the like is leveled using a goniometer, and then an electronic compass is used to point the cross-line laser light emission port of the device body toward due north. Then, the cross-line laser oscillator emits a cross-line laser beam toward the installation surface of the equatorial mount, projecting horizontal lines indicating east-west directions and vertical lines indicating north-south directions onto the installation surface. Next, place the tripod's polar axis support leg north of the optical axis on a vertical line, while the tripod's eastern support leg is placed east of the optical axis on a horizontal line, and the western support leg is placed west of the optical axis on a horizontal line.

[0024] This allows the polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount to be assisted by using cross-line laser light to easily and accurately orient the polar axis support leg of the tripod toward the polar axis (due north in the northern hemisphere, due south in the southern hemisphere) while orienting the east and west support legs toward the corresponding due east or due west, without being affected by the magnetic field of the equatorial mount with an electric motor. This improves the accuracy of polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount, even compared to simply using a single laser beam for due north, by using the horizontal line perpendicular to the vertical line of the cross-line laser beam to orient the eastern support leg toward due east and the western support leg toward due west. Then, by placing the equatorial mount on the upper base (platform head) of the tripod, the right ascension axis is pointed toward the celestial polar axis.

[0025] In particular, according to the present invention described in claim 2, when aligning the polar axis of an equatorial mount mounted on a tripod on an installation surface, first, a cross-line laser beam with its optical axis aligned with the celestial polar axis is irradiated toward the cross target of the laser irradiation guide attached to the equatorial mount in a state parallel to the right ascension axis (polar axis of the equatorial mount). Then, by finely adjusting the equatorial mount as appropriate to align the horizontal line of the cross-line laser light with the horizontal line of the cross target, and aligning the vertical line of the cross-line laser light with the vertical line of the cross target, it is possible to assist in aligning the polar axis of the equatorial mount with greater precision.

[0026] According to the present invention as set forth in claim 3, when the cross-line laser beam is irradiated onto the cross target on the front surface of the laser irradiation guide, the left and right portions of the horizontal line extending beyond the front surface are connected to the left and right ends of the front surface and are irradiated onto the left and right sides that gradually widen (incline outward) toward the rear, respectively. On the other hand, the upper portion of the vertical line extending beyond the front surface is connected to the upper end of the front surface and is irradiated onto the upper surface that gradually widens toward the rear.

[0027] Then, by slightly adjusting the equatorial mount as appropriate, the horizontal line of the cross target and the extensions of the horizontal line on the left and right sides of the laser irradiation guide are aligned with the horizontal line of the cross-line laser light, and the vertical line of the cross target and the extensions of the vertical line on the top surface of the laser irradiation guide are aligned with the vertical line of the cross-line laser light. In this way, by irradiating each part of the horizontal and vertical lines of the cross-line laser light that extends beyond the front surface of the laser irradiation guide onto the left, right and top surfaces that extend beyond the front surface of the laser irradiation guide, the horizontal and vertical extension lines can be used to further improve the accuracy of each of the above-mentioned alignments.

[0028] Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 4, the horizontal and vertical lines of the cross-line laser light are aligned using multiple guide lines parallel to the right ascension axis, which are displayed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the right ascension body of the equatorial mount. This makes it easier to align the polar axis of the equatorial mount compared to aligning the intersection of the cross-line laser with the target of the laser irradiation guide. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to Example 1 of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of a tripod relative to a cross-line laser beam projected onto the installation surface of an equatorial mount. [Figure 3] 1 is an enlarged side view of a main part showing a polar axis alignment operation state using a laser irradiation guide of a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a laser irradiation guide showing a partial configuration of the polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 5(a) is an enlarged development view of a main body portion of the laser irradiation guide shown in Fig. 4. (b) is an enlarged development view of a bottom plate portion of the laser irradiation guide. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cross-line laser light is irradiated onto an installation surface from a polar axis alignment assistance device for an equatorial mount according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7](a) is an enlarged side view of the main part showing the work of fine-tuning the elevation angle of the right ascension axis in the polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount using a laser irradiation guide, and (b) is an enlarged plan view of the main part showing the work of fine-tuning the azimuth of the right ascension axis in the polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount using a laser irradiation guide. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a side view of the main part showing the operation of aligning the orientation of the right ascension axis in polar axis alignment of an equatorial mount using guide lines displayed on the outer surface of the right ascension body in a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to Example 2 of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the main part showing the operation of aligning the elevation angle of the right ascension axis using guide lines displayed on the outer surface of the right ascension body in a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to Example 2 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail, taking as an example a case where the present invention is used for astronomical observation in the Northern Hemisphere (Japan). [Example]

[0031] In Figures 1 to 3, 10 is a polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This polar axis alignment support device 10 for an equatorial mount supports the polar axis alignment of an equatorial mount 15 mounted on a tripod 14 having three support legs 11 to 13 arranged at 120° intervals, by using a cross-line laser light emitted from the device body.

[0032] These components will be specifically described below. First, the equatorial mount 15 and the tripod 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in Figure 3, the equatorial mount 15 mounts an astronomical telescope (not shown) on an upper base (platform head) 50 of a tripod 14 having three support legs 11 to 13, via a right ascension body 16 and a declination body 17. This equatorial mount 15 automatically tracks a desired celestial object by rotating the astronomical telescope around the celestial polar axis (right ascension axis d) a in accordance with the diurnal motion (the rotation speed of the Earth) using a built-in electric motor (not shown). At this time, by attaching a camera to the astronomical telescope, it is possible to track and photograph the desired celestial object.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the tripod 14 has a polar axis side support leg 11 that is arranged in the direction of the celestial polar axis a during astronomical observation, a western side support leg 12 that is arranged west of the polar axis side support leg 11, and an eastern side support leg 13 that is arranged east of the polar axis side support leg 11, and the upper base 50 on which these three support legs 11 to 13 are pivotally supported at 120° intervals around the circumference. Each of the support legs 11 to 13 has a two-stage telescopic structure in which a lower support section 19 is inserted into an upper cylindrical section 18 that is rectangular in cross section and can be extended or retracted. A three-pointed star-shaped support section 20 is disposed at the mid-height portion of each upper cylindrical section 18, supporting each of the support legs 11 to 13 so that they are evenly spread out. A roughly rectangular frame-shaped cylinder end cover 21 is fitted onto the open lower end of each upper cylinder portion 18. A height adjustment screw 22 is arranged on the inner frame of each cylinder end cover 21 to adjust the protruding length of the lower support portion 19.

[0034] Next, the polar axis alignment support device 10 for an equatorial mount according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5. FIG. As shown in Figures 1 and 3 to 5, this polar axis alignment support device 10 for equatorial mounts is equipped with a device main body 31 that supports the polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount 15 by using a cross-line laser beam 30 that aligns a horizontal line L1 indicating the east-west line along which the east-side support leg 13 and the west-side support leg 12 are positioned, and a vertical line L2 indicating the north-south line along which the polar axis support leg 11 is positioned, and a laser irradiation guide 33 that is attached to the equatorial mount 15 and has a cross target 32 ​​that serves as a target for the cross-line laser beam 30, with a horizontal line b for aligning the horizontal line L1 and a vertical line c for aligning the vertical line L2 arranged in a cross shape.

[0035] 1 has a rectangular casing 34 that is long in the front-to-rear direction. An electronic compass 35 that uses geomagnetism to determine direction is provided at the front end of the casing 34, and a digital goniometer 36 that measures angles in the up-down direction relative to the horizontal is provided at the middle of the length of the casing 34. Also, a cross-line laser oscillator 37 is built into the front end of the casing 34, and uses the electronic compass 35 to irradiate cross-line laser light 30 from an irradiation port 37a on the front end surface of the casing 34.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4, the laser irradiation guide 33 is a box-shaped trapezoid made of paper or a plastic sheet, elongated in the front-to-rear direction and with the top, left, and right sides gradually widening toward the rear. The rear end face of the laser irradiation guide 33 is open, and it is attached to the equatorial mount 15 so that the front-to-rear direction is parallel to the right ascension axis d. Figures 5(a) and (b) show development views of the laser irradiation guide 33. Figure 5(b) shows the bottom plate 33e.

[0037] 4 and 5, the outer surface of the laser irradiation guide 33 is black, and a wide, white cross target 32 ​​with a circle in the center is formed on its front surface 33a. Meanwhile, a wide, white vertical extension line c1 extending from the vertical line c of the cross target 32 ​​is formed on the top surface of the laser irradiation guide 33, and wide, white horizontal extension lines b1 extending from the horizontal line b of the cross target 32 ​​are formed on the left and right side surfaces 33c and 33d of the laser irradiation guide 33, respectively.

[0038] Next, an example of a method of using the polar axis alignment assistance device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Note that the method of using the present invention is not limited to this as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 and 6, when observing celestial bodies, first attach the device main body 31 to a compact tripod 38, and use a digital goniometer 36 to level the upper base (device main body 31) 39 of the compact tripod 38. Then, use the electronic compass 35 to point the irradiation port 37a located on the tip surface of the casing 34 toward true north. Note that there is a certain deviation (declination, here 7° north) between magnetic north and true north depending on the location and time. Therefore, when determining true north using the electronic compass 35, it is naturally necessary to correct for the declination from the direction of magnetic north.

[0039] Next, the compact tripod 38 is operated, and the device body 31 is tilted downward while the irradiation port 37a is facing due north, and the cross line laser light 30 emitted from the cross line laser oscillator 37 is irradiated onto the installation surface (astronomical observation site) of the equatorial mount 15. As a result, a horizontal line L1 indicating the east-west line and a vertical line L2 indicating the north-south line are projected orthogonally onto the installation surface.

[0040] Next, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the polar axis support leg 11 of the tripod 14 is positioned north of the optical axis L3 on the vertical line L2, while the western support leg 12 is positioned west of the optical axis L3 on the horizontal line L1, and the eastern support leg 13 is positioned east of the optical axis L3 on the horizontal line L1. After that, the upper base 50 of the tripod 14 is leveled, and the equatorial mount 15 is then installed on it. At this time, the elevation angle of the equatorial mount 15 is roughly adjusted using the altitude scale on the equatorial mount 15.

[0041] This makes it possible to easily and accurately use the cross-line laser light 30 to orient the polar axis side support leg 11 of the tripod 14 toward true north (polar axis a of the light) without being affected by the magnetic field of the equatorial mount 15 equipped with an electric motor, thereby assisting in polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount 15. This improves the accuracy of polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount 15 by using the horizontal line L1 perpendicular to the vertical line L2 of the cross-line laser light 30 to orient the east support leg 13 due east and the west support leg 12 due west, rather than simply using one laser light for due north.

[0042] Next, as shown in Figure 3, a laser irradiation guide 33 is installed on the upper end of the outer surface of the right ascension body 16 so as to be parallel to the right ascension axis d of the equatorial mount 15. Alternatively, it may be the telescope mounting surface of a tube holder unit 40 arranged at the tip of the declination body 17 to clamp the telescope tube of an astronomical telescope (not shown) (see the two-dot chain line in Figure 3). Thereafter, the elevation angle of the device main body 31 is set to the latitude of the observation site (here, 24°) using the digital goniometer 36. Next, the height of the device main body 31 is adjusted so that the intersection point (optical axis L3) of the cross-line laser beam 30 of the small tripod 38 coincides with the "circle" at the center of the cross target 32 ​​of the laser irradiation guide 33. Note that the device main body 31 may be finely adjusted in the horizontal direction if necessary.

[0043] Thereafter, a cross line laser beam 30 with an optical axis L3 facing the celestial polar axis a is irradiated toward the cross target 32 ​​on the laser irradiation guide 33. At this time, for example, as shown in Figure 7(a), if the line e parallel to the longitude axis d of the equatorial mount 15 does not coincide with the horizontal line (east-west line) L1 of the cross-line laser light 30, operate the altitude adjustment knob of the equatorial mount 15 to fine-tune the elevation angle of the equatorial mount 15 so that this horizontal line L1 coincides with the horizontal line b of the cross target 32 ​​and the horizontal line extension b1 on the left and right sides of the laser irradiation guide 33.

[0044] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7(b), if the line f parallel to the longitude axis d of the equatorial mount 15 does not coincide with the vertical line (north-south line) L2 of the cross-line laser light 30, operate the azimuth adjustment knob of the equatorial mount 15 to fine-tune the azimuth angle of the equatorial mount 15 so that this vertical line L2 coincides with the vertical line c of the cross target 32 ​​and the extension line c1 of the vertical line on the top surface 33b of the laser irradiation guide 33.

[0045] In this way, by appropriately finely moving the equatorial mount 15 to align the horizontal line L1 of the cross-line laser light 30 with the horizontal line b of the cross target 32, and aligning the vertical line L2 of the cross-line laser light 30 with the vertical line c of the cross target 32, it is possible to assist in aligning the polar axis of the equatorial mount 15 with greater precision.

[0046] Furthermore, when the cross line laser light 30 is irradiated onto the cross target 32 ​​on the front surface 33a of the laser irradiation guide 33, by irradiating each portion of the horizontal and vertical lines L1, L2 of the cross line laser light 30 that extend beyond the front surface 33a onto the top surface 33b and the left and right side surfaces 33c, 33d that extend beyond the front surface 33a, respectively, the horizontal extension line b1 and the vertical extension line c1 can be used to further improve the accuracy of each alignment.

[0047] Next, a polar axis alignment assistance device for an equatorial mount according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in Figure 8, the feature of the polar axis alignment support device 10A for equatorial mounts of Example 2 is that, in order to increase the ease of polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount 15, instead of the laser irradiation guide 33 of Example 1, a rectangular sticker S on the outer surface of the cylindrical right ascension body 16 is attached, on which multiple guide lines g parallel to the right ascension axis d are printed at a predetermined pitch (predetermined intervals) in the circumferential direction of the right ascension body 16.

[0048] The small tripod 38 used here is an elevator tripod (not shown), in which the device main body 31 is mounted on an upper base 39 via a linear guide so that it can move linearly. The linear guide moves the slider carrying the device main body 31 linearly (in this case, in the east-west direction) along a guide rail attached to the upper base 39.

[0049] Next, a method of using the polar axis alignment support device 10A according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figure 8, during astronomical observation, first mount the device main body 31 on the linear guide slider of the elevator tripod, and set up the elevator tripod so that the intersection of the cross-line laser beam 30 hits the rear surface of the equatorial mount 15 (place the device main body 31 directly behind the equatorial mount 15). At this position A, all of the vertical line (north-south line) L2 of the cross-line laser beam 30 is blocked or passes through.

[0050] Next, the upper platform 39 of the elevator tripod is leveled using a digital goniometer 36, and then the irradiation port 37a located on the tip surface of the casing 34 is directed toward true north using an electronic compass 35. At this time, the declination angle is also corrected from the direction of magnetic north. Then, by operating the handle of the elevator tripod and moving the upper platform (device body 31) 39 to the upper position B, a part of the vertical line L2 of the cross-line laser light 30 is irradiated onto the upper part of the outer surface of the right ascension body 16, drawing a bright line. This bright line is used to align the equatorial mount 15 (see the same figure).

[0051] Next, the elevator tripod is handled in the opposite direction to return the device body 31 to its original position A. At this point, the entire horizontal line (east-west line) L1 of the cross-line laser beam 30 is either blocked or passed through. After that, the digital goniometer 36 is used to set the elevation angle of the device body 31 to match the latitude of the observation site. Next, by using the linear guide to slide the device body 31 east (right) or west (left) (here, east position C), the horizontal line (east-west line) L1 of the cross-line laser light 30 is irradiated onto the corresponding side portion of the outer surface of the right ascension body 16, drawing a bright line. This bright line is used to adjust the elevation angle of the equatorial mount 15 (see Figure 9). This makes it easier to align the polar axis of the equatorial mount 15 compared to the case in which the intersection of the cross-line laser 30 is aligned with the cross target 32 ​​of the laser irradiation guide 33 in the first embodiment. Other configurations, actions, and effects can be inferred from the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here. [Industrial Applicability]

[0052] The present invention is a technique useful for polar axis alignment of an equatorial mount mounted on a tripod. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10. Polar axis alignment support device for equatorial mounts 11 Pole shaft support leg 12 West side leg 13 East support 14 Tripod 15 Equatorial Mount 16 right ascension body 30 Cross-line laser light 31 Device body 32 Cross Target 33 Laser irradiation guide 33a front 33b Top surface 33c left side 33d Right side 35 Electronic Compass 36 Digital angle meter (angle meter) 37 Cross-line laser oscillator L1 horizontal line L2 Vertical Line a. Celestial polar axis b horizontal line b1 Horizontal line extension line c vertical line c1 Vertical line extension line d Right ascension axis (polar axis of equatorial mount) g Guide line

Claims

1. A polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount that supports polar axis alignment of an equatorial mount mounted on a tripod with three support legs arranged at 120° intervals, The three support legs each comprise a polar axis side support leg that is disposed in the direction of the celestial polar axis during astronomical observation, an eastern side support leg that is disposed eastward from the polar axis side support leg, and a western side support leg that is disposed westward from the polar axis side support leg, a device main body that supports polar axis alignment of the equatorial mount by using a cross-line laser light that can align a horizontal line indicating an east-west line on which the east-side support leg and the west-side support leg are aligned, and a vertical line indicating a north-south line on which the polar axis side support leg is aligned; The device body comprises: An electronic compass that uses the earth's magnetic field to determine direction, A goniometer that measures angles in the vertical direction based on the horizontal, A polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount, characterized in that it comprises a cross-line laser oscillator that uses the electronic compass to irradiate the cross-line laser light from an irradiation port while directing the optical axis of the linear portion where the horizontal line and the vertical line intersect at right angles toward the celestial pole.

2. 2. The polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to claim 1, further comprising a laser irradiation guide attached to the equatorial mount, the laser irradiation guide having a cross target formed thereon, the cross target being a target for the cross-line laser light, with a horizontal line for alignment with the horizontal line and a vertical line for alignment with the vertical line arranged in a cross shape.

3. The laser irradiation guide is a trapezoidal body that is long in the front-to-rear direction and is attached to the equatorial mount so that the front-to-rear direction is parallel to the right ascension axis, and the top surface and the left and right sides each gradually widen toward the rear, 3. The polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount according to claim 2, wherein the cross target is formed on the front surface of the laser irradiation guide, while vertical extension lines formed by extending the vertical lines of the cross target are formed on the top surface of the laser irradiation guide, and horizontal extension lines formed by extending the horizontal lines of the cross target are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the laser irradiation guide.

4. A polar axis alignment support device for an equatorial mount as described in claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of guide lines, each parallel to the right ascension axis and for aligning with the horizontal and vertical lines of the cross-line laser light, are displayed on the outer surface of the right ascension body of the equatorial mount at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the right ascension body.

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