Optical axis adjustment device for spatial optical transmission device

Abstract

To provide an optical axis adjustment device for a spatial optical transmission device, capable of performing optical axis adjustment simply, accurately, and efficiently.SOLUTION: An optical axis adjustment device has: a universal head 3 attached to the bottom of a housing 4 of a communication device; and an optical axis adjustment unit 2 attached to the universal head 3 at the time of optical axis adjustment. The optical axis adjustment unit 2 includes: a bedplate 20 fixed on a base plate 30 with a tightening screw; a left-or-right adjustment plate 21 mounted on the bedplate 20 so as to be tiltable in a left-or-right direction about one vertical support shaft; and an up-or-down adjustment member 22 mounted on the left-or-right adjustment plate 21 so as to be tiltable up-or-down about one horizontal support shaft and fixed to a mounting bracket of the universal head.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical axis adjusting device for a spatial optical transmission device that transmits a data signal by spatial light, and more particularly to an optical axis adjusting device that has a simple structure and can easily adjust the optical axis. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in a spatial optical transmission device that transmits data signals using spatial light between a pair of communication devices, it is necessary to precisely adjust the optical axis between the light-emitting and light-receiving sides of the communication devices, especially when the distance between the communication devices is large, in order to project a highly directional narrow-angle beam of optical signals.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a device that automatically aligns the optical axes between an optical transmitter and an optical receiver of a spatial optical transmission device. This spatial optical transmission device outputs optical axis adjustment light from the optical transmitter and controls the light projection optical system on the light projection side and the light receiving optical system on the light receiving side to automatically adjust the optical axis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-170647 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when using this spatial optical transmission device, the user first projects a wide-angle beam from the projection optical system of the optical transmitter toward the receiving optical system of the optical receiver, and then roughly adjusts the optical axis by moving the optical transmitter or optical receiver to a position and angle where the optical receiver can receive the projected beam. Next, when optical transmission of a data signal begins, transmission is performed using an optical signal with a narrow beam angle of the projection optical system, thereby performing data communication.

[0006] Therefore, if the optical transmitter and receiver of the spatial optical transmission device use short-distance wireless communication over a distance of several meters, or short-distance infrared communication such as IrDA, the user can easily roughly align the optical axis at an early stage, and the optical axis alignment can be automated.

[0007] However, when performing spatial optical transmission using large mobile equipment or between distant buildings, the distance between the optical transmitter and the optical receiver can be several tens of meters or even hundreds of meters. As the distance between the communication devices increases, the optical axis is inevitably narrowed by the focusing lens on the light-emitting side, and the range of light incident on the receiving side becomes extremely narrow. Therefore, adjusting the angle of the communication device's housing significantly affects the alignment of the optical axis. In other words, if the optical axes of a pair of communication devices are misaligned, the signal level of the spatial optical signal drops significantly. Therefore, aligning the optical axes of communication devices requires a lot of time and is a complicated process.

[0008] For example, the housing of a communication device is usually fixed to a fixed part via a mounting bracket, but aligning the optical axis requires loosening the fixing screws of the mounting bracket and delicately moving the angle and position of the housing up, down, left, and right, making the optical axis adjustment work a complicated and time-consuming task.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an optical axis adjusting device for a spatial optical transmission device that can perform optical axis adjustment simply, accurately, and efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The optical axis adjustment device for a spatial optical transmission device according to the present invention is an optical axis adjustment device for a spatial optical transmission device that transmits a data signal by spatial light between a pair of communication devices, the optical axis adjustment device comprising: the optical axis adjustment device includes a pan head attached to the bottom of a housing of the communication device, and an optical axis adjustment unit attached to the pan head when adjusting the optical axis; The platform has a base plate that is fastened and fixed with fastening screws on a fixing portion to which a communication device is fixed so as to be tiltable in the left-right direction, and a mounting bracket that is attached to the base plate with fastening screws so as to be tiltable in the up-down direction and is fixed to the bottom of a housing of the communication device, The optical axis adjustment unit includes a base plate fixed on the base plate with a fastening screw, a left-right adjustment plate attached to the base plate so as to be tiltable in the left-right direction around a single vertical support shaft, and a vertical adjustment member attached to the left-right adjustment plate so as to be tiltable up and down around a single horizontal support shaft, The vertical adjustment member is fixed to the mounting bracket of the camera platform with a mounting screw, The vertical adjustment member is provided with a vertical adjustment screw for adjusting the tilt of the mounting bracket of the camera platform up and down, and the horizontal adjustment plate is provided with a horizontal adjustment screw for adjusting the tilt of the horizontal adjustment plate left and right relative to the base plate, The optical axis adjustment unit is characterized in that, when adjusting the optical axis, the base plate is attached to the base plate using the fastening screws, and when the adjustment is complete, the fastening screws can be loosened to allow the base plate to be detached from the base plate.

[0011] When adjusting the optical axis of the optical axis adjustment device, the base plate of the optical axis adjustment unit is attached to the base plate of the camera platform using the fastening screws, and the optical axis is adjusted by turning the left-right adjustment screw and the up-down adjustment screw. After that, the fastening screws are loosened to detach the base plate from the base plate, and in that state, the fastening screws are tightened to fix the camera platform, which has completed the optical axis adjustment, to the fixed part, and the mounting bracket of the camera platform is fixed to the base plate, completing the optical axis adjustment.

[0012] According to the optical axis adjustment device of this invention, the optical axis can be adjusted easily and accurately by turning the left-right adjustment screw and the up-down adjustment screw of the optical axis adjustment unit. After adjusting the optical axis, the optical axis adjustment unit can be removed from the camera platform, and the camera platform can be firmly fixed to the fixed part, thereby firmly fixing the communication device to the fixed part. The removed optical axis adjustment unit can be similarly attached to another spatial optical transmission device and used to adjust the optical axis of that other spatial optical transmission device, thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs.

[0013] Here, in the optical axis adjustment device, a long groove can be formed in the base plate of the optical axis adjustment unit, and the optical axis adjustment unit can be attached to the camera platform by inserting and tightening a fastening screw into the long groove.

[0014] In addition, the left and right adjustment screws can be inserted into long holes provided in the vertical bends of the left and right adjustment plates, and a coil spring can be inserted into the tip of the left and right adjustment screws, with the tip being screwed into a screw hole provided in the vertical bend of the base plate.

[0015] In addition, the up / down adjustment screw can be inserted into a long hole provided in the folded horizontal portion of the up / down adjustment member, and a coil spring can be inserted into the tip of the up / down adjustment screw, with the tip being screwed into a screw hole provided in the folded horizontal portion of the left / right adjustment plate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the optical axis adjusting device for a spatial optical transmission device of the present invention, optical axis adjustment can be performed simply, accurately and efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an optical axis adjusting device for a spatial optical transmission device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the optical axis adjustment unit is removed. [Figure 3] 1A is a plan view of the optical axis adjusting unit, FIG. 1B is a rear view of the same, and FIG. 1C is a right side view of the same. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an optical axis adjusting unit. [Figure 5] This is an oblique view of the pan head. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the optical axis adjustment unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the camera with the housing removed from the camera platform. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9]1A is a perspective view of a vertical adjustment member, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the vertical adjustment member as viewed from below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This optical axis adjustment device is an optical axis adjustment device for a spatial optical transmission device that transmits data signals by spatial light between a pair of communication devices, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is configured with a pan head 3 attached to the bottom of a housing 4 of the communication device 1, and an optical axis adjustment unit 2 attached to the pan head 3 when adjusting the optical axis.

[0019] 1, during optical axis adjustment, the optical axis adjustment unit 2 is attached to the rear side of the communication device 1. As shown in Fig. 1, an opening for emitting light and an opening for receiving light are provided on the front side of the communication device 1, and within the housing 4 of the communication device 1, a light receiver 1a, a light emitter 1b, and a communication circuit (not shown) are provided along with an optical system.

[0020] As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the pan head 3 is configured to have a base plate 30 that is fastened with fastening screws 11 onto a fixing portion 10 (Figure 1) to which the communication device 1 is fixed, and a mounting bracket 31 that is attached to the base plate 30 with fastening screws 12 so as to be tiltable up and down, and the mounting bracket 31 is fixed to the bottom of the housing 4 of the communication device 1 via a mounting plate 5, as shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 8, a long hole 30b is formed at an angle as a fixing hole provided in the base plate 30, and with the fastening screws 11 (Figure 1) loosened, the base plate 30 can be tilted left and right on the fixing portion 10 around a vertical axis on a horizontal plane.

[0021] 8, the mounting bracket 31 is attached to a vertically bent portion 32a provided on the base plate 30. A long hole 32b that is long in the up-down direction is provided in the vertically bent portion 32a, and the mounting bracket 31 can be tilted up and down relative to the base plate 30 by loosening a fastening screw 12 inserted into the long hole 32b. Mounting portions 31b with screw holes are formed on both sides of the mounting bracket 31 by bending them downward, and the mounting bracket 31 is attached to the base plate 30 by these mounting portions 31b so as to be tiltable. In addition, a vertically bent portion 31a is provided on the mounting bracket 31, and a vertical adjustment member 22 of the optical axis adjustment unit 2, which will be described later, is fixed to this vertically bent portion 31a with two mounting screws 34.

[0022] 6, the optical axis adjustment unit 2 is configured to include a base plate 20 fixed onto the base plate 30 of the camera platform 3 with fastening screws 11, a left-right adjustment plate 21 attached to the base plate 20 so as to be tiltable left and right about a single vertical support shaft 16, and a vertical adjustment member 22 attached to the left-right adjustment plate 21 so as to be tiltable up and down about a single horizontal support shaft 17. A vertical bending portion 23 with a screw hole 23a is provided on the base plate 20, and the tip of the left-right adjustment screw 13 is screwed into the screw hole 23a to fix the left-right adjustment plate 21.

[0023] The vertical adjustment member 22 is attached to the mounting bracket 31 of the camera platform 3 with a mounting screw 34, and tilts the housing 4 on the mounting bracket 31 up and down depending on how tightly the vertical adjustment screw 14 is screwed in. In other words, the vertical adjustment member 22 is provided with the vertical adjustment screw 14 for adjusting the vertical tilt of the mounting bracket 31 of the camera platform 3, and the left-right adjustment plate 21 is provided with the left-right adjustment screw 13 for adjusting the left-right tilt of the left-right adjustment plate 21 relative to the base plate 20.

[0024] 6, a cylindrical vertical support shaft 16 protrudes from the base plate 20, and the vertical support shaft 16 penetrates from below into a shaft hole 21a formed in the left-right adjustment plate 21. The left-right adjustment plate 21 is attached by a support screw 16a so that it can tilt (rotate) left and right around the vertical support shaft 16. Furthermore, the left-right adjustment plate 21 is provided with a vertical bending portion 26 having an elongated hole 26a. The left-right adjustment screw 13 is inserted into the elongated hole 26a, and the tip of the left-right adjustment screw 13 is screwed into a screw hole 23a of a vertical bending portion 23 formed in the base plate 20.

[0025] Furthermore, a coil spring 25a is inserted between the vertical bent portion 26 and the vertical bent portion 23 of the left-right adjustment screw 13, and the coil spring 25a expands and contracts in response to the rotation of the left-right adjustment plate 21, generating a biasing force therebetween. Furthermore, a shaft hole 26b is formed in the vertical bent portion 26 of the left-right adjustment plate 21, and a horizontal support shaft 17 provided on the bent vertical portion 28b of the up-down adjustment member 22 is fitted into this shaft hole 26b. With the horizontal support shaft 17 fitted in place, a support shaft screw 17a is threaded into the end of the horizontal support shaft 17 through the washer 17b and the shaft hole 26b, and the up-down adjustment member 22 is attached so as to be tiltable up and down about the horizontal support shaft 17.

[0026] 9, the up-down adjustment member 22 has a bent vertical portion 28b below an intermediate mounting plate portion 28a, and a bent horizontal portion 28c above the mounting plate portion 28a. A cylindrical horizontal support shaft 17 is provided on the bent vertical portion 28b, and the horizontal support shaft 17 is inserted into the shaft hole 26b of the left-right adjustment plate 21. A support screw 17a passes through a washer 17b, and its tip is screwed into the horizontal support shaft 17, so that the up-down adjustment member 22 is attached so as to be tiltable up and down about the horizontal support shaft 17.

[0027] Furthermore, when the optical axis adjustment unit 2 is attached to the pan head 3 during the optical axis adjustment work, the mounting plate portion 28a of the up / down adjustment member 22 is fixed to the vertical bending portion 31a of the pan head 3 by two mounting screws (knurled screws) 34 via a spacer 29, as shown in Figure 2.

[0028] Furthermore, the vertical adjustment screw 14 is inserted from above into the elongated hole 28d provided in the bent horizontal portion 28c of the vertical adjustment member 22, the coil spring 25b is inserted from the tip side of the screw, and the tip of the vertical adjustment screw 14 is screwed into the screw hole 27a provided in the bent horizontal portion 27 of the left-right adjustment plate 21. In this way, by turning the vertical adjustment screw 14, the vertical adjustment member 22, i.e., the mounting bracket 31 of the camera platform 3, can be tilted (rotated) up and down about the horizontal support shaft 17.

[0029] Next, we will explain how to use the optical axis adjustment device with the above configuration. When optical communication is performed via spatial light between a pair of communication devices 1 of a spatial optical transmission device, first, as shown in Figure 7, the mounting bracket 31 of the pan head 3 is fixed to the bottom of the communication device 1 using a fixing screw 18. Next, the positions and angles of the communication devices 1 are roughly adjusted so that the pair of communication devices 1, installed at predetermined positions with a distance between them, face each other, and the base plate 30 of the pan head 3 is temporarily fixed on the fixing part 10 using the tightening fixing screw 11.

[0030] Next, as shown in Fig. 2, the optical axis adjustment unit 2 is inserted into the gap between the base plate 30 of the camera platform 3 and the mounting bracket 31, one fastening screw 11 on the base plate 30 is loosened, the long groove 20a of the base plate 20 of the optical axis adjustment unit 2 is inserted therein, and the fastening screw 11 is tightened to temporarily fix it. In this state, as shown in Fig. 1, the spacer 29 of the up / down adjustment member 22 of the optical axis adjustment unit 2 abuts against the vertical bent portion 31a of the mounting bracket 31, and the two mounting screws 34 are turned to fix the up / down adjustment member 22 to the vertical bent portion 31a of the mounting bracket 31 via the spacer 29.

[0031] In this state, first, loosen the four fastening screws 12, and turn the vertical adjustment screws 14 to adjust the vertical angle. When the vertical adjustment screws 14 are turned, for example, in the loosening direction, the vertical adjustment members 22 tilt up and down around the horizontal support shafts 17, and at the same time, the mounting bracket 31 tilts up and down around the pair of fastening screws 12 on the rear side. When the vertical adjustment screws 14 are turned in the tightening direction, the vertical adjustment members 22 tilt in the opposite direction around the horizontal support shafts 17. This adjusts the vertical angle of the housing 4 on the mounting bracket 31, and the vertical angle is adjusted so that the received signal level of the pair of communication devices 1 is maximized.

[0032] Next, the left-right adjustment screw 13 is turned to adjust the left-right angle. When the left-right adjustment screw 13 is turned, the left-right adjustment plate 21 of the optical axis adjustment unit 2 tilts (rotates) left and right on the base plate 20 about the vertical support shaft 16, and at the same time, the mounting bracket 31 tilts left and right. At this time, the four tightening fixing screws 11 are loosened in the elongated holes 30b, and a rotational force in the left-right direction acts on the base plate 30 from the mounting bracket 31, causing the base plate 30 to tilt in the same direction on the fixed part 10. This adjusts the left-right angle of the housing 4 on the mounting bracket 31, and the left-right angle is adjusted so that the reception signal level of the pair of communication devices 1 is maximized. Note that the above-mentioned vertical angle adjustment and left-right angle adjustment can also be performed approximately simultaneously.

[0033] Then, with the adjustment of the up / down, left / right angles of the communication device 1 complete, the four fastening screws 12 are tightened to secure the mounting bracket 31 to the base plate 30, and the four fastening screws 11 are tightened to secure the base plate 30 on the fixed portion 10. Then, one fastening screw 11 inserted into the long groove 20a is loosened, and the mounting screw 34 is further loosened to remove the up / down adjustment member 22 from the vertical bent portion 31a of the mounting bracket 31, and the optical axis adjustment unit 2 is removed from the gap between the base plate 30 of the camera platform 3 and the mounting bracket 31. Finally, one fastening screw 11 is tightened to complete the optical axis adjustment.

[0034] Thus, with the optical axis adjustment device configured as described above, the optical axis adjustment can be easily and accurately performed by turning the left-right adjustment screw 13 and the up-down adjustment screw 14 of the optical axis adjustment unit 2. After the optical axis adjustment, the optical axis adjustment unit 2 can be removed from the pan head 3, and the pan head 3 can be firmly fixed to the fixed part 10, thereby firmly fixing the communication device 1 to the fixed part 10. The removed optical axis adjustment unit 2 can be similarly attached to another spatial optical transmission device and used in conjunction with it to adjust the optical axis of that other spatial optical transmission device, thereby reducing the overall manufacturing cost. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1. Communications equipment 1a Receiver 1b Floodlight 2 Optical axis adjustment unit 3 Panhead 4. Cabinet 5 Mounting plate 10 Fixed part 11 Fastening screw 12 Fastening screw 13 Left and right adjustment screw 14 Up / down adjustment screw 16 Vertical support shaft 16a Support screw 17 Horizontal support shaft 17a Support screw 17b Washer 18 Fixing screws 20 base plate 20a Nagamichi 21 Left and right adjustment plate 21a Shaft hole 22 Vertical adjustment member 23 Vertical bend 23a screw hole 25a coil spring 25b coil spring 26 Vertical bend 26a long hole 26b Shaft hole 27 Bent horizontal section 27a screw hole 28a Mounting plate 28b Bent vertical part 28c bent horizontal section 28d long hole 29 Spacer 30 base plate 30b long hole 31 Mounting bracket 31a Vertical bend 31b Mounting part 32a Vertical bend 32b long hole 34 Mounting screws

Claims

1. An optical axis adjusting device for a spatial optical transmission device that transmits a data signal by spatial light between a pair of communication devices, the optical axis adjustment device includes a pan head attached to the bottom of a housing of the communication device, and an optical axis adjustment unit attached to the pan head when adjusting the optical axis; The platform has a base plate that is fastened and fixed in the left-right direction with fastening screws on a fixing portion to which the communication device is fixed, and a mounting bracket that is attached to the base plate with fastening screws so as to be tiltable in the up-down direction and is fixed to the bottom of a housing of the communication device, The optical axis adjustment unit includes a base plate fixed on the base plate with a fastening screw, a left-right adjustment plate attached to the base plate so as to be tiltable in the left-right direction around a single vertical support shaft, and a vertical adjustment member attached to the left-right adjustment plate so as to be tiltable up and down around a single horizontal support shaft, The vertical adjustment member is fixed to the mounting bracket of the camera platform with a mounting screw, The vertical adjustment member is provided with a vertical adjustment screw for adjusting the tilt of the mounting bracket of the camera platform up and down, and the horizontal adjustment plate is provided with a horizontal adjustment screw for adjusting the tilt of the horizontal adjustment plate left and right relative to the base plate, the optical axis adjustment unit is configured such that, during optical axis adjustment, the base plate is attached to the base plate using the fastening screws, and when adjustment is complete, the fastening screws are loosened so that the base plate can be detached from the base plate.

2. 2. The optical axis adjustment device for a spatial optical transmission device according to claim 1, wherein a long groove is formed in the base plate of the optical axis adjustment unit, and the optical axis adjustment unit is attached to the pan head by inserting the fastening fixing screw into the long groove and tightening it.

3. 2. The optical axis adjustment device for a spatial optical transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the left-right adjustment screw is inserted into an elongated hole provided in the vertically bent portion of the left-right adjustment plate, and a coil spring is inserted into a tip of the left-right adjustment screw, and the tip is screwed into a threaded hole provided in the vertically bent portion of the base plate.

4. 2. The optical axis adjustment device for a spatial optical transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical adjustment screw is inserted into a long hole provided in a bent horizontal portion of the vertical adjustment member, and a coil spring is inserted into a tip of the vertical adjustment screw, and the tip is screwed into a threaded hole provided in a bent horizontal portion of the left-right adjustment plate.

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