Movable Mirror Alignment for Optical Surveying Instruments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical surveying instruments face challenges in aligning light beams with viewing axes efficiently and cost-effectively, requiring time-consuming and costly calibration processes, especially when light beams are not directly emitted but reflected through mirrors, leading to potential misalignment and incorrect distance measurements.
Innovation Solution
The use of a movable mirror and a mirror control unit that adjusts the light beam's direction based on pre-stored calibration values to align it with the viewing axis, allowing for self-calibration and compensation of deviations over time and environmental changes, reducing the need for precise initial alignment and costly calibration processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high precision manufacturing processes and careful calibration are used to align the light beam with the viewing axis, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing cost and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration by automatically determining the deviation between the light beam and viewing axis, and adjusting the mirror position accordingly. This eliminates the need for manual calibration operations while maintaining measurement precision, directly resolving the contradiction between alignment precision and calibration complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical calibration processes with an automated optical-electrical system that uses detectors, processors, and motorized mirror adjustment. This substitution eliminates complex manual calibration operations while achieving precise alignment, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity
2Measurement precision
If manual calibration processes are used to compensate for deviations, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but time consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects beam-axis deviation and performs real-time compensation through motorized mirror adjustment, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual calibration operations. The self-calibration process maintains measurement accuracy while dramatically reducing calibration time
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the alignment between light beam and viewing axis using detectors, processes the deviation information, and automatically adjusts the mirror position through feedback control. This closed-loop feedback mechanism maintains measurement precision without requiring manual calibration time
3Adaptability or versatility
If the light beam is reflected by a mirror instead of being directly emitted, then device flexibility is improved, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a motorized, adjustable mirror that can dynamically change its position and orientation to optimize the optical path. This dynamic adjustment capability maintains beam alignment precision while providing the flexibility to adapt different optical configurations, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and alignment precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables cost-effective and time-efficient alignment of light beams with viewing axes, improving measurement accuracy and reducing the need for frequent recalibration, while maintaining precision throughout the instrument's lifetime and under varying environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a movable mirror is arranged to direct the light beam towards the object
Data Source
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AI summary
An optical surveying instrument is provided with an optical arrangement that includes at least one lens and the viewing element defining a viewing direction in the field of view. The distance measurement unit emits light beam towards the field of view and measured the distance to an object in the field of view based on a reflection of the light beam from the object. A movable mirror is arranged to direct the light beam towards the object and a mirror control unit is provided for reading calibration values from a calibration value memory and for moving the movable mirror using the calibration values to adjust the direction of the light beam to be aligned with the viewing direction.