# US 11,029,154 B2 · Deflecting device and surveying instrument > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,154 B2 - Document ID: US11029154B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/975,049 - Filed: 2018-05-09 - Published: 2018-11-15 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-12 - Assignees: Topcon Corporation - Applicants: Topcon Corporation - Inventors: Hideyuki Matsumoto; Fumio Ohtomo; Kaoru Kumagai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029154B2 ## CPC - G01C 15/002: {Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105)} - G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning} - G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) - G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders - G02B 7/1805: {for prisms (G02B7/181 takes precedence)} - G02B 26/0883: {the refracting element being a prism} - G02B 26/108: {having one or more prisms as scanning elements} - G02F 1/29: for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection - G02F 1/291: {Two-dimensional analogue deflection} - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS ## Abstract A deflecting device and surveying instrument comprising a holding member having a ring shape; ring gears disposed on both sides of the holding member with the holding member interposed the ring gears, the ring gears being concentric with the holding member; bearings disposed between the holding member and the ring gears on both sides of the holding member, the bearings being concentric with the holding member; optical deflecting members disposed at central portions of the ring gears and integrated with the ring gears; deflection motors corresponding to the respective ring gears; and a drive transmitting member configured to transmit rotary force of the deflection motors to the ring gears. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A deflecting device comprising: a holding member having a ring shape; ring gears disposed on both sides of the holding member with the holding member interposed between the ring gears, the ring gears being concentric with the holding member; bearings disposed between the holding member and the ring gears on both sides of the holding member, the bearings being concentric with the holding member; optical deflecting members disposed at central portions of the ring gears and integrated with the ring gears; deflection motors corresponding to the respective ring gears; and a drive transmitting member configured to transmit rotary force of the deflection motors to the ring gears; wherein each of the bearings includes an outer ring fitted into and fixed to an outer ring fitting section on either one of the holding member and the corresponding ring gear, each of the bearings includes an inner ring fitted into and fixed to an inner ring fitting section on the other of the holding member and the corresponding ring gear, the ring gears on both sides of the holding member are supported by the holding member, the ring gears being configured to rotate independently of each other, and the deflection motors are configured to independently rotate the respective optical deflecting members together with the ring gears. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The deflecting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the ring gears includes a groove having a ring shape in a surface of each of the ring gears, the surface facing the holding member, the groove includes an inner edge portion protruding toward the holding member and serving as the inner ring fitting section, and the holding member includes outer edges protruding toward the ring gears and serving as the outer ring fitting sections. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The deflecting device according to claim 2, wherein the outer ring fitting sections and the outer rings of the bearings are bonded to each other, and the inner ring fitting sections and the inner rings of the bearings are bonded to each other. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The deflecting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the ring gears includes a groove having a ring shape in a surface of each of the ring gears, the surface facing the holding member, the groove includes an outer edge portion protruding toward the holding member and serving as the outer ring fitting section, and the holding member includes inner edges protruding toward the ring gears and serving as the inner ring fitting sections. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The deflecting device according to claim 4, wherein the outer ring fitting sections and the outer rings of the bearings are bonded to each other, and the inner ring fitting sections and the inner rings of the bearings are bonded to each other. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The deflecting device according claim 1, wherein each of the optical deflecting members includes a plurality of prisms arranged parallel with each other. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The deflecting device according to claim 1, wherein the ring gears are driving timing pulleys, the driving timing pulleys are disposed on output shafts of the deflection motors, timing belts are disposed between the ring gears and the driving timing pulleys, and the ring gears are configured to be rotated by the deflection motors through the timing belts. ### Claim 8 A surveying instrument comprising: a distance meter including: a light emitting element configured to send out distance measuring light; a distance measuring light emitter configured to emit the distance measuring light; a receiver configured to receive reflected distance measuring light; and a light receiving element configured to receive the reflected distance measuring light and to generate a light reception signal, the distance meter being configured to measure a distance to a measurement target object on a basis of the light reception signal from the light receiving element; an optical axis deflector disposed on a distance measuring optical axis and configured to deflect the distance measuring optical axis; an emission direction detector configured to detect a deflection angle of the distance measuring optical axis; and a computation controller configured to control deflecting action of the optical axis deflector and distance measuring action of the distance meter, to measure a horizontal angle and a vertical angle of the measurement target object on a basis of the deflection angle detected by the emission direction detector, and to acquire three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement target object on a basis of a distance value from the distance meter and the horizontal angle and vertical angle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The surveying instrument of claim 8 wherein the optical axis deflector further comprises: a holding member having a ring shape; ring gears disposed on both sides of the holding member with the holding member interposed between the ring gears, the ring gears being concentric with the holding member; bearings disposed between the holding member and the ring gears on both sides of the holding member, the bearings being concentric with the holding member; optical deflecting members disposed at central portions of the ring gears and integrated with the ring gears; deflection motors corresponding to the respective ring gears; and a drive transmitting member configured to transmit rotary force of the deflection motors to the ring gears; wherein each of the bearings includes an outer ring fitted into and fixed to an outer ring fitting section on either one of the holding member and the corresponding ring gear, each of the bearings includes an inner ring fitted into and fixed to an inner ring fitting section on the other of the holding member and the corresponding ring gear, the ring gears on both sides of the holding member are supported by the holding member, the ring gears being configured to rotate independently of each other, and the deflection motors are configured to independently rotate the respective optical deflecting members together with the ring gears. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The surveying instrument of claim 9 wherein each of the ring gears includes a groove having a ring shape in a surface of each of the ring gears, the surface facing the holding member, and the groove includes an inner edge portion protruding toward the holding member and serving as the inner ring fitting section, and the holding member includes outer edges protruding toward the ring gears and serving as the outer ring fitting sections. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The surveying instrument of claim 10 wherein the outer ring fitting sections and the outer rings of the bearings are bonded to each other, and the inner ring fitting sections and the inner rings of the bearings are bonded to each other. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The surveying instrument of claim 9 wherein each of the ring gears includes a groove having a ring shape in a surface of each of the ring gears, the surface facing the holding member, and the groove includes an outer edge portion protruding toward the holding member and serving as the outer ring fitting section, and the holding member includes inner edges protruding toward the ring gears and serving as the inner ring fitting sections. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The surveying instrument of claim 12 wherein the outer ring fitting sections and the outer rings of the bearings are bonded to each other, and the inner ring fitting sections and the inner rings of the bearings are bonded to each other. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The surveying instrument of claim 9 wherein each of the optical deflecting members includes a plurality of prisms arranged parallel with each other. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The surveying instrument of claim 9, wherein the ring gears are driving timing pulleys, the driving timing pulleys are disposed on output shafts of the deflection motors, timing belts are disposed between the ring gears and the driving timing pulleys, and the ring gears are configured to be rotated by the deflection motors through the timing belts.