# US 2014/0196293 A1 · Rotary Drive Unit Of A Surveying Instrument And A Surveying Instrument > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196293 A1 - Document ID: US20140196293A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/147,940 - Filed: 2014-01-06 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-17 - Assignees: Topcon Corporation - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON - Inventors: Jun-ichi Kodaira; Naoto Miki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196293A1 ## CPC - G01C 15/00: Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00 - G01C 15/002: {Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105)} - H02K 7/108: with friction clutches - H02N 2/163: {Motors with ring stator} - 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) - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - H02N: ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A surveying instrument which comprises a rotation unit 7 adapted to direct a distance measuring optical axis to an object to be measured and the rotary drive unit 5 rotates the rotation unit, comprising a rotary motor for rotating an output shaft 6 and a clutch unit for connecting or disconnecting the rotary motor and the output shaft, wherein the rotary motor and the clutch unit are arranged in a series along the output shaft, and the output shaft is fixed to the rotation unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument which comprises a rotation unit adapted to direct a distance measuring optical axis to an object to be measured and the rotary drive unit rotates said rotation unit, comprising a rotary motor for rotating an output shaft and a clutch unit for connecting or disconnecting said rotary motor and said output shaft, wherein said rotary motor and said clutch unit are arranged in a series along said output shaft, and said output shaft is fixed to said rotation unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein said rotary motor rotates a driven body via a friction force, said clutch unit is interposed between said driven body and said rotation unit and configured so as to transmit the rotation of said driven body to said rotation unit via the friction force, and the friction force between said rotary motor and said driven body is set to be larger than the friction force between said driven body and said rotation unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument according to claim 2, wherein said driven body has a ring-like shape and said rotary motor comprises a ring-shaped vibration generating unit that provides said driven body with the rotational force, wherein said vibration generating unit generates a flexural wave motion that moves in a circumferential direction by ultrasonic vibration, and said flexural wave motion adapted to rotate said driven body via the friction force between said rotary motor and said driven body. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument according to claim 2, wherein said clutch unit has a structure to enable selecting the friction force between said rotation unit and said driven body. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument according to claim 1, wherein said clutch unit comprises a friction generating member interposed in a rotational force transmission path and a biasing means for allowing the pressing force to act on said friction generating member. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument according to claim 2, wherein said clutch unit comprises a friction generating member interposed in a rotational force transmission path and a biasing means for allowing the pressing force to act on said friction generating member. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument according to claim 4, wherein said clutch unit comprises a friction generating member interposed in a rotational force transmission path and a biasing means for allowing the pressing force to act on said friction generating member. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The rotary drive unit of a surveying instrument according to claim 3, wherein said output shaft is provided so as to integrally rotate with said vibration generating unit, and said driven body is provided on a member that supports said rotation unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A surveying instrument comprising a frame unit as a rotation unit provided on a base unit so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, a horizontal rotary drive unit provided on said base unit and drives said frame unit to rotate, a telescope unit as a rotation unit provided on said frame unit so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction, and a vertical rotary drive unit that is provided on said frame unit and drives said telescope unit to rotate, wherein a rotary drive unit according to claim 1 is used for at least one of said horizontal rotary drive unit and said vertical rotary drive unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) A surveying instrument comprising a frame unit as a rotation unit provided on a base unit so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, a horizontal rotary drive unit provided on said base unit and drives said frame unit to rotate, a telescope unit as a rotation unit provided on said frame unit so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction, and a vertical rotary drive unit that is provided on said frame unit and drives said telescope unit to rotate, wherein a rotary drive unit according to claim 2 is used for at least one of said horizontal rotary drive unit and said vertical rotary drive unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) A surveying instrument comprising a frame unit as a rotation unit provided on a base unit so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, a horizontal rotary drive unit provided on said base unit and drives said frame unit to rotate, a telescope unit as a rotation unit provided on said frame unit so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction, and a vertical rotary drive unit that is provided on said frame unit and drives said telescope unit to rotate, wherein a rotary drive unit according to claim 3 is used for at least one of said horizontal rotary drive unit and said vertical rotary drive unit.