Angular positioning apparatus
OwnerAnand Kelkarinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An angular positioning apparatus that includes a wedge assembly and a rod assembly positioned generally within the wedge assembly. The wedge assembly can include a plurality of serially connected wedges, each separately rotatable and when rotated rotating the wedge or wedges, if any, above it. The rod assembly can be connected to the wedge assembly such that a distal end of the rod assembly has an operative pointing direction for a payload (an antenna, a camera, a laser or other angular sensitive device) mountable to a distal end of the apparatus) that is controllably movable by the wedge assembly and such that the rod assembly does not twist about a longitudinal axis thereof as the wedges are rotated. The rod assembly can form a hollow tube for wires and cables, or it can form a solid shaft.
Claims27
An angular positioning apparatus, comprising:
- a wedge assembly including a plurality of serially connected wedges;
- the bottommost of the wedges being rotatable relative to a support for the positioning apparatus, and each of the rest of the wedges being rotatable relative to the wedge directly beneath it;
- and
- a rod assembly positioned generally within the wedge assembly;
- the rod assembly being connected to the wedge assembly such that (a) a distal end of the rod assembly has an operative pointing direction movable by the wedge assembly and corresponding to a pointing direction of a distal end of the wedge assembly as one or more of the wedges are rotated and positionable through all angles within a solid angle and (b) the rod assembly does not twist about a longitudinal axis thereof as the wedges are rotated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.