Method and apparatus for measuring direction

In combination

• a support,
• a working head having a direction axis,
• an articulated arm mounting the head to the support for movement to diverse angular orientations, and means responsive to articulation of said arm for generating a set of signals that collectively define the angular orientation of the head direction axis, including alignment means for defining said direction axis and for indicating angular orientation of the working head relative to the direction that is to be measured, thereby to facilitate alignment of said working head.

A measuring instrument comprising

• a support,
• a working head adapted to be aligned in a measuring direction having a fixed angular relation with respect to a direction that is to be measured in three dimensions, means including a plurality of pivotally interconnected links for mounting the working head to the support for motion of said working head through a plurality of diverse orientations in three dimensions, and
• means for measuring the angular relations between adjacent ones of said links to provide a set of measured values that collectively define the direction to be measured.

The instrument of 17 wherein one of said conditions comprises the retention of said measuring direction by said working head for a predetermined interval of time.

A measuring instrument comprising

• a support,
• a working head adapted to be aligned in a measuring direction having a fixed angular relation with respect to a direction that is to be measured, a plurality of pivotally interconnected links movably mounting the working head to the support, and
• means for measuring the angular relations between adjacent ones of said links to provide a set of measured values that collectively define the direction to be measured, said pivotally interconnected links comprising a first link pivotally mounted to the support, a second link connected to the working head, and a plurality of intermediate links pivotally connected to and between said first and second links about at least three different axes, whereby the working head is mounted to the support for at least five degrees of rotational freedom.

A measuring instrument comprising

• a support,
• a working head adapted to be aligned in a measuring direction having a fixed angular relation with respect to a direction that is to be measured, a plurality of pivotally interconnected links movably mounting the working head to the support, and
• means for measuring the angular relations between adjacent ones of said links to provide a set of measured values that collectively define the direction to be measured, said working head including a contact portion adapted to engage an object of which a direction is to be measured, and further including means for indicating when the contact portion is in engagement with said object.

A measuring instrument comprising

• a support,
• a working head adapted to be aligned in a measuring direction having a fixed angular relation with respect to a direction that is to be measured, a plurality of pivotally interconnected links movably mounting the working head to the support, and
• means for measuring the angular relations between adjacent ones of said links to provide a set of measured values that collectively define the direction to be measured, said means for measuring angular relations between said links comprising means for generating angle signals respectively representing the angular position of each of said links relative to an adjacent link, a multiplexor responsive to said angle signals and having an output channel in which the angle sinals sequentially appear, a digital converter responsive to said multiplexor output channel, an accumulator, and means for seqentially gating the output of said converter into said accumulator whereby said accumulator will continuously store the values of said angles as the several links are moved to angularly position the working head.

The method of measuring direction in three dimensions of a line having a known angular relation to an object comprising the steps of:

• angularly displacing a working head in three dimensions from a reference direction about a plurality of mutually angulated axes of rotation until the working head is translated and rotated to attain a measuring position having a predetermined angular relation to the object, and measuring the angular displacements of the working head about each of said axes.

The method of measuring direction of a line having a known angular relation to an object comprising the steps of:

• angularly displacing a working head from a reference direction about a plurality of axes of rotation until the working head is translated and rotated to attain a measuring position having a predetermined angular relation to the object, and
• measuring the angular displacements of the working head about each of said axes, said first mentioned step including angularly displacing the working head about at least five mutually independent axes.

The method of measuring direction of a line having a known angular relation to an object comprising the steps of:

• angularly displacing a working head from a reference direction about a plurality of axes of rotation until the working head is translated and rotated to attain a measuring position having a predetermined angular relation to the object, and
• measuring the angular displacements of the working head about each of said axes, including the step of restraining motion of the working head that does not occur as a rotation about at least one of said axes of rotation.

The method of measuring direction of a line having a known angular relation to an object comprising the steps of:

• angularly displacing a working head from a reference direction about a plurality of axes of rotation until the working head is translated and rotated to attain a measuring position having a predetermined angular relation to the object, and
• measuring the angular displacements of the working head about each of said axes, said first mentioned step including displacing the working head about said axes until it attains a position with both a measuring direction and location having a predetermined relation to a vector that is fixed with respect to the object.

An instrument for measuring a vector in three dimensions comprising

• a support,
• a working head having a direction axis, means for mounting said working head to said support with an orientation that is variable in three dimensions, whereby said direction axis may be positioned in a known relation to the vector to be measured, and
• means for providing a set of values that collectively define the orientation of said direction axis in three dimensions.