Guide beam direction setting apparatus

A guide beam direction setting apparatus comprising:

• a guide beam generator having a guide-beam emission optical system for emitting a guide beam of light;
• an indicator-beam emission optical system for emitting an indicator beam of light having a flat spatial spread, said indicator-beam emission optical system having a semiconductor laser wherein a direction in which a spreading angle of a laser beam is large corresponds to a collimation device;
• and
• detection means for detecting said indicator beam;
• wherein said detection means is disposed so as to correspond to an emission direction of said guide beam and be spaced from said indicator-beam emission optical system, and the emission direction of said guide beam is aligned with said collimation direction by detecting said indicator beam with said detection means;
• wherein said indicator beam includes a spot beam which prescribes the center of an optical axis;
• and
• wherein said indicator beam is seen as linearly extending in the collimation direction when viewed from the side where said guide beam generator is disposed, and said optical indicator-beam emission optical system is provided with a diaphragm plate having a slit for diffracting said laser beam, said slit extending long in said collimation direction.

A guide beam direction setting apparatus comprising:

• a main body;
• a guide beam generator provided in said main body and having a guide-beam emission optical system for emitting a guide beam of light;
• an indicator-beam emission optical system, provided in said main body, for emitting a linear indicator beam which is seen as linearly extending in an emission direction of said guide beam when viewed from the side where collimation direction means is disposed;
• a pair of retroreflection plates disposed with respect to a collimation direction of said collimation direction means and spaced from said main body, the retroreflection plates being adapted for reflecting said linear indicator beam toward said indicator-beam emission optical system;
• detection means, provided in said main body, for detecting said linear beam reflected toward said indicator-beam emission optical system by said pair of retroreflection plates;
• and
• rotation control means, provided in said main body, for rotating and controlling said indicator-beam emission optical system so that the emission direction of said guide beam is aligned with said collimation direction, based on a detected output of said detection means.

A guide beam direction emitting apparatus comprising:

• a main body;
• a guide beam generator provided in said main body and having a guide-beam emission optical system for emitting a guide beam of light;
• an indicator-beam emission optical system, provided in said main body, for emitting a linear indicator beam which is seen as linearly extending in an emission direction of said guide beam when viewed from the side where collimation direction means is disposed;
• two pairs of retroreflection plates disposed with respect to said collimation direction means and spaced from said main body, the retroreflection plates being provided at symmetrical positions with respect to an optical axis of said indicator-beam emission optical system and being adapted for reflecting said linear indicator beam toward said indicator-beam emission optical system;
• detection means, provided in said main body, for detecting said linear indicator beam reflected toward said indicator-beam emission optical system by said two pairs of retroreflection plates;
• and
• rotation control means, provided in said main body, for rotating and controlling said indicator-beam emission optical system so that the emission direction of said guide beam is aligned with said collimation direction, based on a detected output of said detection means.

A guide beam direction setting apparatus comprising:

• a main body;
• a guide beam generator provided in said main body and having a guide-beam emission optical system for emitting a guide beam of light;
• an indicator-beam emission optical system, provided in said main body, for emitting a linear indicator beam which is seen as linearly extending in an emission direction of said guide beam when viewed from the side where collimation direction means is disposed;
• retroreflection plates spaced from said main body, the retroreflection plates being adapted for reflecting said linear indicator beam toward said indicator-beam emission optical system and being provided with quarter-wave plates on one side with respect to a collimation direction of said collimation direction means;
• detection means, provided in said main body, for detecting both the linear indicator beam reflected by the retroreflection plates having said quarter-wave plates and the linear indicator beam reflected by the pair of retroreflection plates having no quarter-wave plates;
• and
• rotation control means, provided in said main body, for rotating and controlling said indicator-beam emission optical system so that the emission direction of said guide beam is aligned with said collimation direction, based on a difference between both detected outputs of said detection means.

A guide beam direction setting apparatus comprising:

• a guide beam generator having a guide-beam emission optical system for emitting a guide beam and an indicator-beam emission optical system for emitting a fan-shaped indicator beam which is seen as linearly extending in an emission direction of said guide beam from the side where collimation direction means is disposed;
• and
• detection means provided in said collimation direction means;
• wherein said detection means has a first photosensor and a second photosensor, spaced in a collimation direction, for receiving said indicator beam, and a directional relationship between said guide beam and said collimation direction is obtained from a positional relationship between said indicator beam on said first photosensor and said indicator beam on said second photosensor.

A guide beam direction setting apparatus comprising:

• a guide beam generator having a guide-beam emission optical system for emitting a guide beam;
• collimation direction setting means having an indicator-beam emission optical system for emitting a fan-shaped indicator beam which is seen as extending in a collimation direction from the side where said guide beam generator is disposed;
• and
• detection means provided in said guide beam generator;
• wherein said detection means has a first photosensor and a second photosensor, spaced in an emission direction of said guide beam, for receiving said indicator beam, and a directional relationship between said guide beam and said collimation direction is obtained from a positional relationship between said indicator beam on said first photosensor and said indicator beam on said second photosensor.