Abstract: A drive device for aligning a theodolite with a target, in which the theodolite is mounted rotatably in the horizontal direction on a theodolite foot. Provision is made of a control knob and an encoder connected thereto, the encoder emitting control signals in accordance with the rotary movement at the control knob to a downstream control circuit. The circuit drives a positioning motor. The rotary table is arranged at the theodolite foot and carries the control knob. Provided between the theodolite and the rotary table is an electric contact which ensures the electrical connection between the encoder and the positioning motor.

Abstract: An adjustment mechanism for a telescope of a theodolite. The mechanism includes a worm gear that is coupled to a friction gear of the theodolite. The friction gear is coupled to the telescope so that any rotation of the gear will induce a corresponding movement of the scope. The worm gear is coupled to a linear screw and an outer sleeve. The linear screw has a shaft that can push the worm gear and rotate the friction gear to provide a fine movement of the telescope. The linear screw also has a stop that engages an arm of the sleeve. Continued rotation of the linear screw rotates the engaged sleeve and the worm gear to provide a coarse movement of the telescope. The linear screw is connected to a knob which can be rotated by an operator. The operator can induce a coarse movement of the telescope by turning the linear screw so that the stop engages the sleeve.

Abstract: A device for projecting a flat beam of diverging laser rays comprises a base supporting a movable gravity self-leveling equipment and at least a laser beam or ray projector mounted thereon and provided with an optical lens assembly for transforming the laser beam emitted by the projector into a flat beam of diverging laser rays and laying in a horizontal or vertical plane for projecting at least a straight line laying on a perfectly horizontal or vertical plane.

Abstract: An adjustment mechanism for a telescope of a theodolite. The mechanism includes a worm gear that is coupled to a friction gear of the theodolite. The friction gear is coupled to the telescope so that any rotation of the gear will induce a corresponding movement of the scope. The worm gear is coupled to a linear screw and an outer sleeve. The linear screw has a shaft that can push the worm gear and rotate the friction gear to provide a fine movement of the telescope. The linear screw also has a stop that engages an arm of the sleeve. Continued rotation of the linear screw rotates the engaged sleeve and the worm gear to provide a coarse movement of the telescope. The linear screw is connected to a knob which can be rotated by an operator. The operator can induce a coarse movement of the telescope by turning the linear screw so that the stop engages the sleeve.

Abstract: A bow sight apparatus, including a housing with a front sight and a back sight mounted therein, means for illuminating the interior of the housing, and means for attaching the housing to a bow frame. The back sight is an elongated rod having a generally "V"-shaped notch formed at one end thereof; the front sight is an elongated rod having one or more sighting balls mounted thereon. In use, the bow sight is mounted to the bow frame, and its vertical and lateral positions adjusted to suit the user. The light is used to illuminate the interior of the housing under low ambient light conditions; red light is preferred so as not to alert game.

Abstract: An apparatus for setting a level plane includes a spirit level having a parallelepiped shaped housing with a measuring base and a leveling plate with an upper plate surface on which the base of the housing of the level is disposed. The upper plate of the leveling plate may be tilt orientation adjusted with respect to a lower plate that is spaced away from the upper plate by adjustment screws between the upper and lower plates. The upper plate includes a ferromagnetic material and a pivot pin projecting up from it. The spirit level housing has a hole in which the pivot pin is disposed enabling the housing to be pivoted around the surface of upper plate. A retaining magnet in the housing in the region of the measuring base holds the housing to the upper plate. Alternatively, the spirit level housing has the ferromagnetic material while the magnet is in the upper plate. Alternatively, also, the housing includes the pin while the hole is in the upper plate.

Abstract: A laser beam level which comprises a base, a support structure and a laser beam emitting assembly, the emitting assembly including a device for emitting a laser beam in a vertical Z plane and the emitting assembly being mounted in the support structure such that it is pivotable in both the X and Y horizontal planes. The base includes a concave depression having a spherical member mounted therein along with an electrical contact member such that when the base is tilted with respect to a horizontal plane, the spherical member will contact the electrical contact to complete an electric circuit between the base and electrical contact member.

Abstract: An electronic survey instrument is controlled in accordance with a computer program to store a display image and a count value immediately before a power source is cut off. The display image and count values may then be restored without substantial initialization of the electronic survey instrument. The instrument includes a main system for operating in accordance with a survey program, and plural subsystems for operation based on a control signal from the main system. The main system saves information into a memory immediately before a power-off time and restores the information saved in the memory at the next power-on time. End information corresponding to the saved information is also saved into the memory to normally cut-off the power source. An information restoring process is canceled by the main system at the next power-on time when the end information has not been stored in the memory.

Abstract: A small, portable, lightweight device enabling one person to quickly and accurately measure the angle of a utility line at a given pole consists of a protractor rotatable about a central axis divided into quadrants with a rotatable pointer mounted on the face having front and rear sights for visual alignment mounted upon a frame to which two perpendicularly oriented levels both disposed in a plane parallel to that of the protractor are also mounted. The frame has a vertical component from which a pair of positioning pins and a vertically offset plumb adjustment extend forward and are biased against a pole. The axis of one level is disposed parallel to the axis through the contact points of the two positioning pins with the pole and facilitates horizontal positioning of the pins against the pole which is maintained with manual biasing of the device against the pole.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the degree of grade ( slope ) upon which an earth moving machine is operating wherein a movable sighting device is mounted on the machine in such manner that the forces of gravity cause the device to move such that an operator looking at external reference objects may control and confirm the angle of grade ( slope ) of the earth being worked upon.

Abstract: The apparatus of the invention is arranged to include facing table members, each having first and second pivotally mounted table plates relative to each table member to accommodate orientation of the tables with leveling and compass structure mounted to each table to enhance alignment. A sighting structure is arranged to include a light emitting housing to provide for alignment between the tables, as well as a range finder structure arranged to indicate spacing between the tables.

Abstract: An instrument for determining the profile of a surface. Two hinge plates are attached to each other at a hinge joint. A collimated light source on one of the hinge plates produces a spot on a position sensitive photo detector on the other hinge plate. An electrical circuit is provided to produce an electrical signal based on the relative position of the spot as the instrument flexes as it is slid along the surface. In preferred embodiments the electrical signal is a measure of the surface profile or the change in slope of the profile.

Abstract: The laser goniometer is an apparatus which permits an operator to sight along a geologic feature and orient a collimated lamer beam to match the attitude of the feature directly. The horizontal orientation (strike) and the angle from horizontal (dip), are detected by rotary incremental encoders attached to the laser goniometer which provide a digital readout of the azimuth and tilt of the collimated laser beam. A microprocessor then translates the square wave signal encoder outputs into an ASCII signal for use by data recording equipment.

Abstract: There is described a navigation aid for use in sailing vessels. The navigation aid comprising a casing having at least one side wall, the side wall having an aperture, and at least one end wall, the end wall also having an aperture. The casing encloses at least one reflective surface such as a mirror movably mounted on a linked frame in the form of an elongate member formed with two end sections, and a central section, the central section being formed to receive the reflective surface. Light entering the aid via the aperture in the side wall will be reflected off of the reflected surface through the aperture in the end wall. Thus an object positioned at the side of the casing can be viewed through the aperture in the end wall. The aperture in the side wall comprises a static marker which may be aligned with objects viewed through the aid for a range of pre-set angles, between the reflective surface and the central axis of the casing.

Abstract: A surveying instrument in which the azimuth angle setting device is incorporated has a collimating telescope which is rotatable around at least a vertical axis. The azimuth angle setting device comprises horizontal angle detection means for producing an electrical signal corresponding to at least a horizontal angle around which the collimating telescope rotates, input means for entering a coordinate, memory means for storing the horizontal angle signal produced by the horizontal angle detection means and the input coordinate entered by the input means, and processing means for calculating a direction of magnetic north based on the coordinate of a measurement point at which the surveying instrument is mounted, entered to the memory means by the input means and a coordinate of a target to be collimated by the collimating telescope.

Abstract: There is disclosed a rotation axis fine adjustment apparatus for finely adjusting rotation of a mounting portion rotatably mounted on a rotation axis with respect to a base portion through a fastening frame by suitably fastening and finely adjusting the rotation axis.

Abstract: A transit includes a first rotational member provided with a collimator and supported on the transit for rotation about a predetermined axis, a second rotational member supported on the transit for rotation about the predetermined axis, a detector for generating a pulse in accordance with a predetermined angle of displacement between the first rotational member and the second rotational member, a first counter for counting the number of pulses from the detector, the maximum countable pulse number of the first counter corresponding to the angle of 360.degree., the first counter generating a pulse in accordance with its counting of the maximum pulse number, and a second counter for counting the pulses from the first counter means up to a predetermined number.

Abstract: A multi-directional light source includes a ground ball made from non-expanded polystyrene, fitted and glued to the clear extremity of an optical fiber contained inside a rigid metal tube and an outer plastic body tooled after being moulded.

Abstract: A portable gyroscopic compass surveying device includes means for rapidly aligning the apparatus with respect to geographic north, the north finder itself being operated apart from the associated theodolite on its own low mount. The transfer of the azimuth reference data is accomplished optically by sighting the theodolite telescope on a retro-reflector associated with the north finder. Because the north finder is physically separated from the theodolite, sightings may be made by the theodolite operator while the undisturbed north seeking operation is in process, significantly shortening the total time of operation at each station.

Abstract: Angle measuring apparatus such as a transit has a pair of superimposed discs which are rotatable with respect to each other. One of the discs is rotatable with a viewing telescope support which has a vertically extending rotatable shaft received in a stationary shaft. A commercially available bearing is used between the shafts with the inner race fitted to the rotatable shaft and the outer race to the stationary shaft. The outer race of the bearing further carries the other of the disc.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for carrying out a survey of the basal area of a forest stand and the distribution of the individual trees with respect to diameter classes.The device of the invention comprises a caliper combined with a relascope in such a way that a certain position of the caliper corresponds to a certain sighting-angle. Furthermore the device comprises a sight field located at an observation point. When practicing the method of the invention the tree to be measured is calipered. Then the sighting-angle of the relascope is compared to the sight field and by checking if the sight field is within the sighting-angle it is determined whether the measured tree is within its border line circle or not.

Abstract: A portable navigational instrument has edge portions which are adjusted so that the instrument's orientation with respect to a vessel can be maintained constant in different positions within the vessel's wheelhouse. Bearings of objects are determined by a sighting arrangement which co-operates with a scale which is set in accordance with the vessel's steering compass bearing, corrected for deviation, whereby the need for a compass on the instrument is avoided. The sighting arrangement can comprise a single visible sight, and/or three such sights enabling horizontal angles between objects to be determined from a further scale, and/or a radio direction finding aerial.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for establishing the azimuth position of a remote object is provided utilizing a north seeking gyro and a rotating transfer arm. Alignment devices such as an autocollimating telescope is provided at one end of the transfer arm for determining the relative position and alignment of the remote object to the transfer arm. A balance weight is provided at the other end of the arm to provide appropriate compensation for free rotation. The output of the north seeking gyro is connected to the transfer arm through an encoder while the telescope is rotatably connected to the transfer arm also through an encoder. The sum of the two angles measured by the encoders will provide the azimuth position angle for the remote object.

Abstract: A bearing for vertical axles particular for use in goniometers comprises a non-displaceable member of an instrument on which a movable member is seated by means of a ball bearing. One of the two members possesses a cylindrical bush and the other one is provided with a journal projecting into said bush. The cylindrical region of the bush and of the journal is divided into three sections, which are sequentially arranged and in which the bush and the journal differ in their diameters. The difference of the diameters is larger in the second and smaller in the third section, if compared to the first section. The relation of the differences of diameters between the journal and the bush in the third section to the length of the third section is equal to or greater than the relation of the differences of diameters in the first section to the entire length of the cylindrical region.