Patents by Inventor Fumio Ohtomo

Fumio Ohtomo has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6450267
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a construction equipment control system, which comprises a plurality of rotary laser irradiating systems for forming laser reference planes by irradiating laser beams by rotary irradiation, a surveying system for measuring positions of the rotary laser irradiating systems, and a construction operation system for controlling and operating construction work of a construction equipment based on the laser reference planes, wherein the construction operation system comprises a photodetection sensor for receiving light beams from the rotary laser irradiating systems as reference positions for the construction operation, a global positioning system (GPS) for detecting a position of the construction equipment, and transmitting structure for transmitting detection results of said GPS to the surveying system, the surveying system comprises transmitting structure for transmitting data relating to the reference planes to be formed based on the results of measurement and results of detecti
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kazuaki Kimura
  • Publication number: 20020125407
    Abstract: A novel system for facilitating the work for setting the horizontal direction of a guide laser beam is disclosed. The guide laser beam (P) can be radiated in vertical and lateral directions from the horizontal direction as a reference by a guide laser beam radiator (20). The reference horizontal direction position of the guide laser beam radiator (20) is detected by a first GPS unit (75). A pole (81) has a second GPS unit (76) for detecting a horizontal position. A reference horizontal direction position of the guide laser radiator (20) is detected by the first GPS unit (75). A first horizontal direction position is detected by the second GPS unit (76) of the pole (81) set up at a first position (83), thereby specifying the direction Z1 in which the guide laser beam (P) is to be radiated from the reference horizontal direction position as an origin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Satoshi Hirano, Ray O'Connor, Kunihiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6443235
    Abstract: The present invention provides a rotary laser irradiating apparatus, which comprises a laser source, a rotator for forming a laser reference plane by rotary irradiation of laser beam from said laser source, scanning gear for deflecting the laser beam from said laser source, and a controller for controlling said scanning gear, whereby a plurality of laser reference planes are formed within a predetermined range as desired during one turn of rotary irradiation of the laser beam, and different levels can be set at a plurality of points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kunihiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6445446
    Abstract: A photodetecting system for an automatic surveying instrument equipped with an automatic tracking system is capable of controlling the automatic surveying instrument by simple photodetecting means. A collimating optical system collimates the surveying instrument with respect to an object, a splitting optical device splits incident light rays received from the collimating optical system into light rays that travel toward first and second photodetecting devices, respectively, a first light condensing device disposed on an optical path between the first photodetecting device and the splitting optical device gathers the light rays in a first direction, and a second light condensing device disposed on an optical path between the second photodetecting device and the splitting optical device gathers the light rays in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Fumio Ohtomo
  • Patent number: 6437859
    Abstract: A device for detecting optical position, comprising a photodetection unit 40 having a photodetection optical axis 37 and for outputting a photodetection signal corresponding to a light receiving position of a projected light beam, and a modulation grid 42 arranged on said photodetection optical axis and for equalizing distribution of light quantity of a received light beam, wherein a position of the light beam projected on the photodetection unit is detected based on said photodetection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Akio Kimura, Ryo-uji Musashi, Ikuo Ishinabe
  • Patent number: 6435283
    Abstract: The present invention provides a rotary laser irradiating apparatus, which comprises a laser source, a rotator for forming a laser reference plane by rotary irradiation of a laser beam from the laser source, scanning gear for deflecting the laser beam from the laser source, and a controller for controlling the scanning gear, whereby a plurality of laser reference planes are formed within a predetermined range as desired during one turn of rotary irradiation of the laser beam, and different levels can be set at a plurality of points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kunihiro Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20020108761
    Abstract: The present invention provides a rotary laser irradiating apparatus, which comprises a laser source, a rotator for forming a laser reference plane by rotary irradiation of laser beam from said laser source, scanning means for deflecting the laser beam from said laser source, and control means for controlling said scanning means, whereby a plurality of laser reference planes are formed within a predetermined range as desired during one turn of rotary irradiation of the laser beam, and different levels can be set at a plurality of points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 1999
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventors: FUMIO OHTOMO, KUNIHIRO HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20020092978
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a deviation detecting device that detects a deviation angle of a rotary unit of a laser light projector relative to a projector body. The deviation detecting device (190) includes a light emitter (193) attached to the projector body of the laser light projector for emitting laser light, a reflector (195) attached to the rotary unit of the laser light projector for reflecting light emitted from the light emitter, and a light receiving unit (194) attached to the projector body of the laser light projector for receiving the light reflected by the reflector. In the deviation detecting device, a position at which the light reflected by the reflector is incident upon the light receiving unit is utilized to determine a deviation angle of the rotary unit relative to the projector body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Jun-Ichi Kodaira
  • Publication number: 20020085193
    Abstract: The present invention relates to both a surveying apparatus with a picking-up device and a electronic storage medium, and particularly to a surveying apparatus capable of combining a background image captured by a picking-up device with survey data obtained by the surveying apparatus and displaying the combined image on a display unit, wherein the surveying apparatus is configured such that the picking-up device can be connected to the surveying apparatus, the picking-up device having an optical axis approximately parallel with an optical axis of the surveying apparatus, the surveying apparatus comprising: an operation unit for associating measurement data obtained by the surveying apparatus with image data obtained by the picking-up device and displaying a measurement. target position mark.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2001
    Publication date: July 4, 2002
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kiwami Horiguchi, Hitoshi Ohtani
  • Patent number: 6396571
    Abstract: A portable type distance measuring apparatus which comprises an apparatus main body 11 having a distance measuring unit for measuring a distance by projecting a distance measuring light 30, a control unit for controlling the distance measuring unit and for processing measurement data from the distance measuring unit and a transmitting unit to emit a communication light including the measurement data to a distance measuring direction, and a target unit having a display unit 13, an operation unit 14 and a photodetection unit 15 for receiving the communication light, wherein the target unit is removably mounted on the apparatus main body so that the target unit may be used as an object to be measured for distance measurement when necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Masahiro Ohishi
  • Publication number: 20020060788
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a position determining system (100) of reduced errors in measurements and determination of surfaces even if a rotary light source emitting laser beam rotates unevenly. The position determining system is comprised of a rotary light source rotating and emitting laser beams (b1, b2, b3), an encoder detecting a rotation position of the rotary light source, and a transfer means transmitting data detected by the encoder, and the system particularly comprises at least two rotary laser devices (151, 152) disposed separate from each other, a light sensor (154) having a light receiving unit that receives the laser beams emitted from the rotary laser devices, so that a position of the light sensor is determined depending upon the laser beams incident upon the light receiving unit and information transmitted by the transfer means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2001
    Publication date: May 23, 2002
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kunihiro Hayashi, Jun-Ichi Kodaira, Kazuki Osaragi
  • Publication number: 20020057426
    Abstract: A position determining system is disclosed, which has a simplified configuration capable of producing a plurality of phantom planes simultaneously. The improved system according to the present invention consists of a light receiving and sensing device that includes a body having means for sending data on elevation- and depression-angles and horizontal angles, and a phantom plane determining function for determining phantom planes, so as to display or output differential angles of elevations and depressions in relation with the phantom surfaces produced from the data received from the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Publication date: May 16, 2002
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kunihiro Hayashi, Jun-ichi Kodaira, Kazuki Osaragi
  • Patent number: 6356344
    Abstract: The invention particularly relates to a mixing apparatus using an eccentric phase plate, and an optical rangefinder using the mixing apparatus. In the optical rangefinder, an external distance measurement optical path leads light from the light source to a light receiving part passing through an article to be measured, an internal distance measurement optical path leads the light from the light source to the light receiving part not passing through the article to be measured, and processing means calculates the distance to the article to be measured from the difference between the distance value obtained by the external distance measurement optical path and the distance value obtained by the internal distance measurement optical path. In the mixing apparatus, driving means drives the phase plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Masahiro Ohishi, Fumio Ohtomo
  • Publication number: 20020027007
    Abstract: The present invention provides a rotary laser irradiating apparatus, which comprises a laser source, a rotator for forming a laser reference plane by rotary irradiation of laser beam from said laser source, scanning means for deflecting the laser beam from said laser source, and control means for controlling said scanning means, whereby a plurality of laser reference planes are formed within a predetermined range as desired during one turn of rotary irradiation of the laser beam, and different levels can be set at a plurality of points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kunihiro Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20020024712
    Abstract: An optical pulse observing device enables the clear observation of indirect laser light of pulse laser light. The optical pulse observing device to be used by a user for observing pulse illumination light directly or indirectly, includes an optical shutter means that operates for alternate opening and closing in synchronism with periodic pulses of the pulse laser light so as to open only during the duration of pulses of the pulse laser light to pass pulse laser light and external light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Masahiro Ohishi
  • Publication number: 20020008866
    Abstract: A portable type distance measuring apparatus which comprises an apparatus main body 11 having a distance measuring unit for measuring a distance by projecting a distance measuring light 30, a control unit for controlling the distance measuring unit and for processing measurement data from the distance measuring unit and a transmitting unit to emit a communication light including the measurement data to a distance measuring direction, and a target unit having a display unit 13, an operation unit 14 and a photodetection unit 15 for receiving the communication light, wherein the target unit is removably mounted on the apparatus main body so that the target unit may be used as an object to be measured for distance measurement when necessary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Publication date: January 24, 2002
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Masahiro Ohishi
  • Patent number: 6314651
    Abstract: The system according to the present invention comprises means for irradiating a plurality of laser beams by separating the laser beams in a vertical direction and means for forming a plurality of laser beam reference planes by rotary irradiation of said plurality of laser beams. Because a plurality of reference planes are formed at the same time, operation can be carried out at the same time at different working sites, and the tilt reference line as desired can be promptly obtained without performing tilt setting operation for the reference plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kunihiro Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20010023766
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a construction equipment control system, which comprises a plurality of rotary laser irradiating systems for forming laser reference planes by irradiating laser beams by rotary irradiation, a surveying system for measuring positions of the rotary laser irradiating systems, and a construction operation system for controlling and operating construction work of a construction equipment based on said laser reference planes, wherein said construction operation system comprises a photodetection sensor for receiving light beams from said rotary laser irradiating systems as reference positions for the construction operation, a global positioning system (GPS) for detecting a position of said construction equipment, and transmitting means for transmitting detection results of said GPS to the surveying system, said surveying system comprises transmitting means for transmitting data relating to the reference planes to be formed based on the results of measurement and results of detection
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Publication date: September 27, 2001
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kazuaki Kimura
  • Patent number: 6286607
    Abstract: The present invention provides a construction machine control system, which comprises a rotary laser irradiating system for irradiating a plurality of laser beams by separating in a vertical direction and for forming a plurality of laser beam reference planes by the plurality of laser beams, a construction machine having a ground leveling tool, a level sensor arranged on the ground leveling tool and for receiving and detecting the laser beams, a driving unit for driving the ground leveling tool to adjust height thereof, a control device for controlling the driving unit, and a GPS receiving system for detecting a position of the construction machine, wherein the control device detects the position of the construction machine by the GPS receiving system, the level sensor selects at least one of the plurality of laser beams and controls the driving unit based on a laser beam photodetecting position of the level sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Kunihiro Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20010019101
    Abstract: A target, comprising a pole for indicating a measuring point, an object to be measured as provided on said pole with a predetermined distance from said measuring point, a tilting sensor for detecting tilting of said pole, and transmitting means for transmitting detection data of said tilting sensor to a survey instrument.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2001
    Publication date: September 6, 2001
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Akio Kimura