Vari-tech Company

Roger E Helms

Fred D Litty

Floyd Brouwer

Merlin J Applegate

An apparatus for orienting and maintaining the orientation of laser and similar construction equipment in a predetermined orientation with respect to a horizontal plane comprises superimposed first, second and third support plates, each of which is preferably annularly shaped for positioning a laser beam generator therethrough. The third support plate is mounted to and between the first and second support plates for pivotable movement about mutually perpendicular first and second axes, respectively. The first or top plate has level vials mounted perpendicular to the first and second axes for detecting the position of the first plate with respect to a horizontal plane. A pair of threaded screws are threaded into the central third plate to adjust the position of the first plate with respect to the bottom or second plate about the two mutually perpendicular axes. The position of the two level vials is detected through a capacitance sensing circuit which determines the direction of rotation, if any, of each of the level vials about the axis to which such vial is perpendicular and the degree of rotation of the level vial from a given orientation with respect to a horizontal plane. A servo mechanism is coupled to each capacitive sensing circuit to drive a respective threaded rod to null the output signal therefrom so as to establish and maintain the first plate in a predetermined orientation with respect to the horizontal plane. The servo mechanism drives the threaded rods at speeds which are proportional to the degree of rotation of the respective level vial so as to minimize hunting of the servo about the null point.

Growing community of inventors

Sand Lake, MI, United States of America

Roger E Helms