| 摘要 |
A non-contacting measurement apparatus to measure a two or three dimensional out of plane orientation with respect to a point on a flat surface and/or a two dimensional out of plane orientation with respect to a curved surface. Various embodiments are possible with some being capable of measuring perpendicularity to the surface, closest distance to the surface, angles of incidence of a vector from the measurement apparatus to the point on the surface, and/or generating three dimensional coordinate representations of the point on the surface with respect to the measurement apparatus and/or its components. Some embodiments of the measurement apparatus allow it to obtain orientation data dynamically, allowing the measurement apparatus and/or the surface to be moving while obtaining the orientation measurements. Additionally some embodiments of the measurement apparatus are capable of guiding a user to a particular orientation through an output device, while others are capable of calculating velocity and acceleration under specific conditions. |
| 主权项 |
1. A measurement apparatus to locate an out of plane orientation, hereafter referred to as the spot, with respect to a point on a flat surface comprising:
a plurality of distance measuring elements and/or a single distance measuring element capable of measuring distance to at least two unique locations, wherein said distance measuring elements include a distance measuring circuit that determines a distance from the distance measuring element to a surface at which the distance measuring element is pointed, and wherein the orientation of said distance measuring elements can be determined in relation to the spot with or without the assistance of one or more transducers, and wherein said distance measuring elements are situated in a manner that permits collecting a set of distance measurements, wherein a set of distance measurements is two or more distance measurements to unique locations on said flat surface, without necessitating external movement of said measurement apparatus or any of its comprised parts to obtain said set of distance measurements; a processor, wherein said processor uses any combination of information comprising: distance measurements provided by said distance measuring circuits, physical orientation of components within the measurement apparatus, and/or measurements from said transducers, to mathematically and/or programmatically calculate a measurement result, wherein said measurement result comprises: any combination of measurements and/or relationships between measurements that relate the orientation between the spot, the point, and/or any offset orientations, and wherein said processor generates from said measurement result an output signal encapsulating in whole or in part a representation of said measurement result; an output device, wherein said output device converts said output signal into an output format that is useable to a user, wherein said user is one or more entities controlling said measurement apparatus and/or receiving the output from said output device; a power source comprising: any combination of power storage, power generation, or constant power delivery sources; a connecting circuit, wherein said connecting circuit performs one or more of the functions comprising: relaying signals encapsulating said distance measurements from said distance measuring circuits to said processor, relaying said output signals from said processor to said output device, relaying power from said power source to one or more components of said measurement apparatus; and a support, wherein said support comprises: any combination of physical case, device, fastener, and/or component that can be used to support and/or orient one or more components of the measurement apparatus. |
