Aid apparatus for level surveying instrument

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6655036
  • Patent Number
    6,655,036
  • Date Filed
    Friday, February 15, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 2, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Gutierrez; Diego
    • Guadalupe; Yaritza
    Agents
    • Troxell Law Office PLLC
Abstract
An aid apparatus for level surveying instrument comprises a housing having a receiving chamber therein, two channels at opposite ends of the receiving chamber respectively, a window at one side of the receiving chamber, and a socket opening at the side wall of the housing connecting to receiving chamber via the channel. A controlling member is slidable received in the housing. The controlling member has a movable bar, two seal block disposed at opposite ends of the movable bar for sealing the channel, and a driving member is provided at the housing for driving the controlling to shift, whereby the sealing block being driven by the driving member to seal the channel and to depart from the channel to prevent bubbles formed in liquid.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention related to a surveying instrument, and more particularly to an aid apparatus for level surveying instrument.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In civil engineering, there are two instruments for surveying the horizontal level of two positions: the leveling rod and the leveling pipe. The leveling rod is for surveying the horizontal level of a short distance, and the leveling pipe is for surveying the horizontal level of a long distance.




The conventional leveling pipe had a soft tube receiving color liquid therein. Two ends of the soft tube are closed by two covers for preventing the color liquid escaping. In operating, user has to turn the covers loose first for air flowing between outside and the soft tube. The surfaces of the color liquid at two ends of the soft tube are position at the same horizontal level caused by the atmospheric pressure. Positioning two ends of the soft tube at two positions, user can identify the horizontal level according to the surfaces of the color liquid at two ends of the soft tube.




To store the conventional leveling pipe, user usually wound the soft tube to decrease the size thereof. Next time, when use the leveling pipe again, user will find air bubbles in the color liquid. These air bubbles will affect the accuracy of the leveling pipe in precise survey. So, user must squeeze the tube for getting the air bubbles out of the color liquid before surveying.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




According to the objective of the present invention, an aid apparatus for level surveying instrument comprises a housing having a receiving chamber therein, a channel at one end of the receiving chamber, a window at one side of the receiving chamber, and a socket opening at the side wall of the housing connecting to the channel. A controlling member is slidable received in the housing. The controlling member has at least one seal block to seal the channel for isolating the receiving chamber from the socket opening, and a driving member is provided at the housing for driving the controlling to shift, whereby the sealing block being driven by the driving member to seal the channel and to depart from the channel to prevent bubbles formed in color liquid.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a sectional view of a first prefer embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a topside view of the first prefer embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a sectional view of the first prefer embodiment of the present invention, showing a soft tube being working with it and a driving member being pressed to drive a controlling member shifting downwardly.





FIG. 4

is a sectional view of the first prefer embodiment of the present invention, showing a soft tube being working with it and the driving member and the controlling member returned to the initial positions.





FIG. 5

is a sectional view of a second prefer embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 6

is a topside view of the seal block of the second prefer embodiment of the present invention.











DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Please refer to FIG.


1


and

FIG. 2

, the prefer embodiment of the present invention provides an aid apparatus


10


for level surveying instrument mainly consisting of a housing


12


, a controlling member


14


and a driving member


16


.




The housing


12


has a tube body


22


, which is opening at both ends thereof and define a receiving chamber


24


therein. The tube body


22


has a transparent window


26


marked with a scale thereon. The receiving chamber


24


has a taper-shaped channel


28


at bottom end thereof. A first cover


30


, which is a tube-like element, secures to the top end of the tube body


22


. The first cover


30


has a slot


32


at exterior end thereof and a taper-shaped channel


32


at interior end thereof. A second cover


36


secures to the bottom end of the tube body


22


. The second cover


36


has a slot


38


at interior end thereof and a passageway


40


extending from the interior end thereof to the lateral side thereof. A socket opening


42


disposes at the opening end the passageway


40


at lateral side of the second cover


36


.




The controlling member


14


has a movable device


46


, which consist of a movable bar


48


, two end blocks


50


and


52


and two seal blocks


54


and


56


. The movable bar


48


is received in the receiving chamber


24


of the tube body


22


. The end blocks


50


and


52


are disposed at opposite ends of the movable bar


48


respectively and the seal blocks


54


and


56


are disposed at the outer ends of the end blocks


50


and


52


respectively. Two O-rings


58


are disposed at the end blocks


50


and


52


respectively facing to the seal blocks


54


and


56


. A rod


60


is disposed at the exterior end of the seal block


54


at bottom side corresponding to the slot


38


of the second cover


36


. An elastic member


62


, which is a spiral spring in the present embodiment, mounts on the rod


60


with one end thereof being against the seal block


54


and with the other end thereof being against the second cover


36


to make the seal block


54


sealing the channel


28


.




The driving member


16


has a pressing device


64


disposed in the slot


32


of the first cover


30


, which consists of a linking rod


66


and a pressing button


68


. The linking rod


66


has one end thereof securing to the end block


52


of the movable device


46


and has the other end thereof fastening to the pressing button


68


. The pressing button


68


is a hollow, transparent element having liquid


70


received therein. The liquid


70


has a bubble


72


. An elastic member


74


, which is a spiral spring in the present embodiment, mounts on the linking rod


66


with one end thereof being against the first cover


30


and with the other end thereof being against the pressing button


68


to make the seal block


56


sealing the channel


34


.




Please refer to

FIG. 3

, before operating, user needs to provide two aid apparatuses


10


of the present invention to connect to the opposite ends of a soft tube


76


respectively (only one aid apparatus


10


is shown in FIG.). Each ends of the soft tube


76


secures to the socket opening


42


of the second cover


36


. Color liquid


78


is provided in the soft tube


76


and two aid apparatuses


10


. User only needs to press the pressing button


68


of two aid apparatuses


10


to make the seal blocks


54


and


56


shifting downwardly. Thus, the receiving chambers


24


are connecting to the soft tube


76


and outside via the channels


28


and


34


respectively for the atmospheric pressure can work on the color liquid


78


. Now, put two aid apparatuses


10


at two positions, user can read top surfaces of the color liquid


78


according to the scales on the windows


26


of two aid apparatus


10


to identify whether these two positions are locating at a same horizontal level.




After surveying, user only needs to release the pressing buttons


68


, please refer to

FIG. 4

, the elastic devices


62


and


74


will drive the controlling members


14


returning to the initial positions to make the seal blocks


54


and


56


sealing the channels


28


and


34


again. Thus, the receiving chambers


24


of two aid apparatuses


10


and the soft tube


76


are isolated from outside. So, user only needs to eliminate the bubbles in the color liquid


78


before the first time use, there will be no more bubble formed in the color liquid


78


.




Please refer to FIG.


5


and

FIG. 6

, a second prefer embodiment of the present invention provides an aid apparatus for surveying level, which mainly has a structure as same as the first prefer embodiment, except that we provide apertures


80


at the seal block


56


and an elastic spacer


82


at the movable bar


48


attaching to the seal block


56


. The apertures


80


are for getting the air in the receiving chamber


24


out of to facilitate user to drive it to shift. The spacer


82


is for preventing the color liquid


78


escaping from the apertures


80


. We further provide a float board


84


in the second prefer embodiment, which is mounted on the movable bar


48


of the controlling member


14


for free sliding. The float board


84


will float on the surface of the color liquid


78


for facilitating user to identify the top surface of the color liquid


78


.




I have to mention here, the driving member


16


of the present invention is to drive the controlling member


14


to shift. The driving member also can borrow from the pressing assembly of a propelling pencil (not shown in FIG.). It will achieve the same function.




The advantage of the aid apparatus for level surveying instrument of the present invention is that there is no bubbles formed in the surveying instrument to affect the accuracy of surveying. User only needs to squeeze the soft tube for getting out the bubbles in first time use.



Claims
  • 1. An aid apparatus for level surveying instrument, comprising:a housing having a receiving chamber therein, a channel at one end of said receiving chamber, a window at one side of said receiving chamber, and a socket opening at a side wall of said housing connecting to said receiving chamber via said channel; a controlling member slidably received in said housing; said controlling member having a first seal block to seal said channel for isolating said receiving chamber from said socket opening; and a driving member provided at said housing for driving said controlling member to shift, whereby said first sealing block is driven by said driving member to seal said channel and to depart from said channel; wherein said controlling member has a movable bar received in said receiving chamber having a first end thereof fastening to said first seal block, and an elastic device having one end thereof bearing against said seal block and the other end thereof bearing against said housing, and said controlling member further has a second seal block disposed at a second end of said movable bar.
  • 2. The aid apparatus for level surveying instrument as defined in claim 1, wherein said first seal block has at least one aperture thereon, and an elastic spacer disposed at said moveable bar and attaching to said first seal block.
  • 3. The aid apparatus for level surveying instrument as defined in claim 1, further comprising two O-rings disposed at said seal blocks respectively.
  • 4. An aid apparatus for level surveying instrument, comprising:a housing having a receiving chamber therein, a channel at one end of said receiving chamber, a window at one side of said receiving chamber, and a socket opening at a side wall of said housing connecting to said receiving chamber via said channel; a controlling member slidably received in said housing; said controlling member having at least one seal block to seal said channel for isolating said receiving chamber from said socket opening; and a driving member provided at said housing for driving said controlling member to shift, whereby said sealing block is driven by said driving member to seal said channel and to depart from said channel; wherein said driving member has a pressing device, which has one end thereof connecting to said controlling member, and an elastic device, which has one end thereof bearing against said pressing device and another end thereof bearing against said housing, wherein said pressing device has a pressing button and a linking rod, said linking rod has one end thereof fastening to said pressing button and another end thereof connecting to said controlling member, wherein said pressing button is a hollow element, which receives liquid therein, and said liquid has a bubble.
  • 5. An aid apparatus for level surveying instrument, comprising:a housing having a receiving chamber therein, a channel at one end of said receiving chamber, a window at one side of said receiving chamber, and a socket opening at a side wall of said housing connecting to said receiving chamber via said channel; a controlling member slidably received in said housing; said controlling member having at least one seal block to seal said channel for isolating said receiving chamber from said socket opening; and a driving member provided at said housing for driving said controlling member to shift, whereby said sealing block is driven by said driving member to seal said channel and to depart from said channel; wherein said housing has a tube body, a first cover disposed at one end of said tube body, and a second cover disposed at another end of said tube body, said driving member disposed at said first cover, said channel disposed at one end of said tube body, and said socket opening disposed at said second cover, wherein said first cover further has a channel at an interior end thereof, said controlling member further has a second seal block corresponding to said channel of said first cover.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
3842513 Clark Oct 1974 A
3849898 Turloff Nov 1974 A
4231163 Turloff Nov 1980 A
4567669 Francis Feb 1986 A
5074049 Hung et al. Dec 1991 A
5111588 Wung et al. May 1992 A