1. An omnidirectional prism device is provided with a holding member (2) having a base plate (7), a neck portion (8) coupled to the base plate, and a fastening portion (9) provided at the tip of the neck portion, and an omnidirectional prism (3) having a plurality of prism units (4) formed of triangular prisms (5) bonded to both surfaces of the base plate, the omnidirectional prism being formed into an octahedron.

2. The omnidirectional prism device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate (7) is a flat plate, and the prism unit (4) is formed in a pyramid shape by four triangular prisms (5) attached to both surfaces of the flat plate.

3. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the triangular substrate segments (7b) of the substrate (7) are combined into a cross, four spaces divided into right angles are formed between the adjacent substrate segments, the prism units (4) are formed by vertically attaching triangular prisms (5), and the prism units respectively disposed in the spaces are respectively attached to both surfaces of each substrate segment.

4. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base plate (7) and the neck portion (8) are detachable.

5. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stationary part (9) has a bolt (9 a).

6. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stationary part (9) has a threaded hole (9 c).

7. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stationary part (9) has a flange (9 b).

8. An omnidirectional prism apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a protruding member (19) is provided on top of the omnidirectional prism (3).

9. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an edge portion (25) of the substrate division body (7b) protrudes from the prism unit (4).

10. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, configured such that a shaft (26) is provided at the neck portion (8), a pair of covers (27, 27) is rotatably provided at the shaft, the omnidirectional prism (3) is accommodated between the covers in an upright state of the covers, and the omnidirectional prism is exposed in a suspended state of the covers.

11. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a cylindrical cover (28) is movably provided along the neck portion at the neck portion (8), and the omnidirectional prism (3) is accommodated at a raised position of the cover and exposed at a lowered position of the cover.

12. The omnidirectional prism apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a shaft (31) is provided at horizontally opposite apexes of the omnidirectional prism (3), and a plurality of strip plates (32) curved in an arc shape are rotatably attached to the shaft, and a cover capable of accommodating or exposing the omnidirectional prism is constituted by the strip plates.

Background

In recent years, a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is equipped with a camera or other measurement device to acquire information such as an image from a high place or a place where a person cannot enter. Further, a three-dimensional measurement of the UAV is performed by a measurement device having a tracking function such as a total station, and information acquired by the UAV is associated with the three-dimensional information measured by the measurement device (japanese patent application laid-open No. 2014-167413).

In such a system, a prism having a retro-reflection function as a measurement target is attached to the UAV. Further, the UAV is not constantly oriented with respect to the measurement device. Thus, the prism requires the property of retroreflecting light from a wide range of sources, regardless of the orientation of the prism.

For example, in the omnidirectional reflector disclosed in jp 2009-204557 a, the prism assembly is sandwiched between upper and lower frames, and light from 360 ° horizontally can be reflected back.

Further, the full-circumference prism shown in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2018-105733 has a structure in which an assembly of downward-facing prisms is held by a horizontally supported plate, and has retroreflective properties in all directions below.

However, each of jp 2009 and 204557 and jp 2018 and 105733 has a structure for holding an assembly of prisms or has a limitation on the retroreflective range due to the structure of the prism assembly. For example, the former full-circumference prism has a restriction on the vertical direction, and the latter full-circumference prism has a restriction on the upward direction.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has an object to provide an omnidirectional prism device which can retroreflect light rays from all directions including all directions horizontally and all directions vertically without restricting the retroreflection direction.

In order to achieve the above object, an omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the present invention includes a holding member having a substrate, a neck portion coupled to the substrate, and a fastening portion provided at a distal end of the neck portion, and an omnidirectional prism having a plurality of prism units formed of triangular prisms, the prism units being bonded to both surfaces of the substrate, the omnidirectional prism being formed into an octahedron.

In the omnidirectional prism device according to the preferred embodiment, the substrate is a flat plate, the prism units are formed in a pyramid shape by four triangular prisms, and the prism units are bonded to both surfaces of the flat plate.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, the substrate members of the triangular shape are joined to form a cross, four spaces divided into right angles are formed between adjacent substrate members, the prism units are formed by vertically bonding triangular prisms, and the prism units respectively disposed in the spaces are bonded to both surfaces of the substrate members.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, the base plate and the neck portion are detachable.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, the fixing portion includes a bolt.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, the fixing portion has a screw hole.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, the fixing portion has a flange.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, the projection member is provided on the top of the omnidirectional prism.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, the edge portion of the substrate division body is configured to protrude from the prism unit.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, a shaft is provided on the neck portion, a pair of covers is rotatably provided on the shaft, the omnidirectional prism is accommodated between the covers in an upright state of the covers, and the omnidirectional prism is exposed in a suspended state of the covers.

In the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, a cylindrical cover is movably provided along the neck portion in the neck portion, the omnidirectional prism is accommodated in an upward position of the cover, and the omnidirectional prism is exposed in a downward position of the cover.

Further, in the omnidirectional prism apparatus according to the preferred embodiment, a shaft is provided at a horizontally opposed vertex of the omnidirectional prism, a plurality of strip plates curved in an arc shape are rotatably attached to the shaft, and a cover capable of accommodating or exposing the omnidirectional prism is configured by the strip plates.

According to the present invention, since the omnidirectional prism is provided with the holding member having the substrate, the neck portion coupled to the substrate, and the fixing portion provided at the tip of the neck portion, and the omnidirectional prism has the plurality of prism units formed of the triangular prisms, the prism units are bonded to both surfaces of the substrate, and the omnidirectional prism is formed into the octahedron shape, the light beams from all directions of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction can be retroreflected without restriction on the retroreflection direction.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall view of the first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship of the holding member and the prism unit in the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship of the installation state of the embodiment and the shielded range of the omnidirectional prism apparatus.

Fig. 4 shows an installation posture of the aforementioned omnidirectional prism apparatus, fig. 4(a) shows an upward posture, fig. 4(B) shows a horizontal posture, and fig. 4(C) shows a downward posture.

Fig. 5 is an overall view of the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is an overall view of the third embodiment.

Fig. 7 is an overall view of the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a partially exploded perspective view of the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a partial perspective view of the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view of the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a partial perspective view of the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 14(a), 14(B), and 14(C) show the eighth embodiment, fig. 14(a) is a front view showing a protection state, fig. 14(B) is a side view showing the protection state, and fig. 14(C) is a front view showing a use state.

Fig. 15(a) and 15(B) show the ninth embodiment, fig. 15(a) is a diagram showing a protection state, and fig. 15(B) is a diagram showing a use state.

Fig. 16(a) and 16(B) show a tenth embodiment, fig. 16(a) is a diagram showing a protection state, and fig. 16(B) is a diagram showing a use state.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an omnidirectional prism apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the omnidirectional prism. In fig. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an omnidirectional prism device, and the omnidirectional prism device 1 includes a holding member 2 and an omnidirectional prism 3.

In the first embodiment, the prism unit 4 includes two prism units 4, and the prism unit 4 is configured by bonding four triangular prisms 5 in a pyramid shape, and the two prism units 4 are fixed to the holding member 2 to configure an octahedral omnidirectional prism 3.

The holding member 2 is made of metal and includes a substantially square flat plate base plate 7, a neck portion 8 coupled to the top of the base plate 7, and a fastening portion 9 provided at the tip end of the neck portion 8.

The substrate 7 is a thin plate, and the prism units 4 are bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 7. By bonding the prism units 4 to both surfaces of the substrate 7, the substrate 7 and the prism units 4 compensate for each other in strength, and the substrate 7 can be made thin.

One corner of the substrate 7 extends from the prism unit 4, and the neck portion 8 is fixed to the extended portion. The base plate 7 and the neck portion 8 may be integrally formed or may be separable.

The neck portion 8 has a circular cross section and a predetermined length L1. The optical center of the omnidirectional prism 3 is present in the axial extension of the neck portion 8. The fastening portion 9 is used to attach the omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 to a support such as an object to be measured or a rod, and the fastening portion 9 has a bolt 9a in the first embodiment.

The base of the bolt 9a is a flange 9b, the support abutment surface 6 of the flange 9b is a mounting reference surface, and a distance L2 between the support abutment surface 6 and the optical center of the omnidirectional prism 3 is known.

According to the first embodiment, since the prism unit 4 is integrated with the holding member 2 and the holding member 2 is provided with the fastening portion 9 (bolt 9a), the omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 can be easily attached to the object to be measured by providing a screw hole on the object side to be measured. Further, when the omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 is attached to an object to be measured, the optical center of the omnidirectional prism 3 is known with respect to the object to be measured, and thus handling and installation work are easy.

Further, the two prism units 4 (i.e., the omnidirectional prisms 3) are exposed in all directions, and thus can retroreflect light from all directions. The substrate 7 is a thin plate and hardly shields incident light.

Fig. 3 is a view of the omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 attached to the lower surface of the support 11.

In a state where the support 11 is mounted in a downward posture, all incident light from below and in the horizontal direction can be reflected back. Further, with respect to the incident light from above, the incident light to the omnidirectional prism 3 is shielded by the support 11. The shielded range (light shielding range) is shown as θ, and the light shielding range θ is determined by the length L1 of the neck portion 8. Therefore, the L1 can be selected according to the measurement range required for the measurement object.

In addition, the omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has no restriction on the installation posture. Can be mounted on the support body 11 in an upward posture as shown in fig. 4 (a); as shown in fig. 4(B), the support body 11 can be attached in a horizontal posture; it can be attached to the support 11 in a downward posture as shown in fig. 4 (C). Therefore, the omnidirectional prism device 1 can be installed in accordance with the structure of the support, the measurement mode, and the like.

Fig. 5 shows a second embodiment in which the aforementioned stationary part 9 has a screw hole 9 c. The fixing portion 9 also has a support abutment surface 6 as a mounting reference surface, which is a known distance from the optical center of the omnidirectional prism 3.

Fig. 6 shows a third embodiment, in which the fixing portion 9 has a flange 9d, and the omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 can be attached to the support 11 by fixing the flange 9d to the support 11 with a bolt (not shown). In the third embodiment, the abutment surface of the flange 9d serves as a mounting reference surface.

Fig. 7 and 8 show a fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the neck portion 8 is made detachable from the substrate 7, and the fixing portion 9 can be selected to have a configuration suitable for the structure of the support 11 by making the neck portion 8 detachable.

The base plate 7 has a tongue 7a extending from the top, and a hole 14 is provided through the tongue 7 a. A slit 13 into which the tongue piece 7a is fitted is formed at the tip of the neck portion 8, and a stopper hole 15 penetrating the slit 13 is provided.

The tongue piece 7a is inserted into the slit 13, a bolt 16 is inserted through the stopper hole 15 and the hole 14, the tongue piece 7a and the neck portion 8 are fixed to each other, and the base plate 7 and the neck portion 8 are coupled to each other. Therefore, the base plate 7 and the neck portion 8 can be coupled and uncoupled by attaching and detaching the bolt 16.

A fixing portion 9 is formed at the non-coupling end of the neck portion 8. The fixing portion 9 is formed with a bolt, a screw hole, or a flange as in the first, second, and third embodiments. The fastening portion 9 is not limited to a bolt, a screw hole, and a flange.

In the fourth embodiment, the non-coupling end side end surface 17 of the neck portion 8 also serves as a mounting reference surface, and the distance from the non-coupling end side end surface 17 to the optical center of the omnidirectional prism 3 is also known.

Fig. 9 shows a fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the structure of the prism unit is more firmly held.

The substrate 7 applied to the fifth embodiment is configured as follows: the triangular substrate segments 7b are joined into a cross, and four spaces divided into right angles are formed between the adjacent substrate segments 7 b. The omnidirectional prisms 3 are configured by fitting and bonding the prism units 4a in the four spaces, respectively.

In the present embodiment, since the prism units 4a are bonded to both surfaces of the substrate division body 7a with the substrate division body 7b as a boundary, the prism units 4a are also firmly integrated.

The prism unit 4a is formed by vertically bonding triangular prisms 5.

The adhesive for bonding the prism units 4a and the substrate separation body 7b has elasticity, and is preferably a silicone adhesive, for example.

The neck portion 8 is coupled to a lower end portion where the base plate division bodies 7 are combined.

Fig. 10 shows a sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the aforementioned omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 is added with a damage prevention function.

A protrusion member 19 is provided at each vertex of the omnidirectional prism 3. The protruding member 19 is preferably a sphere or a hemisphere in shape, and the protruding member 19 is attached to each vertex by means of bonding or the like so that at least the hemisphere is exposed.

The size of the projection member 19 is set so as not to interfere with the entrance and exit of the light beam into and out of the omnidirectional prism 3 (so as not to block the light beam), and the measurement error is minimized.

The material of the projection member 19 is preferably a material having cushioning properties and elasticity, and for example, silicone rubber, soft synthetic resin, or the like can be used.

A state in which the omnidirectional prism 3 provided with the aforementioned protruding member 19 is placed on the plane 21 is shown in fig. 11.

Due to the presence of the protruding member 19, a gap 22 is formed between the edge of the omnidirectional prism 3 and the flat surface 21, and thus the edge does not contact the flat surface 21. Further, since the apex is directly protected by the projection member 19, damage to the edge and apex of the omnidirectional prism 3 is prevented.

Fig. 12 shows a substrate 7 in the case where the sixth embodiment is applied to the fourth embodiment.

A concave portion 23 into which the protrusion member 19 is fitted or which prevents interference with the protrusion member 19 is formed at each apex of the substrate 7. In fig. 12, the same reference numerals are given to the components equivalent to those shown in fig. 8, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 13 shows a seventh embodiment, which further adds an injury prevention function in the fifth embodiment. In fig. 13, the same reference numerals are given to the components equivalent to those shown in fig. 9, and the description thereof is omitted.

In the seventh embodiment, the edge portion 25 of the substrate division body 7b is configured to protrude from the prism unit 4a in a state where the substrate division body 7b constituting the substrate 7 is made larger than the prism unit 4a and the prism unit 4a is combined with the substrate 7.

Since the prism unit 4a is retracted from the substrate division body 7b by the edge portion 25, a gap is generated to protect the prism unit 4a when the omnidirectional prism apparatus 1 is placed on a plane.

Fig. 14(a), 14(B), and 14(C) show an eighth embodiment. In the eighth embodiment, a protective cover is provided for preventing addition of a damage function.

A shaft 26 perpendicular to the neck 8 is provided in the neck 8, and a pair of right and left caps 27, 27 are attached to the shaft 26. The cover 27 has a lateral shape of く letter with one end freely rotatably coupled to the shaft 26, and has a width larger than the horizontal maximum dimension of the omnidirectional prism 3. The cover 27 is erected (fig. 14 a), and the omnidirectional prism 3 is accommodated between the left and right covers 27, 27.

The standing state of the cover 27 is a state in which the omnidirectional prism 3 is protected, and both side surfaces of the omnidirectional prism 3 are covered with the covers 27 and 27. Further, although the other two surfaces are opened, since the width of the cover 27 is larger than the horizontal maximum dimension of the omnidirectional prism 3, the omnidirectional prism 3 can be prevented from contacting an obstacle (fig. 14B).

Fig. 14(C) shows a use state of the omnidirectional prism 3, and shows a state in which the covers 27 and 27 are suspended while rotating around the cover 27. Further, the aforementioned lid 27 is provided with a cutout portion 27a so as not to interfere with the neck portion 8 in a hanging state.

Further, a lock mechanism may be provided between the shaft and the covers 27, 27 so as to maintain the upright state and the suspended state of the covers 27, respectively.

Fig. 15(a) and 15(B) show a ninth embodiment. In the ninth embodiment, the cap 28 is slidably provided to the neck portion 8.

The cover 28 is a bottomed cylindrical shape having an upper opening, and the inner diameter of the cover 28 is larger than the horizontal maximum dimension of the omnidirectional prism 3, and the inner height is larger than the height of the omnidirectional prism 3. The cap 28 is slidable with the neck portion 8 as a guide portion, and has an appropriate frictional resistance with the cap 28, and the cap 28 is held at an appropriate position of the cap 28.

In order to protect the omnidirectional prism, the cover 28 is raised, and the omnidirectional prism 3 is housed in the cover 28 (fig. 15 a). In the use state of the omnidirectional prism 3, the cover 28 is lowered to expose the omnidirectional prism 3 (fig. 15B).

Fig. 16(a) and 16(B) show a tenth embodiment.

In the tenth embodiment, a shaft 31 is provided at a horizontally opposed vertex of the omnidirectional prism 3, and a plurality of strip plates 32 curved in an arc shape are rotatably attached to the shaft 31. The strip plate 32 constitutes a cover.

In the state where the omnidirectional prism 3 is protected, the strip plates 32 are spread at predetermined intervals (fig. 16 a) so that the omnidirectional prism 3 is covered with the strip plates 32. Fig. 16(a) shows a state in which a part of the omnidirectional prism 3 is exposed during deployment.

Fig. 16(B) shows a use state in which the strip plate 32 is stacked on the lower side of the omnidirectional prism 3.