The discovery of lasers and the technology which has made them practical instrumentations has lead to a myriad of practical applications. One of the many areas where lasers are used in industry is in the lumber making or saw mill operations. The utilization of known optics permits the beam to be transmitted as a thin line which can be used to guide the saws in an automated or semi-automated operation.
As is readily apparent, the utilization of a high quality and expensive device such as a laser in an installation within the saw mill presents inherent hazards because of the abusive environment.
In an effort to protect the laser from damage, prior installations have utilized protective outer shells within which the laser itself is mounted. Normally these outer shells include a rigid but fragile interconnection to support the laser head such that if the shell is subjected to shock such as being stricken by a piece of lumber or the like, the interconnection will be destroyed thus protecting the laser head itself. The disadvantage of this type of an installation lies in the fact that following the shock, the laser must be remounted within the shell and the entire unit realigned to assure accuracy.
In addition, some manufacturers, in order to maintain the relationship of laser beam to optics, mount both apparatus rigidly. They have achieved solid alignment, however, they have sacrificed whatever shock protection they could have had. Thus, all shock waves felt or received by the case are equally dispersed through the laser (glass) tube.
Due to the nature of the laser as being light, it also has all the properties of light. Hence, it cannot pass through opaque materials; therefore, the light emitting end of the laser must protrude through the case. It is this characteristic that causes the laser to be rigidly mounted through one portion of the case. Some manufacturers choose internal mounting with a window and others mount the laser through the case. Either way the mounting is rigid because of design in alignment or because of no alternative in dealing with the properties of light.
Breakage is extremely high in either of the above cases. In the forest industry, these are the only two ways presently known to the inventor, the laser tube is mounted.
Patents known to the present inventor dealing with the particular problem of mounting a protecting shell for a laser include the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,268--Richter PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,030--Dorbec et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,361,989--Sirons PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,923--Bullinger PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,596--Lasich PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,175--Rigdon PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,563--Clement PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,263--Kantorski et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,190--Schimitschek et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,037--Knowles et al.
The Schimitschek patent discloses a laser cell which is mounted within a housing which appears to be formed by two engaged shell members.
The Clement patent discloses a laser casing which is formed by a base member for a housing and an upper cover unit. This structure is in combination with a laser mounting unit providing a kinetic mounting structure for the laser.
The Dorbec patent discloses a laser device mounted within a housing formed by two half shells. A square teflon nut sits around the middle of the laser to support the tube in the housing in cooperation with adjustment screws and a return spring cylinder.
The remaining listed patents disclose other laser housings and mounting devices for lasers.
With the above noted prior art and difficulties in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a protective support and container for a laser utilized in industrial environments.
It is another object to provide a shock absorbing housing for a laser wherein the shock absorbing means also provides an isolating insulative means.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mounting system for a laser or other instrument wherein precise alignment is required and which will absorb shock without damage to the instrument.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a shock absorbing mounting for an instrument specifically constructed to absorb axial shock loads.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for mounting an instrument subject to shock loads wherein the elements displaced during the shock have memory, returning the instrument to position following the shock.