US20040107671A1 - Apparatus and method for detecting deflection of a tower - Google Patents
Apparatus and method for detecting deflection of a tower Download PDFInfo
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- US20040107671A1 US20040107671A1 US10/716,680 US71668003A US2004107671A1 US 20040107671 A1 US20040107671 A1 US 20040107671A1 US 71668003 A US71668003 A US 71668003A US 2004107671 A1 US2004107671 A1 US 2004107671A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- target
- location
- laser
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- tower
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01M11/00—Testing of optical apparatus; Testing structures by optical methods not otherwise provided for
- G01M11/08—Testing mechanical properties
- G01M11/081—Testing mechanical properties by using a contact-less detection method, i.e. with a camera
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
- G01C15/00—Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
- G01C15/002—Active optical surveying means
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01M5/00—Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings
- G01M5/0025—Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings of elongated objects, e.g. pipes, masts, towers or railways
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01M5/00—Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings
- G01M5/0041—Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings by determining deflection or stress
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01M5/00—Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings
- G01M5/0091—Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings by using electromagnetic excitation or detection
Abstract
An apparatus and method for detecting deflection and twisting rotation of an upright structure is provided. At least one laser device is positioned proximate to a first location on the structure. At least one target is positioned proximate to a second location on the structure. The at least one laser device emits parallel laser beams that strike the at least one target at reference locations that indicate a reference position for the upright structure. The laser beams are emitted either periodically or continuously. Any differences between the laser beam receipt locations and the reference locations are calculated to determine any lateral deflection and twisting rotation of the structure relative to the reference position from the first to the second location. The laser beams may be enclosed within a tube.
Description
- This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/427,623, filed Nov. 19, 2002.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- This invention relates in general to towers and other upright structures, and in particular to an apparatus and method for detecting and measuring tower deflection.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Towers and other similar free-standing upright structures are used in a variety of applications, for example, as radio and telecommunications antennas or to secure and support various types of payloads. These structures are often subject to forces caused by wind or other phenomena. These forces can cause swaying, bending, torsion or other movement of the tower, which can result in translational and rotational deflection, in particular to the upper portion of the tower relative to the tower's more stable and securely-fastened bottom portion.
- This deflection can detrimentally affect particular tower applications. For example, if a tower is supporting a payload which comprises a device requiring accurate aiming, such as a directed-energy weapon, small tower deflections may move the energy beam produced by the weapon off a target located a long distance from the tower, requiring correction in response to the tower deflection to maintain the proper aim of the weapon. If the tower deflection could be detected and measured initially, such an occurrence, as well as other similar occurrences, could likely be prevented.
- A need exists, therefore, for an apparatus and method for detecting and measuring real-time deflection of a tower. Further, for those tower applications which involve supporting a payload, a need exists for an apparatus and method which would allow for adjusting components in the payload in response to any measured deflection.
- The present invention provides a method of detecting deflection and twisting rotation of an upright structure. At least one laser device is positioned proximate to a first location on the structure. At least one target is positioned proximate to a second location on the structure. The at least one laser device emits at least two parallel laser beams that strike the at least one target at reference locations that indicate a reference position for the upright structure. The laser beams can be emitted either periodically or continuously. The position of the points where the laser beams strike the at least one target are monitored for changes. Any differences between the points where the laser beams strike the at least one target and the reference locations are calculated to determine any lateral deflection and twisting rotation of the structure relative to the reference position from the first to the second location.
- A feature of the present invention is that the upright structure is a tower. Another feature is that the at least one laser device is disposed at or near a base of the structure and the at least one target is disposed at or near a top of the structure. Another feature is that at least one camera is focused at the at least one target to analyze any differences between the laser beam receipt locations and the reference locations with at least one image analyzing computer. Another feature is that the at least one target may have at least one pixel grid that is struck with the laser beams. Another feature is that at least one tube may be mounted between the first location and the second location, and the laser beams may pass through the at least one tube. Another feature is that the at least one laser device may be stationarily mounted relative to the first location and the at least one target may be stationarily mounted relative to the second location. Another feature is that the reference position of the tower is substantially zero deflection and zero twist rotation.
- Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of measuring deflection of an upright structure. A first module is positioned proximate to a first location on the structure, the first module having at least one laser. A second module is positioned proximate to a second location on the structure, the second module having a target. A laser beam is emitted from the laser which strikes a reference location on the target. Any movement of the laser beam on the target relative to the reference location is discerned, and the amount of deflection of the structure based upon any differences in movement is calculated.
- A feature of this aspect of the present invention is that a tube is mounted from the first to the second module. Another feature is that the laser beam emitted from the laser passes through the tube and strikes a reference location on the target. Another feature is that one of the modules is at or near a base of the upright structure and the other of the modules is at or near a top of the upright structure. Another feature is that the first module is disposed at or near the base of the upright structure and the second module is disposed at or near an upper end of the upright structure. Another feature is that any movement of the laser beam on the target is discerned by using a camera focused on the target, the camera being located adjacent the target and offset from the laser beam. Another feature is that the target comprises a pixel grid and any movement of the laser beam on the target is discerned by using a pixel element analyzing computer. Another feature is that the reference location corresponds to zero deflection of the upright structure.
- Another aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for detecting lateral deflection and twisting rotation of an upright structure. The apparatus includes at least one first module adapted to be mounted adjacent a first location of the structure, at least one second module spaced a distance from the at least one first module and adapted to be mounted adjacent a second location of the structure, a laser emitter disposed at the at least one first module, the emitter capable of emitting at least one laser beam, a target disposed on the at least one second module, the target being capable of receiving the at least one laser beam produced by the emitter, and a detection device that detects any differences between the locations of a plurality of parallel laser beams that strike the target at any time and predetermined reference locations on the target to determine any deflection and rotation of the first location of the upright structure relative to the second location of the upright structure. A feature of this aspect of the present invention is that the emitter is capable of emitting a plurality of parallel laser beams. Another feature is that the upright structure is a tower, and the first and second locations are substantially fixed relative to each other. Another feature is that a tube extends between the at least one first and second modules for enclosing the laser beams. Another feature is that the detection device comprises a camera mounted adjacent to the target such that a line extending from a lens of the camera to the target is at an inclination relative to the laser beams. Another feature is that the target comprises a pixel grid.
- Another aspect of the present invention provides a tower which includes an elongated structure having a base and a top, at least one laser device disposed at a first location on the structure, at least one target disposed at a second location on the structure for receiving a laser beam from the at least one laser device, and a detection device that monitors the at least one target to determine any change in position of where the laser beam strikes the at least one target, thereby indicating deflection of the tower. A feature of this aspect of the present invention is that at least one tube extends from the at least one laser device to the at least one target. Another feature is that the detection device comprises a camera mounted adjacent to the at least one target such that a line extending from a lens of the camera to the at least one target is at an inclination relative to the laser beams. Another feature is that the at least one target includes a pixel grid.
- The various aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- FIG. 1 is a profile view of a tower erected on a support surface and supporting a payload.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic profile view of a system constructed according to the invention for measuring deflection of the tower of FIG. 1, the system comprising a laser module and a target module.
- FIG. 3 is a plan view of the base of the tower of FIG. 1 with the laser module of FIG. 2 installed.
- FIG. 4 is a plan view of the upper portion of the tower of FIG. 1 with the target module of FIG. 4 installed.
- FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a target of the target module of FIG. 2 during operation.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an electronic collection and data conversion system according to the invention.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic profile view of an alternative embodiment of the measurement system according to the invention, the embodiment using an optional target module.
- FIGS. 1 through 7 illustrate two embodiments of an apparatus for measuring translational and rotational deflection of an upper portion of a tower. Deflection is primarily caused by wind exerting a force on the tower, though other forces may also act on tower to cause deflection.
- FIG. 1 shows a
tower 11 constructed onsupport surface 13. Tower is preferably formed from alattice framework 15 of metal members, as shown, thoughtower 11 may be of other types, such as a polygonal single-pole tower or a tapered cylindrical single-pole tower (not shown). Apayload 17 is supported on the upper portion oftower 11, which may be 300 ft or more abovesurface 13.Payload 17 may be of various types, including communications equipment or other electronic equipment. - To measure deflection and twisting rotation of
tower 11, a preferred embodiment utilizes a two-piece measurement system that is mounted to or neartower 11. FIG. 2 showssystem 19, comprising onelaser module 21 and onetarget module 23. In an alternative embodiment, one ormore laser modules 21 and/or onemore target modules 23 at various locations may be utilized.Laser module 21 is securely mounted onsupport surface 13 with mountingplate 25 at or near the lower end of tower 11 (FIG. 1). FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lower end oftower 11 showinglaser module 21 installed near thecentral axis 27 oftower 11. Referring again to FIG. 2, at least one and preferably twolasers 29 are rigidly mounted withinmodule 21 for directing laser beams (not shown) vertically upward near and parallel toline 31.Laser module 21 is preferably mounted using a precision bracket, allowing the laser beams to be precisely vertical.Lasers 29 are preferably mounted approximately 1.5 in apart. -
Lasers 29 are preferably 30 mW, 632 nm (red) lasers, available from Cemar Electro, Inc. of Champlain, N.Y., thoughlasers 29 may be any power or produce any light frequency that satisfies the operational requirements ofsystem 19, as described herein. In the preferred embodiment, the size of each laser beam is approximately 3 mm as it exitslaser 29, widening to approximately 6 mm at 300 ft. At least onecable 33 extends intomodule 21 to carry electrical power and control data to and fromlasers 29. Preferably, at least onetube 35 is sealingly connected to the upper end oflaser module 21 and is preferably coaxial withline 31,tube 35 preventing airborne contaminants or other objects from interrupting or degrading the beams created bylasers 29. The beams fromlasers 29 travel upward throughtube 35 and intotarget module 23. Alternatively,lasers 29 may travel upward without using thetube 35. -
Target module 23 is mounted at an upper portion of tower 11 (FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. 4, preferably directly above laser module 21 (FIG. 3).Target module 23 has a box-shapedenclosure 36 that is sealingly connected to the upper end of at least onetube 35 at joint 37, which is offset from the center ofmodule 23. Atarget surface 39 is formed on the inner surface ofupper wall 41 oftarget module 23,surface 39 having a color providing high contrast relative to the color of the beams fromlasers 29. - Referring to FIG. 5, the laser beams strike
target 39, formingvisible dots Dots lasers 29 being mounted on support surface 13 (FIG. 2), whereastarget 39 moves withtarget module 23 astower 11 is deflected. By measuring the relative change of the position ofdots target 39, as shown byphantom dots 47 at an actual receipt location, the amount of deflection, in translation or rotation, oftower 11 may be calculated. For example, a change of both in the x or y direction the same amount indicates lateral deflection in the y-direction, but no rotation. A change in x or y direction of one relative to the other indicates twisting rotation of the tower. While twodots dots - Referring again to FIG. 2, a
camera 49, such as a type available from DVT Corporation of Norcross, Ga., is mounted to a lower portion ofmodule 23 for use as part of a detection device for measuring the change in position ofdots Camera 49 is mounted in a position offset from the center ofmodule 23 and at an angle relative toline 31, camera preferably being approximately 1.5 ft fromtarget 39. This orients the sightline ofcamera 49, indicated byline 45, for allowingcamera 49 to image anarea 51, shown as a broken line in FIG. 5, oftarget 39 surroundingdots Camera 49 has alens 53, which is 8mm in the preferred embodiment, for focusinglight entering camera 49 onto animaging device 55, which may be, for example, a charge-coupled device (CCD).Cables 57 carry electrical and data signals to and fromcamera 49. -
Imaging device 55 incamera 49 has an array of light-detecting elements (not shown), or pixels, that produce a digital signal when light falls on the pixels. The light from eachdot target 39 is detected as an image by a discrete set of these elements, and a software program, which may be run on a computer withincamera 49, is used to analyze the image, determine the centroid of eachdot camera 49 is located off the axis of the laser beams,circular dots circular dots Camera 49 periodically monitors and takes readings of the positions ofdots - In operation, when
camera 49 andtarget 39 move relative todots module 23 moves withtower 11, the light fromdots device 55 that is shifted from the previous location. The light is then detected on a different set of pixels, and the software outputs the new location of the centroid of eachdot tower 11 to be calculated from the change in the positions ofdots target 39. - FIG. 6 is a schematic showing one embodiment of an electronic collection and data conversion system using the output of
camera 49 to make adjustments based on measured deflection oftower 11. In this embodiment,camera 49 outputs the x and y coordinate data fordots cable 57 to an Ethernet-to-serial interface converter 59.Converter 59 then outputs the data throughcable 61 to an SDM-SI04 interface 63, which can be programmed as needed to create formatted output strings from the received characters. These strings are output throughcable 65 todata logger 67, which records the data and calculates the translation and rotation oftower 11 between data readings. The deflection data is then output throughcable 69 to acomputer 71 that controls components of payload 17 (FIG. 1) oftower 11. Thus, the present invention is used to detect real-time deflection oftower 11 to allow for adjusting components inpayload 17 in response to the measured deflection. For example, ifpayload 17 comprises a device requiring accurate aiming, such as a directed-energy weapon (not shown), small deflections oftower 11 may move the energy beam off a target located a long distance fromtower 11. The present invention allows for correction in response to a measured deflection oftower 11 to maintain the proper aim of the weapon. Alternatively,camera 49 may include one or more of the data formatting components described above, andcamera 49 may output the deflection data directly tocomputer 71 throughcable 57. - An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 7 as
measurement system 73, withtarget module 23 being replaced byoptional target module 75.Target module 75 is mounted at an upper portion oftower 11, preferably directly abovelaser module 21.Target module 75 has a box- or tube-shapedenclosure 76 that is sealingly connected to the upper end oftube 35 at joint 77, which is preferably coaxial with the vertical centerline ofmodule 75 andline 31. At least onepixel grid 79, similar to imaging device 55 (FIG. 2), is located withinmodule 75 for use as part of a detection device for determining the positions ofdots 43, 45 (FIG. 5), which are formed onface 81 ofgrid 79 by beams fromlasers 29.Grid 79 is mounted inmodule 75 such thatface 81 is approximately normal to and centered online 31.Face 81 comprises a plurality of discrete pixel elements (not shown) that produce a digital signal when light fromlasers 29 strike the elements, allowing the positions ofdots face 81 to be detected directly.Cables 83 carry electrical power and data signals to and fromgrid 79.Grid 79 will typically be connected tocomputer 71 through a plurality of data analysis and formatting components, as shown forcamera 49 in FIG. 6. While shown as having onegrid 79 for detecting all ofdots module 75 may have two ormore grids 79, each for detecting one ormore dots - In operation, when
pixel grid 79 moves relative todots module 75 moves withtower 11, the light fromdots grip 79 that is shifted from the previous location. The light is then detected on a different set of pixels, andpixel grid 79 outputs the new set of pixels detecting eachdot tower 11 to be calculated from the change in the positions ofdots face 81. - The present invention has several advantages. The invention provides a simple and low-cost apparatus and method for detecting and measuring deflection of a tower or similar object, and the precision of the system is limited only by the rate of data capture and the resolution of the camera or pixel grid of the target module. The system may be easily attached to or removed from an existing structure or may be incorporated in new construction.
- While the invention has been described herein with respect to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those that are skilled in the art that it is not so limited. The invention is susceptible of various modifications and changes without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, if twisting rotation is not a measurement that is needed, a single laser beam would be sufficient. Also, the lasers could be mounted at the upper end of the tower and the target at the base.
Claims (26)
1. A method of detecting deflection and twisting rotation of an upright structure comprising:
(a) positioning at least one laser device proximate to a first location on the structure;
(b) positioning at least one target proximate to a second location on the structure;
(c) emitting at least two parallel laser beams from the at least one laser device and striking the at least one target at reference locations that indicate a reference position for the upright structure; and
(d) monitoring any change in position of the points where the laser beams strike the at least one target and calculating any differences between the points and the reference locations to determine any lateral deflection and twisting rotation of the structure relative to the reference position from the first to the second location.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parallel laser beams are emitted continuously.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upright structure is a tower.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one laser device is disposed at or near a base of the structure and the at least one target is disposed at or near a top of the structure.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises focusing at least one camera at the at least one target and analyzing the differences with at least one image analyzing computer.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) comprises providing the at least one target with a pixel grid and step (c) comprises striking the pixel grid with the laser beams.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising mounting at least one tube between the first location and the second location, and step (c) comprises emitting the laser beams through the at least one tube.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) comprises stationarily mounting the at least one laser device relative to the first location and step (b) comprises stationarily mounting the at least one target relative to the second location.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference position of the tower is substantially zero deflection and zero twist rotation.
10. A method of measuring deflection of an upright structure comprising:
positioning a first module proximate to a first location on the structure, the first module having at least one laser;
positioning a second module proximate to a second location on the structure, the second module having a target;
emitting a laser beam from the laser which strikes a reference location on the target;
continuing to emit the laser beam and discerning any movement of the laser beam on the target relative to the reference location; and
calculating the amount of deflection of the structure based upon any differences in movement.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a tube is mounted from the first to the second module, and the laser beam from the laser passes through the tube.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein one of the modules is at or near a base of the upright structure and the other of the modules is at or near a top of the upright structure.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first module is disposed at or near the base of the upright structure and the second module is disposed at or near an upper end of the upright structure.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein any movement of the laser beam on the target is discerned by using a camera focused on the target, the camera being located adjacent the target and offset from the laser beam.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the target comprises a pixel grid and any movement of the laser beam on the target is discerned by using a pixel element analyzing computer.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the reference location corresponds to zero deflection of the upright structure.
17. An apparatus for detecting lateral deflection and twisting rotation of an upright structure comprising:
at least one first module adapted to be mounted adjacent a first location of the structure;
at least one second module spaced a distance from the at least one first module and adapted to be mounted adjacent a second location of the structure;
a laser emitter disposed at the at least one first module, the emitter capable of emitting at least one laser beam;
a target disposed on the at least one second module, the target being capable of receiving the at least one laser beam produced by the emitter; and
a detection device that detects any differences between the locations of a plurality of parallel laser beams that strike the target at any time and predetermined reference locations on the target to determine any deflection and rotation of the first location of the upright structure relative to the second location of the upright structure.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the emitter is capable of emitting a plurality of parallel laser beams.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the upright structure is a tower, and the first and second locations are substantially fixed relative to each other.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising at least one tube extending between the at least one first and second modules for enclosing the laser beams.
21. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the detection device comprises a camera mounted adjacent to the target such that a line extending from a lens of the camera to the target is at an inclination relative to the laser beams.
22. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the target comprises a pixel grid.
23. A tower, comprising:
an elongated structure having a base and a top;
at least one laser device disposed at a first location on the structure;
at least one target disposed at a second location on the structure for receiving a laser beam from the at least one laser device;
a detection device that monitors the at least one target to determine any change in position of where the laser beam strikes the at least one target, thereby indicating deflection of the tower.
24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein at least one tube extends from the at least one laser device to the at least one target.
25. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the detection device comprises a camera mounted adjacent to the target such that a line extending from a lens of the camera to the target is at an inclination relative to the laser beams.
26. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the target comprises a pixel grid.
Priority Applications (1)
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US10/716,680 US20040107671A1 (en) | 2002-11-19 | 2003-11-19 | Apparatus and method for detecting deflection of a tower |
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US42762302P | 2002-11-19 | 2002-11-19 | |
US10/716,680 US20040107671A1 (en) | 2002-11-19 | 2003-11-19 | Apparatus and method for detecting deflection of a tower |
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US10/716,680 Abandoned US20040107671A1 (en) | 2002-11-19 | 2003-11-19 | Apparatus and method for detecting deflection of a tower |
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