US939489A - Telemeter-rod. - Google Patents

Description

G. E. PLANGAN.

TELEMETER ROD. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 3, 1909.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFETE.

CHARLES E. FLANAGAN, OF STEUBENVLI'JE, OHI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 ISAAC 1V[. SCOTT, 0F STEUBENVILLE, OHIO.

rELEiviErEB-ROD.

asaisa Specification of Letters-Patent.

PatentedyNov. 9, 1909.

Application filed March 3,1909. ,Serial No. 481,124.

io all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. FLANA- GAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Steubenville, county of Jefferson, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Telemeterfltods, `of which the following is a specification. Y

rlhis invention relates to a distance-computing device, and more yparticularly to a combined telemeter and leveling-rod. j

The primary object of the invention is to provide a distance-measuring instrument adapted for surveyors use by means of which the rodinan may, Without mathematical computation, accurately read the distance between the point at which the instrument is located and the surveyors transit. Y

A. further object is to provide an extremely simple and inexpensive device of the character mentioned which may be used as an ordinary leveling-rod. j

`With these and other objects in view, the invention finally consists in the particular construction, arrangement and combination of parts which willhereinafter be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a ypart of this specification, in which-V i v Figure 1 is a front elevation of the rod; Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of a portion of said rod, showing the graduations thereon; F ig. 3 is a. top plan view of said rod, illustratingV the folding feature thereof; Figli is a front elevation of a broken porv tion of the rod mounted on a tripod ;V Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5, Fig. 4L; and- F ig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawing, in which like reference-characters distinguish "like vparts throughout the several views-1 indicates a rod which is preferablyabout ten feet in length and which, for convenience in han-- dling when not in actual use, is composed of two sections hinged together at 2. Said rod is adapted to be mounted; uin horizontal position on a tripod 3, or other support, a spiritlevel et being provided in the upper edge of the rod for facilitating the leveling of the latter.

Rigidly mounted upon the upper and lower edges of the rod adjacent to one end thereof are plates 5 and 6 which project rearward beyond the rear face of the rod, as

shown, each plate having a vvertically-disposed terminal wing 7 provided with a narrow vertical slot or sight aperture 8, the purpose l of which will presently be made app parent.v

' Mounted upon said rod in any appro- Vpriate manner is a slidable target 9 which, j inthe present instance, has a pair of oppositely-dsposed tongues 10 for traveling in grooves 1l provided in the upper and lower edges of the rod. -A spring catch 12 is adapted for normally holdingsaid target in initial position at the line 13 on said rod which represents zero in the readings.

rlhe face of the rod has thereon three sets of graduations, that adjacentto the upper edge being a scale of rods'divided into tenths and numberinglffrom 0 to 320 (the latter number not shown), and that adjacent to lserves to here illustrate the use of the device.

In practice, when the rodman plants his instrument at a distance fromthe transit, he levelsthe rod 1 and turns thersame at direct right angles to the transitmans line of vision, or until the slots 14 in the wings 15 of the target 9 register in the said line of visionwith the slots 8 in the wings 7. The transitman sights the telescope of his transit at said slots, making note of the angle, after which he turns his telescope fiveminutes to the right. The rodman then moves the target along the rod until the slots again appear directly in the transitmans line of vision through the telescope; then, using the verniermarkings on the beveled edge 16 of the upper horizontal member 9a of the target, he reads directly from the rod the distance in rods between the transit and the rodv 1, or target; or, using the Vernier on the beveled edge 17 ofthelower horizontal member 9", he reads the distance in feet. The reading of distance'between the transit and the target, indicated by the position of the target in Fig. 2, is 4.0 rods, or 660 feet. The transitman may also readily determine the distance, and thereby keep an accurate check on the rodmans readings, in various ways, an illustration of one of which will suffice: A sight is rst taken at the zero mark 13 on the rod, then a second sight is taken at the 5280 foot mark or line on the rod, said mark or line bein indicated by the numeral 18 in Fig. 1 of the drawing. By dividing the number 26400 by the number of minutes in the angle traversed in the movement of the transit telescope from the iirst to the second position, the distance in feet between the transit and the target will be accurately determined.

As is obvious, the use of the tripod for supporting the rod l may be dispensed with in cases where an accurate vertical are is provided on the transit, the rod l in such case being held in a vertical position instead of a horizontal position.

The middle row or set of Vgraduatiens on the face of the rod is a scale of feet divided into hundredths and readable to thousandths of a foot, by means of the Vernier markings on the beveled edge 19 of the middle horizontal member 9 of the target, this set of graduations being employed as on an ordinary leveling-rod.

For causing the two sections of the rod to stand rigid when in extended position, the adjacent ends of the sections are undercut and caused to overlap, as shown, and a stud 20 carried by one section adjacent to the end of the undercut portion thereof projects through an aperture 2l provided therefor in the other section, said stud having a pivoted cross-bar22 thereon adapted to be turned into interlocking engagement with the rear face of the last-mentioned section.

When the two sections of the rod are folded together, the section opposite to that which carries the plates 5 and 6 fits snugly in the pocket formed between the rearwardly extended portions of said plates, and lateral displacement of said sections is thereby1 prevented.

While the tripod 3 may be of any appropriate construction adapted for supporting the rod, that illustrated in Figs. t and 5 is preferred because of the relative simplicity of its rod-holding head, said head consisting of a substantially U-shaped springmetal rod-receiving clama 23 the opposite members of which may 1be readily drawn into clamping engagement with the rod by manipulation of a thumb-nut 24 carried upon the threaded end of a bolt 25 passed vertically through said members.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide an extremely simple, inexpensive and eiiicient device of the character mention'ed, by means of which civil engineers and others may readily and accurately determine distances without. calculations of any kind being` rendered necessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A telemeter rod consisting of a rod having a plurality of sets of graduations in different units arranged longitudinally thereon, and a movable target having a plurality of horizontal members with Vernier markings thereon registering with all of said sets of graduations.

2. A telemeter rod consisting of a rod having a plurality of sets of graduations in diiierent units arranged longitudinally thereon, and a target slidably mounted on said rod and having vernier markings registering with all of said sets of graduations.

3. A telemeter rod consisting of a target pole having a plurality of sets of graduations in diii'erent units thereon, a plate lixed upon said pole and having a sight-aperture therein, a target movably mounted upon said pole and having a sight-aperture therein adapted to be brought into register with the aperture in said plate and also having a plurality of sets of if'ernier markings adapted to register with all of said sets of graduations.

l. A telemeter rod consisting of a rod haiing a plurality of sets of graduations in different units thereon, a fixed plate carried by said rod, a movable target farried by said rod, indicating means carried by said target registering with all of said sets of graduations, said plate and said target having sightapertures therein whereby said rod may be accurately adjusted at right angles to a distant telescopes line of vision.

5. ln a device of the character described, a rod composed of two hinged sections, a pair of metal plates carried by opposite sides of one section and projecting outward therefrom to form a pocket for the reception of the other section when the rod is folded, integral wings having sight-apertures therein standing at right angles to each of said plates, and a target slidably mounted on said rod.

In testimony whereof l atlix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. FLANAGAN.

lVitnesses E. A. LENKARD, H. E. DUNLAP.

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