Development of adjustable attitude guide block for setting pins perpendicular to irregular convex work surfac

Boyle, J. V., Jr.

English

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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19710006096 2020-03-17T02:38:09+00:00Z
Feb. 3, 1970 J. V. BOYLE, JR 
ADJUSTABLE ATTITUDE GUIDE DEVICE 
Filed Aug. ll,, 1967 
FIG. 3 
FIG. 1 
3,492,739 United States Patent Ofice ,,, ,,, , ,, 
tion illustrated in the drawings, specific ter~llinology will 
3,492,739 be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not 
ADJUSTABLE ATTITUDE GUIDE DEVICE intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, 
Joseph V. Boyle, Jr. Wampton, Va., assignor to the and it is to be understood that each specific term in- 
cludes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar 
Space Adminish.ation manner to accomplish a similar purpose. 
Filed Aug. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 660,572 FIG. 1 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment 
Int. CI. GOlc 9/02; F16m 11/24 of the present invention. 
U.S. C1.33-287 2 Claims FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the preferred embodi- 
10 ment. 
FIG. 3 shows an alternate arrangement of the means 
A B S W C T  O F  THE DISCLOSURE biasing the legs and the guide member into frictional 
A guide block having three independently adjustable engagement- 
legs each having a major portion extending from the The basic arrangement of the apparatus consists of a 
guide block substantially parallel to the horizontal and 15 central guide member, to which support members are 
a minor portion extending substantially perpendicular swingingly mounted. The support members and the cen- 
from the major portion. The guide block having perpen- tral guide member frictionally engage each other in such 
dicularly disposed level vials is useful in setting pins per- a manner as to allow each support nlen~ber to be in- 
pendicular to an irregular convex work surface. dividually set in any given attitude with respect to the 
20 central guide member and to each other. Adjustment of 
the support members in turn varies the attitude over a 
working surface of the central guide member as located 
The invention described herein was made by an em- by the support members on the working surface. 
ployee of the United States Government and may be The term "attitude" as used herein is defined as a giver 
manufactured and used by or for the government for gov- 25 angular orientation in space of a given plane with some 
ernmental purposes without the payment of any royal- other plane. From this it is understood that if there is 
ties thereon or therefor. a change in "attitude" between two bodies there must be 
This invention relates to a device for adjustably posi- an angular change between given planes lying on the 
tioning a guide member over a surface, and particularly two bodies. This definition is in keeping with the genera': 
for leveling a guide member over an irregular surface. 30 import of the word. 
The prior art has utilized a three-legged guide device, Referring to the drawings, FIGS 1 and 2 show the 
in combination with a bubble level indicator means. The preferred embodiment of the device, indicated generally 
three legs threadedly engage a guide member, and their as 10. FTG. 2 also shows a working surface 11. The ap- 
respective heights are adjusted by screwing the legs up paratus includes a central guide member 12, which may 
or down in the guide member. In the course of work per- 35 be of wood or any other suitable material. This member 
formed on a project concerning a mock-up of the moon's is shaped as a block of an equi-sided hexagonal config- 
surface, it became necessary to set pins perpendicularly uration. This particular configuration is used, together 
into the surface. This prior art structure has several rather with the beveled lower edges 13, to improve visibility 
substantial disadvantages when working with such a of the area beneath the device although it is to be under- 
rough, irregular surface. One of these is the inordinate 40 stood that the use of other shapes is within the scope 
amount of time that must be consumed in making gross of the invention. In the preferred embodiment, the guide 
adjustments, due to the screw thread adjustment means. member is utilized for setting pins 21, perpendicularly into 
Another is the inherent instability of the guide member, an irregular surface, which as above noted was a mock- 
since the legs must be located relatively proximate to the up of the noon's surface, and therefore a hole 20, is 
central portion of the device in order to produce reason- 45 bored through the central memlber perpendicular to the top 
ably rapid adjustability, even on a relatively smooth sur- surface, thereby forming a guide surface. While this 
face. An additional disadvantage is the relatively expen- particular guide surface is shown, it is clear that other 
sive construction involved since extensive threads on guide surfaces o r  devices could be combined with the 
the legs and the guide member must be cut, and a great 50 apparatus, as for example, a precision angle block or gage 
number of such devices were required by the project. member could be set up on the top portion. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to Mounted to swing on guide member 12 are three sup- 
provide a device adapted to position a guide member port members or legs 14, which could be constructed out 
over a rough surface without laborious, time-consuming of any flat stock material, such as wood. metal or plastic, 
adjustments. as desired. These legs are generally angularly shaped and 
It  is a further object to produce a device which is 55 have rounded ends. As can readily be seen, this angularly 
capable of positioning a guide member over a grossly shaped configuration considerably enhances the inherent- 
irregular surface with a high degree of stability in the ly stable design of the device, since at low angles between 
selected position. the top surface and the legs, there is a higher likelihood 
It is a further object to provide such a device which is the legs will clear intermediate protrusions, and the de- 
inexpensive and simple to manufacture, yet provides a 60 vice will still be resting on the leg ends rather tl-ran a 
high degree of precision in its operation. leg side. It  further increases the flexibility of adjustment. 
It is a further object to provide a device in which sup- since it allows leg adjustments to he made to the point 
port members frictionally and rotatably engage a guide that the leg is directed above the top surface, w i t h o ~ ~ t  in-
member to allow rapid, gross adjustments in the attitude terference between the central guide member and the 
of the guide member. C5 surface underneath. It is further useful when locating 
It  is a further object to provide a device for setting the guide member over a generally convex surface, as 
pins perpendicular to the horizontal into an irregular indicated at  11, for the same reason as above, i.e., the 
convex surface. central member will not rest on the high point of the 
These and other objects and advantages will become convexity, but will still be supported on tile leg ends. 
apparent on examination of the drawing and specifica- 70 The legs are rotatably mounted by means of wood 
tion. screws, pins o r  machine screws 15, depending on the par- 
Jn describing the preferred embodiment of the inven- ticular materials used, carried in alternating side sua faces, 
3,492,739 
3 4 
centrally located and perpendicular thereto. This par- (c) at least three equiangular side surfaces per- 
ticular means of mounting the legs on the guide member pendicularly disposed in relationship to said top 
allows large angular movements of the legs without in- and bottom surfaces, said guide member further 
terference with the gdide member, and leaves the guide being provided with 
member of relatively simple configuration. In FIG. 1, (d) a substantially centrally disposed opening ex- 
the mounting means is shown as a wood screw 15, the tending therethrough from said top and bottom 
central guide member 12 is of wooden construction, and surfaces and perpendicular to said surface, 
a washer 16, and a spring washer 17 are also mounted (e) a means to indicate when the axis of the cen- 
on the scrcw. The spring reacts against the washer and trally disposed opening is perpendicular to the 
screw head and forces the leg 14 into frictional engage- horizontal, 
merit with the side surface of the block 12. By screwing (2) at least three support members each adjustably 
115 in or out of the guide member 12, the frictional force connected to selected ones of said side surfaces and 
can be controlled, depending on the operation to be per- equidistantly spaced from each other, each said sup- 
formed. port member having 
In FIG. 3, an alternate construction is shown in which 15 (a)  a first portion of major length and 
the leg is constructed of a ferro-magnetic material and (b)  a second portion of minor length, said major 
the block 12 of a ferrous material. The magnetic at- length portion extending outwardly away from 
traction between the two members produces the desired said guide member and said other support mem- 
i: ~rnctional . engagement, The friction-drag setting feature bers and normally positioned substantially along 
allows rapid, gross changes in the set attitude of the sev- 20 a plane intermediate and parallel with parallel 
era1 leg members relative one another and the guide planes taken along said top and bottom surface 
means and th~is similar changes in the attitude of the of said guide member, said minor length por- 
surfaces of the guide member relative a surface on which tion being integsal with said major length por- 
it is supported by means of the legs, yet retaining a high tion and extending downwardly substantially 
degree of stability of the guide member in any set 25 perpendicular thefeto and adapted to engage the 
position. irregular spherical surface of a body when the 
The disclosed embodiment also incorporates a means device is in use, 
for setting the top surface of the guide member hori- (3) means for setting said support members at in- 
zontally. This means takes the form of two bubble levels dividually selective attitude relative to each other 
joined at 90" to each other indicated at  19, and mounted 30 and said guide member to level the device on an 
on the top surface of the guide member. In use, locat- irregular spherical surface, whereby, said guide 
ing the attitude of the block by adjusting until the bubble member can be supported with little clearance at a 
levels are centered locates the top surface as parallel to selected attitude over an irregular spherical support- 
the horizontal. In the embodiment shown, a pin 21 may ing surface and said opening in said guide member 
then be guided by the hole to be set perpendicularly into 35 can be utilized to drill holes or set pins perpen- 
the surface 11, as was done in using the device in the dicular to the surface on which the device rests. 
course of the project mentioned above. Or, the hole could 2. A guide device according to claim 1 wherein the 
be used as a drill guide for boring a perpendicular hole edge defined by said side and bottom surfaces is beveled 
into the surface. so as t o  increase visibility of the area underneath said 
The above description sets forth a guide device which 40 guide member at low clearances. 
1s simple, inexprnsive to manufacture, allows rapid, gross 
adjustments, allows a great deal of flexibility in the range References Cited 
s f  adjustment, and is relatively precise and stable in use. 
lit is to be understood that the form of the invention 
herewith shown and described is to be taken a s  a preferred 
embodiment. Various changes may be made in the shape, 
size, and arrangement of parts. For example, equivalent 
elements may be substituted for those illustrated and de- 
scribed heiein, parts may be reversed, and certain fea- 
tures of the invention mav be utilized independently of 
UNITED 
10/1917 
12/1942 
2/1944 
1/1968 
3/1885 
11/1951 
STATES PATENTS 
Akeley ------------ 248-188 
Blaschke ------------- 33-73 
Wood ------------ 248-188.7 
Lohr---------------248-206 
Gotze. 
Carlson et al. 
the use of other features.- Even though this device -was 
utilized to set pins into a mock lunar surface, it has many FOREIGN PATENTS 
other uses i n  other areas. 119,689 4/1901 Germany. 
What is claimed is: 326,209 1903 France. 
I. An adjustable attitude guide device for facilitating 55 
drilling of holes, setting of pins and the like, perpen- Primary 
dicular to an irregular spherical surface, comprising: DENNIS A. DEARING, Assistant Examiner 
(1) a guide member, said guide member having: 
(a)  parallel top and U.S. C1. X.R. 
(b)  bottom surfaces and 60 248-44, 188.2 


Adjustable attitude guide device Patent

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