Rotary laser with mechanical mask
Various laser level designs including the ability to physically/mechanically mask light emitted from the laser level are shown. In one example, the laser level includes physical barriers that can be moved between open and closed positions to selectively block or mask a desired portion of the projected laser plane.
1. A laser level comprising:
a housing;
a laser generator positioned within the housing and emitting a laser projection plane;
a base rigidly coupled to the housing;
a cage rigidly coupled to the base, the cage comprising:
an aperture in an upper portion of the cage; and
a plurality of legs that together define a plurality of side windows, wherein the laser generator is configured to direct a laser projection out of the plurality of side windows; and
a masking component moveable over each of the plurality of side windows;
wherein each of the masking components are moveable between a first position in which the masking component does not block the laser projection plane through the associated side window and a second position in which the masking component blocks the laser projection plane through the associated side window.
2. The laser level of claim 1 , wherein each of the masking components are separately and independently moveable from the other masking components between the first position and the second position such that a user can selectively block each of the side windows to selectively mask each portion of the laser projection plane.
3. The laser level of claim 1 , wherein the laser generator includes a rotating device within the cage that projects the laser projection out of the plurality of side windows, the rotating device is rotatable about a vertical axis.
4. The laser level of claim 1 , wherein each of the masking components are positioned between a top portion of the cage and the base.
5. The laser level of claim 1 , the masking components each further comprise a hinge such that masking components are rotatable between the first position and the second position.
6. The laser level of claim 5 , wherein the base further comprises a hinge recess to receive the hinge of each masking component such that the hinge is rotatable within the respective hinge recess as the masking component moves between the first position and the second position.
7. The laser level of claim 5 , the laser level further comprising a bumper coupled to the cage, wherein each of the masking components are positioned between the bumper and the base.
8. The laser level of claim 7 , wherein the bumper includes a downward facing surface that faces the base and wherein each masking component includes an upper surface and a lower surface such that when each masking component is in the first position the upper surface of the masking component faces the downward facing surface of the bumper and wherein when each masking components are in the second position the lower surface of the masking component faces the side window.
9. A laser generating device comprising:
a housing;
a laser generator positioned within the housing and emitting a laser beam;
a base coupled to the housing;
a cage rigidly coupled to the base, the cage comprising:
four legs; and
four openings at least partially defined by the four legs, wherein the laser generator is configured to direct a laser beam out of the four openings; and
four masking components coupled to the base and moveable over at least a portion of the four openings of the cage.
10. The laser generating device of claim 9 , wherein the laser generating device projects the laser beam through the four openings and out of the cage when the four masking components are in an open position.
11. The laser generating device of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the laser generator is rotatable about a vertical axis of the housing such that a laser projection is projected out of the four openings.
12. The laser generating device of claim 9 , wherein the laser generating device projects the laser beam through the four openings and not out of the cage when the four masking components are in a closed position.
13. The laser generating device of claim 9 , wherein the four masking components are individually and separately moveable between an open position and a closed position such that a user can selectively block one or more of the four openings in the cage to mask portions of the laser beam.
14. The laser generating device of claim 9 , the base further comprising four slider guides configured to receive and engage the four masking components.
15. The laser generating device of claim 14 , wherein each slider guide includes a pair of recesses, and wherein each masking component includes a lower surface with a pair of protrusions such that the pair of protrusions of the masking component engage with the pair of recesses of the slider guide as each masking component moves.
16. The laser generating device of claim 15 , wherein the masking components are slideable between an open position in which the masking components are positioned within the slider guides and a closed position in which the masking components extend at least partially beyond an upper edge of the slider guides such that the lower surface of each masking component blocks the laser projection.
17. A laser level comprising:
a housing;
a laser generator positioned within the housing and emitting a laser projection plane;
a base rigidly coupled to the housing;
a cage rigidly coupled to the base, the cage comprising:
four legs; and
four openings at least partially defined by the four legs, wherein the laser generator is configured to direct a laser projection plane out of the four openings; and
four masking components extending between the base and the cage such that the masking components are sized to extend between adjacent legs across an entire width of the opening.
18. The laser level of claim 17 , wherein the four masking components are separately and independently moveable between an open position and a closed position such that a user can selectively block portions of the laser projection plane.
19. The laser level of claim 17 , wherein the four masking components each include an upper component and a lower component attached to the upper component by a hinge.
20. The laser level of claim 19 , wherein the cage further includes a liner guide extending between the base and the cage and wherein the upper component of the four masking components can rotate freely and the lower component can rotate relative to the upper component.