Optical method and optical device for distance measurement and their application to the relative positioning of parts
US5285252A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 28, 1992 |
| Grant date | Feb 8, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 28, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B2290/70
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical method and optical device for distance measurement, comprising the steps of emitting an incident light beam (13) comprising at least two waves of differing wavelengths (.lambda.1 and .lambda.2); separating this beam into a reference beam (15) and a measurement beam (17) which are reflected on, respectively, a reference reflector (16) and a zone (18) of a part (19), of which it is desired to measure the position in the direction of the measurement beam and recombine into a resultant beam (20), in which said waves exhibit conditions of polarization, the components of which rotate when the optical path of the aforementioned measurement beam varies and which determine, in the direction of the measurement beam, adjacent ranges at the ends of each one of which the angular positions of two corresponding components of these conditions of polarization are identical; determining, in the resultant beam (20), the angular positions (.alpha.1 and .alpha.2) of two corresponding components of said conditions of polarization of said waves; and computing, as a function of said angular positions, the distance separating the aforementioned zone of said part from a reference position, prefer…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.