Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for detecting relative movement

US5559600A · kind A · utility

47Cited by
39References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 1, 1995
Grant dateSep 24, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 1, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01D5/38
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The apparatus disclosed herein employs a grating or scale which concentrates light at a preselected wavelength into the positive and negative first orders while minimizing the zeroth order. The scale is illuminated with monochromatic light of the selected wavelength and a poly-phase periodic detector has its sensing plane spaced from the scale a distance less than ##EQU1## where W is the width of the illuminated region of the scale. The period of the poly-phase detector is equal to P/2 so that each detector element or phase responds principally to interference between the positive and negative first orders without requiring magnification or redirection of the diffracted light. Preferably, the distance of the sensing plane from the scale is greater than ##EQU2## so that the detector response does not include substantial components from diffraction orders higher than the first.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.