Laser reflector alignment
US6219146A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 9, 1999 |
| Grant date | Apr 17, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 9, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B11/27
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A laser beam or other parallel light beam divides at a beamsplitter into sample and reference beams. The sample beam reflects from a reflective surface back to the beamsplitter, and the reference beam reflects from a retroreflector back to the beamsplitter. The beams are then directed into a telescope. The angle between sample and reference beams at the telescope is proportional to the angle between the laser beam and the normal to the reflective surface. The telescope collects both sample beam and reference beam and transforms each beam into a sharply defined point image. The lateral separation between the two point images is proportional to the magnification of the telescope and to the angle formed at the telescope between the sample beam and the reference beam. If the reflective surface is accurately aligned relative to the laser beam, then the two point images are substantially superposed on one another. Alignment is performed by adjusting the orientation of the reflective surface, until the lateral separation between the two point images reaches zero or a predetermined value.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.