Optical displacement sensing device with reduced sensitivity to misalignment
US6771377B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 22, 2002 |
| Grant date | Aug 3, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 22, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01D5/38
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical displacement sensing device is provided for determining the relative displacement of a diffraction scale grating that may have a grating pitch less than the wavelength of the light of the sensing device. The sensing device includes a split light beam input portion for inputting two split light beams along respective light paths, and light beam directing elements for directing the two split beams along converging light paths toward a first zone on the scale grating to give rise to two diffracted beams along light paths which diverge. The sensing device further includes retroreflector elements for receiving the two diverging diffracted beams and retroreflecting them along light paths which converge toward a second zone on the scale grating to give rise to two later-diffracted light beams that are then directed to a shared zone. The retroreflectors may be positioned to eliminate cross-over beams and the need for polarizers. An optical detector detects at least one illumination characteristic arising from the shared zone, thus sensing displacement of the scale grating along the measuring axis.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.