Patent · US Active

Optical measuring apparatuses including polarized beam splitters

US8736839B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
5References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 26, 2011
Grant dateMay 27, 2014
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 4, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B11/24
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical measuring apparatus may include a light source, linear polarizer, polarized beam splitter, quarter wave plate, objective lens, and/or light receiver. The polarized beam splitter may be configured to transmit linearly polarized light from the linear polarizer to any one of a first and second optical path. The quarter wave plate may be configured to circularly polarize light transmitted through the first optical path from the polarized beam splitter and transmit the circularly polarized light to an object to be measured, and the quarter wave plate may be configured to linearly polarize the circularly polarized light reflected from the object to be measured and transmit the linearly polarized reflected light to the second optical path of the polarized beam splitter. The objective lens may be configured to generate light having different wavelengths by generating chromatic aberration in the circularly polarized light from the quarter wave plate.

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