Optical contour detector and methods for making and using
First Claim
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1. An optical contour detector comprising:
- a source of electromagnetic radiation aimed at a contoured surface, wherein the contoured surface moves with respect to the source of electromagnetic radiation and the surface is at least partially reflective of the electromagnetic radiation;
a first detector positioned near the contoured surface for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from a first portion of the surface;
a second detector positioned near the surface and adjacent to the first detector for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from a second portion of the surface.
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Abstract
An optical contour detector (11) having a source of electromagnetic radiation (12) aimed at a contoured surface is provided. A first detector (13) and a second detector (14) are positioned near the contoured surface for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from a first portion of the surface. Outputs of the first detector (13) and the second detector (14) are differentially amplified to produce an output signal indicting when a change in contour or discontinuity in the surface is illuminated by the source of electromagnetic radiation (12).
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An optical contour detector comprising:
- a source of electromagnetic radiation aimed at a contoured surface, wherein the contoured surface moves with respect to the source of electromagnetic radiation and the surface is at least partially reflective of the electromagnetic radiation;
a first detector positioned near the contoured surface for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from a first portion of the surface;
a second detector positioned near the surface and adjacent to the first detector for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from a second portion of the surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- a source of electromagnetic radiation aimed at a contoured surface, wherein the contoured surface moves with respect to the source of electromagnetic radiation and the surface is at least partially reflective of the electromagnetic radiation;
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9. A method for using an optical contour detector for measuring speed of a moving surface comprising the steps of:
- providing a moving surface having contours at predetermined locations;
illuminating a region of the surface with a source of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the wavelength and angle of the radiation is chosen to at least partially reflect from the moving surface;
generating a first signal that is a function of a quantity of radiation reflected from a first portion of the surface;
generating a second signal that is a function of a quantity of light reflected from a second portion of the surface;
differentially amplifying the first and second signals to generate a difference signal when a surface contour discontinuity is illuminated by the source of electromagnetic radiation; and
monitoring the difference signal to determine the speed of the moving surface. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
- providing a moving surface having contours at predetermined locations;
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13. A method for making an optical contour detector comprising the steps of:
- providing a source of electromagnetic radiation;
positioning the source of electromagnetic radiation at a first predetermined angle, wherein the first predetermined angle is sufficient to allow reflection of some of the electromagnetic radiation from a surface being monitored, and moving the surface being monitored with respect to the source of electromagnetic radiation;
providing a first detector for detecting the reflected electromagnetic radiation;
providing a second detector for detecting the reflected electromagnetic radiation; and
positioning the first and second detectors adjacent to each other and at a second predetermined angle, wherein the second predetermined angle is sufficient to allow substantially equal portion of the reflected light to fall on the first and second detectors. - View Dependent Claims (14)
- providing a source of electromagnetic radiation;
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15. A device for detecting speed of a contoured rotating surface, comprising:
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a source of electromagnetic radiation aimed at a contoured rotating surface, wherein the contoured rotating surface has contours at predetermined locations, and the contoured rotating surface is at least partially reflective of the electromagnetic radiation; a first detector positioned near the contoured rotating surface for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from a first portion of the contoured rotating surface; a second detector positioned near the contoured rotating surface and adjacent to the first detector for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected from a second portion of the contoured rotating surface; and a differential amplifier having a first input, a second input, and an output for producing a signal proportional to the difference between the first input and the second input, wherein the first detector is coupled to the first input and the second detector is coupled to the second input, and the differential amplifier produces an output signal whenever a surface contour discontinuity is illuminated by the source of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the output signal may be monitored to determine speed of the contoured rotating surface.
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Specification