Optical device for measuring the speed of a moved surface by means of a measuring light beam from a laser

• US 5,339,196 A
• Filed: 05/27/1992
• Issued: 08/16/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mesacon Gesellschaft Fur Messtechnik mbH
• Original Assignee: Mesacon Gesellschaft Fur Messtechnik mbH
• Inventors: Grebe, Volker
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Jon W.
• Application Number:
  US07/859,375
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 359/618, 359/834, 359/640, 356/358, 356/357
• US Class Current: 359/640
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/366 by using diffraction of light for measuring speed of fluids G01P5/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/04 Prisms

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical device which serves in particular for measuring the speed of a moved surface with the aid of a measuring beam from a laser. The measuring beam is split into two parts, directed through prisms to converge towards the moved surface and received again frequency-shifted by the Doppler effect. For each part beam there is a single prism body through which each part beam is guided outwards to intensify splitting and is deflected to bring about convergence. Each prism is preferably secured to a plane-parallel glass plate so that very good, lasting adjustment is possible.

Claims

1. An optical device for measuring the speed of a moving surface through utilization of a laser beam split into two sub-beams, said optical device comprising:

a transmitting prism arrangement comprising two prism bodies, each of said prism bodies being associated with one of said sub-beams;

each prism body having base surfaces, refractive surfaces and reflective surfaces arranged and oriented for allowing said associated sub-beam to enter said respective prism body to be guided in said respective prism body and to leave said respective prism body;

said sub-beam leaving said prism body being displaced outwardly in relation to a center plane of said transmitting prism arrangement between said prism bodies so that the degree of beam splitting is increased and said sub-beams converge on a common point of intersection;

said prism bodies being secured at a glass mounting plate and said base surfaces of said prism bodies being arranged in a plane-parallel manner.

2. The optical device according to claim 1 wherein each prism body comprises a rhombohedral prism which is secured to said glass mounting plate by one of its base surfaces, said rhombohedral prisms being arranged so that they mirror symmetrically with respect to said center plane of said transmitting prism arrangement where the center plane is perpendicular to the base surfaces of said rhombohedral prisms, said rhombohedral prisms also being arranged so that said two sub-beams divergently enter said rhombohedral prisms and when leaving them are spread to a greater distance from one another to ultimately converge on said common point of intersection.

3. The optical device according to claim 1 wherein each said sub-beam is subjected to a refraction effect at an inlet refraction surface of said associated prism body and is subjected to a reflection effect at both a first reflecting counter surface and a second reflecting counter surface of said associated prism body, each said sub-beam is further subjected to a refraction at an outlet refraction surface of said associated prism body.