Three-axis motion tracking interferometer for measurement and correction of positional errors between an article under test and a measurement probe
First Claim
1. A three-axis motion tracking interferometer for use with an article under test (AUT), comprising:
- a field probing sensor;
means for positioning said field probing sensor at a plurality of points spaced from said AUT to perform a phase front measurement of said AUT, said positioning means periodically positioning said probing sensor at a subset of said points, the subset having a number of points sufficient to define a geometric shape; and
means for measuring distance change between said AUT and said probing sensor at each of said subset of points and calculating three-axis components of relative motion between said AUT and said probing sensor based upon said distance change measurement;
wherein said phase front measurement of said AUT is corrected based upon said three-axis components.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A three-axis motion tracking interferometer for use with an article under test (AUT) is provided for measurement and correction of position errors between the AUT and a near-field probing sensor due to thermal drift. The probing sensor is positioned at a plurality of points relative to the AUT to perform a phase front measurement of the AUT. Periodically, the probing sensor is positioned at a subset of the plurality of points, the subset being sufficient to define a geometric surface, such as a plane, cylinder, or sphere. A distance change measurement is performed between the AUT and the probing sensor at each of the subset of points, and three-axis components of relative motion between the AUT and the probing sensor are calculated based upon the distance change measurement. The phase front measurement of the AUT can then be corrected based upon the three-axis components.
26 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A three-axis motion tracking interferometer for use with an article under test (AUT), comprising:
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a field probing sensor; means for positioning said field probing sensor at a plurality of points spaced from said AUT to perform a phase front measurement of said AUT, said positioning means periodically positioning said probing sensor at a subset of said points, the subset having a number of points sufficient to define a geometric shape; and means for measuring distance change between said AUT and said probing sensor at each of said subset of points and calculating three-axis components of relative motion between said AUT and said probing sensor based upon said distance change measurement; wherein said phase front measurement of said AUT is corrected based upon said three-axis components. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A motion tracking interferometer for monitoring change in relative position between a transducer and a probing sensor, comprising:
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means for positioning said probing sensor relative to said transducer at a plurality of points spaced from said transducer and measuring change in distance between said transducer and said probing sensor at each of said points; and means for calculating components of relative motion between said transducer and said probing sensor based upon said distance measurements. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A two-axis motion tracking interferometer for use with an article under test (AUT), comprising:
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a field probing sensor; means for positioning said field probing sensor at a plurality of points spaced from said AUT to perform a phase front measurement of said AUT, said positioning means periodically positioning said probing sensor at a subset of said plurality of points, the subset being disposed along a generally linear pattern; and means for measuring distance change between said AUT and said probing sensor at each one of said subset of points and calculating two-axis components of relative motion between said AUT and said probing sensor based upon said distance change measurement; wherein said phase front measurement of said AUT is corrected based upon said two-axis components. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for determining relative position between an article under test (AUT) and a field probing sensor, comprising the steps of:
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positioning said field probing sensor spaced from said AUT at a plurality of points defining a geometric surface; measuring change in distance between said AUT and said field probing sensor at each of said plurality of points; and calculating components of relative motion between said AUT and said field probing sensor based upon said distance measurements. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification