Laser thickness gauge
First Claim
1. An apparatus for determining the position of a specimen relative to a reference point comprising;
- (a) source means for producing a beam of electromagnetic radiation;
(b) splitting means for splitting said beam into a primary beam and a secondary beam;
(c) reflecting means for directing said primary and secondary beams onto a surface of said specimen when in a measuring position between the source means and the reference point such that each of said primary and said secondary beams impinge said surface at an angle and converge at said reference point;
(d) means for sensing the points at which said primary and said secondary beams impinge said surface of said specimen and for producing a signal related thereto; and
(e) means for processing said signal to determine the position of said surface of said specimen relative to said reference point.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for determining the position of a surface of a specimen relative to a reference point. The apparatus has a beam source which produces a narrow beam and a beam splitter splits the narrow beam into a primary beam and the secondary beam. The primary and secondary beams are directed by the beam splitter or by a reflector onto the surface of the specimen. The impact points of the primary and secondary beams on the surface of the specimen form images which are monitored by a photo-sensor array. A processor uses the images of the impact points to calculate the distance between the surface of the specimen and the reference point. The use of two such apparatus allows for the thickness of the specimen to be measured.
64 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An apparatus for determining the position of a specimen relative to a reference point comprising;
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(a) source means for producing a beam of electromagnetic radiation; (b) splitting means for splitting said beam into a primary beam and a secondary beam; (c) reflecting means for directing said primary and secondary beams onto a surface of said specimen when in a measuring position between the source means and the reference point such that each of said primary and said secondary beams impinge said surface at an angle and converge at said reference point; (d) means for sensing the points at which said primary and said secondary beams impinge said surface of said specimen and for producing a signal related thereto; and (e) means for processing said signal to determine the position of said surface of said specimen relative to said reference point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for determining the position of a planar surface or specimen relative to a reference point, the apparatus comprising;
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source means for producing a pair of beams included at opposite directions to the planar surface of the specimen; means for sensing the points at which said beams impinge said surface of said specimen and for producing a signal related thereto; means for processing said signal to determine the position of said surface of said specimen relative to said reference point; calibration means comprising a plurality of reference surfaces; and a movement mechanism to which the reference surfaces are mount, which movement mechanism is capable of moving each reference surface sequentially to a measuring position, with the location of each reference surface in the measurement position relative to the reference point being known, whereby to permit calibration of the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification