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High bandwidth, dynamically rigid metrology system for the measurement and control of intelligent manufacturing processes

  • US 5,666,202 A
  • Filed: 08/22/1995
  • Issued: 09/09/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A high-bandwidth, dynamically rigid metrology system for providing real time control of an optical steering element, the system comprising:

  • a pair of stabilized laser beam directors (SLBD) each including a base, a beam pointing and stabilization apparatus mechanically coupled to said base, three reference beam lasers and a stabilized beam laser attached to said base and a metric structure mechanically coupled to said SLBD providing a locally rigid SLBD coordinate system, each beam pointing and stabilization apparatus including an optical steering element and an axis tilt detector, said optical steering element being optically coupled to said stabilized beam laser and steering said stabilized beam laser in response to an input signal, said optical steering element providing error signals associated with a position and an orientation of said optical steering element relative to said locally rigid SLBD coordinate system, said optical steering element further including a rotational axis, said axis tilt detector providing signals indicating an angle of tilt and a direction of said rotational axis relative to an initial position of said rotational axis;

    a reference subsystem including three reference detectors fixedly positioned relative to a workpiece providing a locally rigid workpiece coordinate system, said three reference detectors respectively being in optical communication with said three reference beam lasers of each said SLBD, said reference detectors generating reference detector output signals in response to said reference beam lasers;

    a tool sensor subsystem including at least one tool sensor detector positioned on a tool and in optical communication with said stabilized beam laser, said at least one tool sensor detector generating tool sensor detector output signals in response to said stabilized beam laser; and

    at least one processor receiving and performing coordinate transforms on the reference detector output signals and the tool sensor detector output signals to track a position of the tool relative to the locally rigid workpiece coordinate system, said at least one processor receiving and processing the angle of tilt and direction signals from said axis tilt detector and the error signals from said optical steering element to generate said input signal thereby providing real time control of said optical steering element.

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