Apparatus for measuring two-dimensional displacement

• US 7,187,451 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chang, Chung-Chu, Lin, Ching-Fang, Kao, Ching-Fen
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Jr.; Gregory J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DETSCHEL, MARISSA
• Application Number:
  US10/935,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20050062981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 356/487, 356/496, 356/499, 356/521, 250/231.13, 250/231.14, 250/231.16, 250/237.G
• US Class Current: 356/499
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2290/30 Grating as beam-splitter
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 2290/70 Using polarization in the interferometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02027 Two or more interferometric channels or interferometers

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring a two-dimensional displacement is disclosed and includes a laser light source, a collimator lens, a beam splitter, a plurality of staggered conjugate optic lens and a plurality of interference optical dephasing modules. The laser light source provides a laser light incident on the collimator lens to generate collimated laser beams. Each of the collimated laser beams are incident on the beam splitter to be separated into two incident beams and incident on a two-dimensional diffraction unit to generate a plurality of first diffracted beams and a plurality of second-order diffracted beams. The staggered conjugate optic lens are used to reflect the first diffracted beams so that the first diffracted beams return to the two-dimensional diffraction unit to generate a plurality of second diffracted beams where the second diffracted beams and the second-order diffracted beams generated as a result of the first diffraction of the beams stagger.

Claims

1. A two-dimensional displacement measuring apparatus adapted to measure a two-dimensional displacement, comprising:

a two-dimensional diffraction unit;

a laser light source for providing an incident light;

a beam splitter for separating said incident light into at least two beams to be incident on said two-dimensional diffraction unit so as to generate a plurality of first diffracted beams and a plurality of second-order diffracted beams from the first diffraction of said beams;

a plurality of conjugate optical lenses for reflecting said first diffracted beams respectively so that said first diffracted beams return to said two-dimensional diffraction unit to generate a plurality of second diffracted beams where said second diffracted beams and said second-order diffracted beams generated as a result of the first diffraction of said beams stagger; and

a plurality of interference optical dephasing modules for receiving said second diffracted beams respectively so as to separate each of said second diffracted beams into at least two signal beams by which a two-dimensional displacement is measured.

2. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said conjugate optical lenses has a convergent lens and a plane mirror so that said first diffracted beam is incident on said convergent lens and then reflected back to said convergent lens by means of said plane mirror to return to said two-dimensional diffraction unit.

3. The measuring apparatus claim 1, wherein said second diffracted beam carries periodic wave signals to be dephased by means of said interference optical dephasing modules so that said two-dimensional displacement is measured by said signal beams.

4. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein staggered conjugate optic lenses are gradient index (GRIN) lenses having a reflection layer.

5. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein staggered conjugate optic lens are corner cube prisms.

6. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a collimator lens disposed between said laser light source and said beam splitter to collimate said incident light into laser beams that substantially run parallel with each other.

7. The measuring apparatus of claim 5, wherein said collimator lens is a single lens, multiple lenses or a gradient index (GRIN) lens.

8. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said interference optical dephasing modules has a first diffraction unit and a plurality of first polarisers, said first polarisers being disposed on the optical paths of said diffracted beams generated by means of said first diffraction unit respectively.

9. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said interference optical dephasing modules has a second diffraction unit and a plurality of second polarisers, said second polarisers being disposed on the optical paths of said diffracted beams generated by means of said second diffraction unit respectively.

10. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein said signal beams are used to generate sine signals and cosine signals.

11. The measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein said incident light source provides an incident light which is a linearly polarized light or a circularly polarized light.