Measuring apparatus for determining distances to points on a reflective surface coated with metal and method for same
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for determining distances to points on a reflective surface coated with a coating metal, the apparatus comprising:
- a diffuse surface comprising a concave face,a laser emitter configured to emit a laser beam at an angle to the perpendicular of the reflective surface for reflection off the reflective surface onto the concave face of the diffuse surface;
a sensor configured to detect a diffuse light of the laser beam; and
a processor configured to determine the distances to the points of reflection of the laser beam off the reflective surface based on readings from the sensor corresponding to the detected diffuse light.
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Abstract
A measuring apparatus, for measuring the distance to a surface having fluctuating reflectivity, the measuring apparatus comprising, a measuring light source and sensor unit positioned at an angle to the perpendicular of the surface to allow the light to be reflected to a diffuse target surface in a known position; and a processor unit, wherein the processor unit is adapted to collect and analyze data from the a measuring light source and sensor unit and classify whether the reading of the measuring light source and sensor unit is a direct reading or a reflected reading.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus for determining distances to points on a reflective surface coated with a coating metal, the apparatus comprising:
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a diffuse surface comprising a concave face, a laser emitter configured to emit a laser beam at an angle to the perpendicular of the reflective surface for reflection off the reflective surface onto the concave face of the diffuse surface; a sensor configured to detect a diffuse light of the laser beam; and a processor configured to determine the distances to the points of reflection of the laser beam off the reflective surface based on readings from the sensor corresponding to the detected diffuse light. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. An apparatus for determining a distance to a metal-coated surface having fluctuating reflectivity, comprising:
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a laser emitter configured to emit a laser beam at the coated surface at an angle to the perpendicular of the coated surface; a sensor configured to detect a diffuse light of the laser beam from the coated surface; and a processor configured to determine the distance to the coated surface based on a reading from the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 21, 22, 23)
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9. A system for controlling the thickness of a coating metal on a metal sheet in a coating process, comprising:
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an air knife configured to emit high-pressure air at a surface of the metal sheet after emerging from a bath of the coating metal; a laser rangefinder positioned to provide a laser beam at the surface at an angle to the perpendicular of the surface, and detect diffuse light of the laser beam; and a processor configured to cause a change to a distance between the air knife and the surface of the metal sheet in response to a distance reading of the laser rangefinder. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for coating a sheet of metal with a coating metal, comprising:
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applying the coating metal to the sheet; emitting, from an air knife a select distance from the sheet, high-pressure air at the sheet after applying the coating metal to reduce the thickness of the coating metal; directing a laser beam at an angle to the perpendicular of the sheet after applying the coating metal; detecting a diffuse light of the laser beam; and adjusting the select distance of the air knife from the sheet in response to the detected diffuse light of the laser beam. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 24, 25)
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18. A method for determining a distance to a surface of a sheet having fluctuating reflectivity, comprising:
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directing a laser beam at the surface at an angle to the perpendicular of the sheet; detecting, from the surface, a diffuse light of the laser beam; and determining the distance to the surface based on the detected diffuse light and a reference distance measurement. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification