INTERFEROMETRIC POSITION SENSOR

An interferometric position sensor for sensing the position of an object is disclosed. The position sensor comprises a light source arranged to emit light, a beam splitter, and a detector array. The beam splitter is arranged to split the light between first and second optical paths, which are config...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors CARTER, Christopher, Ralph, WILLIAMS, Ross, Matthew
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
French
German
Published 11.09.2019
Subjects
MEASURING
MEASURING ANGLES
MEASURING AREAS
MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS
PHYSICS
TESTING
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:An interferometric position sensor for sensing the position of an object is disclosed. The position sensor comprises a light source arranged to emit light, a beam splitter, and a detector array. The beam splitter is arranged to split the light between first and second optical paths, which are configured such that the split light is recombined so as to form an optical interference pattern dependent on the difference between the optical path lengths of the first and second optical paths. The detector array is arranged to measure the intensity of at least a part of the optical interference pattern. At least one of the first and second optical path lengths is arranged to be dependent on the position of the object, such that changes in the optical interference pattern can be related to changes in the position of the object.
Bibliography:Application Number: EP20170795028