Multiple channel optical flying spot triangulation ranger system
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsCarl M. Penney, Nelson R. Corby Jr., Nancy H. Irwin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Multiple light detection channels are introduced into a flying spot optical triangulation ranging system to increase the speed of acquiring range values. A laser beam is rapidly swept across a surface by a beam deflector. Each fiber optic channel can receive light only from a different point along a line at the intersection of the swept beam with the surface. The receiver channels are duplicated and separate detectors generate signal pulses at times that are a function of range to the surface. These are processed in parallel to calculate N range values per beam sweep, where N is the number of channels.
Claims11
An improved swept aperture flying spot triangulation ranger system comprising:
- means for providing a narrow spot of light beam and rapidly sweeping said beam across a surface in a given direction;
- multiple adjacent linearly arrayed light detection channels optically coupled to separate detectors, one detector per channel, each of said channels having a rectangular entry face, lens means for focusing images of a light spot onto said detection channels entry faces, which respectively receive light scattered from the surface at different rectangular sensitive zones along a line that forms the intersection of said light beam with said surface, and aperture stop means disposed between said lens means and said detection channels having a rectangular slit;
- said detectors each generating a signal pulse at a time that is a function of range to the surface so that for every sweep of said light beam a plurality of range points are measured equal to the number of said detection channels;
- and
- means for parallel processing said signal pulses and calculating multiple range values.
A multiple channel swept aperture flying spot triangulation ranger system comprising:
- a narrow spot of laser beam source and means for deflecting and sweeping said beam across a surface in an X direction;
- multiple adjacent linearly arrayed fiber optic light detection channels, each of said channels having a rectangular entry face and receiving light only from a different rectangular sensitive zone along a line that forms the intersection of said laser beam with said surface, and an aperture stop plate disposed between said receiving lens and said fiber optic channels having a rectangular slit to limit passage of light and increase depth of focus;
- a receiving lens to focus light scattered from the surface onto entrance faces of said detection channels;
- separate detectors, one detector per channel, sensing the light delivered by said fiber optic channels and generating signal pulses at times related to range to the surface;
- and
- means for processing said signal pulses in parallel and calculating multiple range values equal to the number of said detection channels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.