The disclosure describes an arrangement to measure precisely probe-to-model board distance in a simulator. A source of radiation is positioned to emit a beam toward a model board surface on which a scaled terrain model is constructed. A fixed position lens collects reflected radiation and directs it onto a sensor device which develops an electrical signal indicative of displacement of the reflected beam, which, in turn, varies directly as the distance between the probe and the model board surface. One embodiment describes an arrangement in accordance with the Scheimpflug condition whereby focus is maintained without certain for the depth of field as the probe approaches and withdraws from the surface of the model board.
An optical sensor for use on an electronic component placement machine. A spindle tip on a placement head for the machine holds the electronic component to be placed on a printed circuit board by means of, for example, a vacuum. A spindle driver housing is mounted surrounding the spindle-spindle tip combination such that the spindle tip can move relative to the spindle driver housing vertically, due to bias mounting. A light beam from an optical emitter passes through an opening in the spindle driver housing to a first mirror mounted at 45.degree. on a first inside surface of the spindle driver housing. The light is reflected from the first mirror to a second mirror on a second inside surface of the spindle driver housing. The second mirror is also at 45.degree.. The light beam is then reflected from the second mirror through a second opening on the other side of the spindle driver housing to an optical receiver. When the assembly is moved to a downward position and the component comes in contact with the printed circuit board, the spindle tip stops its downward movement, but the bias mounting of the spindle tip results in the relative downward movement of the spindle driver housing relative to the spindle tip, thereby causing the top end of the spindle tip to alter the light beam between the two mirrors, and thus detect the placement of the component onto the printed circuit board.
An instrument for measuring both the static attitude and Z-height of a suspension assembly flexure. The instrument includes an autocollimation system for measuring static attitude angles. The autocollimation system is fixedly mounted to a laser point range sensor for measuring Z-height distances. Optics coincidentally direct the beams of light from the collimation system and from the point range sensor system to a measurement point. The optics include at least one reflector or other optical device. The instrument offers accurate distance and angle readings in a shore amount of time with no repositioning of the instrument, the base, or the part to be measured.
A source of light (F1, 34) directs a light beam (35) towards an object. A photoelectrical measuring system (39) includes three measurement detectors (40, 41, 42) having respective reception fields (44, 45, 46). These fields overlap partially, and all of them share a volume of space in common with the beam (35). A reference photoelectrical system (F2, 36) detects light diffused by an object anywhere in said common volume. A processing system determines the distance of the object in said common field as a function both of which of the measurement detectors is detecting light diffused by the object and of the ratio between the measurement signal detected thereby and the reference signal from the reference system. The apparatus may be used to equip the pincers of an industrial robot.
A variable depth triangulation ranging system is reconfigurable in real time in the sense that any two of the three performance measures, standoff distance, depth of field, and range resolution at a point within the depth of field, are selected by the user and the system geometrically reconfigures itself to provide the requested performance. The system is composed of a light beam emitting component such as a laser, a linear photodetector, and an imaging lens component. Any of these components has a fixed location and the other two are movable and positioned so that the Scheimpflug condition to guarantee blur-free imaging of reflected target returns is satisfied; the laser beam, a plane axis through the imaging lens component, and an image line through the photodetector all intersect at a common point. A scanner assembly is added to scan the laser beam along a line and over an area.
An electro-optical sensor for measuring distance to a test surface, such as a road surface beneath a vehicle frame on which the sensor is mounted. The sensor includes a modulated light source for directing a light beam onto the test surface, and a photosensitive detector for receiving light diffusely deflected from the test surface and providing a pair of output signals indicative of orthogonal position coordinates of reflected light incident on the detector. The detector outputs are fed to amplifiers for obtaining sum and difference signals which are demodulated synchronously with energization frequency of the light source. Distance to the test surface is determined as a function of a ratio of the detector output differential to the detector output sum. In the preferred application of the invention for road profile measurement, a signal indicative of road profile is stored at increments of vehicle motion along the road surface.
