The invention disclosed herein relates to a detection system for a profile line on an observed body which uses a linear array of sequentially energized energy beam emitters to project beams toward the body. Reflections of the beams are detected by a linear array of energy beam receivers which monitor wedge shaped sectors within a field of view. The known sequence of beam projection and the known sector of reception of reflected beams are used to identify points in space on the profile line.
Apparatus comprising a measurement lens (2) forming the image of the Fourier transform (102) of the elementary area (101) in its image focal plane (Fi), a transfer lens (3) forming the image of the elementary area on a sensor (4) formed by detectors (4i,j), a diaphragm (5) for defining the aperture of the elementary area (101), and a processing circuit (6). The lens (2) producing the Fourier transform is associated with a field lens (10), the combination of these two means (2, 10) and of the circular aperture of diameter (d) which is defined by the diaphragm (5) making it possible, for any light beam having an angle of incidence .theta. and an angle of azimuth .psi., to select a measurement area of elliptical shape on the object (1) analyzed.
An optical sensor system for measuring the approximate three-dimensional profile and position of an object. A reduced to practice embodiment of the optical sensor system has been used to measure the three-dimensional profile and position of an object within a range of 40 inches to 2 inches with high accuracy and high update rates (>1 KHz). The sensor system generates a set of optical beams using a projection lens and multiple light emitting diodes (LED) located in a back focal plane of the projection lens. The position of each LED determines the angle of a beam transmitted thereby. By turning on each LED sequentially in time, a set of beams is generated at various angles that illuminates the object to produce a set of spots on the object. The range from each LED to each of the spatially-separated illuminated spots on the object is determined by imaging the spots onto a two-dimensional transverse-effect photodiode. Signals derived from a pair of photocurrent outputs from the photodiode are processed to determine the positions of the spots on the two-dimensional transverse-effect photodiode. Computations are performed that implement optical triangulation to determine the range and approximate three-dimensional profile to the object.
A computer controlled system for determining various physical surface characteristics of an object includes a light source array, positioned to illuminate a surface for evaluation, in which individual lights in the array illuminate the object on a mutually exclusive basis, a radiometer, positioned to receive light from the object, producing image data relative to positions of the light pixels and a computer apparatus that, among other functions in the system, interprets the image data and determines at least the surface waviness, radius of curvature and cant angle of the surface.
A range finder device, for measuring, when a plurality of projected lights having radiation patterns whose light intensity differs three-dimensional space-wise are irradiated onto an object from a light source on a time-sharing basis to image-pick up reflected light of the projected light from the object with a camera, a distance using the light intensity of an image picked up, characterized in that, with respect to each of a plurality of surfaces including the center of the light source and the center of a lens, there is obtained, in advance, relation between an angle of each projected light from the light source and light intensity ratio in each surface, characterized in that, at the time of actual distance measurement, light intensity of each pixel of the camera is measured, and on the basis of the light intensity thus measured, and relation between the angle and the light intensity ratio on a predetermined surface corresponding to a coordinate position of the pixel measured, there is obtained the angle corresponding to the light intensity of the predetermined, pixel thus measured, and characterized in that, on the basis of these light intensity measured, the angles obtained and further two-dimensional coordinate position information on the predetermined pixel on the image, a distance to the object is calculated.
There is provided a process for producing a dielectric thin film of a compound oxide of a high-melting metal and a low-melting metal by vapor-depositing the compound oxide onto a substrate, wherein the improvement comprises irradiating a laser beam onto the substrate or to the vapor phase during vapor deposition. There is also provided a pyroelectric type of sensor comprising: a MOS element including a drain electrode, a source electrode, a gate electrode and an Si semiconductor and a film of a ferroelectric or pyroelectric material formed on the drain electrode, the drain electrode being made of a material which exhibits a good ohmic contact with Si or SiO.sub.2 and has a lattice constant close to that of ferroelectric or pyroelectric material.