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Apparatus and methods employing harmonic analysis for measuring the difference in phase between two coherent beams    
United States Patent5543914   
Link to this pagehttp://www.wikipatents.com/5543914.html
Inventor(s)Henshaw; Philip D. (Carlisle, MA); Lis; Steven A. (Needham, MA)
AbstractAn improved interferometric measuring system that includes a system for measuring a phase difference between two coherent beams oscillating at substantially the same frequency, and including a phase modulator disposed into optical communication with one of the coherent beams and being adapted to generate a phase modulated beam signal. A beam combiner combines the phase modulated beam signal with the second one of the coherent beams to generate a combined beam signal. A detector element measures the intensity of the combined beam signal and a date processor analyzes the intensity to determine from the harmonic components of the combined beam signal the phase difference between the two coherent beams.



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Drawing from US Patent 5543914
Apparatus and methods employing harmonic analysis for measuring the difference in phase between two coherent beams - US Patent 5543914 Drawing
Apparatus and methods employing harmonic analysis for measuring the difference in phase between two coherent beams
Inventor     Henshaw; Philip D. (Carlisle, MA); Lis; Steven A. (Needham, MA)
Owner/Assignee     Sparta, Inc. (Lexington, MA)
Patent assignment
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Publication Date     August 6, 1996
Application Number     08/372,226
PAIR File History     Application Data   Transaction History
Image File Wrapper   Patent Term   Fees
Litigation
Filing Date     January 13, 1995
US Classification     356/487
Int'l Classification     G01B 009/02
Examiner     Gonzalez; Frank
Assistant Examiner     Eisenberg; Jason D.
Attorney/Law Firm     Engellenner; Thomas J. Kelly; Edward J. , Lahive & Cockfield
Address
Parent Case     REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/181,885, entitled "An Interferometric Measuring System With Air Turbulence Compensation" (as amended), filed Jan. 14, 1994, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Priority Data    
USPTO Field of Search     356/345 250/227.27 250/227.19 250/227.17
Patent Tags     methods employing harmonic analysis measuring the difference phase between two coherent beams
   
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Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A method for determining a phase difference between two coherent beams oscillating at substantially a same frequency, comprising the steps of

modulating a first one of said coherent beams to generate a phase modulated beam signal,

combining said phase modulated beam signal with a second one of said coherent beams to generate a combined beam signal,

measuring an intensity of said combined signal,

determining from said intensity, a set of values representative of a series of at least four harmonic components of said combined beam signal, and

generating as a function of said series of at least four harmonic components, a signal representative of said phase difference between said two coherent beams.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said step of determining a set of values includes the step of determining magnitude values for each of said four harmonic components.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said step of determining a set of values representative of at least four harmonic components includes the step of determining values representative of a first, second, third and fourth harmonic component of said combined signal.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein said step of determining a set of values includes the step of

sampling an electrical data signal representative of said intensity of said combined signal to generate a digital signal representative of said intensity.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said step of determining four harmonic c