Dr. Johannes Heidenhain Gmbh

Johannes Heidenhain Gmbh

Erwin Spanner

Wolfgang Holzapfel

Walter Huber

Dieter Michel

Markus Meissner

Ralph Joerger

Andreas Franz

Bernhard Musch

Rainer Hagl

Mathias Hausschmid

Johann Streitwieser

J&uuml;rgen Thiel

Peter Speckbacher

Joerg Drescher

Thomas Kaelberer

Georg Flatscher

Jörg Drescher

Michael Allgauer

Erich Bayer

Peter Pechak

Herbert Huber-Lenk

Daniel Frese

Jurgen Thiel

Jürgen Thiel

Thomas Kälberer

Volker HÖFER

In an optical position measuring device for detecting the relative position of a first measuring standard and a second measuring standard, movable relative to each other along at least one measuring direction, at a splitting grating, a beam bundle emitted by a light source is split up into at least two partial beam bundles. When passing through scanning beam paths, the partial beam bundles undergo different polarization-optical effects. After the differently polarized partial beam bundles are recombined at a combination grating, a plurality of phase-displaced, displacement-dependent scanning signals is able to be generated from the resulting beam bundle. No polarization-optical components are arranged in the scanning beam paths of the partial beam bundles between the splitting and recombination. To generate the different polarization-optical effects on the partial beam bundles, a conically incident illumination beam bundle impinges upon the splitting grating, the incident illumination beam bundle extending in a plane perpendicular to the measuring direction at an angle other than 0&#xb0;, the plane of incidence being defined by the grating normal to the splitting grating and the direction of incidence of the illumination beam bundle. The scanning beam paths of the partial beam bundles are arranged in mirror symmetry with respect to the plane of incidence between the splitting and recombination.

Optical position measuring device

An interferometer includes a light source and a beam splitter, via which the beam of rays emitted by the light source is split into a measurement beam and a reference beam. The measurement beam propagates in a measuring arm extending in a first direction between the beam splitter and a measuring reflector. The measuring reflector brings about an offset perpendicular to the direction of incidence between the measurement beam falling on it and the measurement beam reflected back by it. In a reference arm extending in a second direction, the reference beam propagates between the beam splitter and a reference reflector. In addition, the interferometer has a detector system, to which the superposed and recombined measurement beam and reference beam are able to be supplied, and via which a distance-dependent interference signal with respect to the position of the measuring reflector is able to be generated. The measuring reflector in each case includes at least one transmission grating as well as a reflector element.

Interferometer

An optical position measuring arrangement including a source of illumination that generates one or several bundles of illuminating beams, a measuring graduation that is illuminated by the source of illumination so as to generate a periodic fringe pattern of a defined fringe pattern period and a fiber-optical scanning head, wherein the fiber-optical scanning head scans the periodic fringe pattern. A scanning plate is arranged in the fiber-optical scanning head, wherein the scanning plate is matched to the fringe pattern period and scans the periodic fringe pattern. Fringe patterns, which are phase-shifted in relation to each other, are generated within a fringe pattern period in bundles of partial signal beams in the one or several bundles of illuminating beams via a wavelength-dependent local separation, and the bundles of partial signal beams are employed for conversion into position-dependent phase-shifted scanning signals.

Optical position measuring arrangement

A position-measuring device for determining the positions of two objects movable with respect to each other along a measuring direction includes a first radiation source for emitting an electromagnetic beam of rays, a beam splitter, which splits each beam of rays emitted by the radiation source into at least one first and one second partial beam of rays, a reference reflector arranged in the beam path of the first partial beam of rays, a measuring reflector, movable with respect to the reference reflector along the measuring direction, which is arranged in the beam path of the second partial beam of rays, a device for superposing the two partial rays of beams after their reflecting at the respective reflector, for generating a measuring signal, a second radiation source for emitting additional electromagnetic beams of rays and a combining device for combining the additional electromagnetic beams of rays into the beam path of the electromagnetic beam of rays generated by the first radiation source. In the position-measuring device, a detection device is arranged such that it receives a reference signal formed by superposition of the beams of rays emitted by the first radiation source and the additional beams of rays, and an evaluation device is assigned to the detection device, which is equipped and provided for evaluating the reference signal formed by the superposition of the beams of rays of the two radiation sources for generating a reference pulse.

Position-measuring device for determining the position of two objects movable with respect to each other along a measuring direction, and method for forming a reference pulse for such a position-measuring device

An optical assembly of an interferometer that includes a beam splitter for dividing the beams emitted by a radiation source into at least one measuring and one reference beam and at least one measuring and one reference mirror, on which the measuring and the reference beams impinge, wherein at least one of the mirrors can be displaced along a measuring axis. The optical assembly further includes a beam deflector, as well as a retro-reflector, wherein the measuring and the reference beams reflected at the measuring and the reference mirrors via the beam deflector and the retro-reflector are guided at least a second time in the direction toward the measuring and the reference mirrors and wherein the beam deflector is embodied as a plane-parallel plate.

Optics system for an interferometer that uses a measuring mirror, a reference mirror and a beam deflector

A device for position indication and the detection of guidance errors that includes a scale that has a position measuring graduation arranged in a position measurement direction. A first guidance error measuring graduation which is arranged perpendicularly with respect to the position measurement graduation and a second guidance error measuring graduation which is arranged perpendicularly with respect to the position measurement graduation, wherein the first guidance error measuring graduation and the second guidance error measuring graduation are arranged on both sides of and adjacent to the position measuring graduation. A position indication scanning unit movable with respect to the scale, wherein the position indication scanning unit scans the position measuring graduation for generating position measurement signals. A guidance error scanning unit that is movable with respect to the scale, wherein the guidance error scanning unit scans the first guidance error measuring graduation for generating guidance error measurement signals.

Device for position indication and detection of guidance errors

A position measuring device for determining the position of two parts that are movable relatively to one another in the measuring direction, which, in addition, includes the feature of enabling an absolute reference to be established during the measurement. To this end, the position measuring device includes a light source, as well as a beam-splitter element, which splits the beam of rays emitted by the light source into at least one first and one second beam component, which are preferably oriented parallel to one another after leaving the beam-splitter element. Provision is also made for a reference reflector, as well as a measuring reflector, upon which the two beam components strike. A reference marking, as well as a scanning unit are arranged at the measuring reflector and at the reference reflector to produce a reference pulse signal at the position of the stationary reference reflector.

Optical position measuring device with a beam splitter

A position measuring system for the determination of the relative positions of two objects which can be moved with respect to each other, as well as a process for operating the same are disclosed, which in case of a relative movement provides at least one pair of phase-shifted analog incremental signals, and which makes possible a definite variation of the signal periods (SP) by at least one signal period variation factor (n) of the analog incremental signals transmitted to an evaluation unit arranged behind it by a signal period variation unit. The signal period variation unit furthermore comprises correction means for eliminating most varied errors in the output signals (SIN&prime;, COS&prime;). Among these are counted errors possibly resulting during the signal period variation, as well as measurement arrangement-specific errors.

Position measuring system and method for operating a position measuring system

A position measuring system for the determination of the relative positions of two objects which can be moved with respect to each other, as well as a process for operating the same are disclosed, which in case of a relative movement provides at least one pair of phase-shifted analog incremental signals, and which makes possible a definite variation of the signal periods (SP) by at least one signal period variation factor (n) of the analog incremental signals transmitted to an evaluation unit arranged behind it by a signal period variation unit. The signal period variation unit furthermore comprises correction means for eliminating most varied errors in the output signals (SIN', COS'). Among these are counted errors possibly resulting during the signal period variation, as well as measurement arrangement-specific errors.

Position measuring system and method for operating a position measuring

A position-measuring device for the determination of the relative position of two objects movable with respect to one another includes at least two graduation carriers connected to the movable objects on each of which, formed as chirp fields, are disposed reference mark graduation structures that serve to generate a defined signal at a known absolute position. From the scanning chirp field assigned to the scanning graduation carrier, the incident beams of a light source disposed on the illumination side and separable into at least two individual beams of differing orders of diffraction that strike at spatially separated scale chirp fields.

Optical position-measuring device having reference mark graduation

The phase grating of the present invention includes a substrate with a reflective, continuous layer disposed thereon on which a structured spacer layer 3 of dielectric material is applied. To form a phase grating that can be used as a scale in photoelectric position measuring instruments, a further thin reflective surface layer is located solely on the reflective, continuous surfaces, parallel to the layer, of the structured spacer layer.

Phase grating and method of producing phase grating

A linear encoder for measuring a relative position of two objects displaceable relative to each other, including a scale for being secured on one of the objects and formed of a graduation carrying measuring standard and a measuring standard support, and a device for scanning the scale and securable on another of the objects, with the measuring standard support having two regions, which are spaced from each other in a direction of a longitudinal extent of the measuring standard for supporting the measuring standard, one of supporting regions forming a stationary support area and another of the supporting regions forms an elastic support area, and with the stationary and elastic support areas being formed as substantially continuous or interrupted linear support areas extending transverse to the longitudinal extent of the measuring standard.

Linear encoder

An interferometer having a light source that generates a beam of light. The beam of light is directed to a beam splitter where it is split into a reference beam and a measuring beam. A pair of reflectors reflect the reference and measuring beams towards an interference point. A beam merging element is positioned at the interference point so that the reference and measuring beams interfere with each other at the interference point so that at least two pairs of partial beams which are phase-shifted in relation to each other and interfere with one another are generated. The two pairs of partial beams are received by a plurality of detectors which form directionally dependent measured values.

Dual-beam interferometer with a phase grating

An integrated optical interferometer is provided having a substrate located on one object and a measuring reflector or measuring diffraction grating located on another object. A beam impinging upon the substrate is split into two partial beams by a coupling grating and is coupled into a beam waveguide and supplied to another coupling grating. A second partial beam is routed by the measuring reflector to the second coupling grating and there interferes with the first partial beam. The second coupling grating is divided into a plurality of gratings which are phase-shifted with respect to each other so that signals that are phase-shifted with respect to each other can be generated by a plurality of detectors.

Photoelectric position measuring system with integral optical circuit

A polarizing optical arrangement wherein a linearly polarized signal beam cluster is generated. The signal beam cluster is created from interfering partial beam clusters and is linearly polarized. The azimuth of oscillation of the linearly polarized signal beam cluster is dependent on the mutual phase relationship of the aforementioned partial beam clusters. A splitter grating splits the linearly polarized signal beam cluster into partial beam clusters that are analyzed by analyzers, detected by photoelectric transducers and phase-shifted electrically from one another.

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Traunstein, Germany

Erwin Spanner