Systems Research Laboratories

Lasermike, Inc.

Techmet Company

Harry G Petrohilos

Francis M Taylor

A miniaturized laser scanning micrometer for making precision hand-held measurements comprises a compact housing for enclosing the micrometer and defining a main body handle portion which is gripped to hold the micrometer and a scanning gap extension projecting from the main body to define a scanning gap at a distance spaced from the main body. A laser diode and collimating lens housed within the main body generate a collimated laser beam and a photocell housed within the main body detect the collimated laser beam after it has been scanned through the scanning gap. A motor driven scanner mirror receives the collimated laser beam and repeatedly scans it upon a folding mirror which directs the laser beam toward the distal end of the scanning gap extension along one side thereof. A scanner prism is positioned at the distal end of the one side of the extension, a receiver prism is positioned at the distal end of the opposite side of the extension, a scanner lens is positioned between the folding mirror and the scanner prism, and a receiver lens is positioned between the receiver prism and the photocell. Accordingly, the collimated laser beam is scanned onto the folding mirror, directed to the scanner prism through the scanner lens, scanned across the scanning gap to the receiver prism which directs the beam through the receiver lens to the photocell.

Miniaturized hand-held laser scanning micrometer

A narrow collimated light beam, such as a laser beam, is directed towards a mirror which is rotated to effect rotary planar scanning or sweeping of a lens constructed to convert the rotary scanning beam into a parallel scanning beam. An article to be measured is positioned in the path of the parallel scanning beam at generally the focal point of the lens, and interruptions of the parallel scanning beam, as produced by the article, are sensed by a photodetector. The photodetector controls transmission of pulses or signals to means for counting pulses produced by a high frequency generator so that the counted pulses correspond to the dimension of the article at the plane of the parallel scanning beam. In this invention a lens is positioned in the path of the light beam and changes a narrow substantially round light beam into an elongate or substantially flat light beam which is scanned across an object for measurement thereof. The greatest dimension of the light beam is substantially normal to the direction of scan movement. Thus, if there should be irregularities or small particles of foreign material upon the surface of the object or adjacent thereto, the entire light beam is not completely interrupted by such particles or by such irregularities. Thus, a light beam is received by the photodetector in accordance with the average dimension or contour of the object at the measured portion thereof. Thus, the dimension of the object is measured without consideration of small irregularities or small or minute particles of foreign material or the like which may be present upon or adjacent the object at the measured portion thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Yellow Springs, OH, United States of America

Harry G Petrohilos