Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Katsuji Komaki

Kazunari Yoshimura

Kuninori Nakamura

An arrangement for detecting a shape of object to measure any displacement of its surface from a reference plane with a high resolution, and to improve to precision of the measurement. This is attained by irradiating a projected light beam from a light source on a subject the light beam being deflected by a vibration mirror and passed through a light projecting lens for scanning projected light spots, by providing a light receiving lens with its optical axis within a scanning plane of the projected light beam while arranging first photosensors on an image plane of the light receiving lens for detection of the position of the projected light beam with the first photosensors, and obtaining with a distance operator a time difference between a first time when an image of a spot with respect to the subject to detect passes through any one of the first photosensors and a second time when the projected light beam passes through one of second photosensors provided to set a reference plane and corresponding to one of the first photosensors upon irradiation of the projected light beam upon the reference plane, for conversion of this time difference into a displacement of the surface of the subject to detect with respect to the reference plane.

Growing community of inventors

Kadoma, Japan

Katsuji Komaki