Apparatus and method for determining the configuration of a reflective

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for the precision, high speed, non-contacting measurement of the shapes of reflective surfaces. This system consists of multiple laser fringe pattern transmitters, a random access image dissector camera or receiver, and a computer analysis system. Three laser transmitters project three fringe patterns onto a specimen surface such that the coordinates of the surface of the specimen can be obtained with an image dissector camera, imaged on the specimen, by separate measurement of the reflection by the surface from each transmitter. The computer analysis system decides which picture elements (pixels) are of interest, directs the receiver to 'look at' those pixels, directs a digitizer to interrogate alternately the input numbers that are proportional to the coordinates of the specimen point. In a similar manner the shape of the entire specimen surface can be characterized and stored in computer memory, or the amplitude and frequency of vibration of a point on a vibrating reflective surface may be determined and displayed or stored.