Optoelectronic system housed in a plastic sphere

Abstract

An optoelectronic array or system permitting the simultaneous input of six isplacement components is housed in a plastic sphere wherein a fixed slit diaphragm is connected in series to each of six light-emitting devices, which are arrayed in a plane at equal angular displacements from each other. The light-emitting devices are arrayed opposite corresponding linear one-dimensional position-sensitive sensors, whose axes are aligned vertically to the direction of the slits of the corresponding slit diaphragms, so that the light-emitting devices with their corresponding slit diaphragms are adapted to move relative to the position-sensitive sensors. The individual light-emitting device allocated to each sensor is driven by an electronic controller which maintains the sum of both currents flowing in the corresponding position-sensitive sensor constant and equal for all six sub-systems and additionally regulates the radiant intensity of the light-emitting devices.