Measuring device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329025-B2
Application number	US-201414202768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2014
Priority date	May 28, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a measuring device including a photoelectric conversion unit that receives a light beam emitted from a position measurement object by different optical path lengths and that outputs an electrical signal corresponding to intensity of the received light beam for each optical path length, and a measuring unit that measures a position of the position measurement object based on a ratio of two electrical signals out of the electrical signals by optical path lengths acquired from the photoelectric conversion unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A measuring device comprising:
a photoelectric conversion unit that receives a light beam emitted or reflected from a position measurement object by different optical path lengths and that outputs an electrical signal corresponding to intensity of the received light beam for each optical path length; and
a measuring unit that measures a position of the position measurement object based on a ratio of two electrical signals out of the electrical signals by optical path lengths acquired from the photoelectric conversion unit,
wherein a condenser lens is not disposed between the photoelectric conversion unit and the position measurement object so that the photoelectric conversion unit only receives a diffused light beam having a spread angle.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein
the photoelectric conversion unit includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces having different optical path lengths, and outputs the electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the received light beam for each optical path length by receiving the light beam emitted or reflected from the position measurement object through the plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces.

3. The measuring device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a light source that sequentially emits a plurality of light beams incident on the position measurement object and having different optical axis positions, the plurality of light beams having substantially equal irradiation angles,
wherein the measuring unit acquires the two electrical signals for each of the plurality of light beams sequentially emitted from the light source, calculates the ratio thereof, and measures positions of a plurality of points of the position measurement object based on the ratio for each of the plurality of light beams.

4. The measuring device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces includes a first photoelectric conversion surface and a second photoelectric conversion surface, the first photoelectric conversion surface having a shorter optical path length than an optical path length of the second photoelectric conversion surface and being a smaller size than a size of the second photoelectric conversion surface.

5. The measuring device according to claim 2 , wherein
at least one of the optical path lengths from a predetermined reference position and a light-receiving area in the two photoelectric conversion surfaces is adjusted in advance so that a ratio of the electrical signals output from the two photoelectric conversion surfaces out of the plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces is 1 or is in a predetermined range including 1 in a state where the position measurement object is disposed at the reference position, and
wherein the measuring unit measures a position of the position measurement object based on the ratio of the electrical signals output from the two photoelectric conversion surfaces adjusted so that the ratio is 1 or is in a predetermined range including 1.

6. The measuring device according to claim 3 , wherein
the light source includes a light emitting diode (LED) array or a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array, and
the LED array or the VCSEL array sequentially emits the plurality of light beams.

7. The measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein
the photoelectric conversion unit is configured so that a difference in the optical path length from a reference position where the position measurement object to be positioned to the two photoelectric conversion surfaces is equal to or greater than 5% of a smaller optical path length in a state where the position measurement object is disposed at the predetermined reference position.

8. The measuring device according to claim 5 , wherein
the measuring unit, in a state where the position measurement object is disposed so that an irradiation position of the position measurement object irradiated with any one light beam of a plurality of light beams is the reference position, acquires the electrical signals output from the two photoelectric conversion surfaces for each of the plurality of light beams sequentially emitted from the light source, calculates the ratio, and measures the positions of a plurality of points of the position measurement object based on the ratio for each of the plurality of light beams.

9. The measuring device according to claim 2 , wherein
the light-receiving area of at least one of the plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces is variable.

10. The measuring device according to claim 2 , wherein
at least one of the plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces is provided with a moving mechanism that moves a position of the corresponding photoelectric conversion surface to adjust a distance from the corresponding photoelectric conversion surface to the position measurement object.

11. The measuring device according to claim 2 , wherein
at least the photoelectric conversion surfaces other than the photoelectric conversion surface having the longest optical path length from the position measurement object out of the plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces is formed of a light-transmitting member that photo-electrically converts an incident light beam and that emits the converted light beam to a side opposite to the incidence side, and
the plurality of photoelectric conversion surfaces are arranged so that central points thereof are located on a straight line.

12. The measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein
the photoelectric conversion unit receives a reflected light beam from the position measurement object and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the received light beam by optical path lengths, and
wherein the measuring device further comprises:
a detection unit that detects reflectance of the position measurement object using one electrical signal out of the electrical signals by the optical path lengths acquired by the photoelectric conversion unit; and
a correction unit that corrects the detected reflectance using the measurement result of the measuring unit.

13. The measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the photoelectric conversion unit is configured so that a difference in the optical path length from a reference position where the position measurement object to be positioned to the two photoelectric conversion surfaces is equal to or greater than 5% of a smaller optical path length in a state where the position measurement object is disposed at the predetermined reference position.

Assignees

• Fuji Xerox Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hotta Hiroyuki

Classifications

• G01N21/41

  Refractivity; Phase-affecting properties, e.g. optical path length (G01N21/21 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B9/02015

  characterised by the beam path configuration · CPC title

• G01N2021/0106

  General arrangement of respective parts · CPC title

• G01N21/47

  Scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection (G01N21/25, G01N21/41 take precedence {G01N21/55 takes precedence}) · CPC title

• G01B11/0608 Primary

  Height gauges · CPC title