Abstract:
The wavelength (μ) of light to be measured is determined in accordance with the formula μ = Ds/N from the number (N) of interference fringes having predetermined repeating waveforms that occur when the optical path length is changed by the quantity Ds by moving continuously a movable portion (7) of an interference spectrometer portion (1) of a wavelength measuring apparatus at a constant speed. A wave number counter (13) counts the number of specific points in each period of the interference fringes entirely from a predetermined measuring start point to a predetermined measuring finish point to obtain wave number data (Na). A reference pulse generation portion (21) generates reference pulses having a higher frequency than the repeating waveforms of the interference fringes. Detection portions (22a, 23a) detect the first number of the reference pulses existing in one period of the interference fringes, the second number of the reference pulses existing inside the period from the measuring start point till the first specific point of the interference fringes in succession to the measuring start point and the third number of the reference pulses existing inside the period from the final specific point of the interference fringes to the measuring finish point. A calculation portion (26) corrects the wave number data (Na) to wave number data (NA) inclusive of fraction values using the first, second and third numbers, and measures highly precisely the wavelength of light to be measured in accordance with the following equation: μ = Ds/NA.
Abstract:
An interferometric procedure, such as electronic speckle pattern interferometry, involves generating two signals representing the point-by-point variations in intensity of respective patterns of electromagnetic radiation resulting from the interference of first and second beams of such radiation derived from a coherent source, with at least the first beam from each pattern being scattered, before interference with its respective second beam, from a common object surface, and with a corresponding pair of the beams, one for each pattern, having a predetermined relative phase difference of other than a multiple of pi ; and determining from the two signals values for a datum phase of the radiation at the object surface. Preferably, as a preliminary to this last determination, DC components are removed from the two signals. Conveniently, to simplify the determination, the phase difference is an odd multiple of pi /4 or pi /2.
Abstract:
Laser interferometer system in use for taking measurements on a machine. Optical devices (14, 16) such as interferometers, reflectors and beam splitters are required to be mounted on the machine spindle (3) or the machine bed (2). It is an advantage for some of the optical devices to be interchangeably mountable on the spindle or the bed to avoid duplication. The invention proposes that for interchangeability, a bed-mounted retro-reflector (16) has the geometric center of its optical component (16b) positioned at a distance (b) from the side in contact with the machine bed, and (b-x) from the opposite side, while a spindle mounted interferometer (14) has the geometric centre of its optical component (14b) positioned at a distance (b-x) from the side confronting the bed (which is at a distance (x) from the bed) and at a distance (b) from the opposite side. Thus the geometric centers of the optical components are each at a distance (b) from the bed. The components can simply be interchanged between spindle-mounted and bed-mounted positions, by turning them through 180 DEG and the geometric centres would still be at a distance (b) from the machine bed.