In applications that require precise measurement and detection of one or more objects, what type of sensor should one use? If objects that are very small and far apart need to be detected, what type of sensor provides high resolution over its entire sensing range?
The answer: a laser micrometer.
A laser micrometer can identify, compare, or sort objects based on minimal size or height differences. Similar to a standard micrometer caliper, a laser micrometer provides precise measurements.
But how is this done exactly? Let’s find out!
A laser micrometer consists of two opposed sides, a transmitter side and a receiver side. These two sides sit opposite of each other to detect any object that enters in-between them.
On the transmitter side, a laser light source is positioned so that its emitted light enters a lens. The lens then collimates the light from the laser by refraction into a collimated beam of light (see Figure 1). By definition, a collimated light beam is a light beam where each light path in the beam is travelling parallel to one another. This collimated light beam has minimal divergence, even over large distances.
On the other side, the receiver side, a CCD (charge-coupled device) is positioned to collect the light emitted from the transmitter side. CCDs are made up tiny light-sensitive cells. These cells convert the amount of light intensity received into a corresponding electric charge, which can then be measured (see Figure 2).
The combination of these two components, a collimated light beam and a CCD, make up the foundation of a standard laser micrometer. The collimated light beam, which consists of a homogeneous light band, is directed at the CCD, which consists of hundreds of tiny light-sensitive cells. With this configuration, even a slight change in an object (e.g., its diameter, height, position, etc.) causes a change in the object’s corresponding shadow that is projected onto the CCD. This slight change can then be measured.
A few examples of the measurement capabilities for a laser micrometer are listed below, along with a video.
The following video showcases the capabilities of the Balluff Light Array sensor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btumxuIgj_4.
