Optical analog-to-digital converter and transducer

Details Optical analog-to-digital converter and transducer Optical analog-to-digital converter and transducer

1987-08-05

1989-05-16

Shoop, Jr., William M.

Coded data generation or conversion

Digital pattern reading type converter

Optical

341 5, 341 6, H03M 122

Patent

active

048313769

ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to an optical laser analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and the use of such a converter as a transducer. In a first embodiment of the invention, the converter consists of a source which produces a coherent beam of light that is passed through a lens system to produce a line or bar of light. The bar of light passes through a coded optical mask which is made of a thin transparent material with a binary or gray code printed thereon. The mask is mounted to an object whose movement is to be detected. The mask may also be configured in the form of a circle and mounted to a motor shaft to sense motor rotational displacement, RPM or velocity. As the mask moves, the imprinted pattern changes according to the coding on the mask. The portion of the light that passes through the mask strikes the target of a moving recording media. In another embodiment, the bar of light passes through a transparent media that changes in optical qualities to deflect the laser beam onto a target consisting of an optical coded mask over an array of photodiodes. In still another embodiment, a voltage is applied to a pair of plates between which is a transparent media whose optical dielectric constant changes with applied voltage. In yet another embodiment, the bar of light is deflected off the surface of a mechanical or electrical diaphragm.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3781868 (1973-12-01), Huber
patent: 4016556 (1977-04-01), Fulenwider
patent: 4388613 (1983-06-01), Rush et al.
patent: 4442423 (1984-04-01), Urbanik

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