Use of a commercial laser tracker for optical alignment

James H. Burge, Peng Su, Chunyu Zhao, Tom Zobrist

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

85 Scopus citations

Abstract

Laser trackers have been developed that project laser beams and use optical systems to provide three dimensional coordinate measurements. The laser trackers incorporate a servo system to steer a laser beam so that it tracks a retro-reflector, such as a corner cube. The line of sight gimbal angles and the radial distance to the retroreflector are used to determine the coordinates of the retroreflector relative to the tracker. In this paper, we explore the use of the laser tracker to define the metrology for aligning optical systems, including the use of mirrors and windows. We discuss how to optimize the geometry to take advantage of the tracker's most accurate measurements. We show how to use the tracker for measuring angles as well as points.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationOptical System Alignment and Tolerancing
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007
Externally publishedYes
EventOptical System Alignment and Tolerancing - San Diego, CA, United States
Duration: Aug 26 2007Aug 27 2007

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume6676
ISSN (Print)0277-786X

Other

OtherOptical System Alignment and Tolerancing
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego, CA
Period8/26/078/27/07

Keywords

  • Laser metrology
  • Optical alignment
  • Optical testing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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