Spherically mounted retroreflector
Patent Information
- Application Number
- DE602021039433
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-08-20
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-01
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-08-20
AI Technical Summary
Existing retroreflectors, both solid glass and hollow prisms, face challenges in high-precision 3D position measurement due to refraction, dihedral angle errors, and non-planarity, which affect interferometric distance measurement accuracy and are costly to produce.
A spherically mounted retroreflector design with a coupling element and carrier, allowing mechanical connection without adhesives, limiting translational movability along a single axis, and using a shim ball for precise alignment and temperature compensation, ensuring planarity and stability.
The design achieves cost-effective production with reduced dihedral angle errors and temperature-induced deformations, maintaining high measurement accuracy and constructively interfering light signals.