A COMBINED DISTANCE AND SURFACE PROFILE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS - A EUROPEAN PROJECT

The paper reports the design, development and characterization of an electrooptical equipment suitable for distance measurements and three-dimensional gauging of surfaces of industrial interest. The equipment comprises a dual-wavelength heterodyne interferometer for absolute distance measurements with a range of 20 m and an accuracy of 0.1 mm, that is integrated with a macroscopic scale, adaptive profilometer for three-dimensional measurement of the shape to 1 mm. The performance of the equipment is well suited for effective operation in industrial metrology. The equipment has been developed by three partners, namely the Dipartimento di Elettronica per l'Automazione of the University of Brescia, the Sezione Diagnostica Elettroottica of CISE, Milan, and the Institut fur technische Optik of the University of Stuttgart, in the framework of a European Project partially funded by the Community Bureau of Reference.