WhitePaper - Laser Tracker Technology
WhitePaper - Laser Tracker Technology
WhitePaper - Laser Tracker Technology
Laser Trackers
by Bob Bridges, Ph.D.
Many industries, including the automotive and aerospace industries, must precisely measure the threedimensional features of large objects. An increasingly popular way to do this is with the laser tracker, a device first introduced in the late 1980s. As its name suggests, the laser tracker measures 3D coordinates by tracking a laser beam to a retroreflective target held in contact with the object of interest. Some laser trackers can measure object features up close and as far away as 60 meters. Some have typical single-point accuracy of about 0.001 (25 micrometers) at distances to several meters. Trackers collect coordinate data at high speed and require just one operator. They offer improved methods of coordinate measurement and make entirely new manufacturing methods possible.
encoders and the distance from the distance meter are sufficient to precisely locate the center of the SMR. Since the center of the SMR is always at a fixed offset distance with respect to any surface being measured, the coordinates of surfaces or points measured with the SMR are easily obtained. Distance measurement, an important function of the laser tracker, can be either incremental or absolute. Incremental distance measurement is made with an interferometer and a frequency-stabilized, helium-neon laser. The laser light splits into two beams. One travels directly into the interferometer. The other beam travels out of the tracker, reflects off the SMR and, on the return path, passes into the interferometer. Inside the interferometer, the two beams of light interfere, resulting in a cyclic change each time the SMR moves closer to or farther from the tracker by a distance equal to one quarter of the lights wavelength (~0.0158 micron). Electronic circuitry counts the cyclic changes (known as fringe counts) to determine the distance traveled. In a typical measurement sequence, the operator places the SMR in the trackers home position and resets the interferometer to the known (home) distance. As the operator moves the SMR to the desired location, the laser tracks along, remaining fixed to the center of the SMR. This procedure works well as long as the beam from the tracker to the SMR isnt broken by an obstruction in the beam path. If the beam is broken, however, the number of counts is no longer valid and the distance isnt known. When this happens, the tracker signals that an error has occurred. The operator must then return the SMR to a reference point, such as the trackers home position. Absolute distance measurement capability has been around for a long time. Within the last ten years, however, ADM systems have undergone dramatic improvement, offering accuracy comparable to interferometers. The advantage of ADM measurement over incremental distance measurement is the ability simply to point the beam at the target and shoot. The ADM system measures the distance to the target automatically, even if the beam has previously been broken. In a tracker with ADM, infrared light from a semiconductor laser reflects off the SMR and re-enters the tracker, where its converted into an electrical signal. Electronic circuitry analyzes the signal to determine its time of flight, multiplying this value by the speed of light in air to determine the distance from the tracker to the SMR. Absolute distance meters first appeared in laser trackers in the mid-1990s. At that time, ADM units measured too slowly to permit scanning of surfaces. Because of this, all early laser trackers contained either an interferometer alone or an interferometer and an ADM. Today some absolute distance meters have been made fast enough to permit high speed scanning with negligible loss in accuracy. Hence some modern trackers contain only an ADM with no interferometer. Another tracker function is beam steering and control. One type of tracker launches the laser beam directly from its rotating structure. Another type of tracker reflects a laser beam off a rotating mirror. In either case the tracker points the laser beam in the desired direction by rotating the mechanical axes. In many applications, the tracker keeps the beam centered on a rapidly moving SMR. It accomplishes this by
splitting off part of the returning laser beam to a position-sensing detector (PSD). If the laser beam strikes the SMR off center, the split-off beam also strikes the PSD off center, creating an error signal. This signal controls the mechanical axes rotation to keep the beam centered on the SMR.
A tracker with ADM capability can perform point and shoot measurements to monitor the relative position of large components that are being joined together. It does this by measuring the positions of multiple small retroreflector targets mounted on the components. As a specific example of tracker use, consider the creation and inspection of a die in the automotive industry. Designers first create a model of the automobile in clay. The tracker digitizes the models surface, and a computer converts the cloud of points into a smooth surface. From this information, a die is milled and then modified as needed to produce the desired part. During this process, the tracker measures both the die and the stamped part. An emerging application for trackers in manufacturing is directly controlling mechanical devices such as milling machines. By controlling the motion of such machines, the tracker ensures that the final manufactured parts meet specifications, thereby speeding the manufacturing process, reducing waste and eliminating redundant testing. Non-manufacturing applications for trackers include precisely aligning and fabricating large-scale structures such as electrical turbine generators and particle accelerators. Laser trackers accuracy and speed distinguish them from other portable coordinate measuring instruments. Because an operator can make rapid measurements with a minimum of advance preparation, trackers are among the most versatile of the coordinate measuring instruments. Tracker software analyzes tracker data and presents the results in a useful form. Trackers are becoming increasingly popular, especially for largescale manufacturing, where they assist in every stage of the manufacturing process.
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