Abstract

The design of high-accuracy optical position sensors requires detailed knowledge of detector signal responses. An optical design method has been developed which combines features of traditional ray tracing with a pixel-based image model to calculate idealized output signals for solid-state detectors. The method uses masking grids to generate a weighted-pixel image. Pixel intensities are then summed to signal channels appropriate to the particular detector geometry under study. The value of this method lies in its utility as a design tool; comparative evaluations of various optical trains and detector geometries may be performed prior to optical breadboard and test. The method is easily realized as an array-based computer program. Features of the program and its implementation are discussed including optical system modeling, mask generation and pixel weighting, and signal summation. An application of the method to the design of a high-accuracy electronic autocollimator is reviewed and shown to compare closely to experimental results. Extensions of the method and its uses in other applications are discussed.

© 1987 Optical Society of America