Abstract: Method and apparatus for contactless determination of lateral offset relative to a straight-ahead direction when an object moves relative to an object with a stochastic surface structure, in which the surface structure is imaged on at least two similar photosensors arranged behind one another at a defined separation in the straight-ahead direction and having a spatially resolving longitudinal extent transverse to the straight-ahead direction, a spatial frequency signal corresponding to the surface structure is generated by the sensors, the spatial frequency signal of a second sensor in the movement direction is read, temporally shifted relative to the spatial frequency signal of the first sensor, such that the same, at least partially overlapping surface structure is imaged on both sensors, the spatial frequency signals of the first and second sensors are correlated to determine a correlation coefficient, and the lateral offset of the correlated spatial frequency signals on the sensors is determined.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for contactless determination of lateral offset relative to a straight-ahead direction when an object moves relative to an object with a stochastic surface structure, in which the surface structure is imaged on at least two similar photosensors arranged behind one another at a defined separation in the straight-ahead direction and having a spatially resolving longitudinal extent transverse to the straight-ahead direction, a spatial frequency signal corresponding to the surface structure is generated by the sensors, the spatial frequency signal of a second sensor in the movement direction is read, temporally shifted relative to the spatial frequency signal of the first sensor, such that the same, at least partially overlapping surface structure is imaged on both sensors, the spatial frequency signals of the first and second sensors are correlated to determine a correlation coefficient, and the lateral offset of the correlated spatial frequency signals on the sensors is determined.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photoelectric incident light distance measuring device, comprising a light source; a reflecting scale grating; a reference grating with a lattice constant differing from that of the scale grating; the reference grating being transparent and displaceable with respect to the scale grating; an air space between the two gratings; and a plurality of photoelectric receivers placed at intervals in the direction of the distance to be measured for scanning the scale grating through the reference grating whereby vernier strips are produced, and wherein at least two of the photoelectric receivers are arranged approximately at a distance "x", measured in the direction of the light, from the grating with the larger optically effective lattice constant, wherein:x=a/vwitha=optically effective air space between the reference and scale gratings;v=d.sub.M /(y+d.sub.M)=distortion factor;y=distance of the vernier strips produced by the two gratings;and withd.sub.

Abstract: A system for one dimensional or multi-dimensional modulation of light proportional to the path, angle or speed, preferably the photoelectric signal analysis of the movement of an object carrier in an interferometer. At least three consecutive diffraction processes take place in the optical path of which one starts from a point and of which the last condenses the light bundles into at least two points. The light bundles are guided in the same direction of diffraction fulfilling the coherence condition where the surfaces of diffraction are spaced relatively far apart and do not use imaging optics.