Abstract: A radiation profile line originates from illuminating a scene by a fan beam of radiation and imaging the thus illuminated scene on a surface of an array of photosensitive elements. A read-out circuit has inputs connected to associated detection elements in the uppermost row. The read-out circuit comprises level detector circuitry to have the output signals of the columns take up either a "1" state or a "0" state. The outputs of the level detector curcuitry, each one of which corresponds to one of the inputs, are connected to a circuit that delivers a digital code representative of the position of the element in the uppermost row which has received the largest amount of light.

Abstract: A system for measuring without contact the distance between a predetermined point of an object surface and a reference level using trigonometric principles includes a transmitting section with a source of radiation for emitting a plurality essentially parallel radiation beams of small separation to the point of the object surface to be investigated and a receiving section with a detector responsive to the reflected radiation. The detector converts the reflected radiation into a corresponding electrical signal and includes a radiation sensitive area which is restricted to a substantially linear area. The output of the detector is coupled to signal processing means in which a discriminating operation is carried out between detector signals which have, or have not, a predetermined separation or separations corresponding to the separation or separations between said radiation beams.

Abstract: A gas laser for emitting ultraviolet laser light with a wave length of 248-249 nm, the gas mixture in the resonance chamber containing krypton, fluor or a fluor compound, and argon in such quantities that at room temperature the partial argon pressure exceeds 0.5 bar and the partial pressure of krypton and fluor or the fluor compound is smaller than 0.2 bar. The gas mixture in the resonance chamber also contains neon in such a quantity that its partial pressure at room temperature is at least equal to that of the argon.