Abstract: An equipment for calibration of an industrial robot which has a plurality of axes of rotation and wherein, the equipment comprises a measuring device is adapted for rotatable connection to a reference point the position of which is known, is adapted to be in contact with the robot, or a tool carried by the robot, during the calibration process, and has an axis of rotation which intersects the reference point when the measuring device is connected to the reference point. The measuring device further comprises a gravity sensor which is so mounted so that the axis of the gravity sensor is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the measuring device, whereby the gravity sensor measures the angle between the gravity vector and axis of rotation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fiber-optic measuring apparatus for measuring physical quantities, such as position, speed, acceleration, force, pressure, elongation, temperature, etc., comprising at least one optic fiber for conducting light between an electronic unit and a transducer. The transducer comprises a member having at least one luminescent material, and the position of that member with respect to the fiber end is influenced by the quantity being measured, the output signal from the transducer thus being dependent on the quantity being measured.

Abstract: An optical position-measuring sensor has a monolithic structure which includes at least two masses of photoluminescent material, which on excitation emit photoluminescent light with non-identical spectra. The at least two masses are supported in the sensor by a resilient part (e.g. a beam or diaphragm), the deflection of which determines the wavelength distribution of the luminescent light which is coupled into an optical wave conductor (e.g. a light fiber) terminating in the sensor.

Abstract: A fiber optical measuring device for measuring dynamic movements between a boundary surface of an optical fiber and a boundary surface of a movement-sensing body. The optical fiber is adapted to transmit optical energy to and from the boundary surfaces and at least one of the boundary surfaces includes a photo-luminescent material, the optical energy reflected from the boundary surface of the body being dependent on the relative position between the two boundary surfaces.

Abstract: A fiber-optic sensor for measuring a physical quantity or sensing changes therein, consists of a transmitter and receiver unit respectively arranged to transmit and receive optical energy and an optical fiber for transmission of said optical energy to and from a sensor located at the measurement point. The sensor has at least one solid body, which is arranged to emit photoluminescent optical energy in at least one wavelength range, and a volume limited by at least two substantially plane-parallel surfaces, the separation of which is smaller than half the coherence length for either the transmitted or luminescent optical energy, whereby an interference pattern will differently affect the transmission of optical energy to the receiver unit as the optical length between said parallel surfaces changes with changes in the physical quantity being sensed.

Abstract: An optical sensor for detecting changes in physical quantities such as temperature, position, force, level, pressure, flow, acceleration, magnetic or electrical field strength or mechanical deformation, includes a luminescent material built up of atomically localized luminescence centers, included as a solid solution in an amorphous or mono-crystalline bonding material.

Abstract: A fiber optical luminescence measuring system for measuring a change in a physical quantity employs a transmitter/receiver unit and a sensor unit for the physical quantity optically linked by at least one optical fiber. The sensor unit is arranged to emit luminescent light with at least two different decay time constants, where the quotient between the intensities of emitted luminescent light having the different decay times corresponds to a measure of the quantity to be measured.

Abstract: A fiber optical measuring apparatus suitable for measuring physical quantities such as position, speed, acceleration, force, pressure, elongation, temperature, etc., comprises at least one optical fiber for conducting incident light between an electronic unit and a sensor, the sensor comprising at least one luminescent element. The measuring apparatus is characterized in that the physical quantity to be measured is arranged to influence the position of an optical spectral filter, for example of absorption or interference type, relative to the optical fiber in the sensor and/or relative to said luminescent element, and that said spectral filter is arranged to be situated, to a greater or lesser extent, between the end surface of the optical fiber and at least one of the luminescent elements.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for processing optical information of light intensity and/or light polarization and/or phase position and/or spectral composition varying in one, two or three dimensions and possibly varying in time. The processing of the information is adapted to be carried out by electro-optical modulators, for example liquid crystals, and photo-detectors, for example photo-conductors, are electrically connected together with other components, such as resistors and optical filters, so as to obtain circuits with electro-optical feedback. The invention is characterized in that said circuits with electro-optical feedback are arranged to sense the absolute light intensity, etc., at spatially different points of the optical information.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an optical fiber device for measuring of current and/or voltage, including at least one light conductor for transmitting optical signals between an optical transducer and light generating and light processing circuitry, respectively. A sensed electrical measuring signal is transmitted to a transducer for conversion to a mechanical movement which modulates the light flux received by the transducer.

Abstract: A sensor element adaptable for measurement of a physical parameter formed of a crystalline material and emitting luminescent spectra upon excitation by light spectra and the influence of said physical parameter. A first layer emitting luminescent spectra is formed of a semiconductor material containing dopant providing shallow energy levels and recombination centers with a concentration between 10.sup.15 to 10.sup.18 cm.sup.-3, and sandwiched between second and third layers of semiconductor material having low absorption for light excitation of the first layer, and the respective lattice constants of the second and third layers being substantially coincidental with the lattice constant of the first layer. The sensor element is formed of GaAs for the substrate and AlGaAs for the semiconductor layers, with appropriate variation in the concentration Al, Ga, and As for the various layers.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical transducer for measuring position, angle, and the time dependence of these quantities in one, two or three dimensions, with at least one fiber optical transducer having light-emitting means which feeds incident light to an object on which the measurement is to be effected, a photo-detector which senses light emanating from the object after said incident light has been influenced by the object and an electronic unit partly for controlling the light-emitting means, and partly for evaluating the output of the photo-detector, the output signal being dependent on the variations in light transmission, light absorption, light reflection and/or photo-luminescence of a pattern on the object.

Abstract: A fiber-optical measuring apparatus for measuring magnetic fields, current, position, and various mechanical quantities consists of a transducer connected to a measuring electronic unit via at least one optical fiber, and the transducer comprises a magneto-optical modulator with a domain-producing magnetic material. The transducer is provided with at least two optical filters, of which at least one filter is positioned in the ray path on one side of the magneto-optical modulator and at least one other filter is positioned in the ray path on the opposite side of the modulator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a measuring device for measuring physical and/or chemical quantities, comprising a measuring transducer and an evaluating electronic unit interconnected by at least one light-conducting fiber, said evaluating electronic unit comprising one or more light sources for transmitting light via said fiber/fibers to at least one sensor element, forming a part of said transducer, said evaluating electronic unit also comprising one or more light detectors for detecting light emitted from said sensor element(s). The invention is characterized in that said at least one sensor element possesses a non-linear relationship between the incident light intensity illuminating the sensor element and the intensity of the light emitted from the sensor element, that said light source/light sources are arranged to emit light having at least two, non-identical light intensities, and that at the same time said detector/detectors are arranged to measure the light coming from the sensor element.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fiber optical measuring device for measuring physical quantities such as temperature and pressure, comprising a measuring transducer comprising a sensor material, an electronic unit comprising an evaluating electronic system, light sources and photo-detectors, and one or more optical fibers which connect said transducer to said electronic unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical measuring device for measuring physical quantities, comprising a measuring transducer and an evaluating electronic unit, interconnected by a light-transmitting system and photo-optic devices for coupling in light from a light source to the system, and for coupling out light from the system to photo-detector devices in the electronic unit. The measuring device comprises a first element for polarizing the light from the light source and a second element for polarizing the light to the photo-detector devices, the difference in the direction of polarization between the two polarizing elements being chosen so that light reflections in the system in and adjacent to the evaluating electronic unit are substantially blocked from the photo-detector devices by the second polarizing element.

Abstract: Device for simultaneous generation and detection of markings (e.g. handwriting) comprising at least one marking member and at least one optical sensor, which is arranged to sense at least one optical property of the surface on which the marking is being made, the marking member being arranged to change said at least one property of the surface on which the marking is made, said optical sensor being arranged to sense the direction of said marking relative to the orientation of the device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical sensor element of a solid material for sensing physical quantities such as pressure, which element is excitable to emit photoluminescence on excitation which constitutes a measure of the quantity being sensed. The sensor element comprises a diaphragm which consists of at least two layers applied to an apertured substrate, at least one of which layers has luminescent properties. The luminescence may be sensed by means of at least one optical fiber.

Abstract: An optical measuring apparatus for measuring force or pressure, having at least one light source, at least one optical fiber for passing light from and to a sensor, and one detector system. The sensor includes a material having pressure- and force-dependent photo luminescence properties, the signal received in the detector system being dependent on the pressure or the force applied to the sensor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fiber optic measuring device for measuring physical and chemical quantities. Sensors positioned in the ray path influence the spectral composition of the light in dependence on the quantity to be measured. The sensors are of a material with an absorption edge or one or more filters of interference type.