Investigation of heterodyne interferometer technique for dynamic angle measurement: error analysis and performance evaluation

Abstract

Angle measurement based on heterodyne interferometer has been attracted much research interest and applied in various fields ranging from scientific research to practical engineering. However, a systematic research on the typical heterodyne angular interferometer has not been presented before. This paper mainly focused on the error analysis of the heterodyne angular interferometer and its dynamic measurement performance. The influence of error factors originating from optical configuration, mechanical installation and environmental fluctuations on measurement accuracy is analyzed. Furthermore, the performance of the angle interferometer in measuring dynamic angle, especially for high-frequency angular vibration, is evaluated by using a high-frequency angular vibration system and an interferometric fiber optic gyroscope. Finally, the measurement capability and uncertainty of this angle interferometer are also discussed.

A Review: High-Precision Angle Measurement Technologies

“…This method of measuring the phase is generally more accurate, but the corresponding set of equipment is also more expensive and complex. This method generally has a small range but high accuracy [ 6 , 9 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 ], and in order to further investigate its mechanism and error correction, an independently characterized angle measurement system that is useful for angle calibrations is proposed [ 113 ]. As for the environmental effect, measurement sensitivity can be improved through immersing the beta-barium borate plate in grapeseed oil, which can avoid deliquescence in humidity [ 114 ].…”

“…This method of measuring the phase is generally more accurate, but the corresponding set of equipment is also more expensive and complex. This method generally has a small range but high accuracy [6,9,[97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112], and in order to further investigate its mechanism and error correction, an independently characterized…”

Sinusoidal Phase-Modulated Angle Interferometer for Angular Vibration Measurement

“…Compared with other counterparts (i.e., reflective mirror and right-angle prism), the retro-reflector can reflect the incident beam by 180 • within a wider incident angle range. These two retro-reflectors are fixed by a designed mechanical structure and their separation distance is assumed as d. In our previous paper [12], the effect of the thickness difference and parallel error on measurement angle error has been analyzed. As the SMR is rotated, the optical path of the s-MB and p-MB is changed and, thus, I s and I p have a corresponding change.…”

A high precision phase extraction method in heterodyne interferometer based on FPGA

“…The principle of heterodyne laser interferometer is a high-precision measurement technology derived from the Michelson interference optical path. Nowadays, the measurement technology based on the principle of laser interference has been able to achieve precise measurement of displacement, angle, velocity, etc [3][4][5]. In the field of laser heterodyne interferometry, in addition to the nonlinear error caused by the manufacturing process of each optical device in the interference optical path, the extraction accuracy of the heterodyne interferometric phase in the signal processing process is also another key factor that determines the measurement performance of the system [5][6].…”