Patent ID: 7342665

Claim:
An apparatus for determining and implementing a control action associated with a characteristic of one or more paint layers, the one or more paint layers associated with a part in a manufacturing process, the apparatus comprising: a first coherent electromagnetic energy source, the first coherent electromagnetic energy source producing a generator beam of coherent electromagnetic energy, the generator beam of coherent electromagnetic energy impinging the one or more paint layers and generating a sonic energy signal, wherein the sonic energy signal comprises a plurality of sonic energy waves about the one or more paint layers; a second coherent electromagnetic energy source, the second coherent electromagnetic energy source producing a measuring beam of coherent electromagnetic energy, the measuring beam of coherent electromagnetic energy impinging the one or more paint layers, the measuring beam of coherent electromagnetic energy reflecting from the one or more paint layers as a scattered electromagnetic energy, the scattered electromagnetic energy having a modulation associated with the sonic energy waves of the sonic energy signal, wherein the measuring beam of coherent electromagnetic energy is coaxially applied to the one or more paint layers with the generator beam of coherent electromagnetic energy; an optical amplifier operable to amplify the scattered electromagnetic energy; an interferometer, the interferometer collecting part of the scattered electromagnetic energy and deriving a signal indicative of the sonic energy waves of the sonic energy signal from the scattered electromagnetic energy; an interpreter, the interpreter determining the characteristic associated with the one or more paint layers from the signal indicative of the sonic energy waves of the sonic energy signal; and a controller, the controller determining a control action associated with the characteristic associated with the one or more paint layers.