Patent ID: 7295299

Claim:
An apparatus for optical measurement of surface properties of a measuring object comprising an illumination device for illuminating said measuring object with a light spot, a multiplicity of at least three optical sensors arranged such that they can detect light irradiated by said illumination device and reflected by said surface of said measuring object, and an evaluation device for evaluating signals of said sensors for determining said surface properties of said measuring object, wherein said evaluation device is programmed to be supplied with and to digitize signals from a multiplicity of at least three groups of respectively adjacent sensors in a groupwise and separated manner, and wherein a relative movement can be produced between said light spot produced by said illumination device on said surface of said measuring object and said surface so that said light spot is moved on said surface along a track and said evaluation device is programmed to calculate a profile progression of said surface along said track from reflection angles appearing along said track, and wherein said evaluation device is programmed to calculate a center of mass of said reflection angles when at least two sensors detect light due to a broadening of said reflection.