Patent ID: 7005661

Claim:
An optical object identification apparatus, comprising: at least one light emitting-side optical system that includes a light emitting device and an objective lens, and that irradiates light from the light emitting device to a moving target object and forms a light spot on the target object; at least one light receiving-side optical system that includes a light receiving lens and a light receiving device, and that outputs an output signal having a waveform corresponding to surface projections and depressions of the target object when reflected light from the light spot enters the light receiving device; a signal processing section that executes signal processing of the out put signal outputted from the light receiving-side optical system; wherein the light emitted from the light emitting device is polarized light whose direction of polarization is vertical or parallel to a plane of incidence; wherein the light receiving-side optical system has two light receiving devices, the optical object identification apparatus further comprising: a beam splitter provided in the light receiving-side optical system for letting the reflected light from the light spot come incident to each of the two light receiving devices; and polarization means disposed immediately before one of the light receiving devices in the light receiving-side optical system for passing polarized light having a direction of polarization that is orthogonal to the direction of polarization of the light emitted from the light emitting device.