Patent ID: 8817240

Claim:
An optical pen for use in a chromatic range sensor (CRS) comprising: a confocal optical path including at least a confocal aperture and a chromatically dispersive optics portion, the optical pen configured to focus different wavelengths at different distances along a measurement axis proximate to a workpiece surface to be measured; an interchangeable optics element which includes the chromatically dispersive optics portion; an optical pen base member configured to hold the optical pen in a stable relationship relative to an external reference frame for measurement; and a repeatable fast exchange mount comprising a first mating half located on the base member and a second mating half located on the interchangeable optics element, the repeatable fast exchange mount configured such that at a first time, the repeatable fast exchange mount allows the base member to receive and hold the interchangeable optics element in a fixed relationship relative to the base member and the external reference frame.