Patent ID: 6985239

Claim:
A device for sensing position data of a light pattern created by a known light source on an object, comprising: an optical system for collecting an incident light beam from the light pattern and for transmitting the incident light beam to a beam splitter as an elongated light beam; the beam splitter having a surface of a known reflection/transmission ratio, such that the elongated light beam received on the surface of the beam splitter results in at least one of a transmission channel, transmitted through the splitter, and a reflective channel, reflected from the beam splitter with intensities of the transmission channel and the reflective channel varying as a function of a position of the incident light beam along one dimension of the surface of the beam splitter, the reflection/transmission ratio of the surface being provided by a transmission-only portion of the surface and a reflection-only portion of the surface, the two portions being separated by a boundary such that the elongated light beam is distributed on both said portions, said boundary being at an angle with respect to a longitudinal dimension of the elongated light beam so as to create the variable reflection/transmission of the elongated light beam as a function of the position of the light beam along the dimension of the beam splitter; a first photodetector section adapted to detect the intensity of the reflective channel; and a second photodetector section adapted to detect the intensity of the transmission channel; wherein at least a first dimension of at least one point of the light pattern on the object is calculable as a function of the intensity of the reflective channel and of the intensity of the transmission channel.