Patent ID: 7043335

Claim:
A mapping device comprising: a detecting unit including a reflecting member reflecting a projected light traveling in an incident direction in a reflecting direction opposite the incident direction, and an optical sensing unit including a light projector projecting a light onto the reflecting member and a light receiver receiving the light projected by the light projector and reflected by the reflecting member, the light projector and the light receiver being combined in a unitary unit, the detecting unit being configured to move relative to a plate-shaped object in a moving direction intersecting an optical path along which the light projected by the light projector travels to the light receiver so that the plate-shaped object lies in a moving region of the optical path; a position information acquiring means for acquiring a position information about a position of the plate-shaped object relative to the detecting unit; and an arithmetic means for calculating a mapping information about an arrangement of the plate-shaped object based on the position information provided by the position information acquiring means and a light-reception information provided by the light receiver.