Autocollimator

The autocollimator combines both optical tools, the collimator and the telescope into one instrument using a single objective lens. Both beam paths are seperated by using a beam splitter. The autocollimator is a very sensitive angle measuring device and is thus used for the precise angular adjustment of optical or machine components. Due to the collimated beam (infinity adjustment) the measurement results are independent from the distance to the object under test. The operating principle is explained in the following.

Operating principle
Like in the collimator the image of the illuminated object reticle is projected by the objective lens to infinity. In some distance, the collimated beam is reflected back from a mirrored surface. If the mirror surface is tilted by an angle with respect to the optical axis, the reflected beam will enter the objective lens with an angle 2. This leads to a shift d of the image in the image plane which can be calculated with the objective focal length f giving d = 2 x f or = d/( 2f ). Thus, the sample angle is directly proportional to the measured shift in the image plane (small angles assumed). The resolution of an autocollimator increases proportionally and the angular field of view reciprocally with the focal length of the objective lens.

Autocollimator
Description The Autocollimator is a single instrument combining the functions of a collimator and a telescope to detect small angular displacements of a mirror by means of its own collimated light. The two reticles are positioned in the focal plane of the corrected objective lens, so that the emerging beam is parallel. This usual configuration is known as infinity setting, i.e the autocollimators are focused at infinity. When moving the reticles out of the focal plane of the objective lens, autocollimators can be focused at finite distances, and the beam becomes divergent (producing a virtual image) or convergent (real image). This results in a focusing autocollimator. The shape of the beam -convergent or divergentdepend on the direction in which the reticles are moved. The main components of a standard autocollimator i.e. focused at infinity are: Tube mounted objective lens Beam splitter mount which contains two reticles Eyepiece Illumination device

Operating principle

The illuminated reticle projected over the beam splitter towards the lens is known as collimator reticle. The second reticle placed in the focus of the eyepiece is the eyepiece reticle. The beamsplitter mount together with the eyepiece and the illumination device form a main unit called: Autocollimator head. A focusing autocollimator (finite distance setting) is similary built. The autocollimator head containing the two reticles is now mounted on a draw out tube for focusing adjustment.

 Principle Autocollimation is an optical technique of projecting an illuminated reticle to infinity and receiving the reticle image after reflection on a flat mirror. The reflected image is brought to the focus of the objective lens in which the eyepiece reticle is located. Thus the reflected image of the collimator (illuminated) reticle and the eyepiece reticle can be simultaneously observed. When the collimated beam falls on a mirror which is perpendicular to beam axis, the light is reflected along the same path. Between the reflected image and the eyepiece reticle - which are seen superimposed-no displacement occurs.

If the reflector is tilted by an angle a, the reflected beam is deflected by twice that angle i.e. 2a. The reflected image is now laterally displaced with respect to the eyepiece reticle. The amount of this displacement "d" is a function of the focal length of the autocollimator and the tilt angle of the reflector: d = 2 a . (a in radians) The tilt angle can be ascertained with the formula: a = d / 2

where is the effective focal length EFL of the autocollimator. Since the is a constant of the autocollimator, the eyepiece reticle can be graduated in angle units and the tilt angle can be directly read off.

Microptic autocollimator
(Fig. 8.37). In this, a pair of target wires take place of the point light sources as it is not convenient to visualise the reflected image of a point and then to measure the distance x precisely. So a pair of target wires placed in the focal plane of a collimating lens are illuminated from the back and their image projected which strikes a plane reflector and the reflection of the image is brought to a focus in the plane of the target wires. The field of view in the eyepiece in which the wires and their images are viewed simultaneously is shown in Fig. 8.37. Setting wires are placed in the microscope unit and are adjustable by a micrometer until they straddle the reflected image.

 There is a scale in eyepiece which can directly read to the nearest minute. The micrometer drum moves the setting wires at minute per revolution and is divided into 60 equal parts. Thus with the aid of micrometer it is possible to read the tilt of reflector to normal upto 1/2 sec. of arc. The two wires help to indicate tilt of reflector in two planes at right angles.The instrument has generally a range of readings of 10 minutes of arc upto distances of 9 metres. It is used for a variety of purposes.

Laser Interferometer
With laser interferometer it is possible to measure length to an accuracy of 1 part in 106 on a routine basis. With the help of two retro-reflectors, placed at a fixed distance, and a length measuring laser interferometer the change in angle can be measured to an accuracy of 0.1 second. The device uses the Sine principle. The line joining the poles of the retro-reflectors makes the hypotenuse of the right triangle. The change in the path difference of the reflected beam represents the side of the triangle opposite to the angle being measured. Such laser interferometer can be used to measure an angle upto 10 degrees with a resolution of 0.1 second. The principle of operation is shown in Fig. 8.33.