Position and Angle Measurement of a Miniature Robot by Using Position Sensitive Detectors

Abstract

In this paper, position and angle measurements of a miniature robot by using position sensitive detectors (PSDs) are proposed. The miniature robot carries three PSDs and laser beams are irradiated on the PSDs’ surfaces. The position and angle of the robot are obtained by the positions of the laser spots. Since the PSD, which is sensitive according to the laser spot, provides a continuous signal, the measurement sensitivity is theoretically determined by the sensitivity of the PSD. The results obtained by preliminary experiments in the linear and rotational displacements are described.