High Precision Mark Position Sensing Device R-HPSD Suitable for 3-D Position Determination in Robotics

3-D position determination is the most important function for robot systems in order to recognize an object and its circumstances. Semiconductor position sensitive device ( PSD ) is used widely for image position detection in 3-D position sensing systems. In order to increase the relative resolution of image position detection, a hybrid type position sensitive device (R-HPSD) has invented. Auxiliary output terminals are added between the output terminals of ordinary type PSD so that any continuous intervals between the selected output terminal pair can operates entirely the same as the ordinary type PSD. Relative resolution of image position detection for full sensing area can be incresed extremely without any serious sacrifice of the simplicity in implementation and high speed operation. Only the switching circuit for output terminal selection is required and the operation time becomes somewhat longer than twice of that in the ordinary type PSD. This makes us possible to extend new approarches for 3-D position dtermination in the field of robotics.