Two-degree-of-freedom displacement measurement system based on double diffraction gratings

A two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) displacement measurement system based on double diffraction gratings is proposed in this paper, which consists of a reflective-type scale grating and a grating read head with a scanning transmission grating. Combining the traditional three-grating interference principle with the Michelson interference principle, the system can measure the displacements of a precision stage along the horizontal direction (X-axis, in the scanning grating plane and vertical to the scanning grating lines) and vertical direction (Z-axis, vertical to the scanning grating plane) simultaneously. The system has the merits of compact structure and uncoupled interference signals in the two axes. By simulating the output signals of the system and comparing them with the experimental results, the validity and feasibility of the system have been verified. The 2-DOF system will be favorable in the displacement measurement of multi-dimensional stages and multi-DOF machines.