抄録
This paper proposes measurement principles for a sensor aimed at detecting overall direction-of-action utilizing a unified optical device. The sensor is composed of a spherical vessel, a mirror ball and an optical element with a signal processor, and it resembles the equilibrium organs of a crayfish in function and form. On the inner surface of the spherical vessel, two sets of a luminous source surrounded by three photosensors are located in antipodal points. Some of the light beams emitted by the luminous source reflect on the mirror ball moving freely in the vessel and are captured by the photosensors. The photosensors' output are transferred to a signal processor and the location of the mirror ball is extracted through an appropriate procedure concerning the ball's size and displacement. Relationships between length of the optical path and luminous flux detected by the photosensors are formulated to build a basic principle for non-directive devices and a general principle for directional devices. Numerical data is shown to verify the validity of the principles by the simulation of the measurement.
