Patent US 4,548,504

The invention relates to a device for determining the real or the virtual distance of a source of light from a measuring plane. Such devices are preferably employed in position detectors in which light produced by a light source is caused to impinge on the surface of the object to be measured, said light being reflected from said surface towards a photodetector. The light emitted by the light source is imaged at different points on said detector, this depending on the position of the surface of the object to be measured, it thus being possible to draw a conclusion as regards the position of said object. According to the invention, the imaging system and the position-sensitive detector form a rotationally symmetrical arrangement. This renders the function of the device independent of any lateral displacement of the light source, of a displacement of the "center of gravity of illumination" as caused by different degrees of reflexion or scattering produced by the surface of the object to be investigated, and of the shape of the surface of the object to be investigated.