Reflective corner cube array

Abstract

The present invention relates to vibration detection devices. In one embodiment a corner reflective array is provided. The corner reflective array includes at least one corner cube. Each corner cube includes three mutually perpendicular reflective surfaces that intersect in a corner.

1 . A corner reflective array comprising:
 one or more corner arrays, each corner array including a first, second and third reflective surface, the first reflective surface positioned in a plane along a first axes, the second reflective surface positioned in a plane along a second axes and the third reflective surface positioned in a plane along a third axes.   
   
   
       2 . The corner cube array of  claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third reflective surfaces of each corner array are mutually perpendicular to each other. 
   
   
       3 . The corner cube array of  claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third reflective surfaces of each reflective surface intersect in a corner. 
   
   
       4 . The corner cube array of  claim 1 , wherein the shape of the each of the first, second and third reflective surfaces of each corner array is one of a square, rectangle, triangle and a quarter circle. 
   
   
       5  . The corner cube array of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first, second and third reflective surfaces of each corner array is made from a double sided mirror. 
   
   
       6 . The corner cube array of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more corner arrays includes at least one of two, four and eight corner arrays. 
   
   
       7 . A method of determining the vibration of an object, the method comprising:
 attaching a corner reflective array having at least one corner cube to an object to be tested, each corner array including a first, second and third reflective surface, the first reflective surface positioned in a plane along a first axes, the second reflective surface positioned in a plane along a second axes and the third reflective surface positioned in a plane along a third axes, wherein the first, second and third axes are mutually perpendicular to each other;   reflecting a first laser signal off of a corner cube; and   determining the motion of the object in the direction of the first laser signal based on the reflected first laser signal.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 reflecting at least one additional signal off one of the at least one corner cube of the corner reflective array, each additional laser signal not being in the plane of the first and any other additional signal.   
   
   
       9 . A method of determining vibration of an object in three dimensions, the method comprising:
 directing one or more sets of laser signals at one or more corner cubes of a corner cube array attached to the object, wherein each set of laser signals includes non-coplanar first, second and third laser signals; and   determining the vibration of the object in three dimensions based on at least one set of laser signals reflected off of the one or more corner cubes of the corner cube array.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 averaging vibrations determinations based on two or more sets of reflected laser signals.