Uncertainty Determination of the Set Nikon 6B Autocollimator + Visual Interface.

Abstract

In this paper, we present a methodology which identifies and characterizes the sources of uncertainty associ- ated with the operation of an electronic autocollimator. It was developed based on a commercial autocollimator—Nikon 6B model—with the addition of a visual interface and its respective image processing software. The visual interface allows the optical instrument’s performance to be surpassed, thus increasing the resolution and accuracy with respect to the original equipment. The development allows for an improvement in the measurement capacity of the laboratories when calibrating electronic levels, reference planes, and angular patterns, among others. On the other hand, fundamental information is provided for the new instrument’s last stage of design through a detailed evaluation of the measurement system’s mathematical model. This allows us to determine the relative impact of each uncertainty component in order to identify those of greater weight and minimize them by correction.