Fiber optic proximity probe

Claim 1

A PROXIMITY DETECTOR FOR SENSING THE RELATIVE POSITION OF A TEST OBJECT COMPRISING A PROBE, SAID PROBE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LIGHT TRANSMITTING FIBERS, SAID FIBERS BEING DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, THE FIRST GROUP CONSTITUTING LIGHT TRANSMITTING FIBERS AND THE SECOND GROUP CONSTITUTING LIGHT RECEIVING FIBERS, A LIGHT SOURCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIGHT TRANSMITTING FIBERS, THE FIBERS OF BOTH GROUPS TERMINATING IN A UNIFORM SURFACE AT THE PROBE ADAPTED TO FACE THE TEST OBJECT, A LIGHT DETECTOR HAVING A SIGNAL OUTPUT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIGHT RECEIVING FIBERS SO THAT THE LIGHT TRANSMITTING FROM THE LIGHT SOURCE THROUGH THE LIGHT TRANSMITTING FIBERS IS DIRECTED TO THE TEST OBJECT AND IS REFLECTED BACK FROM THE TEST OBJECT AND PASSES THROUGH THE LIGHT RECEIVING FIBERS AND IS SENSED BY THE LIGHT DETECTOR TO GENERATE A SIGNAL, A SECOND GROUP OF LIGHT RECEIVING FIBERS, A SECOND LIGHT DETECTOR BEING OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SECOND GROUP OF LIGHT RECEIVING FIBERS, THE SECOND GROUP OF LIGHT RECEIVING FIBERS BEING SPACED FROM THE TEST OBJECT TO PASS REFLECTED LIGHT FROM THE TEST OBJECT TO THE SECOND LIGHT DETECTOR, AND MEANS FOR TRANSLATING THE SIGNAL FROM THE LIGHT DETECTORS TO INDICIA INDICATING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PROBE AND THE TEST OBJECT.