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Laser Range Finder

Laser Range Finder. Mech 207 – Advanced Mechatronics I TJ Leising October 23, 2009. Laser light basics Propagates dominantly in one direction in the form of a beam Beam can maintain integrity for very long distances Lasers are ideal to measure distances

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Laser Range Finder

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  1. Laser Range Finder Mech 207 – Advanced Mechatronics I TJ Leising October 23, 2009

  2. Laser light basics Propagates dominantly in one direction in the form of a beam Beam can maintain integrity for very long distances Lasers are ideal to measure distances Different methods used to measure different lengths i.e. Triangulation and Time of Flight Introduction All photos courtesy Acuity

  3. Introduction (cont.) • Time of Flight • Measures the time the laser take to travel the distance and back • Short pulse fired out and time measured for a reflected portion to come back • Longer time = farther away • temporal accuracy must be very high – e.g. 1 ns for a spatial accuracy of 15 cm • Triangulation • Have sensors offset to measure angle of reflectance • Based on geometry, distance can be determined Courtesy: Physorg.com Courtesy: Sensorland.com

  4. Laser Physics • Laser Light is: • Monochromatic: • it contains one specific wavelength of photons • Coherent: • All the photons have wave fronts that are in unison • Directional: • Propagates generally in one direction in a concentrated beam Atoms are excited and release photons that travel down the tube reflecting off mirrors and exciting more atoms until they leave the tube through a lens in a concentrated laser beam.

  5. Implementation • Laser is installed to additional sensing circuitry • A photo sensor receives the reflected signal • Triggers “timer stopping” circuitry or “angle valve” input • Data from the time of flight or the angle of impact is used to determine the distance to target Courtesy: philohome.com

  6. Applications • Recreation • Golf and Hunting • Production Control • Keep a level surface • 3-D mapping • For robotics or scouting • High Precision Guidance • Missiles, Targeting Computers Courtesy: binocularsdirect.com Courtesy: seattlerobotics.org Courtesy: foxnews.com

  7. Challenges • Issues with lasers • Tend to be expensive • Dependent on line-of-sight (wall vs. chair) • Can involve complicated circuitry that might not be necessary • Laser pointing fluctuations • Laser noise issues Courtesy: Encyclopedia of Laser Physics

  8. References • Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology • http://www.rp-photonics.com/ • Acroname Robotics • http://www.acroname.com/ • Acuity Laser Measurements • http://www.acuitylaser.com/products.shtml • Sensorland.com • http://www.sensorland.com/HowPage056.html • Encoder: The Newsletter of the Seattle Robotics Society • http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/200110/vision.htm • How Stuff Works • http://www.howstuffworks.com/

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