US 7,022,971 B2Granted

Laser measurement apparatus

AssigneeSoatec Inc.

InventorsHaruo Ura, Makoto Ono, Yasuomi Ohno

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In a laser measurement apparatus capable of measuring a moving object or a designated object to be measured by tracking an object to be tracked and detecting the position of the tracked object as needed, optical signal processing units 103 through 105 output laser beams having different wavelengths via a common optical path A toward a corner cube 100 attached to an object to be measured, and detect the laser beams being reflected on the corner cube 100. A control unit 102 controls motors 110, 111 so that the laser beams return to a predetermined position of an optical position sensitive detector 117 of an optical signal processing unit 103, by which the direction of a reflecting mirror 112 is controlled so that the laser beams track the object. The control unit 102 computes the distance, shape, position, speed etc. of the object to be measured based on signals detected via the optical signal processing units 104, 105 while having the laser beams output from optical signal processing units 104, 105 track the object to be tracked.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A laser measurement apparatus comprising:

a measuring laser beam generating means for outputting a measuring laser beam used to measure a characteristic of an object to be measured;
an optical guiding means for controlling the direction in which the measuring laser beam travels;
a measuring means for measuring the property of the object to be measured using the measuring laser beam returning from the object to be measured;
a position detecting means for detecting the position of an object to be tracked;
and
a control means for controlling the optical guiding means so that the measuring laser beam is radiated to the object to be tracked based on the position of the object to be tracked detected by the position detecting means;
wherein
the position detecting means comprises a tracking laser generating means for radiating a tracking laser beam to the object to be tracked via the optical guiding means, and an optical position sensitive detector for detecting the tracking laser beam returning via the optical guiding means from the object to be tracked;
and
the measuring means measures the property of the object to be measured using the measuring laser beam returning from the object to be measured in a state where the measuring laser beam is controlled to be radiated to the object to be measured.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/823,319Filed 13 Apr 2004
Priority: JP 2003-14067319 May 2003
Published: US 2004/0232317 A125 Nov 2004
Granted: 4 Apr 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G01C 15/002
Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00: active optical surveying means
G01C 3/08
Use of electric means to obtain final indication: use of electric radiation detectors
G01S 7/4813
Common to transmitter and receiver: housing arrangements
G01S 17/66
Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems: tracking systems using…