JPH04254786A - Laser range finder - Google Patents
Laser range finderInfo
- Publication number
- JPH04254786A JPH04254786A JP1519491A JP1519491A JPH04254786A JP H04254786 A JPH04254786 A JP H04254786A JP 1519491 A JP1519491 A JP 1519491A JP 1519491 A JP1519491 A JP 1519491A JP H04254786 A JPH04254786 A JP H04254786A
- Authority
- JP
- Japan
- Prior art keywords
- laser
- solid
- pulse
- oscillation
- medium
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 229910052691 Erbium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 3
- UYAHIZSMUZPPFV-UHFFFAOYSA-N erbium Chemical compound [Er] UYAHIZSMUZPPFV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 3
- 230000005284 excitation Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 abstract description 8
- 229910000980 Aluminium gallium arsenide Inorganic materials 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 abstract description 3
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 7
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000000862 absorption spectrum Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229910000530 Gallium indium arsenide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001678 irradiating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002045 lasting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 210000001525 retina Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000003595 spectral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Landscapes
- Lasers (AREA)
- Optical Radar Systems And Details Thereof (AREA)
Abstract
Description
【０００１】0001
【産業上の利用分野】本発明は、自動車，船舶，航空機
等に搭載したり、工事現場での監視や測量等に用いるレ
ーザ測距装置に関するものである。BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser distance measuring device that is mounted on automobiles, ships, aircraft, etc., and used for monitoring, surveying, etc. at construction sites.
【０００２】0002
【従来の技術】レーザ光線を用いる測距法は、長距離を
精度良く測定する方法として優れており、自動車のナビ
ゲーションや船舶，航空機の監視、工事現場での測量等
に広く応用できるものと期待される。[Prior Art] Distance measurement using laser beams is an excellent method for measuring long distances with high precision, and is expected to be widely applied to car navigation, monitoring of ships and aircraft, surveying at construction sites, etc. be done.
【０００３】レーザ光線を測距に用いる場合に留意すべ
き点は、眼に対する安全性であるが、波長１．４μｍ以
上のレーザ光は眼の水晶体で完全に吸収され、網膜に達
しないので安全である。数百ｍから数ｋｍの距離を測定
するのに必要なレーザ出力は数ｋＷから数十ｋＷになる
ので、波長１．４μｍ以上でこのような高出力パルスレ
ーザ光を得る方法として、固体レーザのＱスイッチ発振
が用いられてきた。[0003] When using laser beams for distance measurement, it is important to keep in mind safety for the eyes. Laser beams with a wavelength of 1.4 μm or more are completely absorbed by the lens of the eye and do not reach the retina, so they are not safe. It is. Since the laser power required to measure distances from several hundred meters to several kilometers ranges from several kW to several tens of kW, solid-state lasers are the best way to obtain such high-power pulsed laser light at a wavelength of 1.4 μm or more. Q-switched oscillation has been used.
【０００４】図３に従来のレーザ測距装置のレーザ発振
器の構成図、図４にレーザ測距装置のシステムのブロッ
ク図を示す。エルビウム（Ｅｒ）原子をドープしたガラ
スは、波長１．５４μｍのレーザ光を発振するレーザ媒
質として用いられる。ガラスロッド８はフラッシュラン
プ７で励起され、高ピーク出力を得るために共振器内部
にＱスイッチ素子１０が挿入されている。レーザ発振器
より出力されるパルス幅３０ｎｓ，エネルギー１０ｍＪ
のパルスレーザ光は、ビームエキスパンダ１８で１ｍｒ
ａｄ以下のビーム広がり角になり、目標に照射される。
目標で散乱されたレーザ光は、受光光学系１９により受
光素子１７に導かれる。光電変換された微弱信号は増幅
され、計数部で信号処理されて、レーザ光が発射されて
から戻ってくるまでの時間を計測し、距離を表示する。FIG. 3 shows a configuration diagram of a laser oscillator of a conventional laser range finder, and FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a system of the laser range finder. Glass doped with erbium (Er) atoms is used as a laser medium that oscillates laser light with a wavelength of 1.54 μm. The glass rod 8 is excited by a flash lamp 7, and a Q-switch element 10 is inserted inside the resonator to obtain a high peak output. Pulse width 30ns and energy 10mJ output from laser oscillator
The pulsed laser beam is 1 mr with the beam expander 18.
The beam spread angle is less than ad, and the target is irradiated. The laser beam scattered by the target is guided to the light receiving element 17 by the light receiving optical system 19. The photoelectrically converted weak signal is amplified and processed by a counting section to measure the time from when the laser beam is emitted until it returns, and to display the distance.
【０００５】[0005]
【発明が解決しようとする課題】従来のレーザ測距装置
では、レーザ発振器にフラッシュランプ励起の固体レー
ザを用いているが、ランプ励起では、レーザ媒質の励起
スペクトル帯以外のスペクトルを多く含んでいるため、
レーザ媒質への熱負荷が大きくなって高繰り返し動作が
困難になる。高繰り返し動作ができないと、自動車や航
空機等の高速で動く装置に搭載して、そのナビゲーショ
ンに用いることができなくなる。また、ランプは一般に
寿命が短いため、数千〜数万ショットの発光で交換しな
くてはならない。[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventional laser ranging devices use a flash lamp-excited solid-state laser as a laser oscillator, but lamp excitation includes many spectra other than the excitation spectral band of the laser medium. For,
The thermal load on the laser medium increases, making it difficult to perform high repetition operations. If high-repetition operation is not possible, it will not be possible to install it in high-speed moving devices such as automobiles and aircraft and use it for navigation. Additionally, lamps generally have a short lifespan, and must be replaced after thousands to tens of thousands of shots.
【０００６】[0006]
【課題を解決するための手段】本発明の測距装置では、
レーザ発振器の固体レーザ媒質の励起源に半導体レーザ
を用いる。[Means for Solving the Problems] In the distance measuring device of the present invention,
A semiconductor laser is used as the excitation source for the solid-state laser medium of the laser oscillator.
【０００７】[0007]
【作用】半導体レーザの発振スペクトル幅は数ｎｍ以下
なので、固体レーザ媒質の吸収スペクトル幅に含まれる
。
そのため、励起光はすべて固体レーザ媒質に吸収され、
レーザ発振に寄与するので、レーザ媒質への熱負荷は軽
減され、高繰り返し動作（数百Ｈｚ）が可能となる。[Operation] Since the oscillation spectrum width of a semiconductor laser is several nanometers or less, it is included in the absorption spectrum width of the solid-state laser medium. Therefore, all the excitation light is absorbed by the solid laser medium,
Since it contributes to laser oscillation, the thermal load on the laser medium is reduced and high repetition operation (several hundred Hz) is possible.
【０００８】また、半導体レーザの寿命は長く、連続動
作で数千〜数万時間あるので、レーザ発振器の信頼性は
大幅に向上する。Furthermore, since semiconductor lasers have a long lifespan, lasting several thousand to tens of thousands of hours in continuous operation, the reliability of the laser oscillator is greatly improved.
【０００９】[0009]
【実施例】図１に本発明のレーザ測距装置のレーザ発振
器の構成図を示す。ＥｒをドープしたＹＡＧロッド３を
レーザ媒質として用い、軸方向から半導体レーザ光を照
射して励起している。ＥｒドープＹＡＧロッドの吸収ス
ペクトル特性を図２に示す。波長０．８２μｍと０．９
８μｍに吸収のピークがあることがわかる。０．８２μ
ｍの波長帯にはＡｌＧａＡｓ系半導体レーザを用いるこ
とができる。またＩｎＧａＡｓ系半導体レーザで、０．
９８μｍの波長帯に合わせて励起することも可能である
。Ｑスイッチには音響光学（ＡＯ）素子４を用いている
。DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a laser oscillator of a laser distance measuring device according to the present invention. A YAG rod 3 doped with Er is used as a laser medium, and is excited by irradiating semiconductor laser light from the axial direction. Figure 2 shows the absorption spectrum characteristics of the Er-doped YAG rod. Wavelength 0.82μm and 0.9
It can be seen that there is an absorption peak at 8 μm. 0.82μ
An AlGaAs semiconductor laser can be used in the wavelength band m. In addition, an InGaAs semiconductor laser with 0.
It is also possible to excite in accordance with the 98 μm wavelength band. An acousto-optic (AO) element 4 is used for the Q switch.
【００１０】半導体レーザ１に発振波長０．８２μｍの
ＡｌＧａＡｓレーザを用いて、出力１Ｗ，パルス幅０．
５ｍｓのパルス発振を行わせ、パルスの終端でＱスイッ
チ４を閉じることにより、ピーク出力１０ｋＷ，パルス
幅１０ｎｓで波長１．５４μｍのレーザ光を取り出すこ
とができた。また、パルスの繰り返しを１００Ｈｚまで
上げても出力の低下は起こらず、高繰り返し動作を行わ
せることができた。An AlGaAs laser with an oscillation wavelength of 0.82 μm is used as the semiconductor laser 1, and the output is 1 W and the pulse width is 0.8 μm.
By performing pulse oscillation for 5 ms and closing the Q switch 4 at the end of the pulse, it was possible to extract a laser beam with a wavelength of 1.54 μm with a peak output of 10 kW and a pulse width of 10 ns. Furthermore, even when the pulse repetition rate was increased to 100 Hz, no decrease in output occurred, and high repetition operation could be performed.
【００１１】このレーザ発振器を用いて、図４に示すシ
ステムで測距を行い、測距距離５００ｍ，精度±３ｍ，
測定回数１００回／秒の性能を得た。また、半導体レー
ザは電圧２Ｖ，電流１．５Ａで動作するため、電池駆動
の携帯型測距装置も容易に実現することができる。Using this laser oscillator, distance measurement was performed using the system shown in FIG. 4, and the distance measurement was 500 m, the accuracy was ±3 m,
A performance of 100 measurements/second was obtained. Further, since the semiconductor laser operates with a voltage of 2V and a current of 1.5A, a battery-powered portable distance measuring device can be easily realized.
【００１２】0012
【発明の効果】本発明のレーザ測距装置は、小型，低消
費電力，高繰り返し測定可能で堅牢，長寿命等の多くの
特徴を有しているため、自動車や航空機等の移動体に搭
載できる測距装置として、また現場での監視等に用いる
携帯型の測距機として大なる効果を有する。[Effects of the Invention] The laser distance measuring device of the present invention has many features such as small size, low power consumption, high repeatability of measurement, robustness, and long life, so it can be installed in moving objects such as automobiles and airplanes. It has great effects as a portable range finder used for on-site monitoring, etc.
【図１】本発明のレーザ測距装置のレーザ発振器の構成
図FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a laser oscillator of a laser ranging device of the present invention.
【図２】ＥｒドープＹＡＧレーザ媒質の吸収スペクトル
を示す図[Figure 2] Diagram showing the absorption spectrum of Er-doped YAG laser medium
【図３】従来のレーザ測距装置のレーザ発振器の構成図
[Figure 3] Configuration diagram of a laser oscillator of a conventional laser distance measuring device
【図４】レーザ測距装置のシステムのブロック図[Figure 4] Block diagram of the system of the laser ranging device
１ 半導体レーザ ２ セルフォックレンズ ３ ＥｒドープＹＡＧロッド ４ ＡＯ・Ｑスイッチ素子 ５ 出力ミラー ６ リアミラー ７ フラッシュランプ ８ Ｅｒドープガラスロッド ９ リフレクター １０ Ｑスイッチ素子 １１ 出力ミラー １２ 表示器 １３ 制御部 １４ 計数部 １５ レーザ発振器 １６ 増幅器 １７ 受光素子 １８ ビームエキスパンダ １９ 受光光学系 1 Semiconductor laser 2 Selfoc lens 3 Er-doped YAG rod 4 AO/Q switch element 5 Output mirror 6 Rear mirror 7 Flash lamp 8 Er-doped glass rod 9 Reflector 10 Q switch element 11 Output mirror 12 Indicator 13 Control section 14 Counting part 15 Laser oscillator 16 Amplifier 17 Photo receiving element 18 Beam expander 19 Light receiving optical system
Claims (4)
４μｍ以上１００μｍ以下のレーザ光を発振する固体レ
ーザを用いていることを特徴とするレーザ測距装置。Claim 1: A semiconductor laser is used as an excitation light source, and the wavelength is 1.
A laser ranging device characterized in that it uses a solid-state laser that oscillates a laser beam of 4 μm or more and 100 μm or less.
特徴とする、請求項１記載のレーザ測距装置。2. The laser distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the solid-state laser is operated in pulses.
を共振器内に挿入していることを特徴とした、請求項１
記載のレーザ測距装置。Claim 3: Claim 1, characterized in that a Q-switch element is inserted into the resonator for pulse operation of the solid-state laser.
The laser ranging device described.
ープしたレーザ媒質を用いていることを特徴とした、請
求項１記載のレーザ測距装置。4. The laser distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the solid-state laser uses a laser medium doped with erbium (Er) atoms.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP1519491A JPH04254786A (en) | 1991-02-06 | 1991-02-06 | Laser range finder |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP1519491A JPH04254786A (en) | 1991-02-06 | 1991-02-06 | Laser range finder |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| JPH04254786A true JPH04254786A (en) | 1992-09-10 |
Family
ID=11882050
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP1519491A Pending JPH04254786A (en) | 1991-02-06 | 1991-02-06 | Laser range finder |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPH04254786A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH1082858A (en) * | 1996-07-15 | 1998-03-31 | Hiromasa Ito | Optical range finder |
| KR100686620B1 (en) * | 2006-06-12 | 2007-02-26 | 권경해 | Anchor encased in frame embedded in structure of house for convenience replacement |
-
1991
- 1991-02-06 JP JP1519491A patent/JPH04254786A/en active Pending
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH1082858A (en) * | 1996-07-15 | 1998-03-31 | Hiromasa Ito | Optical range finder |
| KR100686620B1 (en) * | 2006-06-12 | 2007-02-26 | 권경해 | Anchor encased in frame embedded in structure of house for convenience replacement |
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