Long-range high-performance time-of-flight-based 3D imaging sensors

A family of high-performance 3D imaging laser sensors are presented providing rapid acquisition of 3D data of naturally reflecting objects within a wide field-of-view and with ranges up to 1000 meters. Beside the basic 3D-information the sensors also supply, pixel for pixel, true color information gained by an additional passive channel. This color information allows an instantaneous automatic texturing of 3D models. The sensors are of a rugged and compact design and can thus be used even under adverse environmental conditions. Potential applications include scene acquisition for virtual reality modeling, 3D-imaging of large buildings in the field of architecture, topographic mapping and dimensional measurements of vessels, furnaces, tanks, etc. The sensor makes use of high-speed laser ranging based on the time-of-flight method using a pulsed laser source in combination with precise mechanical scanning of the measuring beam. Data are provided at a standard parallel interface allowing easy integration with any standard PC based system for data visualization and data processing. These data are provided with an average data rate up to 18000 measurements per second. Examples of data acquired with the sensors are presented, accuracy and ranging capability are discussed.