Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-767nl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-13T18:39:05.601Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

On the use of optical fibres in a pulsed time-of-flight laser rangefinder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2009

Seppo Nissilä  and
Juha Kostamovaara
Seppo Nissilä
Affiliation:
University of Oulu, Department of Electrical Engineering, Electronics Laboratory Linnanmaa, 90570 Oulu (Finland),
Juha Kostamovaara
Affiliation:
University of Oulu, Department of Electrical Engineering, Electronics Laboratory Linnanmaa, 90570 Oulu (Finland),
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The pulsed time-of-flight laser rangefinding technique has been used in many industrial measurement applications, including 3D-coordinate measuring devices, hot surface profilers and mobile robot sensors. Optical fibres, typically 1–10 m in length and 100–400 μm in diameter can be used to guide optical pulses to the separate sensing head of the measurement device. The use of a large multimode fibre may cause problems, however, when aiming at millimetre accuracy, as the construction and adjustment of the optics of the sensor head may affect the transit time linearity and measurement accuracy via multimode dispersion. Environmental effects, such as bending, vibration due to the moving sensing head and temperature, also cause measurement errors. The error sources are studied and characterized in this paper.

Keywords

Optical fibresLaser rangefinderErrorsTOF laser
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , January 1995 , pp. 45 - 53
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Kaisto, I., Kostamovaara, J., Moring, I. & Myllylä, R., “Laser rangefinding techniques in the sensing of 3-D objects” SPIE Proc 1260 Sensing and Reconstruction of Three-Dimensional Objects and Scenes (1990) pp. 122–133.Google Scholar
2.Kostamovaara, J.Määttä, K., Koskinen, M. & Myllylä, R.,“Pulsed laser radars with high-modulation frequency in industrial applications”, SPIE Proc. 1633, Laser Radar VII (1992) pp. 114–127.Google Scholar
3.Morning, I., Myllylä, R. et al. ,“New 3D-vision sensor for shape measurement applications” SPIE Proc. 1194, Optics, Illumination, and Image Sensing for Machine Vision IV pp. 232–242 (1989) pp. 232–242.Google Scholar
4.Määttä, K., Kostamovaara, J. & Myllylä, R., “On the measurement of hot surfaces by pulsed time-of-flight laser radar techniques”, SPIE Proc. 1265, Haag, Holland (1990) pp. 179–191.Google Scholar
5.Nissilä, S., Kostamovaara, J. & Myllylä, R., “The use of optical fibres in the pulsed time-of flight laser rangefinding technique”, SPIE Proc. 1267, Haag, Holland (1990) pp.66–73.Google Scholar
6.Rawson, E. G. & Goodman, J. W.,“Modal noise in multimode optical fibres” SPIE Proc. 355, Fibre Optics: Short-Haul and Long-Haul Measurements and Applications (1982) pp. 37–42.Google Scholar
7.Gambling, W. A., Payne, D. N. & Matsumura, H., “Mode conversion coefficients in optical fibers” Applied Optics 14, No. 7, 1538–1542 (1975).Google Scholar
8.Snyder, A. W. & Love, J. D., Optical Waveguide Theory (Cahpman and Hall, London, UK, 1983).Google Scholar
9.Gloge, D.,“Optical Power Row in Multimode Fibers” The Bell System Technical J. 51, No. 8, 1767–1783 (1972).Google Scholar
10.Olshansky, R., “Mode Coupling Effects in Graded-Index Optical Fibers” Applied Optics 14, No. 4, 935–945 (1975).Google Scholar
11.Nissilä, S., Kostamovaara, J. & Myllylä, R., “Thermal characteristics of optical delay in fibers used in pulsed laser rangefinding” J. Lightwave Technology 9, No. 11, 1464–1466 (1991).Google Scholar
12.Anderson, J. E.,“Light Transmission through Multi-Mode Fiberoptics” SPIE Proc. 722, Components for Fiber Optic Applications (1986) pp. 74–83.Google Scholar
13.Hentschel, C., Fiber Optics Handbook (Hewlett Packard, 1988).Google Scholar
14.Cohen, L. G. and Personick, S. D., “Length dependence of pulse dispersion in a long multimode optical fiber” Applied Optics 14, No. 6, 1357–1360 (1975).Google Scholar