LASER SCANNING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USE

• US 20130088872A1
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renishaw PLC
• Original Assignee: Renishaw PLC
• Inventors: Ball, Stephen Leslie
• Granted Patent: US 9,671,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/249.01
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/002 making direct electrical contact, e.g. by piercing F21V21/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/025 by scanning the object
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4815 using multiple transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/108 having one or more prisms as scanning elements

Abstract

A laser system includes a housing and a laser. The laser can be positioned in the housing such that its laser beam is transmitted at an angle and its path forms a cone as the housing rotates. The laser device may also contain two or more lasers, the angle of each laser may be the same or different, and the angular position of each laser may be fixed or variable. The laser system may be stationary or mobile and used in a variety of methods to detect an object or topography and produce a three dimensional image. That information can be further used to provide maps, terrain data, volumetric measurements, landing guidance, obstacle avoidance warnings, mining profiles and other useful material.

Claims

1. A laser scanning apparatus comprising a housing comprising at least one laser, in which the apparatus is configured to emit at least first and second laser beams from the housing, the at least first and second laser beams being rotatable about a common axis of rotation.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, configured such that the path of at least one of the first and second laser beams is in the shape of a cone when it moves about the axis of rotation.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising at least first and second lasers for generating the at least first and second laser beams.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the at least first and second lasers are configured to rotate about a common axis.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the at least first and second lasers are rotationally fixed relative to each other.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the housing is rotatable about an axis of rotation, and in which the apparatus is such that the at least first and second laser beams are configured to rotate with the housing.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which at least one of the first and second lasers is positioned in the housing at an angle such that the path of its laser beam is in the shape of a cone when the housing moves about its axis of rotation.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the first laser beam is rotatable about the common axis of rotation such that its path is in the shape of a cone when it moves about the axis of rotation, and the second laser beam is rotatable about the common axis of rotation such that its path is also in the shape of a cone when it moves about the axis of rotation, different to that of the first laser beam.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the at least first and second lasers are positioned in the housing at an angle such that the path of their laser beams are each in the shape of a cone when the housing moves about its axis of rotation.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, configured such that the at least two cones face in opposite directions.

11. A method of scanning using a laser scanning apparatus comprising a housing from which at least first and second beams are emitted from the housing, the method comprising:

rotating the at least first and second beams about a common axis such that they each describe a different path.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, in which the method comprises rotating the at least first and second beams such that at least one of the beams describes a conical path as it rotates about the common axis.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, in which the method comprises rotating the at least first and second beams about a common axis such that they each describe a different conical path.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11, in which the method comprises rotating the housing so as to rotate the at least first and second beams about the common axis.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, in which the first and second conical paths face in opposite directions.

16. A method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising linearly moving the housing in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.

17. A method of scanning an object, comprising moving a laser scanning apparatus past the object, in which the laser scanning apparatus projects at least one laser beam at an angle relative to the direction of travel so as to extend in both forward and backward directions relative to the direction of travel as the laser scanning apparatus moves past the object.