Laser operation for survey instruments
First Claim
1. A method of safely operating a laser scanner, comprising the steps of:
- determining range information for a first scan point;
determining an orientation of a beam steering portion of the laser scanner;
using the range information and orientation to predict a location of a subsequent scan point; and
waiting to fire the laser scanner for the next scan point until the separation between the first scan point and the subsequent scan point reaches a minimum safety threshold.
3 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
The performance of a laser scanner is optimized in the field by automatically determining appropriate laser parameters for the scan location. A laser control system uses information such as the environmental temperature to select an appropriate range of start points for various laser parameters, such as pump temperature and laser currents. Test pulses over that range can be used to determine optimal operating parameters. In order to also meet safety regulations, the laser control system can use information such as range and pulse timing information to fire regularly spaced pulses that do not exceed acceptable exposure limits. Alternatively, the laser can be operated at a regular speed of about 24 Hz, or can be operated in burst mode where a burst of pulses creates what appears to be a brighter scan spot, but the time delay between bursts allows time for a blink reflex.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of safely operating a laser scanner, comprising the steps of:
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determining range information for a first scan point; determining an orientation of a beam steering portion of the laser scanner; using the range information and orientation to predict a location of a subsequent scan point; and waiting to fire the laser scanner for the next scan point until the separation between the first scan point and the subsequent scan point reaches a minimum safety threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 11)
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4. A method of safely operating a laser scanner, comprising the steps of:
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determining a first position of a first scan point on an object being scanned; estimating a second position for a second scan point on the object; and delaying firing of the laser scanner for the second scan point until an estimated separation between the first scan point and the second scan point reaches a minimum safety threshold.
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5. A method of safely operating a laser scanner, comprising the steps of:
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firing a first burst of pulses of visible light toward a first scan position on an object to be scanned, the first burst of pulses including a plurality of pulses having a first spacing of time between them; collecting range data for the first burst of pulses; determining a safe time when a firing of a subsequent burst of pulses will not exceed a safety threshold for the laser scanner, the safe time being different than the first spacing; and firing a second burst of pulses of visible light toward a second scan position on the object after reaching the safe time, whereby the burst of pulses enhances visibility of the visible light. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13)
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10. A method of safely operating a laser scanner, comprising:
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determining range information for a first scan point; determining an orientation of a beam steering portion of the laser scanner; determining additional information including at least one of a relative change in distance between scan points and intensity of light measured for the first scan point; and using the range information, orientation and additional information to predict a location of a subsequent scan point; and waiting to fire the laser scanner for the subsequent scan point until separation between the first scan point and the subsequent scan point reaches a minimum safety margin.
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Specification