Three-dimensional scanner with enhanced spectroscopic energy detector

• US 9,529,083 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Bridges, Robert E., Becker, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US14/822,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20150369917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 356/5.01, 356/622, 382/104, 382/106, 382/100, 382/103, 382/118, 382/154, 382/167, 382/224, 382/272, 382/274, 348/46, 348/E7.085, 348/135, 348/E13.074, 348/136, 348/370, 348/39, 348/43, 348/47, 348/77, 348/484
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00827 Arrangements for reading an image from an unusual original, e.g. 3-dimensional objects

Abstract

A laser scanner that determines three-dimensional points in an environment further includes a spectrometer for determining the wavelength spectrum of chemical substances in the environment.

Claims

1. A laser scanner for optically scanning and measuring an object in an environment, the laser scanner comprising:

a light emitter configured to emit an emission light beam, an electromagnetic energy generator configured to emit a first electromagnetic energy, and a first beam splitter configured to combine the emission light beam with the first electromagnetic energy in a combined light and to send the combined light out of the laser scanner into the environment;

an optical system including at least one of a reflective optical component and a refractive optical component, the optical system receiving in operation a combined reflected light, the combined light reflected by the object and received by the at least one or a reflective optical component and a refractive optical component;

a second beam splitter configured to separate the combined reflected light into a reflected emission light and a reflected electromagnetic energy;

an optical receiver having a collecting lens and a detector, the optical receiver determining in operation a distance to a point on the object based at least in part on the reflected emission light with the detector;

a spectrometer receiver having a photosensitive detector that receives in operation the electromagnetic energy, the spectrometer receiver determines in operation a wavelength spectrum of the reflected electromagnetic energy received by the photosensitive detector; and

a control and evaluation unit having a processor and a data connection to the light emitter and the light receiver, the processor determining in operation a distance from the laser scanner to the point on the object, the determined distance based at least in part on a propagation time of the emission light beam and the reflection light beam.

2. The laser scanner of claim 1, further comprising a first angle measuring device operably coupled to the processor to provide in operation a first angle of the combined light out of the laser scanner.

3. The laser scanner of claim 2, further comprising a second angle measuring device operably coupled to the processor to provide in operation a second angle of the combined light out of the laser scanner.

4. The laser scanner of claim 3, wherein the the processor determines three-dimensional coordinates of the point.

5. The laser scanner of claim 4, wherein the electromagnetic energy generator generates electromagnetic energy in the infrared region.

6. The laser scanner of claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic energy generator generates one or more wavelengths between 3 and 15 micrometers.

7. The laser scanner of claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic energy generator includes a quantum cascade laser.

8. The laser scanner of claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic energy generator sweeps over a plurality of wavelengths.

9. The laser scanner of claim 8, wherein the spectrometer receiver determines in operation the wavelength spectrum of the reflected electromagnetic energy based at least in part on a correlation in time between reflected electromagnetic energy measured by the spectrometer receiver and the first electromagnetic energy emitted by the electromagnetic energy generator.

10. The laser scanner of claim 4, wherein the electromagnetic energy generates a comb of optical frequencies.

11. The laser scanner of claim 10, wherein the spectrometer receiver is a Fourier transform interferometer receiver.

12. The laser scanner of claim 11, wherein the spectrometer receiver includes a microelectromechanical interferometer.

13. The laser scanner of claim 10, wherein the spectrometer receiver includes one of a virtually-imaged phased-array spectrometer and a dual-comb spectrometer.

14. The laser scanner of claim 4, wherein the spectrometer receiver includes a grating configured to separate wavelengths.

15. The laser scanner of claim 14, wherein the separated wavelengths are projected onto the photosensitive detector.

16. The laser scanner of claim 4, further including a rotary mirror that directs in operation the combined light out of the laser scanner and to direct the combined reflected light back into the laser scanner.

17. The laser scanner of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the electromagnetic energy generator is located outside a body of the scanner.

18. The laser scanner of claim 17, wherein electromagnetic energy is transferred from the electromagnetic energy generator over a fiber-optic cable.

19. The laser scanner of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the spectrometer receiver is located outside a body of the scanner.

20. The laser scanner of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the received electromagnetic energy is transferred to the spectrometer receiver over fiber-optic cable.