LIGHT RANGE FINDER Russian patent published in 2001 - IPC

FIELD: geodesy, construction industry. SUBSTANCE: light range finder is designed to measure distances to objects difficult of access by their radiation reflected diffusively or distances to remote objects by mirror radiation reflected from corner reflectors. It includes laser, generator, radiation detector, frequency meter, inverter, rotary prism to input portion of radiation into comparator. Frequency Fc of radiation pulses emerging with supply of signal from output of detector to input of generator of pulses of pumping current of semiconductor laser is measured. Frequency Fc is related to measured distance L by relation L=c( Fo- Fc)/4 Fo Fc-Lo, where c is velocity of light; Fo is reference frequency proportional to calibrated distance Lo. Measurement precision of this light range finder substantially exceeds that of pulse range finder and approaches measurement precision of pulse- phase range finder. EFFECT: considerably reduced mass and size characteristics of light range finder. 2 dwg