| Abstract | A real-time laser scanner for object recognition, inspection, and robot control is presented in this paper. Range and intensity images are generated in perfect registration at a rate of 10 Mega-samples per second. Images have a resolution of 483 lines each having 512 pixels. Owing to its compatibility with the video standard RS-170, the range camera can be directly interfaced to an image processor through a video frame grabber with either an analog or digital input. The angular field of view is 30 degrees by 30 degrees. The stand-off distance is 0.5 m and the operational depth of field is 1 m. Furthermore, cooperative targets can be measured up to several meters away from the camera. The range resolution is 12 bits. Under normal operating conditions, a range precision of 0.2 mm and 2 mm are achieved at 0.5 m and 1 m respectively. The camera weighs only 2.75 kg. The source in the present system is a Nd-YAG laser emitting a laser beam with a wavelength of 1064 nm and a maximum power on the scene of 2 W. Future developments will include the use of a source at 1540 nm to make the system eye-safe. The testing of the prototype is well under way and soon, images of a variety of representative objects will be available. |
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