Patent ID: 7375826
Filing Date: 2008-05-20
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
1. A laser scanner for computing a range from a first laser line illuminating a detail to an imaging sensor, said first laser line emitted from a first laser emitter, said first laser line illuminating said detail within an area covered by said imaging sensor, said area having a first dimension and a second dimension, said detail having a dimension perpendicular to said area, said scanner comprising: a traverse for moving said first laser emitter coupled to said imaging sensor, said traverse moving parallel to said first dimension of said area in a scan direction for a scan, said imaging sensor and said first laser emitter at a height above said area, said first laser emitter positioned at an offset along said scan direction with respect to said imaging sensor, said first laser emitter oriented at a depression angle with respect to said area, said depression angle in a plane along said first dimension, said plane perpendicular to said area, said depression angle invariant during said scan, said first laser emitter projecting said first laser line along said second dimension of said area at a frame first dimension position, said second dimension perpendicular to said scan direction over said area; said imaging sensor sensitive to laser reflections from said detail produced by said first laser line, said imaging sensor imaging said laser reflections from said detail within said area to generate a image frame, said image frame second dimension aligned along said second dimension and inclusive of said frame first dimension position; a computer connected to said imaging sensor for reception of said image frame, said computer examining said image frame for the presence of reflections from said detail; said computer computing said range to said detail from said imaging sensor using said height, said depression angle and said offset; and said computer displaying said range to said detail as indicative of said dimension of said detail on a display at a coordinate within said second dimension and said first dimension over said area covered by said image frame.