Patent ID: 8730477

Claim:
A laser scanner that optically scans and measures an environment, comprising: a measuring head having a carrying structure which serves as a skeleton of the measuring head to which components of the laser scanner are fixed, the carrying structure having a traverse that rotates relative to a base about a first axis, the rotation of the measuring head about the first axis produced by a first rotary drive and measured by a first encoder; a light emitter fixed to the carrying structure that emits an emission light beam; a rotary mirror that rotates about a second axis and deflects the emission light beam to the environment, the rotation about the second axis produced by a second rotary drive fixed to the carrying structure and measured by a second encoder; a light receiver fixed to the carrying structure that receives a portion of the emission light beam reflected from an object in the environment as a reception light beam; a control and evaluation unit that interfaces to the first encoder, the second encoder, and the light receiver and determines three dimensional coordinates for a plurality of measuring points on the object; a first shell attached to the traverse and a second shell attached to the traverse, the first shell and traverse enclosing a first volume that is sealed from the environment and encloses the light emitter and the light receiver, the second shell and traverse enclosing a second volume that is sealed from the environment and encloses the second rotary drive, there being a first space open to the environment between the first volume and the second volume for the emission light beam to be deflected to the plurality of measuring points by the rotary mirror; and a first metal yoke fixed to the traverse and a second metal yoke fixed to the traverse, wherein the first yoke, the second yoke, and the traverse protectively enclose the first volume and the second volume.