Patent ID: 7706573

Claim:
A method of remotely measuring the distance between two points in space within a field-of-view, the method comprising: a. directing a rangefinder to measure the range to a first point of interest; b. directing the rangefinder to measure the range to a second point of interest; c. directing a laser beam to a micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems (MOEMS) scanner; and d. applying a proper AC voltage to the MOEMS scanner to cause the MOEMS scanner to scan the laser beam over a scan line, the endpoints of the scan line coinciding with the two points of interest. e. applying a proper biased DC voltage to the MOEMS scanner to bring scan mirror to horizontal position; and f. determining the scan angle based upon the level of the AC voltage applied to the MOEMS scanner; and g. calculating the distance between the two points of interest based upon the range measurements to the points of interest and the determined scan angle; and h. Mounting the MOEMS scanner on a scanner positioner with 3-directional movement.