The Waikato range imager

Abstract

We are developing a high precision simultaneous full-field acquisition range imager. This device measures range with sub millimetre precision in range simultaneously over a full-field view of the scene. Laser diodes are used to illuminate the scene with amplitude modulation with a frequency of 10MHz up to 100 MHz. The received light is interrupted by a high speed shutter operating in a heterodyne configuration thus producing a low-frequency signal which is sampled with a digital camera. By detecting the phase of the signal at each pixel the range to the scene is determined. We show 3D reconstructions of some viewed objects to demonstrate the capabilities of the ranger.