High-frequency scannerless imaging laser radar for industrial inspection and measurement applications

This report describes the development and testing of a high-frequency scannerless imaging laser radar system to evaluate its viability as an industrial inspection and measurement sensor. We modified an existing 5.5-Mhz scannerless laser radar to operate at 150 Mhz, and measured its performance including its spatial resolution and range resolution. We also developed new algorithms that allow rapid data reduction with improved range resolution. The resulting 150-Mhz ladar system demonstrated a range resolution of better than 3 mm, which represents nearly a factor-of-100 improvement in range resolution over the existing scannerless laser radar system. Based on this work, we believe that a scannerless range imager with 1- to 2-mm range resolution is feasible. This work was performed as part of a small-business CRADA between Sandia National Laboratories and Perceptron, Inc