What is a 3D laser scanner?

A 3D laser scanner is a high-precision physical performance testing instrument that utilizes the interaction between a laser beam and the surface of a target object to obtain three-dimensional morphology information of the object's surface. The following is a detailed introduction about 3D laser scanners:

1、 Working principle

The 3D laser scanner mainly includes components such as laser emitter, optical scanning system, photoelectric converter, and data processing system. The working principle is roughly as follows:

The laser emitter generates a beam of laser, which is projected onto the surface of the target object through an optical scanning system.

When the laser beam comes into contact with the surface of the target object, scattering or reflection phenomena occur.

The photoelectric converter receives the reflected laser signal and converts it into an electrical signal.

These electrical signals can be processed to obtain the spatial coordinate information of each point on the surface of the object, thereby constructing the three-dimensional morphology of the object.

In addition, 3D scanners may also adopt various working principles such as structured light technology, phase measurement technology, 3D vision technology, and composite 3D non-contact measurement technology to achieve more accurate 3D measurements.

2、 Characteristics

High precision: 3D laser scanners have high measurement accuracy and can achieve micrometer level measurement precision, which is particularly important for fields that require high-precision measurement.

Non contact and non-destructive: As a non-contact and non-destructive technology, 3D laser scanning can quickly and accurately obtain the three-dimensional morphology information of the target object without contact, avoiding the damage that may be caused to the object in traditional measurement methods.

Widely used: 3D laser scanners have a wide range of applications in various fields, including multidimensional measurement, deformation measurement, reverse engineering research, quality control, 3D digitization, etc. for automobiles, subways, airplanes, submarines, buildings, industrial plants, stone arch bridges/overpasses, historical relics, etc.

3、 Application examples

In the military field, 3D laser scanning technology has been widely used in battle damage assessment, weapon first article inspection, collision testing, and other aspects. For example, the US Navy utilizes virtual and mixed reality 3D scanning technology for battle damage assessment, constructing 3D models of the entire ship through LiDAR scanning, with the aim of expanding the use of these models to combat damage assessment and repair, installation and modernization, and other fleet applications.

In addition, 3D laser scanning technology also plays an important role in rapid prototyping for reverse engineering, virtual reality, maintenance support, and quality control. By obtaining three-dimensional shape information of objects, digital models can be created for subsequent design, manufacturing, and analysis work.

In summary, 3D laser scanners are high-precision, non-contact, and non-destructive 3D measuring instruments with broad application prospects and important practical value.