New Laser Doppler Velocimetry with Wide Dynamic Range and Clear Directional Discrimination

We present a new laser Doppler velocimetry based on self-mixing effect using a single longitudinal-mode verticalcavity surface-emitting laser modulated by a dynamic triangular current. It can indicate the direction of velocity without ambiguity in a wide dynamic range of 5.2-479.9minis. The accuracy of velocity measurement is better than 3.1% in the whole velocity range when a diffusing target is used for measurements. More interestingly, it works very well on different diffusing surfaces, even on a black glossy photographic paper.     

High accuracy wavelength locking of a DFB laser using tunable polarization interference filter

A temperature-tunable polarization interference filter (PIF) made of YVO4 crystal has been presented and applied for wavelength locking of a distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser in dense wavelength-division-multiplexing (DWDM) optical communication systems. This new design offers a flexible way to monitor and then lock an operating wavelength of DFB laser to any preselected point without dead spots. The results show that the laser wavelength can be locked with accuracy better than ±0.01 nm with much relaxed requirement on temperature stability of the filter.     

Effect of speckle pattern on laser Doppler velocimeters

The effect of speckle pattern on laser Doppler velocimeters is studied theoretically and experimentally. We have found that dynamic speckle patterns can cause error in velocity measurement. Increasing sampling time and using proper signal processing circuits can eliminate this bad effect caused by speckle pattern.The accuracy of velocity measurement is better than 2.1％ in a wide velocity range(4.66-468.86 mm/s)when speckle effects are taken into account.     

Optimized design of laser range finding system using the self-mixing effect in a single-mode VCSEL

An optimized design of laser range finding system using the self-mixing effect in a single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is proposed. In order to improve the ranging accuracy and expand dynamic measurement range, we apply difference frequency analog phase-locked loop (PLL) instead of fast Fourier transform (FFT) to process signal, and choose the optimum triangular wave frequency fm = 500 Hz and small modulation current △Ip-p = 0.28 mA to modulate single-mode VCSEL. The experiment results show that, without controlling the laser's temperature, the ranging accuracy is better than 2 mm and the measurement dynamic range is as large as 50-500 mm when the sampling time is 0,1 s and the room temperature is 0-55℃.     

Effect of speckle pattern on laser Doppler velocimeters

The effect of speckle pattern on laser Doppler velocimeters is studied theoretically and experimentally. We have found that dynamic speckle patterns can cause error in velocity measurement. Increasing sampling time and using proper signal processing circuits can eliminate this bad effect caused by speckle pattern. The accuracy of velocity measurement is better than 2.1% in a wide velocity range (4.66-468.86 mm/s) when speckle effects are taken into account.     

Coarse error analysis and correction of a two-dimensional triangulation range finder

A real-time two-dimensional (2D) triangulation range finder is presented, which is composed of two linear complementary metal oxidation semiconductor (CMOS) chips, two camera lenses, and four light emitting diodes (LEDs). The high order distortion in image aberrations is the main factor responsible for the coarse errors. The theoretical prediction is in good agreement with experiments and the correction equation is used to obtain more reliable results with the unique distortion coefficient in the whole working region.