A High-Speed Full Frame Laser 3D Imager

High-speed three-dimensional (3D) imaging of objects and targets is a very important functionality of advanced sensor systems in both military and civilian applications. This capability can provide many BMDO systems with a leapfrog performance advance in target detection, identification, classification, tracking, and kill determination. The 3D imaging techniques also have enormous commercial market, ranging from 3D TV, virtual reality, 3D modeling and simulation, Internet, industrial inspection, vehicle navigation, robotics and teleoperation, to medical imaging, dental measurement, appeal and footwear industries. Although many 3D imaging techniques have been developed in the past, most of them can only provide 3D measurement of single point or single line on objects, in one measurement. None of 3D imaging systems currently available on the market can provide al-time at a video rate. These systems therefore can not be used in high-speed 3D imaging applications. This proposed SBIR effort-seeks to provide a leapfrog advance for scanning laser based 3D imaging technology. The approach we proposed, dubbed as the Double Flash 3D (DF3D) Imager, is able to acquire full-frame 3D images of objects in a scene at CCD camera's frame rate (30 fps or faster), a capability that no other 3D imaging sensor can provide presently.