A low-cost laser range finder based on an FMCW-like method

The purpose of this paper is to present the prototype of a low-cost laser range finder. It belongs to the flight time measurement category. In this case, the time of flight is converted into a beat frequency proportional to the distance to be measured. This physical conversion is realized with an optical power modulation of the laser beam by a chirped wave. The experimental set-up is detailed with the main functional blocks. Experimental results are provided and the main possible improvements are discussed.