Real-time 3D imaging: A closer reality of industry and manufacturing applications

Laser radar imaging technology has been primarily used in defense arenas, and the principle of CW laser radar imaging has been proposed and, in some cases, implemented. However, it has not been engineered for many potentially significant large applications. It is believed that, if some key problems are solved, this laser radar imaging technology can be engineered with significantly lower costs compared to the current practice and designed for broad usages in both civilian and defense applications. In this paper, real-time range imaging is introduced. The engineering aspects are also discussed.