Laser scanner for UAV landing assistance - range analysis, beam shaping and experimental model

We developed unconventional laser scanner, which monitors the area with two independent laser beams shaped into lines. These lines are oriented perpendicular to each other. The solution is based on pulsed laser diodes and PIN photodetectors, making the whole platform more compact, lighter and cheaper comparing to the existing alternatives, which most often include an extensive high-resolution video track integrated with a scanning platform of considerable dimensions. The paper discusses the scanning methodology and presents a range analysis in the context of commercially available semiconductor lasers with the desired emission parameters. Another problem discussed in the paper is a method of forming a multimode laser beam into the shape of possibly narrow and homogenous line of light. The first issue can be settled through the application of commercially available aspherical components, while achieving perfect homogeneity requires the design and implementation of a dedicated freeform optical element. The current version of the experimental model is limited to off-the-shelf optical components, while the study also presents the design and simulation of the freeform transmitter.