DigiTan
New Member
I have a few questions about a method of object detection I want to try, but can't find much documentation on. Basically, I want to design a robot sensor that can detect objects across a 360° range using an LED emiter and receiver pair.
For the initial design, I want to try a basic IR proximity detector --much like **broken link removed**--and have it rotate in a 360° sweep using a stepper motor.
For the later design, I want to replace the IR diode with an IR laser to increase my resolution.
My first question is, where is the best place to get a very small IR laser, and generally, what is their price in U.S.C.? If all IR lasers are expensive, is there a practical way to narrow the beam of a diode and still keep the brightness. (I'm guessing a long tube with a reflective lining would work?)
Second, I was curious about rangefinding. Since light travels 1 meter in 3.33ns, I was hoping to either use a fast μprocessor to measure the delay time, or simply purchase a small pre-built rangefinder. If I decided to purchase one, where is the best place to look, and how expensive are they? This is a small robot that would weigh 10-15 pounds, so anything small in size would be preferred.
For the initial design, I want to try a basic IR proximity detector --much like **broken link removed**--and have it rotate in a 360° sweep using a stepper motor.
For the later design, I want to replace the IR diode with an IR laser to increase my resolution.
My first question is, where is the best place to get a very small IR laser, and generally, what is their price in U.S.C.? If all IR lasers are expensive, is there a practical way to narrow the beam of a diode and still keep the brightness. (I'm guessing a long tube with a reflective lining would work?)
Second, I was curious about rangefinding. Since light travels 1 meter in 3.33ns, I was hoping to either use a fast μprocessor to measure the delay time, or simply purchase a small pre-built rangefinder. If I decided to purchase one, where is the best place to look, and how expensive are they? This is a small robot that would weigh 10-15 pounds, so anything small in size would be preferred.