A new speed enhancement technique for pulsed laser rangefinders based on Lagrange's theorem in group theory using an undersampling method has been developed. In the undersampling method, frequency conversion for high-resolution ranging and digitizing are conducted by sampling a reference frequency signal at the timings of the reception of pulsed light from the target. In the present work, the rangefinder generates different sampling intervals of the reference frequency signal: different numbers of sampling points within the period of a reference signal, over a wide range. This is accomplished by slightly changing the period of the pulsed light emitted, without changing the synthesizer frequency which generates the period. This technique requires a minimum of additional hardware. In this paper, we describe the detail of the selection of the number of sampling points based on Lagrange's theorem. And we demonstrate a possibility of expanding the sampling interval to the point where an aliasing of the harmonic components of the reference signal occurs by simulations that focus on the calculation of the phase of the fundamental frequency of the reference signal. And we report on the results of rangefinder experiments for a reduction in the number of the sampling points. We have achieved a 10-fold enhancement of speed by selecting 10 sampling points over the results from the previous studies that had 100 sampling points within a period of a reference signal. And we have confirmed that the reduction in sampling points has a very little influence on the linearity, which is an acceptable trade-off for achieving the speed enhancement. This technique, based on Lagrange's theorem in group theory, allows us to control the minimum number of samplings required to calculate distances, so that high-speed data acquisition for coarse measurements and normal-speed data acquisition for fine measurements become selectable. Such a system with high flexibility in measurement modes has been developed.

This paper presents a multi functional range finder employing dual imager core on a single chip. Each imager core has functionalities of 2-D imaging and 3-D capture using the light section method with combinations of the dual imager core. The presented chip achieves, 2-D imaging mode, 3-D capture mode with the conventional light-section method, high-speed 3-D capture mode with the stereo matching mode, and 2-D and 3-D simultaneous capture mode. We demonstrate 58 fps 2-D imaging with 8 bit gray scale, and 24.8 rangemaps/s 3-D range-finder with the maximum range error of 1.619 mm and the standard deviation of 0.385 mm at 700 mm.

Efforts have been cumulated to measure tooth mobility, in order to accurately characterize the mechanical features of periodontal tissues. This paper provides a totally new technique for accomplishing the task of measuring tooth displacement in 6 degrees of freedom, using a range finder. Its intraoral equipment comprises two elements, a moving polyhedron and a referential device, both of which are secured to a subject tooth and several other teeth splinted together. The polyhedron has 6 planar surfaces, each oriented in a distinctly different direction, with each plane facing an opposing range finder mounted on the referential part. If the sensor geometry is provided, the position and orientation of the movable part, vis-a-vis the reference, can be determined theoretically from the distances between all the range finders and their opposing surfaces. This computation was mathematically formulated as a non-linear optimization problem, the numerical solution of which can be obtained iteratively. Its error-propagation formula was also provided as a linear approximation.