Compact robotics perception system based on a laser range finder coupled with silicon micromirrors

A compact perception system—originally developed for real-time acquisition of 3-D images for robotics applications—is presented. For distances up to 12 m, the resolution is about 2 cm at a rate of 5 images/s, with a field of view better than m20 deg. The setup is based on a specifically designed phase-shift laser range finder coupled with two micromachined silicon mirrors with a size of 4×4 mm. A sensor gives the Cartesian position of the laser spot. Data obtained from scanning are stored in numerical form in a 4096 10-bit words RAM. This design intends to provide a device with as many silicon components as possible, in view of achieving a very large integration in the near future. We describe the current device and analyze experimental results.