The Origin of Laser Technology and Its Transformative Impact on Sensors

Laser technology has profoundly influenced sensors in several ways:

1. High-Precision Measurement: Laser sensors provide extremely accurate distance and position information, widely used in industrial automation, robotics, and surveying.

2. Non-Contact Measurement: Laser sensors can measure without contacting the object, making them suitable for applications in fragile, contaminated, or high-temperature environments.

3. Real-Time Data Acquisition: Laser sensors quickly capture data, supporting real-time monitoring and feedback, significantly enhancing production efficiency and safety.

4. Versatility: Modern laser sensors integrate multiple functions, such as distance measurement, speed detection, and object recognition, catering to complex application scenarios.

5. Strong Anti-Interference Capability: Laser beams have excellent directionality and penetration, allowing stable measurement performance even in complex environments.

1. Excitation: External energy (such as current or light source) excites the medium (atoms or molecules in gases, liquids, or solids) to a higher energy level.

2. Stimulated Emission: When excited atoms or molecules return to a lower energy level, they release photons, which interact with surrounding atoms or molecules to stimulate the emission of more photons, creating a chain reaction.

3. Gain Medium: A gain medium is typically included in the laser to enhance the intensity of the laser.

4. Resonant Cavity: The laser usually contains two mirrors (one fully reflective and one partially reflective), forming a resonant cavity where photons bounce back and forth, increasing light intensity and eventually exiting through the partially reflective mirror, forming the laser beam.

Lasers exhibit characteristics such as monochromaticity, directionality, and high brightness, making them widely applicable in science, industry, medicine, and communications.

2. Directionality: Laser beams have very low divergence, allowing them to concentrate energy in a small area, which is essential for high-energy density applications such as laser cutting, engraving, and optical communication.

3. Coherence: The light waves in a laser beam exhibit phase consistency, with peaks and troughs arriving almost simultaneously. This coherence enables clear images and precise measurements in applications such as interferometry, holography, and LiDAR.

Laser technology has broad applications in measurement fields, with the following brief descriptions of four main applications:

1. Laser Rangefinding: Laser ranging technology measures the time it takes for a laser beam to travel to a target and back. By calculating the time and speed of light, the distance to the target can be accurately determined, commonly used in topographic surveying and automated navigation.

2. Laser Length Measurement: Laser length measurement primarily involves measuring the length or dimensions of objects by projecting a laser line onto a surface and calculating the projected length. This method offers high precision and non-contact advantages, widely used in manufacturing and engineering measurement.

3. Laser Vibration Measurement: Laser vibration measurement uses laser interferometry to detect vibration and displacement in objects. It can detect minute vibrational changes, suitable for structural health monitoring, mechanical fault diagnosis, and material performance testing, characterized by high sensitivity and rapid response.

4. Laser Speed Measurement: Laser speed measurement utilizes a laser beam to detect the speed of objects, typically employing the Doppler effect. When the laser illuminates a moving object, the frequency of the reflected light changes. By analyzing this frequency shift, the object's speed can be calculated. This technology is widely used in traffic monitoring, motion analysis, and industrial automation.

All four of these laser measurement technologies offer high precision, non-contact capabilities, and real-time data acquisition, driving automation and intelligence in various industries. The continuous advancement and application of laser technology will provide robust support for future technological innovations and industrial upgrades.