Laser rangefinder/distance measurement/scanner needed (cheap)

Hi guys,
I am working on a project for a parking lot. My need of a laser scanner/range finder/ etc is to detect cars in a parking lot in the parking spaces. I am hoping each sensor can detect atleast 5 cars, I am open to having a motorrotate the sensor around to detect more cars. My price budget is around 200$.
I also would like to say i2c/rs232/usb doesn't matter as long as I don't need too much processing power as I am planning to use a small micro controller for this application. Multiple of the laser-controller modules will be deployed around the parking lot to cover all spaces.

Thanks in advance
Aditya

If you only need to know the number of free parking spaces, the easiest and cheapest way to do that is to count the number of cars entering and leaving the lot.

I have not seen a laser scanner under 1000 dollars that has a range over 5 meters.. practically all scanners with ~30m range cost over 3000 dollars.
**broken link removed**

Could Kinect work?

A Kinect isn't a bad idea, but then it shifts things heavily to needing a PC or something with that kind of power (BeagleBoard?) - plus the software development to process the data...

Here's a very inexpensive and simple 2D laser rangefinder project which can be interfaced with a microcontroller:

http://letsmakerobots.com/node/2651

...but its detection range isn't great; you might have to experiment with lenses as indicated in the article to increase it - but it's a start.

None of these cost more than $1000: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2011/09/Disto_Stanley_comparison_chart_019.pdf

I have the TLM100 and am very satisfied with it. Got it new in a retail blister pack on ebay for $50.00 a few years back.

John

jpanhalt said:

None of these cost more than $1000: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2011/09/Disto_Stanley_comparison_chart_019-1.pdf

I have the TLM100 and am very satisfied with it. Got it new in a retail blister pack on ebay for $50.00 a few years back.

John

Click to expand...

Those are laser distance measuring devices; while technically a laser rangefinder, they only (typically) measure the distance to a single point, and don't pan/scan over a 2D or 3D area to build up an area/volume measurement (like a Hokuyo, SICK, or Mesa Imaging device). Maybe the OP is referring to something more akin to what you posted, but the way it was posted - it doesn't seem that way. Hopefully the OP can clarify...

I interpreted this statement,

I am working on a project for a parking lot. My need of a laser scanner/range finder/ etc

Click to expand...

to mean a range finder was being considered, particularly given the range over which the OP wanted to function. He has mentioned rotating the range finder and taking multiple readings.

John

Small cameras up on the poles and vision processing.

The hardware is cheap and no moving parts, and the clever stuff is in software and can easily be adapted and upgraded to add features etc at any point.