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Laser Rangefinder Project (help needed!)

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wookie

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Hi there,

I am looking to design and build a laser rangefinder for a year-long college project.

So far, my research has led me to a lot of University papers with technical language beyond my understanding, however, I am not deterred.

I have researched three different methods to measure distance with light, Parallax measurement, FMCW Phase measurement and Time-of-flight measurement.

My specification requires the device to be eye safe, battery powered, compact and able to work outdoors at a range of up to 15 metres. Resolution can be pretty low, 0.5m is fine.

I understand that this is a reasonably high spec, but I believe Time-of-flight to be the most suitable method.
I intend to use 1GHz Clock, an APD and a counter to measure the round trip time of the laser pulse.

Question: Is this possible for me?

Luckily, the project doesnt have to leave the design stage for me to be awarded the qualification, but its still a lot of work and I would like to build it.

Thank you in advance!
 
AFAIK, directly measuring time of flight accurately is quite demanding. You say you'll use a 1GHz clock into a counter. If you find an oscillator and counter that work at these frequencies (they do exist), you'll have a resolution of 150mm.
 
I managed to find a 2.4GHz VCO on RS Components, but not much else... where can you find these parts cheaply?
 
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