Influence of Diverse Atmospheric Conditions on Optical Properties of a Pulse Laser in a Time-of-Flight Laser Range Finder

Abstract

We investigate the propagation characteristics of a pulse laser in a time-of-flight laser range finder (TOF-LRF) system with variations in atmospheric conditions, such as temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and the concentration of CO2. The measurement error of distance related with the group velocity change in the TOF-LRF system is analyzed by considering the refractive index of the standard atmosphere with variations in atmospheric conditions. The dependence of the pulse width broadening induced by chromatic dispersion of the standard atmosphere on the operating wavelength and the initial pulse width of the light sources is discussed. The transmission of air with variations in the relative humidity or the concentration of CO2 is analyzed by using different values of absorption coefficients depending on the operation wavelength of the light source in the TOF-LRF system.