Miniature Laser 3D Scanner For Rapid Stockpile Volume Calculation

Take an electromagnetic measuring probe which is designed to measure small displacements.  Combine this with the small laser which was developed for survey and logistics markets.  With the laser in place of the actual measuring probe, changing the electronics to drive the motion of the laser, rather than measure the position, the system creates a 3D scanner.

Mount this in a suitable protective housing to protect from the potential environments of where it could be used.

is was developed as a solution to having a way of measuring the volume of a stockpile of road salt (grit) which was being stored in a dome/barn.  The problem was that in winter trucks are coming and going with salt and the volume within the storage area can only be estimated.  Having a true 3D lasers scanner (real point cloud data shown), it is possible to not only measure what is currently available in the facility, but actually the gain or loss with each vehicle activity.