A wide dynamic range laser rangefinder with cm-level resolution based on AGC amplifier structure

A pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) laser rangefinder with a pulsed laser diode and an avalanche photo diode (APD) receiver is constructed and tested. Trigged by an avalanche transistor, the laser diode can emit a periodic pulse with rise time of ∼2 ns. A new structure with auto gain control (AGC) circuits both in the pre-amplifier and the post-amplifier is presented. Through this technology, not only the dynamic range of the receiver is extended, but also the walk error of timing discriminators is reduced. Large measurement range from 5 m to 500 m is achieved without any cooperative target. The single-shot precision is 3 cm for the weakest signal. Compared with previous laser rangefinders, the complexity of this system is greatly simplified.