AR3000 User’s Manual
6
Rev 1/10
2.5.
Pilot Laser
The Class 2 visible pilot laser is emitted from a small window between the two large lenses on the
front of the AR3000 distance measurement sensor. Its purpose is to help users aim and align the
sensor to a distant target. In the factory default startup mode, the pilot laser is enabled and flashes
at a frequency of 2 Hz.
Figure 3 - Location of Pilot Laser on front face of AR3000
The pilot laser is not aligned to emit in a direction parallel with the measurement laser. Instead,
its beam intersects with that of the measurement laser at a distance of 246 feet (75 m). The pilot
laser axis makes a 0.002° angle with the horizon. The figure below shows the tolerance on pilot
laser positioning in relation to the invisible measurement laser as a function of the distance to an
object being measured. The rectangular shape is the relative size of the infrared measurement
laser. The red-dashed circle is the perimeter inside which the pilot laser could appear. The pilot
laser is much smaller than the tolerance circle
Figure 4 Tolerance of 2 mrad Pilot Laser location relative to the infrared measurement laser
Measurement
Laser Spot Size (IR)
Location Tolerance
of pilot laser (visible)
Pilot location tolerance
at 10 meters
Pilot location tolerance
at 75 meters
Pilot location tolerance
at 125 meters
