Laser distance meters

Laser distance meters or distance meters are instruments that we use to measure long distances, usually indoors, they are mainly used in architecture and topography.

The distance meter was designed to be able to reach those distances that a flexometer or tape measure could not reach in any way or bent excessively. Thus, meters capable of reaching up to 200m were designed with great precision, even to tenths of a millimeter.

Operation is based on the principle of flight, but what is this?

The meter emits a laser signal to a certain target, usually a wall or object, the signal bounces off the object and returns to the distance meter. The instrument calculates the time it takes for the signal between emission, bounce and fly, how the speed of light is a constant, from there the distance between the emitter and the object is calculated.

The current meters are complete tools, and from the basic distance measurement, they can make different parameterizations or derived measurements.

In a straight line a laser distance meter can measure in a range between 20 and 200m, but apart from this simple measurement, the new distance meter models allow us to calculate multiple derived variables:

• Distance measurement
  
• Minimum and maximum measurements
  
• Surface and volume measurements
  
• Angle measurement
  
• Trapezoidal function
  
• Pythagoras function
  
• Inclination measurement
  
• Inclined object measurement
• Height tracking
• Stakeout function
• Subtraction and addition of measurements

One of the milestones of current technology is knowing how to combine measuring instruments with other existing technologies, as we have already mentioned in some other news. The laser distance meters have adopted bluethoot technology to be able to transmit the readings of the distances, angles or areas to our smartphone. There we can incorporate them directly into the maps or plans.