A laser radar device that operates on an elapsed time basis and has a pulsating laser for emitting successive light pulses into a monitored region. A light receiver receives light impulses reflected by an object in the monitored region and generates electrical signals responsive to the received light impulses. The signals are forwarded to an evaluation unit adapted to generate a distance signal indicative of a distance between the object and the laser radar device on the basis of the speed of light and an elapsed time between the emission of the light pulses and the receipt of the reflected light pulses. A light diverter located between the laser and the monitored region continuously varies the directionality of the light impulses directed into the monitored region and includes a beam splitter that divides the energy of the emitted light pulses into a main beam and a sensing beam. The beam splitter causes a constant angular offset between the main beam and the sensing beam in the direction in which the directionality of the light beams is varied. A further light receiver is provided for receiving light impulses from the sensing beam reflected by the object.
There is provided a laser radar apparatus including laser beam generating means, photo detecting means, a mirror assembly, light deflecting means, and rotation driving means. The laser beam generating means emits a laser beam having an axis thereof. The photo detecting means detects a reflected laser beam that is reflected back by an object. The mirror assembly includes a through-hole that transmits the laser beam and a reflecting surface that reflects a reflected laser beam reflected back by the object toward the photo detecting means. The light deflecting means has a flat mirror surface and a concave-shaped mirror surface, and reflects the laser beam toward a measurement range and deflects the reflected laser beam from the object toward the mirror assembly. The rotation driving means rotates the light deflecting means so as to direct the laser beam toward the measurement range.
