Smart laser scanning sampling head design for image acquisition applications

A smart laser scanning sampling head design is presented using an electronically controlled variable focal length lens to achieve the smallest sampling laser spot possible at target plane distances reaching 8 m. A proof-of-concept experiment is conducted using a 10 mW red 633 nm laser coupled with beam conditioning optics that includes an electromagnetically actuated deformable membrane liquid lens to demonstrate sampling laser spot radii under 1 mm over a target range of 20-800 cm. Applications for the proposed sampling head are diverse and include laser machining and component inspection.