Measuring beam

This article explains the measurement methods; the computational construction is the line of sight .

A measuring beam is an infrared or light beam that is used to measure an object. As a rule, the measuring beam is emitted by the instrument located near the observer (e.g. a laser beam ), but in isolated cases one also speaks of measuring beams with (passive) incident light (see e.g. astronomical refraction ). If the direction measurement to a target point is not carried out automatically but by an observer, it is called a sighting .

Rays used for measurement exist in a very large number of specialist areas. Some examples are:

• Distance measurement method
  • in photography (time of flight measurement or parallactic angle )
  • in geodesy (also simultaneously with angle measurement )
  • in physics - for example for measuring the smallest changes, with the Doppler effect and in particle physics
  • in mechanical engineering and material testing
  • in traffic for collision prevention and radar control
  • in satellite technology and geodesy - especially with LASERs and microwaves (GPS, SLR etc.), but also for telemetry

• For direction measurement and direction control
  • as a method of precise readings from digital instruments
  • at the stakeout of border and other measurement points - see total station and escape rod
  • when inspecting large structures (e.g. permanently installed prism reflectors on dams ) and for checking vibrations
  • for sounding in building technology and mining
  • to define the axis in canal and tunnel construction
  • in astrometric measurements and in interferometry