DragonEye SPEED LIDAR User manual

DragonEye
SPEED LIDAR
®
Operator Manual
Canadian Version
Doc: 30508 Rev. 05
© 2013 by DragonEye Technology, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior
written permission of DragonEye Technology, LLC.

Canadian DragonEye Speed LIDAR® Operator Manual
Basic Operation
The following sections give an overview of the basic operation of the
DragonEye Speed LIDAR® for normal speed measurement
applications. Be sure to review the “Recommended System Checks”
section to understand the suggested daily performance checks and
periodic certifications. Additional details of special features and
other operation modes are given in “Advanced Controls and Modes”
sections.
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Powering On
When fresh batteries are installed, the unit will NOT automatically
power up. Simply click the laser fire trigger to turn on the unit.
The LIDAR’s rear panel and Head-Up Displays will activate.
Note: If the LIDAR is inactive for a period of time, it will
automatically power down to conserve battery life. If this happens,
simply click the fire trigger again to wake up the unit.

Canadian DragonEye Speed LIDAR® Operator Manual
Selecting Speed Mode
The LIDAR will normally power up in “Speed” mode, unless it was
recently used in a different mode. If “Speed” mode is not displayed
on power up, simply press until the back panel displays:
km/h
M
Using the HUD Sighting System
The Head-Up display provides a precision aiming reticle, speed
reading, and other status information. To find the sighting reticle,
click the trigger to wake up the LIDAR and look directly through the
HUD letting your eyes focus on a target well in front of the LIDAR
unit. If you haven’t used a HUD device before, it might take a minute
or two for your eyes to adjust the first time.
HUD Aiming
Reticle
(Note: Make sure the LIDAR’s brightness setting is on medium or high
if working in daylight.)
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The LIDAR’s laser beam is invisible, but will be contained within the
aiming reticle. This is your aim point for target vehicles.
Roadside Setup
When first learning to use the DragonEye Speed LIDAR®, it is best to
select a straight stretch of roadway with a line of sight of 150 metres
or more. (or follow your provincial program)
Approaching or receding vehicles should be targeted such that your
line of sight through the HUD is as parallel as possible to the path of
the target vehicle. This will minimize the “cosine effect” as described
in Appendix A of this manual. (Note: The cosine effect applies to
both stationary RADAR and LIDAR systems and always results in a
slightly lower than actual reading.) A good rule of thumb for
approximately straight roadways is to target a vehicle at a range
which is at least ten times the operator’s perpendicular distance to
the vehicles lane of travel. For example, if the operator is 9 metres
from the vehicle’s lane of travel, the vehicle should be targeted at 90
metres or greater. This would result in a measured speed reading
which was approximately 0.5% less than actual.
Measuring Vehicle Speeds
For approaching targets, aim the LIDAR’s reticle at the front grill or
front license plate of the vehicle. Good targets for receding vehicles
are the license plate or tail lights. Use the boundaries of the reticle
pattern to ensure only the intended vehicle is being targeted.
Squeeze and hold the laser fire trigger while maintaining your aim.
You may hear an intermittent audible tone as the LIDAR searches for
a valid target signal. You will also see “----“displayed in the HUD
indicating the laser is firing and a reading is being acquired. Once
target vehicle data is identified, the LIDAR will produce a continuous
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Canadian DragonEye Speed LIDAR® Operator Manual
lower frequency tone. When the data from the vehicle reaches an
acceptable accuracy level, audible tone will switch to a continuous,
higher frequency and the vehicle speed reading will be displayed in
the HUD and on the back panel.
Note: At typical distances the above acquisition sequence can happen
very quickly and you may simply hear the high frequency tone and
see the speed display immediately.
A positive speed reading will be shown for an approaching vehicle,
while receding vehicles are indicated with a negative reading. (Note:
Both the HUD and the back panel will show a “-“sign for receding
vehicles.)
The DragonEye Speed LIDAR® will continuously update the target’s
speed reading at an approximate rate of 3 times per second as long
as the trigger is depressed and the data quality is acceptable. While
not required, it is recommended to track the vehicle for at least 1
second to establish robust confidence in the speed reading.
Speed Display Lock
Once a desired speed reading is acquired, the operator can “lock”
the speed reading on the rear panel display by simply releasing the
laser fire trigger. If a speed reading is lost after tracking a vehicle,
the last speed reading will flash for approximately two seconds,
giving the operator an opportunity to lock in the vehicle’s speed.
Note: The flashing speed reading will be immediately over written if
the operator acquires a new speed reading.
Speed Display Lock Retention
Once a speed is locked into the rear display, it will be retained there
for up to 20 minutes. If the laser fire trigger is depressed within 30
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Canadian DragonEye Speed LIDAR® Operator Manual
seconds after the speed is locked, the display will clear and prepare
for a new reading. If no buttons are pressed for 30 seconds after the
speed reading is locked, the unit will go into a sleep mode, turning
off the HUD and displaying “Power-Save” on the rear panel along
with the locked reading. In the Power-Save state, a first laser trigger
pull will “wake” the LIDAR but retain the locked reading. A second
pull will then clear the reading. This feature is intended to aid in
preventing the operator from accidentally clearing the locked
reading.
Range Mode
The LIDAR system can be used to measure distances to a variety of
targets. To enter Range Mode, press the Mode Button until
the rear panels displays:
M
Use the aiming reticle in the HUD to select your desired target.
Squeeze and hold the trigger until a range reading is displayed in the
HUD and on the rear panel display. The trigger may be continuously
held as the unit is moved from target to target for quickly checking
multiple ranges. The last range reading in the display is locked when
the trigger is released. Range readings are displayed in tenths of a
metre on the rear panel and in the HUD up to 999.9 metres. Above
this, range readings are displayed to the nearest integer metre.
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The maximum target distance is 1828 metres which can be obtained
from highly reflective surfaces such as retro-reflective road signs or
vehicle tail lights. The range to non-retro-reflective targets will vary
depending upon their infrared reflectivity. Typical ranges are >548
metres from a tree with green foliage, >610 metres to a white
concrete building and 305metres from a very black, non-reflective
target. The minimum range (in “Normal” Weather/Obstruction
Mode) is 3 metres.
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Canadian DragonEye Speed LIDAR® Operator Manual
Recommended Daily Test
The DragonEye Speed LIDAR ® system is designed to provide years of
service with limited maintenance. The unit uses sophisticated
digitally locked electronics to ensure continued accuracy. However
we recommend performing the following system checks before each
shift that the operator is going to use the DragonEye Speed LIDAR ®
for enforcement purposes. This will ensure operator confidence in
the instrument:
Daily Recommended Test
Initiate the system Daily Test by pressing the button. The
initial segment of the Daily Test is comprised of two parts, the
internal electrical tests and the visual rear display/HUD tests. All
critical internal timing electronics and software components are
checked. In the HUD will be displayed “888.8”, the Battery indicator,
the Aiming Reticule and the Obstruct / Weather indicator. The rear
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panel will also display a test pattern of alphanumeric characters
along with icons (note: not all icons may be active during use on your
software version). If all displays are illuminated and legible the
operator must press the button to verify. The unit will
commence a series of internal tests and displays on the rear panel:
1. ChkSum: verifies no corruption of firmware
2. Firmware Version is displayed
3. DataFlash: verifies no corruption of specific unit settings in
flash memory (e.g. unit of measure, menu items, etc.)
4. Serial Number is displayed
5. Battery Voltage is displayed
6. Unit Temperature is displayed
Alignment Test
The operator will be prompted to complete a horizontal and vertical
alignment test of the HUD aiming reticle by selecting a target with
straight boundaries such as a utility pole or road sign at a distance of
30 metres or greater. While holding the trigger in, slowly pan the aim
point on and off the target edge, verifying the range reading in the
HUD changes as the reticle passes onto the target. The preceding
verifies horizontal alignment. Rotate the unit 90° onto its side while
continuing to look through the HUD and repeat the above test to
verify vertical alignment. This will allow the operator to confirm that
the infrared energy is contained within the aiming reticule and the
Lidar will confirm the range selected to perform this test. The
operator will again be prompted to press the button.
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Appendix A –Cosine Effect
The term “Cosine Effect” as typically used in law enforcement speed
measurement refers to the reduction of a vehicle’s measured speed
using Radar or Laser systems as compared to the actual vehicle
speed, when targeting the vehicle at an angle. The diagram below
shows the line “V” as the vehicle’s travel direction and the LIDAR
operator’s line of sight “O” to the target vehicle. The angle between
these two lines is labeled theta ”Θ” . Motion of the vehicle along
“Line V” is projected onto the LIDAR operator’s line of sight “Line O”.
Using standard trigonometry, this projected motion can be shown to
be:
ΔO = ΔV x COSΘ
ΔO
ΔV
Θ
Line V
Line O
d
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