LEGAL NOTICES

Lim
The liability of Silicon Heights Ltd. shall
be limited to the cost of the product.
Under no circumstances will Silicon
Heigts Ltd. be liable for any damages,
including lost profits, earnings, or any
other incidental or consequential
damages resulting from the use or
misuse of this product or
.documentation

The information in this manual

is subject to change without notice.
Silicon Heights Ltd. makes no
warranties with respect to this
.documentation

Warranty
Nothing in this manual should
be interpreted as an addendum to the
enclosed Warranty Certificate. The
Warranty Certificate is the only binding

CL - 150
document that defines the
.responsibilities of Silicon Heights Ltd

Laser Speed Measuring Instrument

.Silicon Heights Ltd

 WARNINGS CONTENTS

Laser Beam Safety

The laser beam emitted by the · 1...................................LIDAR - A TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION S
ControLaser will not cause eye 2.................................................................... Lidar: An Overview
.damage during normal use 3........................................ControLaser Principles of Operation
However, do NOT direct the ControLaser · 4................................................................................. Eye Safety
CL-150 while firing the laser to eyes
and stop firing the laser imideately 5...................................................................................... SETUP S
when anyone stares directly into the 6.............................................................................. Line of Sight
.laser beam 8...................................................................... The Cosine Effect
The ControLaser has been tested and ·
shown to be in complince with the 11........................................................................... OPERATION S
following standards for the safe use of 12................................................. Instrument Confidence Check
:lasers and radio frequency emission 12............................................................ Calibration Verification
14................................................................. Speed Measurment
European Standard 77/649/EEC · 16.................................................... Operating on Battery Power
IEC - 825 (eye safety rules) · 17...................................................... Charging the Battery Pack
ANSI Z136.1 · 17........................................Operating with Vehicle Power Cord
FCC Part 15, Subpart B, Class A · 18....................................................................... Error Messages

!!! Danger- High Voltage Inside 19............................................................................... RANGING S

Do NOT attempt to open the ControLaser · 20................................................................................... Ranging
Range Finder! No User Serviceable Parts
.Inside 21.................................................................. SPECIFICATIONS S
22.......................................................................... Specifications
Warranty Restriction 23.................................................................................. Features
23................................................................................. Functions
Opening this unit by anyone other than an ·
23............................................................................... Equipment
Authorized Service Person will void the
23.................................................................................... Options
.warranty
24-25.................................................................. CL-150 Layouts

.Copyright 1993 - 1996 Silicon Heights Ltd

All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced or translated into
.any language in any form without written permission from Silicon Heigts Ltd
 CL-150 RANGE FINDER LAYOUT CL-150 RANGE FINDER LAYOUT

78.5
134.0

109.2
CHARGER
CL-150
CONTROLASER

243.6
HAND GRIP

BATTERY PACK

VEHICLE POWER CORD

32.0

Drawing 2 Drawing 1

-25- -24-
 -1-

SECTION 1

LIDAR - A TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

:CONTENTS

Lidar: An Overview

ControLaser Principles of Operation

Eye Safety
 LIDAR: AN OVERVIEW FEATURES

The word lidar is an acronym derived from the term light detection Positive vehicle · Easy of operation ·
and ranging. Simply put, lidar is device similar to radar in its identification
functioning and application, but which uses laser light instead of No advance warning from · No maintenance ·
.microwaves to detect objects detector
Instantaneous reading Self Calibrating ·
A laser is a device that amlifies light waves. It consists, in its
simplest form, of a piece of active material, called the lasing
Auto-Capture (automatic ·
medium, sandwiched between two mirrors. The mirrors and the
lasing medium form an optical resonator that allows the generation
retry)
.of laser light
FUNCTIONS
The atoms of the lasing medium are “excited” by an external energy
source - that is to say, they are forced to store energy. When a light Speed measurment by · Range measurment by laser ·
wave interacts with those atoms, they give up that stored energy in laser
the form of other light waves, which bounce from one mirror to the
other. If the mirrors are precisely positioned, the light forms a EQUIPMENT
standing wave whose strength is increased by the light coming from
the atoms. One of the mirrors is designed to let some of the light ControLaser instrument (CL-150) ·
.escape; that escaping light is the laser beam
Hand Grip ·
Lasers can be made from any of a number of materials - gas, solid, Cigaret Lighter Cord ·
or liquid - and are of many different types. The type of laser used in Carrying Case ·
the ControLaser is an infrared semiconductor laser diode. A laser User Manual ·
diode has a several important properties that make it the ideal
.choice for measuring speed
OPTIONS
First, the laser diode emits a narrow cone of light from a very small Rechargeable Battery Pack ·
area. That allows the light to be focused into a narrow beam that Battery Charger ·
.gives the ControLaser its pinpoint targeting ability

Second, the laser diode switches on and off extremely quickly -

typically in less then one bilionth of a second. That gives the
.ControLaser its superior accuracy
-23-
-2-
SPECIFICATIONS Third, the laser diode, like all lasers, emits only a very narrow band
of frequencies, allowing the detector to be “tuned” to the exact
10.5V - 35Vdc (12V to 24V nominal) wavelength of the laser diode. That is why the ControLaser can
Power Requirement:
350mA avarage (30mA when display operate during daytime when there is background light from the
extinguished) .sun
Note: Damage may occure if the
And fourth, the laser diode emits light in the infrared portion of the
.unit is operated above 35Vdc
electomagnetic spectrum. Infrared light is invisible to the human
.eye, and cannot be a distraction to drivers or operators
:Optional Power Sources
Vehicle 12V power source through a · ControLaser PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
.cigaret lighter cord
Rechargable NiCd battery pack 12V 1200 · The ControLaser determines speed by measuring the time of flight
.mA/h for 1000 measurments of very short pulses of infrared light. The method is fundamentally
different from that of radar, which measures Doppler frequency
Minimum - 5 meters :shifts, and can be described as follows
.Maximum - 100 - 225 meters
.depending on target reflectivity Since the speed of light is a constant, the time it
takes a laser pulse to travel to the target and
.±250km/h back is directly proportional to the distance to
the target. By firing two pulses at known times,
.0.52 seconds Minimum - two distances are calculated. The change in
Acquisition Time:
distances, divided by the time interval between
.3.00 seconds Maximum-
.the two pulses, gives the speed of the target
.40 X 10 miliradians Beam Divergence:
In theory, it is possible to make a speed measurement using only
two pulses, as described above. In practice, however, such
950nm Laser Wavelength:
measurements are prone to errors - such as the aiming point
.shifting between pulses - that invalidate the measurments
Illuminated red dot eye sight zero Aiming Device:
.magnification To eliminate such errors, the ControLaser uses multiple pulses to
measure the speed of a target. it derives target’s speed by the
.entire set of pulse data using recursive filter to smooth the readings

-22-
-3-
 Advantages of Laser Speed Measurment

The pulse measurment process used by the ControLaser is

inherently superior to the Doppler measurment process used in
radar guns. The ControLaser’s process measurs speed directly
from the change in position of the target rather than inferring it from
a frequency shift. Unlike conventional radar, the ControLaser
cannot be fooled by rotating or vibrating objects, and can
discriminate between approching and departing targets. And the SECTION 5
.ControLaser gives an accurate zero speed for a stationary target

In addition, the ControLaser uses a beam of infrared laser light SPECIFICATIONS

rather than a microwave beam. The light has a frequency some 13
thousand times higher than K-band radar, which allows it to be
formed into a pencil-thin beam and practically eliminates the :CONTENTS
diffraction and reflection effects that occur with radar. Virtually none
of the laser beam goes beyond the targeted vehicle, allowing
.virtually no possibility of advance warning by a “laser-buster” device Specifications

EYE SAFETY Features

The ControLaser is designed to meet stringent IEC-825-1 and Functions

F.D.A. eye safety requirements and is classified as eye-safe to
class 1 limits. That means that it is nonhazaradous to directly view Equipment
the laser output. As with any laser device, however, it is
recommended that you avoid staring into the transmit aperture for Options
.prolonged periods while firing the laser

-4-
-21-
RANGING

The ControLaser has ranging capabilities that can be used for a

variety of applications. The ranging accuracy of the instrument is
.±10 cm

The maximum range of the instrument depends upon the reflectivity

of the target. The maximum range to the rear of an automobile, for
example, is 225 meters; the range to the front of that same
automobile is only about 150 meters. The reason for the difference
is that the tail lights on the rear of a vehicle are usually more
.reflective than anything on the front

The color, surface finish, size, and shape of the target all effect
reflectivity and range. The brighter the color, the longer the range.
Red is highly reflective, for example, and allows longer ranges than
the color black, which is the least reflective color. A shiny finish
provides more range than a dull one. A small target with rounded
corners and sloping surfaces is more difficult to range than a larger
.target with square corners and flat face

The vertical angle to the target also has an effect. Shooting a target
at a 90-degrees angle provides good range; a steep angle, on the
.other hand, provides poor range

Target range is convincing evidence, to be used along with speed

and direction, when writing up speed violations. Other uses of the
ranging capability include accident reporting and reconstruction,
swat team sniper ranging, and investigating for false compartments
for drug interdiction. There are many other situations where this
.feature can be of great help

-20-
 -5-

SECTION 2

SETUP

:CONTENTS

Line of sight

The cosine effect

In setting up to use the ControLaser Laser Speed Detector, it is
important that you keep four parameters in mind for proper use of
:the instrument. Those four parameters are

The Line of Sight. It is important that you have a clear line of .1

sight to the section of highway where you are targeting
.traffic
Constant Aiming Point. It’s important that you keep the red .2
aiming dot on the license plate area of the car for at least
.half-a-second measurment period SECTION 4
The Cosine Effect. As with conventional radar speed detectors, .3
the angle at which the target vehicle is locked affects the
speed that is recorded. It is recomanded to avoid
RANGING
.measurment in an offset angle higher than 15 degrees
The Windshield. In general you should set up to shoot through .4
.the side window, not the windshield :CONTENTS
LINE OF SIGHT Ranging
The ControLaser can measure speed and distance through small
openings, as long as the target can be kept in sight for at least half
a second. No laser, however, can shoot around or through an
obstruction. So when you set up, it’s important that you choose a
position that has a clear view to the section of road you are
.targeting: no telephone poles, buildings, signs. etc

If the ControLaser detects a stationary obstruction, it records a

speed of zero; if it detects interfering targets or obstructions during
.a measurment, it displays in the middle row an e-2 message

-6-
-19-
ERROR MESSAGES

The ControLaser has a variety of hardware and software “traps” to

prevent erroneuos readings. The possible error messages are as
:follows

Error Meaning
Message
Err System error - hardware or self-test error. Contact
.ControLaser service office
E-1 Measurement error - target never acquired. The
.target was out of range or was too close
E-2 Measurement error - insufficient data. The
instrument’s view was obstructed or the target moved
.out of range

-18-
Line of Sight-The Wrong Way THE COSINE EFFECT

If a target vehicle is moving directly toward or away from you, its

velocity as measured by the ControLaser is the same as its true
speed. For safety, however, the instrument is usually set up a short
distance from the traveled portion of the road, which means that
target vehicles are not moving directly in line with the instrument.
There is usually some angle between the instrument’s position and
the targets vehicle’s direction of travel. When that angle is
significant, the speed measured by the ControLaser is less than
the target’s true speed. The phenomenon is known as the “cosine
effect”. (“Cosine” is a trigonometric function related to the
phenomenon.)

The difference between the measured speed and the true speed
depends upon the angle between the instrument’s ideal position-
Line of Sight-The Right Way the position where targets would be moving in direct line with the
instrument-and its actual position. The larger the angle, the lower
the measured speed. The effect always works to the motorist’s
.advantage

Loosely speaking, the cosine effect is not significant as long as the

:angle itself remains small. The following table shows the effect

-8-
-7-
 CHARGING THE BATTERY PACK OPERATING ON BATTERY POWER

Connect the battery pack to the charger facing down. 1 st LED Whenever possible, use the vehicle power cord. The battery
indicates the presence of external power and the 2 nd LED indicates will come in handy when you use the instrument on the field and no
that battery is under charging condition. The battery charge time is vehicle is available. It is advisable to have an extra fully-charged
minimum 8 hours (over night). Store the battery packs in cool, dry battery pack available for backup. Before removing the battery
place. The recommended storage temperature for battery packs .pack, make sure the instrument power is off
ranges from 10°C to 30°C. The higher the storage temperature, the Do not expose battery packs to temperatures below 0°C (32°F) ·
faster the battery self-discharges. The battery packs can be or above 60°C (140°F). This may adversely affect the battery
.recharged about 500 times .pack
In storage or when power is off, battery power (from a fully ·
OPERATING WITH VEHICLE POWER CORD .charged battery pack) depletes in roughly one month
:The battery pack has the following characteristics ·
When using instrument with vehicle power cord, no need to use
battery pack at all. Simply connect the power cord to the cigarte Battery pack self-discharge .1
lighter and to the hand grip , connect the instrument to the hand Battery packs self-discharge slowly, which may result in low
.grip and switch on the instrument .battery power condition after being stored for weeks

Memory effect.2
This is a phenomenon wherein charging finishes in one-third
the normal charge time. This leaves the battery pack not
fully charged. This situation can usualy be improved by
discharging the battery pack or use the battery until power
.down

-17-
-16-
 -9-
Measured Speed by Angle: The Cosine Effect

Angl Error True Speed

e
)deg( )%( 50km/h 70km/h 90km/h 110km/h 130km/h
Measured Speed (kph)
0 0 50.00 70.00 90.00 110.00 130.00
1 0.02 49.99 69.99 89.99 109.98 129.98
3 0.14 49.93 69.90 89.88 109.85 129.82
5 0.38 49.81 69.73 89.66 109.58 129.50
10 1.52 49.24 68.94 88.63 108.33 128.02
15 3.42 48.29 67.62 86.63 106.25 125.57
20 6.04 46.98 65.78 84.57 103.37 122.16
45 29.28 35.36 49.50 81.82 100.01 118.19
90 100 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00

As you can see, the cosine effect is a factor only at angles of more
than 10 degrees. At 90 degrees, no speed at all is detected. (The
phnomenon may be best understood by imagining a target vehicle
moving in a perfect circle around the instrument. Since the distance
between the target and the instrument isn’t changhing, the
ControLaser detects its velocity as zero.)

The cosine effect decreases as the range to the target vehicle

increases. At the maximum range of the ControLaser, the vehicle
is so far away that the angle between it and the instrument is very
small indeed, and the ControLaser’s percection of the target’s
speed is identical to its true speed. As the vehicle approches the
ControLaser, however, the angle between them increases untill it
.becomes large enough to affect the measurment

To minimize the cosine effect, keep the angle small by setting up

the ControLaser as close to the road as possible without creating
safety risks, and target down the road at ranges sufficient to keep
.the angular difference small
The following chart shows acceptable parameters for minimizing the It is very important that the aiming position remain
cosine effect. The chart indicates the precentage of true speed the constant for the entire measurment time. If the
ControLaser measures, given the distance from the roadway and instrument is moved off the aiming point, it cannot
the distance from the target vehicle. To find a target’s measured capture a speed reading, and will display an error
.speed, multiply the true speed by the number in the chart .message instead

Precentage of True Speed Measured If the trigger is released immediately, the instrument takes only one
Distance reading, for which the capture time is half a second. For multiple
off the readings, simply keep the instrument sighted on its target and
Roadway Range to Target Vehicle squeeze the trigger again. There is no need to wait between
)meters( m 30 m 100 m 150 m 300 .measurments
fraction of true speed that will be measured
If the trigger remains depressed, Auto-Capture mode is actived and
3 9950. 9995. 9998. 9999.
the instrument will keep trying to acquire a speed reading even if an
10 9682. 9950. 9987. 9997. error occures. Auto-Capture may increase the measurment time to
15 8660. 9886. 9950. 9987. a maximum of three seconds. Once Auto-Capture has captured a
30 0000. 9539. 9798. 9950. speed or timed out, it is disabled, and the instrument must be
.triggered again for a new measurment
The diagonal created by the boldface numbers indicates the
boundary between acceptable and unacceptable parameters. Shooting through the Windscreen
Numbers above the diagonal are acceptable margines of error;
.numbers below are unacceptable The enhanced performance of the ControLaser allows you to
measure targets through the windscreen of a vehicle. The effective
A good rule of thumb is not to exceed 1 meter off the road for every range will be reduced in using it in this way. The extent of the
10 meters shooting down range to the targets. If you want to target .reduction will vary from vehicle to vehicle
vehicles 150 meters down the road, for example, set up no more
.than 15 meters off the road Line of Sight

.Remember that the cosine effect is always in the motorist’s favor At all times there must be a clear line of sight to the target vehicle. If
an object intersects the beam whilst a velocity measurement is
It is recomanded to find a curve on the road and to locate the .being taken, an error message displays
measuring point at the elbow of the curve where the measurments
performed straight at the coming vehicle or directly to outgoing
.vehicles when measuring vehicles from the tail side

-10- -15-
 :The test procedure is as follows
Stand on the shooting mark and aim the ControLaser at the .1
.target. Squeeze and release the trigger
:Check the readings on the display. They should be .2
50
0
ON

SECTION 3
.Note: the distance can vary between 49 to 51 meters .3
OPERATION
Note also that the manner in which the operator stands, and the
manner in which the operator holds the instrument will both affect
the measurement reading. For an exact reading, the instrument :CONTENTS
.”should be held so it is directly over the middle of the “X

SPEED MEASURMENT Instrument Confidence Check

To measure the velocity of a vehicle using the ControLaser, use Calibration Verification
:the following procedure
Speed Measurment
In order to reduce the measurment time, Before measuring any .1
speed it is recomanded to set the desired initial measured Operating on Battery Power
velocity to the legal speed of the road being measured. By
pressing the Ù key or Ú key the initial measured velocity Charging Battery Pack
can be altered. after 5 seconds the new value will be
.loaded into the memory and the system is ready for use Operating with Vehicle Power Cord
The instrument should be aimed at the license plate area of the .2
target vehicle and the trigger squeezed. A sequence of Error Messages
low-piched short beeps will be heard, indicating that the
.instrument is trying to acquire a lock onto the target
The instrument should be kept sighted on the target untill a long .3
beep is heared. A high-piched beep means that a speed
was captured. A low-piched beep means that a
.measurment error occured
-14-
-11-
INSTRUMENT CONFIDENCE CHECK

Self Test

When the instrument is turned on, its microcontroller interrogates

the system electronics. If all tests prove positive, the instument
CL :displays
150

:If there are any failures, it displays an error message

Err

If the self test indicates error, check your power source. If the power
source is not the problem, contact the service provider for
.assistance

CALIBRATION VERIFICATION

The measurment accuracy of a lidar instrument can be verified by

several methods. However Verifying it directly-by measuring the
velocity of an object traveling at a known speed-is seldom practical.
The nature of lidar is such that it cannot be tricked by a vibrating
object, such as a tuning fork, into displaying a velocity. For those
.reasons, ControLaser has designed two passive test procedures

The two tests are the fixed distance, zero velocity check and the
delta distance velocity check. The point of each test is to verify the
accuracy of the two key elements of lidar speed measurment:
precise time measurments, and the ability to make mathematical
.calculations
-12-
ControLaser recommends that one of the tests be performed on
the instrument each time it is taken on duty. Regardless of which
test is to be performed, we suggest that a test area be permanently
installed in a convenient location. The test area must establish
permanent, known distances between a target and a shooting mark
(fixed distance test) or between two targets and a shooting mark
(delta distance test). The targets and shooting mark must form a
.straight line

A target can be any permanent structure; a sign, a pole, wall, etc.,

painted with a bulls eye or some other aiming point. The shooting
mark is where an operator will stand to conduct the test, and is
.usually an “X” painted on the pavement

Testing and test-area specifics are discussed below. Note that the
distances specified are horizontal distances. (A horizontal distance
is measured along a straight and level path from the shooting mark
to the center of the aiming point.)

Fixed Distance, Zero Velocity Check

The fixed distance test requires only one target. For uniformity, it
should be 50 meters from the shooting mark. To enshure the
distance is accurate, use a metal tape to measure it. (If there is
insufficient space available, that specific distance is not crucial.
However the distance between the target and the shooting mark
must be multiples of one meter; a fraction of a meter is not
acceptable.)

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