How a Laser Speed Gun Works
A laser speed gun is a device that uses doppler radar to gauge the speed of various objects. It was invented in 1954 by Bryce K. Brown and was first used by law enforcement officials.
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Doppler Radar
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Doppler radar is the process used in all laser speed guns. The doppler principle was discovered in 1842 by Christian Doppler, a scientist that used sound waves to make his discovery. Doppler radar works by emitting a laser beam towards the object being measured. The beam is then reflected back at the gun. The speed is determined by the change in wave frequency, and then displayed on the device.
Types
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There are three types of laser speed guns. A hand-held unit is a common type used by law enforcement. Hand-held units are powered by batteries and can easily be aimed at moving objects. Stationary laser speed guns are mounted on an object, and gather information using antennas. The third type is a moving speed gun system, which is specifically made for use in motion.
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In Sports
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Laser speed guns are used extensively in sports. They can be used to take speed measurements in baseball, football, track, NASCAR, tennis, golf, soccer and any other sport where speed statistics are required. Hand held laser speed guns are commonly marketed towards the sports market.
In Law Enforcement
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Law enforcement was the first to use speed guns, and they employ all three types to catch speeding vehicles. Hand held guns and stationary types are used for patrols that stay in a speed trap. The moving speed gun system allows officers to move while tracking speeds.
Radar Detectors
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A countermeasure to laser speed guns are radar detectors. These detect whether there is a doppler radar system being used nearby. Should the radar detector detect the laser, it will issue an alert. In response to this, law enforcement officials have started using radar detector-detectors.
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References
- Photo Credit police car speed, toy model car, chase criminal image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
