New Laser Doppler Velocimetry with Wide Dynamic Range and Clear Directional Discrimination

We present a new laser Doppler velocimetry based on self-mixing effect using a single longitudinal-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser modulated by a dynamic triangular current. It can indicate the direction of velocity without ambiguity in a wide dynamic range of 5.2--479.9mm/s. The accuracy of velocity measurement is better than 3.1% in the whole velocity range when a diffusing target is used for measurements. More interestingly, it works very well on different diffusing surfaces, even on a black glossy photographic paper.