Editing Laser rangefinder (section)

{{Short description|Range finding device that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Laser range scanner|3D scanner}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2016}}
[[Image:Military Laser rangefinder LRB20000.jpg|thumb|A long-range laser rangefinder is capable of measuring distance up to 20 km; mounted on a tripod with an angular mount. The resulting system also provides [[azimuth]] and [[elevation]] measurements.]]

A '''laser rangefinder''', also known as a '''laser telemeter''' or '''laser distance meter''', is a [[Rangefinding telemeter|rangefinder]] that uses a [[laser]] beam to determine the [[distance]] to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the [[time of flight]] principle by sending a laser pulse in a narrow beam towards the object and measuring the [[time]] taken by the pulse to be reflected off the target and returned to the sender. Due to the high [[speed of light]], this technique is not appropriate for high precision sub-millimeter measurements, where [[triangulation]] and other techniques are often used instead. Laser rangefinders are sometimes classified as type of handheld scannerless [[lidar]].