We have developed a new type of 3D LIDAR, which is small, light weight and low cost. The size and weight are important factors of the aimed sensor to use with wide range of robot vehicles, helicopters and airplane, and small vehicles. To achieve compact size and light weight construction the sensor has single pair of laser transmitter and receiver, and scanning motor on which a vibrating mirror is placed. The mirror is driven by the resonant frequency current supplied through contactless power supply unit. Experimental results of the prototype shows that the sensor of comparable size and weight with recent 2D sensors can obtain 3D range data of 8000 points in 20 Hz with 270 degree horizontal and 40 degree vertical views both in indoor and outdoor.

Conventional automatic doors cannot distinguish between people wishing to pass through the door and people passing by the door, so they often open unnecessarily. This paper describes an intelligent door system that observes people near a door so that the door opens at the proper time and only for people who have the intention of passing through it. To achieve this, we developed a novel laser range scanner that scans the surrounding environment three dimensionally, and formulated lightweight algorithms for the sensor. The experimental results show that the sensor can control a door according to the speed of people within the required specifications and that it correctly identifies people passing by the door.