...
If laser beam is projected inside camera focal area then it is possible to resolve the distance using simple math. The optical axis of camera and laser beam should ideally be aligned perfectly. However, it is possible to add constant angle correction into math if angle is not perfectly aligned. A relatively simple algoritm can be used to find brightest pixels. This method assumes that the brightest pixels are laser dot which is the case usually indoors but not necessarely outdoors. Thats why red pass filter should be used to lessen disturbance of other light sources. When laser dot is resolved from image we can calcute the distance because the dot position in the image frame is known.
Distance D can be calculated with formula:
In this formula the h is constant distance between laser and camera. Theta is calulated from:
So the final equation would be:
