A target reflector is a passive device that reflects incident electromagnetic or optical wave signals back to the source; it is commonly used in ranging systems to achieve high-precision distance measurement.
The fundamental principle of a radar corner reflector relies on the corner-mirror effect, utilizing two or three mutually perpendicular conductive planes to reflect incident waves multiple times and produce a parallel return signal. Common types are categorized by panel shape (square, triangular, or sectoral), structural form (fixed, detachable, or hybrid), and the number of panels (dihedral or trihedral), with the trihedral corner reflector being the most widely used.
The core component of a cooperative target for laser ranging is the corner-cube prism, which reflects laser signals to enable high-precision distance measurement.
