The purpose and the principle of measuring frontal area of fragments are introduced. The methods of measurement are mentioned and discussed. A new instrumemt is described in details

which can finish the whole measuring process automatically. It is consisted of an illuminating system

a carrying stage

a CCD camera

a control system and an imageprocessing system. Several technologies are focused in it. It makes the highspeed and highprecision measuring of the frontal areas of fragments to be realized.