Patent · US Expired

Transmitter-receiver system

US3951549A · kind A · utility

11Cited by

8References

7Claims

0Family size

Assignee

The United States of America, as represented by The Secretary of The Interior · US

Inventors

Richard L. Fowler · Longmont, US
Gary I. Robin · Niles, US

Key dates

Filing date	Aug 20, 1974
Grant date	Apr 20, 1976
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Aug 20, 1994

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG01S17/10
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical transmitter-receiver system is provided which is particularly adapted for use in vehicle guidance, obstacle detection and the like. The system includes a laser diode transmitter including a modulation circuit comprising a bank of transistors that are individually triggered into the alvalanche mode so that energy stored by a capacitive storage network is discharged into the diode. In accordance with a first receiver embodiment, which includes a range flip-flop controlled by a threshold comparator, an analog voltage proportional to range is produced. In a second receiver embodiment, the receiver responds to targets within a prescribed zone determined by an analog gated amplifier.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.