Optical position location apparatus
US4420261A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 2, 1980 |
| Grant date | Dec 13, 1983 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 2, 2000 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B11/002
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical position location apparatus for locating the position of an object in one or more dimensions, which relies upon one or more sources of radiant energy and distributor devices to disburse such radiant energy over a location region or window. Integrated collector assemblies positioned opposite to the distributors receive and collect the transmission of the distributed radiant energy and through reflection or refraction, transfer radiant energy to a minimum of detection locations to monitor the absence or alteration thereof. A rotating optical scanner and a detector are utilized with a continuous stationary light source to successively monitor specific location-coordinate-related portions of transmitted radiant energy and through electronic circuitry, a signal is developed to disclose, with accuracy, the location of objects within the location region "window", as well as other parameters including object size. In other embodiments, an apparatus with elements cooperating along two dimensions is capable of yielding three-dimensional object parameter information.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.