Passive optical position measurement system
US4576481A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 13, 1982 |
| Grant date | Mar 18, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 13, 2002 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/4814
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A device is disclosed which enables calculation of the location of an object within a three dimensional work area. The system utilizes a pair of position sensing detectors each of which is surrounded by light emitting diodes (LED's) and requires attachment of a retro-reflector to each target whose position is to be determined. In a preferred embodiment, each position sensing detector is surrounded by infrared LED's of two different light wavelengths. Two targets are present in the work area each with a retro-reflector attached thereto and each including a single bandpass filter, in front of its retro-reflector, one target having a bandpass filter corresponding to one LED wavelength and the other target having a bandpass filter corresponding to the other LED wavelength. Circuitry is also disclosed which drives the LED's and interprets the signals received by the position sensing detectors so that the position of the two targets may be determined and displayed in the form of x, y, and z coordinates.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.