Method of determining range data in a time-of-flight ranging system
US5319611A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 31, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jun 7, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 31, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S367/909
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A time-of-flight range sensing system for a vehicle such as a mobile robot comprised of a number of sensors that are situated at preset locations and aligned with particular orientations on the vehicle. Each sensor may consist of single or multiple transmitting transducers and single or multiple receiving transducers. Each sensor provides a means for changing the effective sensing volume of the sensors or it has two or more separate processing channels for processing the time-of-flight information with several different effective sensing volumes using the sensor signal processor. The sensor signal processor also provides a means for collecting information regarding the echo signal peak value and the noise present in the received signal before reception of the first echo. A sensor array processor excites the transducers, measures the time-of-flight of arrival of the first echo above a predetermined threshold and combines the data from the multiple signal processing channels so as to increase the range data gathering speed and to improve the fidelity of the range data received. The sensor array processor determines from the range data received and the signal and noise information the…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.