Chromatic optical ranging sensor
US5790242A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 31, 1995 |
| Grant date | Aug 4, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 31, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/87
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A three dimensional sensor includes an illumination source that produces broadband, high intensity optical energy. This optical energy includes a number of individual wavelength components. The individual wavelength components are impinged in a spot on a target. Dispersion is applied to the light reflected from the spot, either before target impingement, after target impingement, or both, whereby light of different colors is focused at different distances from the target. A maximum reflected wavelength, dependent on target range, is detected to determine the target range. In one embodiment, temporal modulation is applied to the light before target impingement. A stationary detector determines the target range by relating the maximum light received to the time it is received in order to determine the color received at that time. In another embodiment, all colors are reflected from the target simultaneously, and the reflected beam is chromatically dispersed in the transverse direction. A detector array, or a linear position sensor, is employed to determine the transverse position of the maximum amplitude of the transversely dispersed beam. The transverse position, being related to a …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.