Hand-held distance-measurement apparatus and system
US5933224A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 3, 1996 |
| Grant date | Aug 3, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 3, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/486
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention relates to a portable, hand-held distance-measurement apparatus utilizing a laser range finder. The distance-measurement apparatus executes a number of distance-measurement cycles. In each cycle, a capacitor begins charging at approximately the same time that a light pulse is generated. An analog-to-digital converter generates a digital representation of the capacitor voltage at approximately the same time that a reflected light pulse is received. The lowest and the highest digital values are discarded and the remaining digital values are averaged and scaled to produce a distance measurement. A reflective target may be used at a remote location to reflect the light beam back to the distance-measurement apparatus. The distance-measurement apparatus has several power saving features that facilitate convenient battery operation. The distance-measurement apparatus may also have a view finder.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.