Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for reducing the noise in the receiver of a laser range finder

US5946081A · kind A · utility

25Cited by
10References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 8, 1997
Grant dateAug 31, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 8, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S7/4861
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reducing the noise of a laser range finder. The laser range finder includes a high voltage silent circuit, a logarithmic amplifier and a sun noise averaging amplifier. The high voltage silent circuit shuts down the switched power supply controller of the high voltage power supply to reduce the noise coupled from the high voltage power supply when the receiver of the laser range finder is in a receiving mode. The logarithmic amplifier provides dynamic gain control for the receiver to avoid signal saturation and improve the signal to noise ratio of the received signal. The sun noise averaging amplifier provides an amplified average sun noise which automatically adjusts the threshold voltage of detecting the distance signal from a target.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.