Method and apparatus for measuring the time of flight of a signal
US5983730A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 5, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 16, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 5, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG04F10/00
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for measuring the time of flight of a signal is provided. The apparatus for measuring the time of flight of a signal comprises a transmitter for emitting a signal, a receiver for receiving the signal from the transmitter, and means for detecting the onset of the signal as it arrives at the receiver such that the period of time from emission by the transmitter to the time the receiver initially receives the signal can be determined. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for determining the time of flight of a signal comprising the steps of receiving a transmitted signal, operating on the received signal for generating a pre-conditioned signal, conditioning the pre-conditioned signal for removing irregularities therefrom for generating a conditioned signal, operating on the conditioned signal to form a discriminated signal, and determining the critical point of the discriminated signal such that the critical point can be used to determine the time of flight of the signal from the instant of transmission to the instant reception.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.