Evaluation concept for distance measuring processes

US6259515A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC · US

Inventors

• Jurgen Benz · Besigheim, DE
• Werner Philipps · Ludwigsburg, DE
• Anton Grabmaier · Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 5, 1999
• Grant date: Jul 10, 2001
• Expiry date: Feb 5, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S7/4868
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A process for determining the distance (D) between a distance sensor and an object. A transmitter sends wave pulses with a predetermined first frequency fb 1 and the wave pulses reflected by the object are received by a receiver and are directed in the form of an analog electrical incoming signal to an A-D converter. The latter scans the incoming signal with a second frequency f2 with f2>f1 and converts it into a digital signal Z(t) which is evaluated for determining a distance value (D) in the following manner: PA1 a) Evaluation of the digital signal Z(t) for determining a first wave pulse propagation time (T1); PA1 b) k-fold repetition of the step a) for determining the total k wave pulse propagation times (T1, T2, . . . , Tk); PA1 c) Calculation of a mean wave pulse propagation time (T=(T1+T2+ . . . +Tk)/k); and PA1 d) Calculation of the distance value (D) in accordance with D-v=T/2.