Method for determining the vertical distance between an object and a device with a variable position

US6396435B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Mannesmann VDO AG · DE

Inventors

• Norbert Fleischhauer · Eschborn, DE
• Gregor Hassler · Bad Camberg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 13, 1999
• Grant date: May 28, 2002
• Expiry date: Sep 13, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S2013/9324
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining the perpendicular distance between an object and a device whose position varies, in particular a motor vehicle, in the case of which device a first sensor which is arranged on this device emits a signal which is reflected by the object, and this reflected signal is received by this first sensor, in which case the delay time of the signal from transmission to reception is used by the first sensor to determine the distance between the first sensor and the object.In order to determine the perpendicular distance to the object, this distance is used to determine all the possible positions of the object with respect to the first sensor, the signal reflected by the object is furthermore received by a second sensor, which is likewise arranged on the device whose position varies, and the delay time of the signal from the first sensor to the second sensor is used to determine a path from the first sensor to the object and from this object to the second sensor, from which path all the possible positions of the object with respect to the second sensor are determined, the positions determined by the first sensor and the second sensor with the sa…