Vehicle regional scanner
US6661524B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 9, 2001 |
| Grant date | Dec 9, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 9, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/88
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for measuring ground height in front of a vehicle, such as a vehicle for clearing buried land mines, in which a scanning pulsed laser to used to scan along one or more lines in front of the vehicle, with such scanning being executed more slowly in certain regions where data is collected and more quickly in intermediate regions where data is not collected. The time of flight along those lines is measured, and using that measurement, the ground height calculated and stored, with the higher elevations being discarded as the representing the tops of vegetation and the lower elevations being representative of the ground height or elevation in front of blade. A dozer blade on the vehicle is then adjusted in response to the calculated height to position the blade for the proper depth of cut in order to effectively uncover and remove the buried mines.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.