Patent · US Expired

Method of and apparatus for electro-optical distance measurement

US6917415B2 · kind B2 · utility

66Cited by
10References
112Claims
0Family size

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Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 30, 2002
Grant dateJul 12, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 16, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S17/10
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method of and an apparatus for an electro-optical distance measurement in which a laser beam of a laser diode (1) is directed as an intensity modulated train of emitted light pulses onto an object, the reflected measurement pulse train (10) is detected by a light detector (6), which generates, in response to the detection of a measurement pulse train, a first photo-current component, a smaller portion of the intensity modulated pulse train is branched out as a reference pulse train and, after passing a known reference path, is also detected by the light detector (6), which generates in response to this detection a second photo current component, and the light detector converts the measurement pulses, together with a mixer pulse train generated by a local oscillator, into a comparatively low-frequency IF-region that determines, after a corresponding conversion, the measured distance.

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