Method and apparatus for locating the trajectory of an object in motion
US7650256B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 15, 2008 |
| Grant date | Jan 19, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 15, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S5/16
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An object locating system detects the presence of an object as it passes through a planar fields of view. A pair of optical sensor arrays with multiple, directed, pixel detectors observe the object from two angles as the object passes through the field of view. The location of penetration of the field of view is calculated by triangulation. Using this data, the known location of the take-off point and/or the delay between the departure of an object from the known take-off point and the penetration of the field of view, the trajectory of the object in time and space is calculated. In an alternate embodiment, the take-off point is not known and a plurality of pairs of optical sensor arrays may measure the trajectory of an object as it travels between a launch location and a target location. Applications include projecting the range of a driven golf ball, measuring the respective arriving and departing velocities of a hit baseball, determining the trajectory of a baseball, and determining the trajectory and origin of an arriving projectile, as in the case of the threat to a military vehicle.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.