Patent · US Active

Methods and apparatus for estimation of motion and size of non-line-of-sight objects

US9146317B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
1References
20Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateMay 23, 2012
Grant dateSep 29, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 4, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S17/894
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In exemplary implementations of this invention, a time of flight camera (ToF camera) can estimate the location, motion and size of a hidden moving object, even though (a) the hidden object cannot be seen directly (or through mirrors) from the vantage point of the ToF camera (including the camera's illumination source and sensor), and (b) the object is in a visually cluttered environment. The hidden object is a NLOS (non-line-of-sight) object. The time of flight camera comprises a streak camera and a laser. In these exemplary implementations, the motion and absolute locations of NLOS moving objects in cluttered environments can be estimated through tertiary reflections of pulsed illumination, using relative time differences of arrival at an array of receivers. Also, the size of NLOS moving objects can be estimated by backprojecting extremas of NLOS moving object time responses.

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