US5313262A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Systems and methods for object detection using beam widening optics
Assignee: IMRA America Inc
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Filing: 1992-09-30
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Granted: 1994-05-17
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Expires: 2012-09-30
Abstract
Abstract In exemplary embodiments, a diffraction grating is placed in the beam path of the generated light source. The grating expands the beam's field of view by distributing the transmitted radiation into plural sub-fields. Sub-fields associated with distant objects are set to a greater intensity to ensure reflection of the sub-fields back to the receiver. Sub-fields directed to closer objects have a lesser intensity to avoid detection of false objects.
Inventors
- 👤 Carl D. Leonard
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 22:13
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60T; B60T1/00; B60T1/12; B60T1/16; B60T7/00; B60T7/12; B60T7/22; G; G01; G01S; G01S17/00; G01S17/02; G01S17/04; G01S17/88; G01S17/93; G01S17/931; G01S7/00; G01S7/48; G01S7/481; G01S7/4814
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
72 words
System for detecting an object comprising: means for generating a beam of light; means for separating said beam of light into a plurality of sub-fields, each of said sub-fields being transmitted with a different intensity, each different intensity being proportional to a distance from said light beam generating means to an expected location of said object; and means for receiving portions of at least one of said sub-fields to detect said object.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
72 words
System for detecting an object comprising: means for generating a beam of light; means for separating said beam of light into a plurality of sub-fields, each of said sub-fields being transmitted with a different intensity, each different intensity being proportional to a distance from said light beam generating means to an expected location of said object; and means for receiving portions of at least one of said sub-fields to detect said object.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 1 wherein each of said sub-fields is directed at an angle which is proportional to the expected location of one of a plurality of objects along a path.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said object is detected for controlling a vehicle by generating said beam of light from said vehicle, said receiving means being located on said vehicle for receiving portions of at least some of said transmitted sub-fields of different intensity to control the vehicle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 3 further including means, responsive to said receiving means, for guiding said vehicle based on each of said received portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
59 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said separating means is a grating for separating said beam of light into at least three diffracted sub-fields which are each directed at a different angle with respect to said vehicle, each different angle being proportional to an expected location of one of a plurality of objects along a path of said vehicle.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 5 wherein said objects located along the path of said vehicle are retro-reflectors for reflecting said diffracted sub-fields toward said receiving means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 6 wherein each of said objects are spaced a predetermined distance from one another along said path.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
61 words
The system of claim 7 wherein said diffracted sub-field of light with a first intensity is directed toward a first one of said objects, and said diffracted sub-field with a second intensity greater than said first intensity is directed toward a second one of said objects located a greater distance from said generating means than said first one of said objects.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 5 wherein said grating is a transmission ruled grating.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 5 wherein said grating is a low frequency holographic grating.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 5 wherein said light generating means is a diode laser.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said light beam generating means is a single laser diode.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
134 words
A system for controlling a moving vehicle comprising: means for generating a beam of light from said vehicle; means for separating said beam of light into plural transmitted sub-fields, a first of said transmitted sub-fields being oriented toward an expected location of a first object while a second of said transmitted sub-fields is oriented toward an expected location of a second object wherein said first and second sub-fields are transmitted with different intensities of light, each of said different intensities being proportional to different expected distances from said light beam generating means to said first and second objects; means on said vehicle for simultaneously receiving reflected portions of at least two of the transmitted sub-fields; and means, responsive to said receiving means, for controlling said vehicle position relative to said first and second objects.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
134 words
A system for controlling a moving vehicle comprising: means for generating a beam of light from said vehicle; means for separating said beam of light into plural transmitted sub-fields, a first of said transmitted sub-fields being oriented toward an expected location of a first object while a second of said transmitted sub-fields is oriented toward an expected location of a second object wherein said first and second sub-fields are transmitted with different intensities of light, each of said different intensities being proportional to different expected distances from said light beam generating means to said first and second objects; means on said vehicle for simultaneously receiving reflected portions of at least two of the transmitted sub-fields; and means, responsive to said receiving means, for controlling said vehicle position relative to said first and second objects.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 13, wherein said generating means is a diode laser, said separating means is a diffraction grating, and wherein each of said plural transmitted sub-fields is transmitted with a different intensity.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
82 words
The system of claim 14 further including at least three markers spaced along a path of said vehicle, a first one of said markers being a first distance from said vehicle for reflecting a first one of said sub-fields with a first intensity, and a second one of said markers being at a second distance from said vehicle for reflecting one of said sub-fields with a second intensity greater than said first intensity, said first distance being less than said second distance.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 15 wherein each of said markers is spaced a predetermined distance from an adjacent one of said markers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 13, wherein said light beam generating means is a single laser diode.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
65 words
A method of detecting an object, said method comprising the steps of: generating a beam of light; separating said light beam into plural sub-fields and transmitting the plural sub-fields of view using said beam, each sub-field being of a different intensity, each different intensity being proportional to a different expected distance to said object; and receiving portions of said plural sub-fields for detecting said object.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
65 words
A method of detecting an object, said method comprising the steps of: generating a beam of light; separating said light beam into plural sub-fields and transmitting the plural sub-fields of view using said beam, each sub-field being of a different intensity, each different intensity being proportional to a different expected distance to said object; and receiving portions of said plural sub-fields for detecting said object.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 18 wherein a portion of said object is detected for controlling a moving vehicle, said method comprising the steps of: detecting said portions of said sub-fields which are reflected from a plurality of markers located along a vehicle path and controlling said vehicle based on said detected reflected sub-fields.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 19 wherein said step of separating includes separating said beam into at least three sub-fields.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 20 wherein a sub-field with a first intensity is directed to a first one of said markers and a sub-field with a second intensity greater than said first intensity is directed to a second one of said markers.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 21 wherein a sub-field of a first intensity is reflected by one of said markers at a first distance from said vehicle and a sub-field of a second intensity greater than said first intensity is reflected by one of said markers at a second distance from said vehicle, wherein said second distance is greater than said first distance.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 18, wherein said step of generating a beam of light is performed using a single laser diode.
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