Determination of the rotational position of a sensor by means of a laser beam emitted by a satellite
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A rotational position determination device for a sensor, comprising:
- a laser beam detection device configured to detect a laser beam emitted by a satellite; and
a control device,wherein the control device is configured to determine a rotational position of the rotational position determination device based on the laser beam detected by the sensor device,wherein the laser beam detection device comprises;
an image sensor which is divided into a plurality of sensor subunits; and
an imaging optical system configured to focus the detected laser beam onto the image sensor,wherein each of the plurality of sensor subunits is configured to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to the focused laser beam,wherein the control device is configured to determine the rotational position of the rotational position determination device by evaluating the electrical signals generated by the plurality of sensor subunits,wherein the sensor subunits are pixels, andwherein the control device is configured to determine the rotational position of the rotational position determination device by evaluating which pixels generate the electrical signals.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to the determination of the rotational position of a sensor by means of a laser beam emitted by a satellite. For this purpose, the sensor includes a rotational position determination device which has a laser beam detection device for detecting the laser beam emitted by the satellite. Moreover, the rotational position determination device includes a control device which is designed for determining the rotational position of the rotational position determination device based on the detected laser beam.
4 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A rotational position determination device for a sensor, comprising:
-
a laser beam detection device configured to detect a laser beam emitted by a satellite; and a control device, wherein the control device is configured to determine a rotational position of the rotational position determination device based on the laser beam detected by the sensor device, wherein the laser beam detection device comprises; an image sensor which is divided into a plurality of sensor subunits; and an imaging optical system configured to focus the detected laser beam onto the image sensor, wherein each of the plurality of sensor subunits is configured to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to the focused laser beam, wherein the control device is configured to determine the rotational position of the rotational position determination device by evaluating the electrical signals generated by the plurality of sensor subunits, wherein the sensor subunits are pixels, and wherein the control device is configured to determine the rotational position of the rotational position determination device by evaluating which pixels generate the electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A sensor system which includes:
-
a first sensor which includes a first rotational position determination device; and a second sensor which includes a second rotational position determination device, wherein the first and the second rotational position determination devices each comprise; a laser beam detection device configured to detect a laser beam emitted by a satellite; and a control device, wherein each control device is configured to determine a rotational position of a respective one of the first and the second rotational position determination devices based on a respective one of the detected laser beams, wherein the control devices of the first and the second rotational position determination devices are configured to jointly orient the first sensor and the second sensor.
-
-
13. A method for orienting a sensor, the method comprising the acts of:
-
detecting a laser beam, emitted by a satellite, by a rotational position determination device comprising an image sensor divided into a plurality of pixels; focusing, by an imaging optical system, the detected laser beam onto the image sensor; generating, by the plurality of pixels, an electrical signal upon exposure to the focused laser beam; and determining a rotational position of the sensor by evaluating which pixels generate electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
-
16. A rotational position determination device for a sensor, comprising:
-
a laser beam detection device configured to detect a laser beam emitted by a satellite; and a control device, wherein the control device is configured to determine a rotational position of the rotational position determination device based on the laser beam detected by the sensor device, wherein the laser beam detection device comprises; an image sensor which is divided into a plurality of sensor subunits; and an imaging optical system configured to focus the detected laser beam onto the image sensor, wherein each of the plurality of sensor subunits is configured to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to the focused laser beam, wherein the control device is configured to determine the rotational position of the rotational position determination device by evaluating the electrical signals generated by the plurality of sensor subunits, wherein the image sensor is divided into four sensor subunits designed as quadrants, and wherein the control device is configured to determine the rotational position of the rotational position determination device by evaluating the intensities of the signals generated by the quadrants.
-
Specification