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Digital signal processing in optical systems used for ranging applications

  • US 7,895,007 B2
  • Filed: 10/23/2009
  • Issued: 02/22/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for optically sensing a remote object, said apparatus comprising:

  • an optical emitter module for sending optical pulses towards said object;

    an optical receiver module for receiving optical signals reflected by said object and for converting said optical signals into digital signal waveforms; and

    a control and processing unit for processing said digital signal waveforms, said control and processing unit being adapted to;

    (a) sample said digital signal waveforms at a predetermined number Np of range values Ri, i=1, 2, 3, . . . , Np;

    (b) select a function N(Ri) that gives the number of data samples to be averaged for each range value Ri;

    (c) compute the average of a quantity N(Ri) of signal data sampled at a first range value Ri each time a quantity N(Ri) of signal waveforms has been generated;

    (d) update an average signal amplitude previously measured at said range Ri with the result computed above; and

    repeating step (c) for each range value Ri,whereby the response time of said apparatus is minimized for each range Ri by averaging only the quantity N(Ri) of data sampled at each range Ri that is required to get a desired signal to noise ratio at each range Ri.

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