Optical sensor device
First Claim
1. A sensing device configured to synchronously emit one or more modulated electro-magnetic signals into a transmission channel to produce a receive signal based on an interaction of the emitted signal with an object, the sensing device comprising:
- a detector to convert said electromagnetic signal into an electrical signal; and
a signal sampler to convert the signal into binary logic states at successive sample points based on a detection reference;
an edge detector to detect a positive or negative edge transition at a sample point based on the previous and present logic state of the signal sampler, wherein said edge detector uses at least 2 consecutive signal samples to determine edge state;
a summing element to accumulate the number of rising and falling edges associated with a given sample point; and
a signal reconstruction module configured to use the difference between the number of rising and falling edges at sample points to estimate a signal slope.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for the acquisition of repetitive signals in a sensing device comprising a transmitter, a receiver and an object. The transmitter repetitively emits a modulated electro-magnetic signal into a transmission medium, with the emitted signal interacting with the object producing a counter propagating return signal. The return signal may contain properties that reflect all, or a portion, of the initial signal or may be correlated with said signal through a process of absorption and reemission, in which reflected signal characteristics are governed by the object'"'"'s physical material characteristic. The return signal is detected and converted into digital signals by a receiver via a reception channel through the use of edge transitions rather than logic levels from one or more comparator outputs to reconstruct the return signal waveform. A several waveform acquisition and reconstruction methods are disclosed for use with an edge sampling detection apparatus. When directed towards the time-of-flight distance measurement the invention also discloses a useful method to provide optical feedback using a moving waveguide.
38 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A sensing device configured to synchronously emit one or more modulated electro-magnetic signals into a transmission channel to produce a receive signal based on an interaction of the emitted signal with an object, the sensing device comprising:
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a detector to convert said electromagnetic signal into an electrical signal; and a signal sampler to convert the signal into binary logic states at successive sample points based on a detection reference; an edge detector to detect a positive or negative edge transition at a sample point based on the previous and present logic state of the signal sampler, wherein said edge detector uses at least 2 consecutive signal samples to determine edge state; a summing element to accumulate the number of rising and falling edges associated with a given sample point; and a signal reconstruction module configured to use the difference between the number of rising and falling edges at sample points to estimate a signal slope. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification