Abstract:
A three dimensional sensor includes an illumination source (1) that produces broadband, high intensity optical energy including a number of individual wavelength components. The components are impinged in a spot on a target (6). Dispersion is applied to the light reflected from the spot, either before target impingement, after target impingement, or both, whereby light of different wavelengths is focused at different ranges. The wavelength of maximum reflection is detected to determine the target range. In one embodiment, temporal modulation is applied to the light before target impingement and a stationary detector (5) determines the target range by relating the maximum light received to the time it is received, and thus the wavelength. In another embodiment, all wavelengths are reflected from the target simultaneously, the reflected beam is chromatically dispersed in the transverse direction and a detector array, or a linear position sensor, is employed to determine the transverse position of the maximum amplitude of the transversely dispersed beam. The transverse position, being related to a particular wavelength, contains information from which the range to the target is determinable. Wavelength dependent reflection may be compensated.
Abstract:
A chromatic optical ranging sensor, comprising: means for focusing a source beam (30) of optical energy onto a target (6) from a known location, whereby different wavelengths of said source beam are focused at different distances from said known location; means for collecting a reflected beam from said target (6); means for detecting and interpolating said reflected beam to determine a distance of said target from said known location, means for separating said reflected beam into a focused portion and a unfocused portion; and means for determining a ratio of an amplitude of said focused portion to an amplitude of said unfocused portion.
Abstract:
A chromatic optical ranging sensor, comprising:
means for focusing a source beam (30) of optical energy onto a target (6) from a known location, whereby different wavelengths of said source beam are focused at different distances from said known location; means for collecting a reflected beam from said target (6); means for detecting and interpolating said reflected beam to determine a distance of said target from said known location, means for separating said reflected beam into a focused portion and a unfocused portion; and means for determining a ratio of an amplitude of said focused portion to an amplitude of said unfocused portion.