Valeo Schalter Und Sensoren Gmbh

Frank Künzler

Udo Haberland

Lorenz-Peter Schmidt

Jochen Weinzierl

Robert Rehner

An apparatus and a method for determining a distance (r) to a target object () proposes transmitting electromagnetic waves in the form of a transmission signal () by a transmitter (), receiving at least one part of said transmission signal () reflected by a the target object () in the form of a reception signal () by receiving device () and evaluating the reception signal () according a reference signal () which has a known phase difference with respect to the transmission signal () and a frequency equal to the frequency thereof. The reference () and reception () signal frequencies are reduced in a frequency divider () with the same predefined divider factor (x) while preserving the existing phase difference between the reference signal () and the reception () signal in such a way that a reduced frequency reception signal (') and a reduced frequency reception signal () are obtained. The frequency difference between the reduced frequency reception signal (&#x2032;) and reduced frequency reception signal (&#x2032;) is evaluated in order to determine the distance (R).

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Kraichtal, Germany

Frank Künzler