The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 16, 2003
Filed:
Jul. 27, 2001
John J. Drinkard, Redwood City, CA (US);
Javier Onses Cardona, Alameda, CA (US);
Christopher Alan Dums, Clayton, NC (US);
Scientific Technologies Incorporated, Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
A data reduction circuit serves as a post-processor for digitized waveform data, providing reduced data sets for subsequent processing. Preferably, the data reduction circuit receives one or more potentially long sequences of digital waveform data and provides as output sets of sequence numbers corresponding to transitions in the digitized waveforms. In this manner, a processor concerned with the location of waveform transitions is relieved from the burden of processing the sequences just to identify the transition points. In some embodiments, the data reduction circuit cooperates with a waveform digitizer that produces digitized sequences of comparator waveforms in a laser-based distance measuring circuit. Transition points in the digitized waveform correspond to return reflections of emitted laser pulses and may be used to identify laser pulse flight time. Thus, reporting only sequence numbers for the waveform transition points greatly reduces the amount of data transferred to a distance-calculating processor.