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:
Aug. 16, 2016
Filed:
Jun. 18, 2010
Cristiano Niclass, Nisshin, JP;
Edoardo Charbon, Den Haag, NL;
Mineki Soga, Nisshin, JP;
Hiromichi Yanagihara, Musashino, JP;
Cristiano Niclass, Nisshin, JP;
Edoardo Charbon, Den Haag, NL;
Mineki Soga, Nisshin, JP;
Hiromichi Yanagihara, Musashino, JP;
TOYOTA MOTOR EUROPE NV/SA, Brussels, BE;
Abstract
An optical rangefinder based on time-of-flight measurement, radiates pulsed light toward an object (), and receives reflected light from the object, the receiver operating in a photon counting mode, so as to generate a pulse for a detected photon. There is a variable probability of a photon detection on the receiver, and a controller () controls the photon detection probability of the receiver, based on a light level. By controlling the detection probability according to a light level, the receiver can have an increased dynamic range, and without the expense of using optical components. This can apply even while detecting very weak signals since the receiver can still be in a photon counting mode while the detection probability is controlled. The light level can be indicated by an output of the receiver itself, or by another detector external to the receiver.