Patent ID: 6989890
Filing Date: 2006-01-24
Classification: G01C,G01S

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for taking up an object space using an opto-electronic range finder, which measures data of individual distances according to a time-of-flight of signal, the apparatus comprising: transmitter means for transmitting optical transmitter signals as a beam at a predetermined beam angle along an optical axis; and first receiver means having an optical axis for receiving optical signals reflected from an object situated in said object space after a time-of flight of said transmitter signals and said reflected signals, which have a certain time relationship; evaluating means comparing said transmitter signals and said reflected signals to determine range values from at least one of said time-of-flight and said time relationship; second receiver means for receiving electromagnetic radiation to form an image from data of individual image elements, said second receiver means including a predetermined number of transducers as an array to form received signals corresponding to said image elements, and having a predetermined image angle, and including optical means defining an optical axis which adapts said image angle to said beam angle of said transmitter means such that the image angle of an individual transducer of said array corresponds substantially to said beam angle of said transmitter means; scanning means for deviating a direction of said optical axes of said transmitter means and of said first and second receiver means in two directions and by a certain deviation angle per individual distance measurement to ensure that directions of the optical axes of said first and second receiver means coincide and scan said object space synchronously and in phase; wherein said second receiver means and said scanning means cooperate to enable determining individual image elements from said image and assigning a spatial angle to each image element, and said array is oriented in correspondence with said two directions of said scanning means; memory means having a plurality of cells, said plurality of cells assigned each to one of said image elements so that said individual transducers of said array can be read and their received signals can each be stored in a cell of said memory means simultaneously with each one of said individual distance measurements; an arrangement of said array and said cells of said memory means being such that with each individual distance measurement an assignment of said image elements of said array to said cells of said memory means is shifted by one such that signal received from each respective spatial angle are added up in said individual cells during subsequent measurements.