Patent ID: 9025141
Filing Date: 2015-05-05
Classification: G01B,G01S

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: at least three laser ranging sensors each configured to direct a sensor beam of continuous-wave light toward a target, wherein a beam spread of the sensor beam has a width greater than a width of the target; at least one of the laser ranging sensors configured to combine light beams from at least three continuous-wave lasers each tuned to different wavelengths to generate the sensor beam that is directed toward the target; the laser ranging sensors each configured to combine an interference beam, resulting from light reflecting off the target and interfering with the sensor beam, with local oscillator beams to generate a synthetic wave beam; the laser ranging sensors each including a photodetector device comprising an array of photodetectors configured to sense the synthetic wave beam, and to measure a distance to the target based on output from the array of photodetectors; and a controller configured to receive a distance measurement from each of the laser ranging sensors, and to calculate a position of the target in a coordinate system based on the distance measurements.