Patent ID: 6307811
Filing Date: 2001-10-23
Classification: G01S

Abstract:
A method for operating several adjacent sensors in synchronism, comprising the steps of:generating a clock signal having a first measurement clock, a second measurement clock, and a third measurement clock;emitting a first transmission pulse sequence, a second transmission pulse sequence, and a third transmission pulse sequence from a first of the sensors, a second of the sensors, and a third of the sensors, respectively;from the first sensor, emitting a first transmission pulse of the first sequence, a second transmission pulse of the first sequence, and a third transmission pulse of the first sequence, the first, second, and third transmission pulses of the first sequence having a first time offset, a second time offset, and a third time offset, respectively, wherein the first, the second, and the third time offsets mutually differ and occur in reference to the first, second, and third measurement clocks, respectively;from the second sensor, emitting a first transmission pulse of the second sequence, a second transmission pulse of the second sequence, and a third transmission pulse of the second sequence, the first, second, and third transmission pulses of the second transmission pulse sequence having the second time offset, the third time offset, and the first time offset, respectively, wherein the second, the third, and the first time offsets occur in reference to the first, second, and third measurement clocks, respectively; andfrom the third sensor, emitting a first transmission pulse of the third sequence, a second transmission pulse of the third sequence, and a third transmission pulse of the third sequence, the first, second, and third transmission pulses of the third sequence having the third time offset, the first time offset, and the second time offset, respectively, wherein the third, the first, and the second time offset occur in reference to the first, second, and third measurement clocks, respectively.