Patent ID: 6873406
Filing Date: 2005-03-29
Classification: F41G,G01S

Abstract:
1. A tilt compensated laser ranging device comprising: a housing disposed in a reference horizontal plane; a laser transmitter disposed within the housing and adapted to fire a series of laser pulses of short duration at a selected target, said series of laser pulses having a pulse repetition rate frequency, said selected target having a target surface, said target surface reflecting at least a portion of said series laser pulses as at least one return pulse, each said return pulse having an amplitude; a laser pulse return detection system disposed within the housing and comprising: a vertical tilt sensor system disposed in the housing for determining a vertical angle between the target and the housing's reference horizontal plane, said vertical tilt sensor system comprising: a digital signal processing circuit disposed in the housing, said digital signal processing circuit comprising circuitry configured to: wherein vertical tilt sensor system calibration data is determined by stepping the vertical tilt sensor system through a series of discrete predetermined vertical angles, measuring the vertical angle data signals corresponding to said vertical angles and storing the measurement values of said vertical angle data signals corresponding to each predetermined vertical angle; and an output signal system disposed within the housing and adapted to selectable produce a horizontal range output data signal corresponding to the horizontal range to the target.