Patent ID: 7551266
Filing Date: 2009-06-23
Classification: G01B,G01S

Abstract:
1. A method for determining distance to an object, the method comprising: focusing a light source through a lattice pattern to create a plurality of points-of-light on a plurality of objects, each of the plurality of objects being located at a different one of a plurality of first distances from an initial reference location to create a plurality of points-of-light; recording an out-of-focus image for each of the plurality of points-of-light on the plurality of objects to a plurality of out-of-focus images, each of the out-of-focus images having a circle of confusion within the out-of-focus image to form a plurality of circles of confusion; identifying a diameter for each of the plurality of the circles of confusion from the plurality of out-of-focus images of the plurality of points-of-light to form a plurality of identified diameters; and identifying the plurality of first distances, wherein the plurality of first distances is calculated from the identified diameters of the plurality of circles of confusion.