Patent ID: 7047132

Claim:
A sensor array for a mobile vehicle, having a front, a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a centerline parallel to a vehicle velocity vector and traveling in a forward direction comprising: a plurality of sensors mounted generally along said front of said mobile vehicle transmitting a plurality of object detecting beams, said plurality of sensors including a first sensor mounted near the first side for transmitting a forward pointing first beam; a second sensor mounted near the second side for transmitting a forward pointing second beam a third sensor mounted in said mobile vehicle and spaced apart from said first sensor, which third sensor transmits an obliquely pointing third beam which intersects with said first beam to create a first overlapping beam zone; and a fourth sensor mounted in said mobile vehicle and spaced apart from said second sensor, which fourth sensor transmits an obliquely pointing fourth beam which intersects with said second beam to create a second overlapping beam zone, wherein said beams have a beamwidth within the range of approximately 12 degrees to approximately 15 degrees.