Patent ID: 8606496

Claim:
A collision avoidance system with a field of view mounted to a platform and adapted to navigate said platform to avoid an object of interest within said field of view, the collision avoidance system comprising: an embedded computer adapted to generate a clock signal and an initiation signal to start data acquisition; and a pulsed light source having a beam shaping element, said pulsed light source emitting at least one light pulse illuminating said object of interest within said field of view; a digital memory circuit connected to said embedded computer; a 3D sensor adapted to acquire a 3D image of said field of view and to store said 3D image in said digital memory; a control computer connected to said digital memory and to said embedded computer, said control computer adapted to analyze said 3D image and to determine a response subsystem control signal; drive electronics supplying power and providing control signals to a 3D focal plane array; and a response subsystem connected to said control computer, said response subsystem receiving said response subsystem control signal and said response subsystem adapted to navigate said platform to avoid said object of interest; wherein said 3D sensor includes: a sensor housing; a lens system which collects light pulse signals reflected from said object of interest and directs said collected light pulse signals onto said 3D focal plane array, said 3D focal plane array including: an array of optical detectors having a regular geometric arrangement, positioned in a focal plane of said lens system, and each detector converting an incident light pulse signal into an electrical pulse signal; and a readout circuit, including an array of unit cell electrical circuits with corresponding regular geometric arrangement; wherein each unit cell electrical circuit has an input connected through a metallic bump to a terminal of a companion optical detector of said array of optical detectors, said unit cell electrical circuit adapted to amplify said electrical pulse signals and having a trigger circuit adapted to detect the presence of said electrical pulse signal and thereupon to produce an acquisition termination signal, wherein each unit cell electrical circuit further includes a unit cell timing circuit initiated by said initiation signal, said unit cell timing circuit being terminated by said acquisition termination signal, thereby measuring the time of flight of an illuminating pulse to the unit cell, said unit cell timing circuit having a unit cell time of flight output connected to the periphery of the readout circuit; wherein the control computer includes an input connected to said time of flight outputs and is adapted to develop a 3D image from the time of flight outputs.