Patent ID: 7379100

Claim:
A method to enhance dynamic range of an array of photodetectors responsive to incoming optical energy returned from an object a distance Z away to determine at least distance Z to said object, said photodetectors having a dynamic range in dB of DR before application of the method, the method including: (a) enabling said photodetectors to receive said incoming optical energy during a long time interval; (b) within said long time interval, at the end of each of a number n of unequal time duration sub-intervals storing a detection output signal from each of said photodetectors, where n>1 and wherein at least a pair of said unequal time duration sub-intervals, denoted shutters and shutter i-1 , satisfy a relationship 20 · log 10 ⁢ shutter i shutter i - 1 ≤ DR ; (c) determining a best quality one of n detection signals stored at step (b); and (d) repeating step (b) and step (c) thereafter as needed.