MULTIPLE SYNCHRONIZED OPTICAL SOURCES FOR TIME-OF-FLIGHT RANGE FINDING SYSTEMS

摘要

TOF system optical power is augmented using auxiliary optical emitter unit(s) that may be wireless (WOE), or plug-wired (PWOE). WOE units sense emitted TOF system optical energy Sout and emit optical energy Sout-n preferably dynamically synchronized in frequency and in phase to Sout as received by WOE. Each WOE includes at least one optical sensor to detect Sout, and internal feedback ensuring that frequency and phase of WOE emitted Sout-n optical energy are dynamically synchronized with frequency and phase of TOF emitted Sout optical energy. PWOE units need no internal feedback but are calibrated by TOF system to cause a close match between frequency and phase of the PWOE-emitted optical energy with what would be emitted by the TOF system primary optical source. If PWOE(s) are used in isolation, delay difference between PWOE and the TOF primary optical energy source can be software-compensated.