Retroreflectors
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsRandol W. Aikin, Malcolm J. Northcott, Daniel E. Potter, Matthew E. Last
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A retroreflector system including an outer body panel coupled to a vehicle, wherein the outer body panel is configured to allow a radar signal originating from an external radar device to pass through the outer body panel. The retroreflector system also includes a plurality of retroreflectors embedded in the vehicle, where the plurality of retroreflectors is configured to reflect the signal to the external signal source as a reflected signal, and where the plurality of retroreflectors is configured to have a peak reflectivity for a radar wavelength range or a light detection and ranging (lidar) wavelength range.
Claims20
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
- sending, from a signal source, a signal to an external target, wherein the signal comprises a radar signal or a lidar signal;
- receiving, from the external target, a reflected signal, wherein the reflected signal is reflected by one or more retroreflectors of the external target, wherein the reflected signal comprises information added via signal modulation by the one or more retroreflectors, and wherein the one or more retroreflectors are configured to have a peak reflectivity at a radar wavelength range or a lidar wavelength range;
- determining, based at least in part on the reflected signal, the added information about the external target.
A system, comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- a memory storing instructions that, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
- cause a signal source to emit a signal to an external object;
- and
- determine added information about the external object based on a reflected signal, wherein the reflected signal is reflected by one or more retroreflectors of the external object, wherein the reflected signal comprises information added via signal modulation by the one or more retroreflectors, and wherein the one or more retroreflectors are configured to have a peak reflectivity at a radar wavelength range or a lidar wavelength range.
A method, comprising:
- causing a signal source to emit a signal to an external object, wherein the signal comprises a radar signal or a lidar signal;
- receiving a reflected signal, wherein the reflected signal is reflected by one or more retroreflectors of the external object, wherein the reflected signal comprises information added via signal modulation by the one or more retroreflectors, and wherein the one or more retroreflectors are configured to have a peak reflectivity at a radar wavelength range or a lidar wavelength range;
- and
- determining, based at least in part on the reflected signal, the added information about the external object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.