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US 12,479,293 B2Granted
Speed measurement using time-of-flight sensing and anti-collision protection using time-of-flight sensing
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS
InventorThomas Perotto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A measurement of the rotation speed of an object is made using a time-of-flight sensor configured to detect a passing of one or more of elements of the object through a given position. The time-of-flight sensor is further mounted on a one-person vehicle configured to protect the one-person vehicle against collisions through the making a time-of-flight measurement of a relative speed between the one-person vehicle and an obstacle.
Claims26
A method for protecting a one-person vehicle against a collision with an obstacle, comprising:
- emitting from the one-person vehicle optical pulses for time of flight measurement with a regular repetition;
- wherein said optical pulses are emitted within a cone of emission having a half cone angle greater than or equal to 10 degrees;
- detecting distances between the one-person vehicle and said obstacle based on the time of flight measurement;
- calculating, solely from a plurality of the detected distances that are less than a first threshold distance, a relative speed between the one-person vehicle and said obstacle by:
- storing the detected distances that are less than the first threshold distance in a memory;
- and
- performing a linear regression on the stored distances to calculate the relative speed;
- and
- selectively engaging an anticollision process in response to the calculated relative speed.
6 more elements
A method, comprising:
- making a time-of-flight measurement of a relative speed between a one-person vehicle and an obstacle;
- and
- protecting the one-person vehicle against a collision with said obstacle in response to the time-of-flight measurement of the relative speed by decreasing speed of the one-person vehicle;
- wherein protecting comprises implementing protection only when:
- the relative speed indicates that a distance between the obstacle and a source of optical pulses of said time-of-flight measurement is shorter than a first distance threshold;
- and
- the obstacle is at any position located:
- inside of a cone of emission of said optical pulses, the cone having a half cone angle greater than or equal to approximately 10 degrees and an axis substantially in a displacement direction of the vehicle;
- and
- at a distance shorter than a second distance threshold, wherein said second distance threshold is shorter than the first distance threshold;
- and
- when the obstacle is one of:
- a single obstacle within the cone of emission;
- or
- a closest one of plural obstacles within the cone emission.
12 more elements
A method, comprising:
- making a time-of-flight measurement of a relative speed between a one-person vehicle and an obstacle by:
- obtaining measured values of a distance between the one-person vehicle and the obstacle several times in a regularly repeating manner;
- and
- obtaining said relative speed by linear regression of the measured values according to time;
- and
- protecting the one-person vehicle against a collision with said obstacle in response to the time-of-flight measurement of the relative speed by decreasing speed of the one-person vehicle;
- wherein protecting comprises implementing protection only when:
- the relative speed indicates that a distance between the obstacle and a source of optical pulses of said time-of-flight measurement is shorter than a first distance threshold;
- and
- the obstacle is at any position located:
- inside of a cone of emission of said optical pulses, the cone having a half cone angle greater than or equal to approximately 10 degrees and an axis substantially in a displacement direction of the vehicle;
- and
- at a distance shorter than a second distance threshold, wherein said second distance threshold is shorter than the first distance threshold.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.