Self-Calibrating Object Detection System

1 . A compensation and calibration circuit for adjusting a delay signal to compensate for variations in operating conditions and component tolerances in an electronic system, said circuit comprising:

a reference generator for generating a reference signal;

a delay line comprising a delay line input and a plurality of delay stages, the delay line input electrically coupled to receive said reference signal, each of said delay stages having respective delay stage inputs and outputs and an associated propagation delay, wherein the propagation delays associated with each delay stage can vary in accordance with operating conditions and component tolerances;

the delay stage inputs and outputs are electrically connected in series to sequentially delay the reference signal by an amount proportional to the cumulative propagation delays associated with the respective delay stages;

a plurality of electrical taps, one of each of said electrical taps electrically connected to one of each of the outputs of each of said delay stages;

a multiplexer having a plurality of multiplexer inputs, one of each of said multiplexer inputs electrically coupled to one of each of said electrical taps, the multiplexer further comprising a multiplexer output and logic functional to selectively electrically couple one of each of said multiplexer inputs to said multiplexer output;

control logic operatively connected to said reference signal and to said multiplexer, the control logic functional to delay said reference signal by a desired amount by selecting a multiplexer input to couple to said multiplexer output wherein said selected multiplexer input corresponds to said desired delay amount; and

wherein said control logic periodically recalculates the cumulative delay associated with said delay stages such that changes in said propagation delays of said delay stages caused by variations in component tolerances and operating conditions are compensated for over time.

2 . The compensation and calibration circuit of claim 1 wherein said reference signal is a clock signal and wherein the cumulative delay associated with said delay stages is recalculated by measuring the number of delay stages required to delay said reference signal by one clock cycle.

3 . The compensation and calibration circuit of claim 2 further comprising calculating a calibrated tap index based upon said number of taps required to delay said clock signal one clock cycle.

4 . The compensation and calibration circuit of claim 3 wherein a tap select signal is generated for said multiplexer by said control logic based upon said calibrated tap index and said desired delay.

5 . The compensation and calibration circuit of claim 1 wherein said electronic circuit includes a field programmable gate array.

6 . An object detection system for a vehicle, said object detection system comprising:

a clock generator for generating a clock signal;

a set of emitters for producing and transmitting a sensing beam;

a set of receivers for receiving reflected portions of said transmitted sensing beam;

a microprocessor for controlling said object detection system;

a gate array for receiving control signals from said microprocessor and producing transmit signals for said emitters and reference signals for said receivers wherein said gate array generates a delayed signal for use by said receivers, said gate array comprising:

a delay line comprising a string of series connected buffers for receiving said clock signal wherein each of said buffers has an associated propagation delay;

a series of electrical taps wherein one of said electrical taps is electrically connected after each of said buffers in said string of series connected buffers;

a multiplexer for receiving each of said series of electrical taps with a multiplexer input and selectively connecting one of said multiplexer inputs to a multiplexer output; and

control logic for delaying said clock signal by a desired amount to generate said delayed signal by selecting a multiplexer input to connect to said multiplexer output wherein said selected multiplexer input corresponds to said desired delay amount and wherein said control logic periodically recalculates a delay associated with said buffers such that changes in said propagation delays of said buffers are compensated for over time.