Method and apparatus for controlling laser transmissions for enhanced safety
View Patent ↗According to a present invention embodiment, safety is enhanced for a non-eye-safe limited-range laser sensing system. The laser sensing system typically has an operating range limited to a well-defined spatial interval. A range measurement is utilized to control emissions of the non-eye-safe laser. In particular, when the range to a target is outside the designed spatial interval defining the operating range of the laser sensing system, transmission of the non-eye-safe laser beam is disabled or rendered non-hazardous. In other words, the transmission of the non-eye-safe laser beam is disabled in response to no detection of a hard target within the operating range of the laser sensing system, or when an object is detected between the laser sensing system and the spatial interval that defines the operating range. The target distance may be tracked to change the location (and possibly, width) of the adaptive spatial interval defining the operating range.
1. A system for interrogating an intended target via emission of signals comprising:
a signal unit to transmit signals for interrogating an intended target, wherein said system includes an operating range indicating a prescribed range of distance from said system for said intended target to be impacted by said transmitted signals for interrogation of said intended target;
a range unit to determine a range of an object from said system, compare said determined range to said operating range of said system, and control transmission of said signals based on said comparison of said determined range, wherein said range unit disables transmission of said signals in response to said object residing within an area outside of said operating range, wherein said area includes a first area with a range from said system less than said operating range and a second area with a range from said system greater than said operating range.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said range unit includes:
a receiver to receive a range signal transmitted from said system and reflected from said object; and
a controller to determine said range based on said range signal and to control said transmission of said signals based on said determined range.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein said transmitted signals include hazardous signals.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein said hazardous signals include non-eye-safe laser signals.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein said range signal includes said non-eye-safe laser signals transmitted from said signal unit and reflected from said object.
6. The system of claim 3 , wherein said range unit further includes:
a laser source to transmit eye-safe laser signals, wherein said range signal includes said eye-safe laser signals transmitted from said laser source and reflected from said object.
7. The system of claim 3 , wherein said range unit further includes:
an acoustic transmitter to transmit acoustic signals, wherein said range signal includes said acoustic signals transmitted from said acoustic transmitter and reflected from said object.
8. The system of claim 3 , wherein said controller includes:
a range module to determine said range based on a round trip time for said range signal to travel from said system to said object and to return to said system.
9. The system of claim 3 , wherein said receiver is angularly positioned relative to an axis of transmission for said range signal, and said controller includes:
a range module to triangulate said range based on an angle of said reflected range signal relative to said axis of transmission.
10. The system of claim 3 , wherein said range unit includes:
a lens to produce an image of said object, wherein said lens is manipulable to different positions to focus said image, and said different positions of said lens correlate to a corresponding range; and
a controller to determine said range based on said image and to control said transmission of said hazardous signals based on said determined range.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein said controller includes:
a focus module to control said lens to produce a series of images each with a different focus, to analyze said series of images to determine an image with the best focus, and to determine said range of said object based on said range correlated with said position of said lens producing said image with the best focus.
12. The system of claim 3 , wherein said signal unit includes a shutter, and said range unit controls said shutter to block said hazardous signals in response to said determined range of said object residing outside of said operating range.
13. The system of claim 3 , wherein said range unit includes:
a control unit to terminate power to said signal unit to disable transmission of said hazardous signals in response to said determined range of said object residing outside of said operating range.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein said range unit adjusts said operating range of said system to encompass said object and a surrounding area defined by an offset from said determined range in response to said determined range residing within said operating range of said system.
15. A method of interrogating an intended target via emission of signals comprising:
(a) transmitting signals from a system toward an intended target for interrogating said intended target, wherein transmission of said signals is associated with an operating range indicating a prescribed range of distance from said system for said intended target to be impacted by said transmitted signals for interrogation of said intended target;
(b) determining a range of an object from said system, and comparing said determined range to said operating range of said system; and
(c) controlling transmission of said signals based on said comparison of said determined range, wherein transmission of said signals from said system is disabled in response to said object residing within an area outside of said operating range, wherein said area includes a first area with a range from said system less than said operating range and a second area with a range from said system greater than said operating range.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein step (b) further includes:
(b.1) receiving a range signal transmitted from said system and reflected from said object and determining said range based on said range signal; and
step (c) further includes:
(c.1) controlling said transmission of said signals based on said determined range.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said transmitted signals include hazardous signals.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said hazardous signals include non-eye-safe laser signals.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein said range signal includes said non-eye-safe laser signals transmitted from said system and reflected from said object.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein step (a) further includes:
(a.1) transmitting eye-safe laser signals from said system, wherein said range signal includes said eye-safe laser signals;
wherein step (b.1) further includes:
(b.1.1) receiving said eye-safe laser signals transmitted from said system and reflected from said object and determining said range based on said reflected eye-safe laser signals; and
wherein step (c.1) further includes:
(c.1.1) controlling said transmission of said hazardous signals based on said determined range.
21. The method of claim 17 , wherein step (a) further includes:
(a.1) transmitting acoustic signals from said system, wherein said range signal includes said acoustic signals;
wherein step (b.1) further includes:
(b.1.1) receiving said acoustic signals transmitted from said system and reflected from said object and determining said range based on said reflected acoustic signals; and
wherein step (c.1) further includes:
(c.1.1) controlling said transmission of said hazardous signals based on said determined range.
22. The method of claim 17 , wherein step (b.1) further includes:
(b.1.1) determining said range based on a round trip time for said range signal to travel from said system to said object and to return to said system.
23. The method of claim 17 , wherein step (b.1) further includes:
(b.1.1) triangulating said range based on an angle of said reflected range signal relative to an axis of transmission of said range signal.
24. The method of claim 17 , wherein said system includes a lens to produce an image of said object, wherein said lens is manipulable to different positions to focus said image, and said different positions of said lens correlate to a corresponding range, and step (b.1) further includes:
(b.1.1) determining said range based on said image.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein step (b.1.1) further includes:
(b.1.1.1) controlling said lens to produce a series of images each with a different focus;
(b.1.1.2) analyzing said series of images to determine an image with the best focus; and
(b.1.1.3) determining said range of said object based on said range correlated with said position of said lens producing said image with the best focus.
26. The method of claim 17 , wherein said system includes a shutter, and step (c.1) further includes:
(c.1.1) controlling said shutter to block said hazardous signals in response to said determined range of said object residing outside of said operating range.
27. The method of claim 17 , wherein step (c.1) further includes:
(c.1.1) terminating power to disable transmission of said hazardous signals in response to said determined range of said object residing outside of said operating range.
28. The method of claim 15 , further including:
(d) adjusting said operating range to encompass said object and a surrounding area defined by an offset from said determined range in response to said determined range residing within said operating range.
29. The system of claim 3 , wherein said range unit renders said hazardous signals to be non-hazardous to disable transmission of said hazardous signals in response to said determined range of said object residing outside of said operating range.
30. The method of claim 17 , wherein step (c.1) further includes:
(c.1.1) rendering said hazardous signals to be non-hazardous to disable transmission of said hazardous signals in response to said determined range of said object residing outside of said operating range.