Signal simulation apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10079987-B2
Application number	US-201414246262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2014
Priority date	Oct 19, 2007
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of simulating an initial component of a signal to approximate a component of a reference signal, the method characterized by the steps of:
i. generating a source signal which includes at least one harmonic component, and ii. determining the average amplitude and duration of the source signal, and iii. referencing the amplitude of the reference signal component to be simulated, and iv. integrating the source signal over a period of time sufficient to produce a value for the signal component amplitude approximate to the reference signal component amplitude.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging system, comprising:
a range assessment system operable to assess a range of an object;
a light source operable to illuminate the object with a source signal; and
a signal simulation apparatus operable to provide modulation signals to the light source and the range assessment system, wherein the modulation signals are compensated to mitigate error arising from harmonics in the source signal, wherein the signal simulation apparatus is operable to vary a respective phase of the modulation signals and to vary a respective presentation time for each phase, and wherein the presentation time used for each particular phase increment is proportional to an absolute value of an amplitude change experienced over the particular phase increment.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the range assessment system comprises an optical camera transducer.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the range assessment system further comprises an image intensifier.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal simulation apparatus is operable to adjust a phase of the modulation signals supplied to the light source to mitigate error arising from the harmonics.

5. An imaging method, comprising:
providing modulation signals to a light source and a range assessment system;
illuminating an object with a source signal generated by the light source in response to the modulation signals;
operating the range assessment system in response to the modulation signals; and
mitigating error arising from harmonics in the source signal by adjusting the modulation signals including varying a respective phase of the modulation signals and varying a respective presentation time for each phase, wherein the presentation time used for each particular phase increment is proportional to an absolute value of an amplitude change experienced over the particular phase increment.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the source signal includes at least one harmonic component.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising integrating the source signal over a period of time sufficient to produce a value for a signal component amplitude corresponding to a reference signal component amplitude.

8. A method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising compensating the modulation signals to phase shift the source signal.

9. A method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising phase shifting the source signal in accordance with a resolution.

10. A method of claim 5 including applying periodic phase changes to the source signal.

11. An imaging method, comprising:
providing modulation signals to a light source and a range assessment system;
illuminating an object with a source signal generated by the light source in response to the modulation signals;
operating the range assessment system in response to the modulation signals;
determining a respective presentation time by sampling a sine wave over a particular period, with sample resolution equal to an electronic phase step resolution, and setting the respective presentation time as the ratio of separation between resulting amplitude values; and
mitigating error arising from harmonics in the source signal by adjusting the modulation signals including varying a respective phase of the modulation signals and varying the respective presentation time for each phase.

Assignees

• Mesa Imaging Ag
• Heptagon Micro Optics Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Payne Andrew Dean
• Dorrington Adrian Andrew

Classifications

• H04N25/671 Primary

  for non-uniformity detection or correction · CPC title

• H04N5/3651 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H03K4/026

  using digital techniques · CPC title

• H03B28/00

  Generation of oscillations by methods not covered by groups H03B5/00 - H03B27/00, including modification of the waveform to produce sinusoidal oscillations (analogue function generators for performing computing operations G06G7/26; use of transformers for conversion of waveform in AC-AC converters H02M5/18) · CPC title

• G01S7/4911

  Transmitters · CPC title