Scanning Optical Positioning System with Triangulating Receivers

The patent replaces the mechanical camera imaging system with an optical scanning system that uses a moving light source and photodetector array. Instead of capturing multiple static images and processing them to detect motion, the system scans a laser beam across the scene and detects the reflected light at each spatial position, enabling direct measurement of motion without frame rate limitations causing blurring.

The system employs periodic scanning of a laser beam across the field of view in a systematic pattern. By scanning through multiple spatial positions sequentially and recording the time of flight or phase information at each position, the system achieves high-speed motion detection without the blurring artifacts inherent in camera-based systems that must capture entire frames at discrete time intervals.

The patent extracts only the essential information needed for motion detection - the time of flight or phase shift at each scanned position - rather than capturing and processing entire image frames. This selective extraction of critical data points (spatial coordinates and temporal information) dramatically reduces the data volume while maintaining motion detection capability, thereby reducing processing latency and improving system productivity.

The system segments the field of view into multiple discrete spatial positions that are scanned sequentially. Instead of processing a complete image containing all pixels simultaneously, the system processes information at individual scanned positions independently, which reduces the computational burden and data handling requirements while still enabling comprehensive motion detection across the entire field of view.

The patent replaces complex image processing algorithms with simpler optical measurement principles. Instead of capturing full images and using complex computer vision algorithms to track motion, the system uses time of flight measurement or phase shift detection at scanned positions, which are physically simpler measurements that require less computational processing while achieving comparable or superior motion tracking accuracy.

The system creates a simplified representation of the scene by scanning a laser beam through known spatial positions and recording temporal information (time of flight or phase). This creates a set of discrete, easily processable measurements that can be directly converted to motion data without requiring complex image processing, thereby reducing processing requirements while maintaining measurement precision.