초록 ▼

A system for identifying and locating objects of known chemical composition and discriminating against a background having a different chemical composition comprises a source of radiation for illuminating the object and the background and a receiver responsive solely to the fluorescent radiation fro

A system for identifying and locating objects of known chemical composition and discriminating against a background having a different chemical composition comprises a source of radiation for illuminating the object and the background and a receiver responsive solely to the fluorescent radiation from the object. The receiver comprises a filter which passes radiation from the object and a photodetector array which receives the filter output and produces an output containing the coordinates of the location of the received signal or signals on the array. This location information is applied to utilization apparatus which may comprise a marking mechanism which marks the location of the object on the background or automatic tracking apparatus which tracks the object of interest or counter apparatus which identifies the quantity of such objects that are illuminated. The invention also comprehends the method of deriving position data by causing a known substance to fluoresce at wavelengths (centered at l0) different from that of the source which illuminates the substance, filtering out all light but that at the l0 wavelength, directing said l0 light against an array of transducer cells and producing an output having coordinates of the cell receiving the l0 energy, and feeding the output of the array to utilization apparatus.

대표청구항 ▼

An automatic tracking system for an object having a trackable surface composed of first and second substances at different locations on the object comprising optical transmitter means having an output beam with a first wavelength directed toward said object whereby to illuminate all of said trackabl

An automatic tracking system for an object having a trackable surface composed of first and second substances at different locations on the object comprising optical transmitter means having an output beam with a first wavelength directed toward said object whereby to illuminate all of said trackable surface with said light and cause said first and second substances to emit light at second and third wavelengths, respectively, a receiver responsive to light at said second wavelength and unresponsive to light at said third wavelength, said receiver having an optical transducer array capable of producing an electrical output signal corresponding to the position of incidence of said second wavelength light on said array, logic circuit means receiving the output of said array and deriving an error signal proportional to the deviation of said position of incidence of said first wavelength light from a reference position on said array, a laser adapted to produce an output beam and a steering mechanism for said laser beam, said beam steering mechanism being connected to said logic circuit means and being responsive to said error signal for steering said laser beam for incidence on said first substance on said object.