INTEGRATED MULTISENSOR RANGE FINDERS

Initially, the system presented was designed to increase the autonomy of robots working in difficult surroundings congested with obstacles. The system can have applications other than in robotics. The system combines: an ultrasonic telemeter for distance measurement, an optical device based on photovoltaic cells, allowing the classification of tints of plane obstacles in a group of colours previously defined by the user, and a range finding system composed of a monochromatic laser associated with a solid state detector used for the localisation of the vertical edges of polyhedral obstacles. Each of these base sensors delivers an elementary information (distance, tint, coordinates of vertical edges) which is determined by processing the echo from the obstacle of a previously transmitted signal (active detection)