US 12,135,212 B2
Remote measurement of shallow depths in semi-transparent media
Jeffrey P. Thayer, Boulder, CO (US); Geoffrey Crowley, Lafayette, CO (US); Andrew W. Gisler, Boulder, CO (US); Steven Mitchell, Annapolis, MD (US); and Matthew Hayman, Boulder, CO (US)
Assigned to The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, Denver, CO (US); and LiteWave Technologies, Inc., Louisville, CO (US)
Filed by The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, Denver, CO (US); and LiteWave Technologies, Inc., Louisville, CO (US)
Filed on Aug. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/233,567.
Application 17/728,913 is a division of application No. 15/461,196, filed on Mar. 16, 2017, granted, now 11,313,678, issued on Apr. 26, 2022.
Application 18/233,567 is a continuation of application No. 17/728,913, filed on Apr. 25, 2022, granted, now 11,725,937.
Application 15/461,196 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/092,015, filed on Apr. 6, 2016, granted, now 10,684,362, issued on Jun. 16, 2020.
Application 15/092,015 is a continuation of application No. 14/129,925, granted, now 9,476,980, issued on Oct. 25, 2016, previously published as PCT/US2012/045038, filed on Jun. 29, 2012.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/309,163, filed on Mar. 16, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/143,502, filed on Apr. 6, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/503,314, filed on Jun. 30, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2023/0384092 A1, Nov. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. G01C 13/00 (2006.01); G01S 7/499 (2006.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01)
CPC G01C 13/008 (2013.01) [G01S 7/499 (2013.01); G01S 17/10 (2013.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); Y02A 90/30 (2018.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of determining characteristics of at least two surfaces, comprising:
transmitting a pulse of polarized energy to the surfaces;
receiving reflected energy from the surfaces received over a period of time after a transmission of the energy;
sensing information indicative of one or more properties of two or more portions of received reflected energy, wherein the properties of each of the portions of the received reflected energy comprises one or more of:
(a) an orientation of the portion,
(b) an angular spread of the portion,
(c) a degree of polarization of the portion,
(d) an azimuthal polarization pattern of the portion,
(e) a high order scattering profile of the portion, and
(f) a range of a respective property being one of the properties (a) to (e); and
determining, using computational equipment, one or more elapsed time among the two or more portions of the received reflected energy, based on one or more differences among the properties of the portions, wherein
the elapsed time is less than a duration of the pulse of polarized energy.