Rosemount Inc.

Laserscore, Inc.

Anders G Andersson

Edmond J Dougherty

Gary D Giegerich

George R Simmons

Paul T Giegerich

Michael J Smith

Charles T Griswold

Albert Augustine, Jr

William G Van Ocker

Gregory M Bone

An apparatus detects the presence and location of at least one object in a field. The apparatus comprises a rotating arm which spins around the field, a position sensor for detecting the angular displacement of the rotating arm relative to a fixed point, and a processor. The rotating arm includes a transmitter and an opposing receiver array mounted thereon and fixed relative to each other. The receiver array includes a plurality of receivers located horizontally coplanar with each other. The receivers are concentrated towards one side of the receiver array which is aligned with a center region of the dartboard. The transmitter outputs a detection beam that emanates from a single point, such as a divergent beam. The detection beam overlaps the field and is simultaneously received at all times by the plurality of receivers of the receiver array. The receivers detect changes which occur in the field as a result of an object being in the field, manifested by shadows on the field. The processor receives output signals from the plurality of receivers and angular displacement data corresponding to the output signals, and determines therefrom the presence and location of an object in the field. The field may be a dartboard front surface and the detected object in the field may be a dart which lands on the dartboard front surface. The dartboard may be a Bandit.RTM. dartboard. The dartboard may be mounted in a housing wherein the front of the housing includes an outer catch ring area having a plurality of removably attachable catch ring segments made of dart-permeable and dart catching material. The processor detects when a player's turn is over by detecting removal of the darts from the dartboard, and automatically advances a scoring display to the next player.

System for detecting the presence and location of at least one object in

A system for transmitting optical power from a first location to a second location. The system includes a first light source at the first location which generates a first light beam. A power converter detects the first light beam at the second location. A first control circuit coupled to the power converter operates a second light source at the second location to generate a return safety light beam after detection of the first light beam. A photodetector detects the return safety light beam at the first location. A second control circuit is coupled between the photodetector and the first light source. The second control circuit detects the presence of the return safety light beam and operates the first light source to generate the first light beam at a first power level prior to detecting the return safety light beam and at a second power level, higher than the first power level, after detecting the return safety light beam.

Optical interface with safety shutdown

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Anders G Andersson