Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Odos Imaging Ltd.

Rockwell Automation, Inc.

Chris Yates

Chris Softley

Igor Abrosimov

Richard Galera

Michael M Tilleman

Frederic Boutaud

Maciej Stankiewicz

Arvind Ananthanaraya

Jonathan Alexander

Stefan Maagh

An industrial safety zone configuration system leverages a digital twin of an industrial automation system to assist in configuring safety sensors for accurate monitoring of a desired detection zone. The system renders a graphical representation of the automation system based on the digital twin and allows a user to define a desired detection zone to be monitored as a three-dimensional volume within the virtual industrial environment. Users can define the locations and orientations of respective safety sensors as sensor objects that can be added to the graphical representation. Each sensor object has a set of object attributes representing configuration settings available on the corresponding physical sensor. The system can identify sensor configuration settings that will yield an estimated detection zone that closely conforms to the defined detection zone, and generate sensor configuration data based on these settings that can be used to configure the physical safety sensors.

Industrial safety monitoring configuration using a digital twin

An active illumination three-dimensional sensor device is configured with a number of diagnostic functions that can satisfy the requirements of industrial safety within the context of a single-channel safety sensor architecture. The sensor diagnostic functions provide sufficient diagnostic coverage for an optical safety sensor (e.g., a time-of-flight safety sensor) to achieve a desired safety integrity level without the need for multiple channels. The diagnostic features can be applied to one or more components along the single-channel path (e.g., the sequencer, the illumination source, input and/or output optics, image sensor pixel, etc.) to provide a level of diagnostic coverage that renders the optical safety sensor suitable for use within industrial safety applications requiring high safety integrity levels.

Industrial safety sensor

An imaging system is provided for monitoring a field of view with a two-dimensional array of photo elements on which the field of view is imaged. The imaging system determines for each photo element a distance between the photo element and a surface of an object in the field of view by light emitted into the field of view and subsequently arriving on the photo elements and to determine a distance vector to form a coordinate image that includes the distance vector. A first memory unit stores the coordinate image, a second memory unit stores logical relations for the photo elements. A processing unit determines for each of the photo elements whether a logical relation is fulfilled and outputs a trigger signal when at least one of the logical relations is fulfilled.

Imaging system and method for monitoring a field of view

Imaging system includes pixel groups and a trigger generator to generate reset signals and a transfer signal. Each pixel group includes pixels and a programmable memory element to store a first or a second value. Each pixel includes a pixel circuit with a photodiode and a storage capacitance. The pixel circuit, the trigger generator, and the memory element are interconnected to permit the photodiode to be held at a constant voltage when the trigger generator sends the reset signal to the pixel circuit. When the reset signal is switched off, the photodiode accumulates a charge while being irradiated. When the transfer signal is received, the charge is transferred to the storage capacitance. The memory element blocks the transfer signal from arriving on all the pixel circuits when it has stored the first value and passes the transfer signal to all the pixel circuits when it has stored the second value.

Imaging system, distance measuring device, and method for operating the imaging system and the distance measuring device

A distance measuring device and a method for determining a distance are provided. The method includes: illuminating an object with a sequence of the light pulses, capturing one arriving light pulse corresponding to an intensity Iwithin a first integration gate, and outputting a signal value U, capturing another arriving light pulse corresponding to the intensity Iwithin a second integration gate, and outputting a signal value U, capturing one arriving light pulse corresponding to an intensity Iwithin the first integration gate and outputting a signal value U, capturing the other arriving light pulse corresponding to the intensity Iwithin the second integration gate and outputting a signal value U, and calculating the distance between the distance measuring device and the object based on U, U, U, and U.

Distance measuring device and method for determining a distance

A method for determining a distance between a distance measuring device and an object includes the steps of illuminating the object with a short light pulse and long light pulses, outputting a signal value Uat the end of an integration gate with an invariable delay between the emission start point in time of the short light pulse and integration start point in time &#x394;, forming a convolution function f:=U(&#x3c4;) from the intensity of the light arriving on the photo element and &#x394;with a respective variable delay &#x3c4; for each long light pulse between the emission start point in time of the long light pulses and the integration gate, the variable delays being different from each other to form the convolution function, identifying the delay &#x3c4;in the convolution function which corresponds to U, and calculating the distance by using the delay &#x3c4;in the convolution function.

A method is provided for illuminating an object and for determining a distance value R. The object is illuminated with a light source and the light intensity of the light source is switched at a time Tfrom an intensity Ito an intensity Ibeing lower than Iand switched back to Iat a time T+T. A signal value U is outputted at the end of an integration window time period which has such a predetermined delay relative to Tthat either Tor T+Tis between an integration start point in time Tof the integration window time period and an integration end point in time T+T, with Tbeing a point in time when light with the intensity Iarrives first at the photo element, and Tis longer than T.

Method for illuminating an object

A distance camera includes at least one photo element, a trigger generator activating the photo element during a temporal integration gate, a light source illuminating an object with light pulses having a predetermined temporal intensity profile with a duration T, and an intensity sensor determining the intensity Iof the light pulses arriving on the photo element. The integration gate has a predetermined delay to the light pulse emission start point in order to capture the light pulses back reflected from the object. The photo element outputs a signal value U at an integration end point in time Tand in accordance with an intensity Iand a duration of the light pulse arriving on the photo element during its activation.

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Chris Yates