Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Other

Odos Imaging Ltd.

Peter Mengel

Guenter Doemens

Günter Doemens

Ludwig Listl

Herbert Eigenstetter

Toshifumi Honda

Michael Stockmann

Yukio Matsuyama

Marc Fischer

G&uuml;nter Doemens

Wolfgang Stark

Holger Waschke

G&uuml;nter D&ouml;mens

Siegfried Kilgenstein

Stefan Esterhammer

Bernhard König

An aid for a blind person (), includes a distance sensor (), which creates a distance image of an object (). The distance information that is generated by the distance sensor () is transmitted to a tactile matrix (), which is integrated into a guide stick (). The blind person () obtains information about his or her environment by touching the tactile matrix ().

Device for communicating environmental information to a visually impaired person

A recording device for distance images becomes multi-target-enabled by means of the arrival of light pulses reflected at object regions at different distances being temporally resolved. This is done using extrema of the gradient of a correlation function between the received light pulses and a time window during which sensor elements of a camera are activated.

Device and method for recording distance-measuring images

A monitoring device for spatial areas comprises a receiver, to which an anamorphotic optical system, is assigned. The monitoring device also has a transmitter which scans a field of view assigned to the receiver using radiation pulse beams. A distance image of an object in the field of view can be produced by way of a radiation transit time determination with short-term integration carried out in an evaluation unit.

Device for monitoring spatial areas

A monitoring device () for spatial areas () includes emitters () that emit radiation pulses that are reflected by objects located within the spatial areas () toward receivers (). The receivers () are connected to a run time determining unit () with whose aid a distance image of an object within the spatial areas () can be generated. A selection unit () evaluates the distance images and generates a detection signal at an output () when predetermined distance values occur in the distance images.

The invention relates to methods and devices for recording three-dimensional distance-measuring images of an object surface by measuring light propagation time using a short-term integrated photodetector. For starting a light-induced pulse on the transmission side, a trigger signal is produced that is at the same time used on the receiving side for opening at least one integration window for receiving back-scattered light-induced pulses with a predetermined time delay. A predetermined event such as a maximum or a zero crossing is detected which, by its interval relative to the integration windows, determines a trigger delay. The trigger delay is correlated with the light propagation time and allows calculation of the object point distance d.

Method and device for recording a three-dimensional distance-measuring image

The laser grid () permits a single-sided installation in order to record a person or object in the monitoring area. The grid operates using punctiform sensor units (), each including at least one laser diode and two photosensitive pixels. The sensor units are arranged in a line in a housing ().

Laser grid for measuring distance

In a spatially resolving range-finding system, an object is illuminated in a pixelwise fashion by illuminating beams emanating from an array of light sources with returned imaging beams striking a corresponding array of solid state receiving elements. The particular arrangement of the light sources and the receiving elements may be varied. The laser light sources and receiving elements may be selectively operated such that one light source may illuminate one or more receiving elements or several light sources may illuminate a single receiving element. The light sources are driven serially, allowing limits of laser protection regulations to be reliably complied with. An advantage is a substantially better signal quality at the receiving elements.

Spatially resolving range-finding system

In order to trigger an airbag in a differentiated way, the position of a vehicle occupant is determined in a way that is as immune to interference as possible. This is achieved by a distance measurement in which the seatbelt that is in contact with the vehicle occupant serves as an active reference position. The distance between the seatbelt and known points within the vehicle permits the position of the seatbelt and the vehicle occupant to be determined. The distance measurement is performed using magnetic field transmitter units and receiver units. The transmitter unit is preferably integrated into the belt.

Sensor system and method for determining the position of vehicle occupants in vehicles

A method and apparatus for generating three-dimensional range images of spatial objects, wherein a short-time illumination of the object is performed, for instance using laser diodes. An image sensor is used that has a high light sensitivity, pixel resolution and can be read out randomly, this sensor also having an integration time that can be adjusted for each pixel. By evaluating the backscattered laser pulses in two integration windows with different integration times and by averaging over several laser pulses, three-dimensional range images can be picked up with a high reliability in, for example, 5 ms at the most.

Method and apparatus for picking up a three-dimensional range image

A solder testing apparatus comprising image processing means for performing image processing on an image of an appearance of a soldered portion to identify shape characterizing amounts for the soldered portion; and defect determining means for performing good/bad determination on the soldered portion from data derived by the image processing means and data from test parameter storing means for storing shape characterizing amounts at design time, wherein tested-object standard shape estimating means is included for extracting shape characterizing amounts of a non-defective soldered portion by statistically processing shape characterizing amounts for soldered portions identified by the image processing means, and defect determining parameters stored in the test parameter storing means are updated based on standard shape values from the tested-object standard shape estimating means, so that a highly reliable test is realized by setting defect determining parameters based on actual shapes and dimensions of leads and pads of electronic components on a printed circuit board.

Solder testing apparatus

Apparatus for the flexible recognition of subject structures in color and picture half-tone images incorporates a recognition system that can recognize general subject structures in a video image given arbitrary orientation. The signal of an opto-electronic image converter is supplied via an analog-to-digital converter to a digital hardware image pre-processor in which the momentary brightness value of the image scanning is processed with a preceeding logic result with the assistance of control information, and the new result is again stored. The reduced image data read out from the result memory at the end of an image pass can be interpreted in a job-specific way in an image processor.

Flexible recognition of subject structures in color and picture

A method for high precision position measurement of two-dimensional structures such as structures on semiconductor wafers or masks, utilizing a reference mask having a two-dimensional grid, the relative position of the structures relative to the grid being identified by opto-electronic scanning using an image sensor and subsequent image processing. The absolute position of the structures to be measured can then be identified from the position of the grid elements. A reference mask is preferably employed whose grid elements carry a binary coding which can be read and decoded by the image processing means. The coding thereby indicates the position of the grid elements in the grid.

Method for high precision position measurement of two-dimensional

In the optical imaging of two subjects located in different object planes, at least one objective should be capable of being displaced for focusing relative to the object planes, being displaceable absolutely in a shift-free manner and with a very high positioning reproducibility. To this end, a positioning drive, particularly a piezo positioning drive, effects movement at a housing section which is displaceable relative to the object planes and at least carries the objective, whereby the displaceable housing section must be connected to the remaining, stationarily situated housing via resilient connections which are formed by elastically deformable weak points of the housing. Apparatus fashioned in such a manner are employed particularly for automatic mask adjustment in the transfer of structures in the sub micrometer range on the semiconductor wafers by way of x-ray lithography.

Arrangement for optical imaging of two subjects located in different

An apparatus for checking electrical microprinted circuits comprising an insulating body formed with a number of openings in which electrodes are mounted and which can be aligned with circuit points on the printed circuit board and with electrodes mounted in each of the openings in the insulated body above a hollow space formed between the surface of the printed circuit board and the end of the electrodes with gas such as air or other material being within the opening such that when a voltage is applied between electrodes connected to opposite ends of a common printed circuit conductor discharge will occur through the gas to the electrodes thus allowing current to flow which can be detected to measure the conductivity of the printed circuit path.

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Eichenau, Germany

Peter Mengel