Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Innovaciones Microelectrónicas S.l. (Anafocus)

Innovaciones Microelectronicas, S.l.

Teledyne Innovaciones Microelectronicas Slu

Acerinox, S.a.

Sergio Morillas Castillo

Rafael Dominguez Castro

Derek William Jones

Richard Galera

Anne E Bowlby

Nilesh Pradhan

Fernando Medeiro Hidalgo

Rafael Romay Juárez

Francis Lawrence Leard

Francisco Garcia Vacas

Amanda Jimenez Marrufo

Fernando Manuel Medeiro Hidalgo

Domingo Guinea Diaz

David Martin Gomez

Servando Espejo Meana

Rafael Romay JUÁREZ

Manuel Jesus Martin Vazquez

José Maria D Bonelo Sanchez

Juan Miguel Cañero Nieto

Julio Vizoso Laporte

Eugenio Villanueva Martinez

Carlos Gonzalez Spinola

An optical safety scanner system comprises a first illumination source for detecting presence and distances of people or other objects within a hazardous industrial area based on triangulation, and a second illumination source that verifies accurate and reliable detection by the first illumination source. The first illumination source can project LED or laser light for triangulation of objects, and the second illumination source can project a wide beam of light for detection of other intrusive objects that may be blocking the scanner system's camera and preventing accurate triangulation of people or vehicles. If the image frame generated based on the second light identifies presence of an object that is not detected by the triangulation analysis of the laser light, the safety scanner system assumes that an object is obstructing the safety scanner system's camera, and performs a suitable safety action.

Triangulation applied as a safety scanner

The present invention relates to reading-out sensor array pixels. In particular, the present invention provides an approach according to which only a region of interest is may be read out from the sensor array, thus leading to substantial time savings. In order to achieve this, a circuitry for configuring a region of interest for the sensor array is provided as well as a reading-out circuitry for reading-out pixels belonging to the region of interest. In addition, the corresponding methods for programming the region of interest and for reading-out the region of interest are provided. The circuitry for programming and/or reading-out the region of interest includes per pixel provided storage elements for storing an indication of whether a pixel belongs to a region of interest (ROI). These are configured by the programming circuitry and using when reading-out the ROI for only reading out the pixels of the ROI.

Advanced region of interest function for image sensors

A time-of-flight (TOF) sensor device is provided that is capable of accurately recovering waveforms of reflected light pulses incident on the sensor's photo-receiver array using a low sampling rate. A number of samples for a received light pulse incident on a given photo-receiver are obtained by emitting a light pulse to the viewing field, integrating the electrical output generated by the photo receiver over an integration period, and adding the integral values for respective integration cycles to yield an accumulation value. This process is repeated for multiple accumulation cycles; however, for each consecutive accumulation cycle the start of the integration period is delayed relative the start time of the integration period for the previous cycle by a delay period. Sampled values for the waveform are obtained by determining the difference values between consecutive accumulation values for the respective accumulation cycles.

Waveform reconstruction in a time-of-flight sensor

The present invention relates to reading-out sensor array pixels. In particular, the present invention provides an approach according to which only a region of interest with arbitrary geometry may be read out from the sensor array, thus leading to substantial time savings. In order to achieve this, a circuitry is provided for automatic determining of a ROI and reading out the ROI from the sensor array. The circuitry includes a fast reading-out circuitry which is less precise but faster than the accurate reading-out circuitry for reading-out the pixels of the sensor array. The fast reading-out circuitry reads out the pixels with low-level precision and determines by the processing of the fast read-out pixels the ROI which is then provided to an in-pixel ROI programming circuit for storing the ROI identification and by means thereof to the accurate reading-out circuit which then reads out only the pixels determined to belong to the ROI. The accurate read-out circuit is slower than the fast read-out circuit.

Automatic region of interest function for image sensors

Growing community of inventors

Seville, Spain

Sergio Morillas Castillo