Yamatake Corporation

Azbil Corporation

Tatsuya Ueno

Ikuo Nishimoto

A velocity deviation measuring device includes: a laser driver that causes a semiconductor laser to oscillate; a counting portion that counts run lengths of binary signals wherein interference waveforms included in the output of a photodiode that converts the output of the semiconductor laser into an electric signal have been binarized; and a calculating portion that calculates the deviation in the surface velocity of a web from the counting result by the counting portion. The counting portion binarizes the interference waveform synchronized to a sampling clock, measures the respective run lengths of the binary signal during a reference interval and a comparison interval, creates respective frequency distributions of the run lengths for the reference interval and the comparison interval, and calculates, respectively, for the reference interval and the comparison interval, the total numbers of run lengths that are at or above a threshold value Th, from the frequency distribution.

Velocity deviation measuring device and method

A tension/speed measuring device comprises a laser driver for driving the oscillation of a semiconductor laser, and a counter for counting interference waveforms included in the output of a photodiode for converting the output of the semiconductor laser into an electrical signal. The counter measures the periods of interference waveforms during a measuring interval, where a frequency distribution for the periods of the interference waveforms during the measuring interval is generated from the measuring results, where a class value wherein the product of the class value and the frequency is a maximum is used as a representative value Dat the periods of the interference waveform, to calculate a total Ns of the frequencies of the classes that are less than 0.5 times the representative value Tand to calculate a total Nwof the frequencies of the classes that are equal to or greater than (n+0.5) times the representative value Tand less than (n+1.5) times the representative value T, to correct the counting results based on these frequencies Ns and Nwn.

Counting device, physical quantity sensor, counting method, and physical quantity measuring method

A physical quantity sensor includes a semiconductor laser for irradiating an object with a laser beam, and a laser driver for operating the semiconductor laser in such a way that a first oscillation period for which the oscillation wavelength increases and/or a second oscillation period for which the oscillation wavelength decreases is repetitively present. The sensor further includes a photodiode and a current-voltage conversion amplifying unit both for detecting an MHP containing an interference waveform formed by the self-coupling effect between the laser beam and the returning light beam from the object, a MHP extracting unit for measuring the period of the interference waveform contained in the output signal from the current-voltage conversion amplifying unit each time the interference waveform is inputted, and a computing unit for computing the displacement and/or the speed of the object from the measured individual period MHP extracting unit.

Physical quantity sensor and physical quantity measuring method

A velocity measuring device emitting a laser beam at a web; a photodiode converting an optical output of the laser into an electric signal; a laser driver operating the laser to alternate a first emitting interval wherein the oscillating wavelength increases and a second emitting interval wherein the oscillating wavelength decreases; a current-voltage converting/amplifying portion converting the electric current from the photodiode into a voltage; a filter portion removing a carrier wave from the output of the current-voltage converting/amplifying portion; a signal extracting portion calculating a number of interference waveforms in the output of the filter portion; and a calculator calculating the velocity of the web based on the result of the extracting portion. The laser driver operates so the absolute values for the rates of change, in respect to time, of the oscillating wavelengths during the first emitting interval and during the second emitting interval are different.

Velocity measuring device and method

A counter counts the run lengths of a binarized signal. A counting result correcting portion generates frequency distributions for run lengths for first run lengths, which are from a rising edge to a falling edge of the signal, and second run lengths, which are for a falling edge to a rising edge of the signal, calculates a total number of first run lengths of lengths that are no less than 0 times and less than 1 times a representative value for the first run lengths, calculates a total number of second run lengths of lengths that are no less than 0 times and less than 1 times a representative value for the second run lengths, calculates a total number of first run lengths, calculates a total number of second run lengths, and corrects the counting results.

Counting device and counting method

A physical quantity sensor includes: a semiconductor laser which emits laser light to a measurement target; an oscillation wavelength modulating device that operates the semiconductor laser such that at least one of a first oscillation period and a second oscillation period alternately exists; a detector that detects an electrical signal including interference waveforms, the interference waveforms being caused by a self-coupling effect of the laser light and return light from the measurement target; a signal extracting device that measures each cycle of the interference waveforms whenever the interference waveform is input; a cycle correcting device that compares each cycle of the interference waveforms with a reference cycle to correct the cycles of the interference waveforms; and a calculating device that calculates at least one of displacement and velocity of the measurement target based on each of the cycles of the interference waveforms corrected by the cycle correcting device.

The counting device includes: a signal counter that counts the number of half cycles of input signals during given counting periods; a signal half cycle measurement unit that measures the half cycles; a frequency distribution generator that generates a frequency distribution of the half cycles; a representative value calculator configured to calculate a representative value of a distribution of the half cycles; a correction value calculator configured to calculate a total number Ns and a total number Nwso as to correct the number of the half cycles, wherein Ns represents the total of the number of the half cycles that are less than 0.5 times the represent value, and Nwrepresents the total of the number of the half cycles that are equal to or greater than 2n and less than (2n+2) times the representative value.

Counting device, physical quantity sensor, counting method and physical quantity measuring method

The velocity calculating device includes a semiconductor laser for emitting a laser beam at a web that is the subject to be measured; a photodiode for converting into an electric signal the optical power of the semiconductor laser; a lens for focusing and emitting the beam from the semiconductor laser and for focusing the return light from the web and injecting it into the semiconductor laser; a laser driver for driving the semiconductor laser; a current-voltage converting/amplifying portion for converting the output current from the photodiode into a voltage and then amplifying; a filter portion for removing the carrier wave from the output voltage of the current-voltage converting/amplifying portion; a signal extracting portion for counting the number of interference waveforms included in the output voltage of the filter portion; and a calculating portion for calculating the velocity of the web based on the counting result of the signal extracting portion.

To reduce the probability of incorrect determination to detect an object reliably. A reflective photoelectric sensor is provided with: a light projecting device for emitting light; a light receiving device for receiving the optical feedback of the light that is emitted from the light projecting device; a determining portion for determining whether or not an object exists in the direction in which the light is emitted from the light projecting device, based on the optical feedback; and a reflection preventing plate of a moth-eye structure, disposed at a position that is on the optical path of the light that is emitted from the light projecting device at a position that is more distant than the location wherein the object is anticipated to appear.

Reflective photoelectric sensor and object detecting method

An interface of the present invention includes a first inverter circuit that inverts a logic level of an input signal given to an external input terminal and outputs the inverted logic level, a second inverter circuit that outputs a potential in which a logic level of an output signal of the first inverter circuit is inverted, that is, a potential higher or lower than a logic of an input signal applied to the first inverter circuit by the amount of a predetermined potential, and a feedback path that positive feedbacks an output signal of the second inverter circuit to the external input terminal. The interface circuit of the invention positive-feedbacks a potential of the output signal of the second inverter circuit and shifts the potential of the external input terminal in a floating state to an H or L level potential.

Interface circuit

In a distance/speed meter, first and second semiconductor lasers emit parallel laser light beams to a measurement target. A first laser driver drives the first semiconductor laser such that the oscillation interval in which at least the oscillation wavelength monotonically increases repeatedly exists. A second laser driver drives the second semiconductor laser such that the oscillation wavelength increases/decreases inversely to the oscillation wavelength of the first semiconductor laser. First and second light-receiving devices convert optical outputs from the first and second semiconductor lasers into electrical signals. A counting unit counts the numbers of interference waveforms generated by the first and second laser light beams and return light beams of the first and second laser light beams. A computing device computes the distance to the measurement target and the speed of the measurement target from the minimum and maximum oscillation wavelengths of the first and second semiconductor lasers and the counting result obtained by the counting unit.

Distance/speed meter and distance/speed measuring method

A physical quantity sensor has a semiconductor laser, a laser driver for providing, to the semiconductor laser, a driving electric current that is a waveform wherein the maximum portions and minimum portions of a triangle wave have been rounded; detecting means (a photodiode and a current-voltage converting amplifier) for detecting an electric signal that includes an interference waveform that is produced by the self-coupling effect between a laser beam that is emitted from the semiconductor laser and a return beam from a measurement object; and measuring means (a filter circuit, a counting device, and a calculating device) for calculating a physical quantity for the measurement object from interference waveform information.

A laser driver () causes a semiconductor laser () to operate such that a first oscillation period of monotonically increasing the oscillation wavelength and a second oscillation period of monotonically decreasing the oscillation wavelength alternately exist. A photodiode () converts laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser () and return light from a measurement target () into electrical signals. A counting unit () counts the number of interference waveform components obtained from an output signal from the photodiode () in each of the first oscillation period and the second oscillation period. A computing device () calculates the distance to the measurement target () and the velocity of the measurement target () from a shortest Lasing wavelength and a longest Lasing wavelength in a period during which the counting unit () counts the number of interference waveform components and the counting result obtained by the counting unit (). This makes it possible to measure the distance to the moving measurement target () and the velocity of the measurement target ().

Range finder/velocimeter and range-finding/velocimetry method

An interface of the present invention includes a first inverter circuit that inverts a logic level of an input signal given to an external input terminal and outputs the inverted logic level, a second inverter circuit that outputs a potential in which a logic level of an output signal of the first inverter circuit is inverted, that is, a potential higher or lower than a logic of an input signal applied to the first inverter circuit by the amount of a predetermined potential, and a feedback path that positive-feedbacks an output signal of the second inverter circuit to the external input terminal. The interface circuit of the invention positive-feedbacks a potential of the output signal of the second inverter circuit and shifts the potential of the external input terminal in a floating state to an H or L level potential.

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Tokyo, Japan

Tatsuya Ueno