The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 11, 2025
Filed:
Oct. 11, 2019
Optical sensor according to the time-of-flight principle for detecting objects in a monitored region
Pepperl+fuchs SE, Mannheim, DE;
Lutz Lohmann, Berlin, DE;
Hinrik Weber, Berlin, DE;
Pepperl+Fuchs SE, Mannheim, DE;
Abstract
The invention relates to an optical sensor according to the time-of-flight principle for detecting objects in a monitored region, having a first transmitter for transmitting first light pulses into the monitored region, a first receiver for detecting first light pulses radiated back by a first object to be detected in the monitored region, a second transmitter for transmitting second light pulses into the monitored region, a second receiver for detecting second light pulses radiated back by the first object or by a further object in the monitored region, a control and evaluation unit which is designed to control the first transmitter and to evaluate the first light pulses detected by the first receiver and to control the second transmitter and to evaluate the second light pulses detected by the second receiver, characterised in that between the first transmitter and the second receiver a first optical reference path is formed, between the second transmitter and the first receiver a second optical reference path is formed, the control and evaluation unit is designed to trigger the first transmitter to transmit first test light pulses which reach the second receiver on the first optical reference path and to activate the second receiver after a first time offset, the first time offset corresponding to a time of flight of the first test light pulses over the first optical reference path, and/or to trigger the second transmitter to transmit second test light pulses which reach the first receiver on the second optical reference path and to activate the first receiver after a second time offset, the second time offset corresponding to a time of flight of the second test light pulses over the second optical reference path, and to evaluate the first test light pulses detected by the second receiver and/or the second test light pulses detected by the first receiver.