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:
Jan. 27, 1987
Filed:
Dec. 31, 1984
Robert F Barry, Monroeville Boro, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
An installation composed of a plurality of machines disposed adjacent a common work space delimited by a boundary surface, each machine being associated with a respective portion of the boundary surface and having a work-performing member movable into and out of the work space through the associated boundary surface portion, and an optical monitoring system composed of a plurality of optical monitoring assemblies each associated with a respective machine. Each assembly includes: a light barrier structure including a plurality of light sensors each disposed in a light beam path to form a light barrier coextensive with the boundary surface portion associated with the associated machine, and each light sensor producing an electrical signal indicative of reception of light; an electrical signal processing device connected to receive the electrical signals from all light sensors for producing an intrusion signal when any one of the light sensors is not receiving light; a warning device connected to the electrical signal processing device for emitting a light signal in response to production of an intrusion signal; a light receiving device optically linked with the warning device of every other assembly for producing a warning signal in response to emission of the signal by the warning device of any other assembly; and a control device connected between the light receiving device and the associated machine for causing the work-performing member of the associated machine to remain outside the work space when a warning signal is being produced by the light receiving device.