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:
Nov. 10, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 03, 1996
Yuichi Umeda, Fukushima-ken, JP;
Masatoshi Uchio, Fukushima-ken, JP;
Kazuyoshi Yamagata, Fukushima-ken, JP;
Junichi Saito, Miyagi, JP;
Alps Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A relative-angle detection apparatus which has an infrared-signal transmitting unit and an infrared-signal receiving unit. The transmitting unit includes a first light-emitting device array formed of a plurality of light-emitting devices disposed in a direction substantially coinciding with the fiducial axis for angle detection, and a second light-emitting device array formed of a plurality of light-emitting devices located to be slightly angled in the different directions with respect to the axis. The devices of the first light-emitting device array generate a continously-output first infrared signal in which an infrared signal is intermittently modulated by a first frequency and also modulated by a second frequency higher than the first frequency. The devices of the second light-emitting device array generate a second infrared signal in which an infrared signal is modulated by the first frequency and also divided into a plurality of signals so as to be output at different timings. The receiving unit detects and amplifies the first frequency contained in the first and second infrared signals and executes signal-processing on the amplified first frequency, thereby detecting the angle of the transmitting unit relative to the receiving unit.