Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090251835 | SAFETY SWITCH DEVICE - A safety switch device for switching a power supply for a load on and off, having at least one driveable switching element, in particular a relay, and a safety circuit for checking a switching state of the switching element. The switching element is in the form of a changeover switch in such a manner that a first contact is electrically connected to either a second contact or a third contact by means of a switching operation. A method for operating a safety switch device is also provided. | 10-08-2009 |
20090316135 | SENSOR DEVICE AND SYSTEM HAVING A CONVEYOR AND A SENSOR DEVICE - A sensor device having a sensor arrangement for detecting moving objects that includes a sensor and an electronic unit. The sensor arrangement is designed to detect an object and to subsequently investigate whether there are present within the surface of the object regions that move at a different speed and/or acceleration. The sensor arrangement can also investigate whether the object is accelerating. | 12-24-2009 |
20110254928 | Time of Flight Camera Unit and Optical Surveillance System - A time of flight, TOF, camera unit for an optical surveillance system and an optical surveillance system comprising such a TOF camera is disclosed. The TOF camera unit comprises a radiation emitting unit for illuminating a surveillance area defined by a first plane, a radiation detecting unit for receiving radiation reflected from said surveillance area and for generating a three-dimensional image from said detected radiation, and at least one mirror for at least partly deflecting said emitted radiation into at least one second plane extending across to said first plane and for deflecting the radiation reflected from said second plane to the radiation detecting unit. The TOF camera and the at least one mirror may be ar-ranged on a common carrier element. | 10-20-2011 |
20110298579 | DYNAMICALLY ADAPTABLE SAFETY ZONES - Systems and methods are provided for defining a safety zone in an industrial automation environment. The method includes monitoring an object that approaches an operating zone where equipment is controlled within the operating zone. This includes determining the speed or direction that the object approaches the operating zone. The method includes dynamically adjusting a safety region in view of the determined speed or direction of the object and enabling or disabling the equipment within the operating zone based in part on the object entering the safety region. | 12-08-2011 |
20120092485 | TIME OF FLIGHT (TOF) SENSORS AS REPLACEMENT FOR STANDARD PHOTOELECTRIC SENSORS - Systems and methods are provided for utilizing time of flight sensors in an industrial automation environment. The method includes employing a multi pixel camera associated with a time of flight sensor to detect an object located within a defined or bounded target area, comparing pixels with adjacent pixels associated with an image of the object captured by the multi pixel camera, identifying the object as being a colored, texture, or highly reflective object, and controlling industrial machinery based on the identification of the object entering the target area. | 04-19-2012 |
20120095575 | TIME OF FLIGHT (TOF) HUMAN MACHINE INTERFACE (HMI) - Systems and methods are provided for controlling industrial equipment in the performance of various industrial activities based on the detected body movement of a user in an industrial automation environment. The method includes employing a time-of-flight sensor to detect movement of a body part of the user, ascertaining whether or not the movement of the body part conforms to a recognized movement of the body part, interpreting the recognized movement of the body part as a performable action, and thereafter actuating industrial machinery to perform the performable action. | 04-19-2012 |
20120105823 | COLOR SENSOR INSENSITIVE TO DISTANCE VARIATIONS - A system for calibrating a color sensing pixel based upon the distance between the color sensing pixel and an object. The distance is determined by measuring the phase shift of electromagnetic radiation as reflected from the surface of the object compared with the wave profile of the electromagnetic radiation incident on the object surface. The color sensing pixel is associated with a Time-of-Flight (ToF) pixel which is employed to determine the distance of the color sensing pixel. The electromagnetic radiation can be from any part of the electromagnetic spectrum, in particular the infrared and visible light portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The color sensing pixel and the ToF pixel can reside on the same semiconductor or on disparate semiconductors. | 05-03-2012 |
20120267516 | Modular Light Curtain and Optical Unit For A Light Curtain - The present invention relates to a light curtain that comprises at least one first optical unit having a plurality of light emitting elements and light receiving elements and at least one second optical unit having a plurality of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, wherein said light emitting elements and light receiving elements are operable to form a light grid from a plurality of light barriers formed between opposing light emitting elements and light receiving elements. The first and second optical unit each comprise a transceiver unit carrying said plurality of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, and at least one separate detachable plug-in module, said first and second transceiver units being identically built and said first and second plug-in modules differing from each other in order to define the functionality of the first optical unit and the second optical unit, respectively. | 10-25-2012 |
20130201480 | Integrated Laser Alignment Aid Using Multiple Laser Spots Out Of One Single laser - The present invention relates to light curtains, in particular safety light curtains, for monitoring a protective field. Furthermore, the present invention relates to optical units which are part of such a light curtain. An optical unit for an alignment system of a light curtain monitoring a protective field comprises an optical processing element for generating a defined radiation pattern from the radiation emitted by an alignment radiation source, and at least one optical wave guide for guiding radiation from at least one display radiation source to a surface of the optical element which is visible to an observer. | 08-08-2013 |
20130258337 | Integrated Laser Alignment Aid Using Multiple Laser Spots Out Of One Single Laser - The present invention relates to light curtains, in particular safety light curtains, for monitoring a protective field. Furthermore, the present invention relates to optical units which are part of such a light curtain. An optical unit for an alignment system of a light curtain monitoring a protective field comprises an optical processing element for generating a defined radiation pattern from the radiation emitted by an alignment radiation source, and at least one additional optical functional element being formed integrally with the optical processing element. | 10-03-2013 |
20130270422 | Method and Apparatus for a Dual Matrix Sensor Array - The subject matter disclosed herein describes an optical sensor used in a safety system. The sensor includes two pixel matrices on a single substrate. Each of the pixel matrices are arranged in a row and column format, and pixels from one matrix are interspersed with pixels from the other matrix such that alternating pixels in each row and column belong to separate matrices. Two sets of selection logic allow each matrix to be enabled separately. Additional monitoring logic is included to detect shorted pixels and/or shorted selection lines. In addition, the frames generated by each pixel array may be compared to detect variation in performance between arrays. | 10-17-2013 |
20130292554 | OPTICAL MODULE AND OPTICAL UNIT FOR A LIGHT CURTAIN, AND FABRICATION METHOD - An optical module for an optical unit associated with forming a light curtain for monitoring a protective or surveillance field. The optical module includes at least one radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving element for transmitting and/or receiving a radiation beam associated with forming a light curtain. The optical module includes a module body for mounting a radiation transmitter/receiver carrier that carries the at least one transmitting and/or receiving element associated with the radiation beam. The module body has at least one alignment element for aligning the optical module within a support element that forms an outer housing of the optical unit. | 11-07-2013 |
20130293966 | LENS CARRIER AND OPTICAL MODULE FOR A LIGHT CURTAIN AND FABRICATION METHOD - A lens carrier and an optical module for forming a light curtain associated with monitoring a protective field. The lens carrier includes at least one lens for focussing a radiation beam forming said light curtain and a lens mask having at least one opening for shaping the radiation beam to have a predetermined aperture. The lens carrier is formed by overmolding said lens mask with a transparent material. The optical module has such a lens carrier and a module body for mounting a radiation transmitter/receiver carrier that comprises at least one transmitter and/or receiver for transmitting and/or receiving said radiation. | 11-07-2013 |
20130335725 | COLOR SENSOR INSENSITIVE TO DISTANCE VARIATIONS - A system for calibrating a color sensing pixel based upon the distance between the color sensing pixel and an object. The distance is determined by measuring the phase shift of electromagnetic radiation as reflected from the surface of the object compared with the wave profile of the electromagnetic radiation incident on the object surface. The color sensing pixel is associated with a Time-of-Flight (ToF) pixel which is employed to determine the distance of the color sensing pixel. The electromagnetic radiation can be from any part of the electromagnetic spectrum, in particular the infrared and visible light portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The color sensing pixel and the ToF pixel can reside on the same semiconductor or on disparate semiconductors. | 12-19-2013 |
20140319358 | OPTICAL UNIT, LIGHT CURTAIN AND METHOD FOR ALLOCATING AN INDIVIDUAL ADDRESS - The present invention relates to light curtains and, in particular, to safety light curtains for monitoring a protective field and to optical units of such light curtains which comprise optoelectronic components interconnected by a communication bus and to a method for allocating individual addresses to each of a plurality of optoelectronic components. The optical unit comprises a controller unit, a plurality of optoelectronic components interconnected by means of a communication bus, each of said optoelectronic components having a transmission input terminal for receiving a transmission signal and a transmission output terminal for outputting a transmission signal, and a receiving terminal for receiving a control signal from said control unit. An individual address is allocated to each of said optoelectronic components depending on a position of the respective optoelectronic component with respect to the other optoelectronic components. | 10-30-2014 |
20140361149 | Method for Synchronizing Optical Units of a Photoelectric Barrier and Light Curtain - The present invention relates to a method for synchronizing the optical units of a photoelectric barrier and to such a photoelectric barrier. The synchronization method comprises the steps of transmitting radiation forming a synchronization signal from a first optical sender of the first optical unit; controlling a plurality of the optical receivers of the at least one second optical unit to monitor whether the synchronization signal has been received and performing a synchronization step if the synchronization signal has been received. The method further performs the step of defining at least one of said plurality of optoelectronic components to be used for the synchronization step. | 12-11-2014 |
20150041626 | Method and Apparatus for Control of a Dual Matrix Sensor Array - The subject matter disclosed herein describes an optical sensor used in a safety system. The sensor includes two pixel matrices on a single substrate. Each of the pixel matrices are arranged in a row and column format, and pixels from one matrix are interspersed with pixels from the other matrix such that alternating pixels in each row and column belong to separate matrices. Two sets of selection logic allow each matrix to be enabled separately. Additional monitoring logic is included to detect shorted pixels and/or shorted selection lines. In addition, the frames generated by each pixel array may be compared to detect variation in performance between arrays. | 02-12-2015 |
20150042768 | Time of Flight Camera Unit and Optical Surveillance System - A time of flight, TOF, camera unit for an optical surveillance system and an optical surveillance system comprising such a TOF camera is disclosed. The TOF camera unit comprises a radiation emitting unit for illuminating a surveillance area defined by a first plane, a radiation detecting unit for receiving radiation reflected from said surveillance area and for generating a three-dimensional image from said detected radiation, and at least one mirror for at least partly deflecting said emitted radiation into at least one second plane extending across to said first plane and for deflecting the radiation reflected from said second plane to the radiation detecting unit. The TOF camera and the at least one mirror may be arranged on a common carrier element. | 02-12-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080314724 | High Voltage Switch Configuration - A high-voltage switch configuration having a subdivision housing, which is supported on a frame by an insulating supporting housing, and having a switch which is fitted to this subdivision housing and has an insulator, a switching chamber surrounded by the insulator, and disconnectible contacts which are accommodated in the switching chamber. The switch can be switched via a switching linkage that can be operated by a drive and is arranged within the supporting housing and the subdivision housing. At least three switches are attached to the subdivision housing, and each switch has a separate associated switching linkage with a separate drive. | 12-25-2008 |
20110297647 | SWITCHGEAR ASSEMBLY WITH A CONTACT GAP - A switchgear assembly has a contact gap and an insulating material nozzle. The insulating material nozzle at least partly encloses the contact gap. A nozzle channel for the insulating material nozzle opens with a outlet opening in a hot gas space. A deflector element is disposed within the hot gas space which defines a deflector channel. The deflector channel has a segment which has an expanding cross-section in the stream direction of a switching gas in the hot gas space. | 12-08-2011 |
20110297648 | HIGH-VOLTAGE POWER SWITCH HAVING A CONTACT GAP EQUIPPED WITH SWITCHING GAS DEFLECTION ELEMENTS - A switching device assembly with a contact gap has a nozzle made of insulating material. The nozzle made of insulating material is formed with a nozzle channel that ends in a hot gas space. A deflector element is arranged within the hot gas space. The deflector element is supported inside the deflector channel. | 12-08-2011 |
20120295492 | ELECTRICAL CONTACT ELEMENT HAVING A PRIMARY AXIS - An electrical contact element has a primary axis. The primary axis pierces a polygonal base surface of the contact element. A contact bushing is arranged around the primary axis. An orifice of the contact bushing opens into a top surface which is arranged on a side of the contact element lying opposite to the base surface. The top surface bulges spherically over the base surface and transitions continually into a lateral face connecting the base surface and top surface. | 11-22-2012 |
20120312668 | ELECTRIC SWITCHGEAR - An electric switchgear includes an interrupter unit having a first connecting line and a second connecting line. The interrupter unit is disposed inside a fluid-tight encapsulating housing that is filled with an electrically insulating fluid. The interrupter unit is further surrounded by a shielding housing in at least some sections. The first connecting line has a flow channel for the fluid. A first outlet opening of the flow channel leads to the shielding housing and a second outlet opening leads to the exterior of the shielding housing. | 12-13-2012 |
20130201607 | PRESSURISED GAS-INSULATED MULTI-PHASE CONTROL PANEL - A compressed-gas-insulated polyphase switch panel includes a circuit-breaker module. The circuit-breaker module is equipped with a first connection side and a second connection side. The first connection side is connected to a busbar module. The second connection side is connected to a bushing module. The bushing module and the busbar module have polyphase compressed-gas-insulated phase conductor sections. The circuit-breaker module is respectively connected through connection modules to the busbar module and to the bushing module. Each of the connection modules includes single-phase compressed-gas-insulated phase conductor sections. The circuit-breaker module likewise has single-phase compressed-gas-insulated phase conductor sections. | 08-08-2013 |