Optical Light Curtain Receiver Layout for Manipulation Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light curtain systems face challenges in preventing manipulations, such as willful or unintentional changes, which can compromise safety, and require significant technical effort and resources to maintain, while also being costly.
Innovation Solution
A device for optically surveilling areas using a sender unit and a receiver unit with a transfer device and optical sensors, where the receiver unit has at least two optical sensors with different light-sensitive areas and a focal length, allowing for improved detection of light beam changes and manipulation recognition with reduced complexity and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If small apertures are used in sender and receiver units to prevent manipulations, then safety is improved, but setup difficulty increases and technical complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver unit is segmented into multiple optical sensors (first and second optical sensors) with different aperture sizes, allowing each sensor to contribute differently to beam monitoring while maintaining anti-manipulation capability without requiring uniformly small apertures across the entire system
Solution Approach 2:
Different optical sensors are assigned different aperture characteristics (first sensor with smaller aperture, second sensor with larger aperture) to perform different functions: the first sensor primarily detects beam interruptions while the second sensor monitors beam position and detects manipulations, optimizing both safety and setup ease
2Reliability
If small apertures are used in the receiver unit to receive only light beams from the illumination device direction, then safety is improved, but setup complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver unit is divided into multiple optical sensors with different aperture characteristics, allowing the system to achieve directional selectivity and manipulation detection without requiring a single complex small-aperture design
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation device acts as an intermediary that processes signals from multiple optical sensors with different aperture sizes, combining their outputs to achieve both safety requirements and simplified setup procedures
3Ease of operation
If larger apertures and less collimated light beams are used to simplify setup, then ease of operation is improved, but safety is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver uses multiple optical sensors with different aperture sizes to simultaneously capture both highly collimated beams (for safety) and less collimated beams (for setup ease), resolving the contradiction between safety and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the aperture parameter across different optical sensors rather than using a uniform aperture size, allowing the system to maintain safety with the first sensor while accommodating easier setup with the second sensor using larger apertures
4Measurement precision
If multiple optical sensors with different light-sensitive areas are used to detect manipulations, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver unit is segmented into multiple optical sensors with different light-sensitive areas, allowing each sensor to detect different aspects of the light beam and collectively provide comprehensive manipulation detection
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple optical sensors serve multiple functions: detecting beam interruptions, monitoring beam position, and identifying manipulations, thereby achieving high measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances safety by effectively detecting and preventing manipulations with lower technical and financial resources, simplifying setup, and maintaining reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
The transfer device has at least one focal length in response to at least one incident light beam propagating from the illumination source to the at least two optical sensors
Implementation Method 2
The transfer device has at least one focal length in response to at least one incident light beam propagating from the illumination source to the at least two optical sensors
Implementation Method 3
each optical sensor has at least one light sensitive area, wherein each optical sensor is designed to generate at least one sensor signal in response to an illumination of its respective light-sensitive area by the light beam
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein is a device for optically surveilling at least one area. The device includes a sender unit and a receiver unit. The sender unit has at least one illumination source. The illumination source is designed to generate at least one light beam having a beam profile. Each light beam is designated for propagating to the receiver unit, thereby traversing at least one area for surveillance. The receiver unit includesat least one transfer device,at least two optical sensors, andat least one evaluation device.