Optical Monitoring Sensor with Controller-Based Protective Field Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing monitoring devices with optical sensors face limitations in adapting to changing boundary conditions and require significant effort to store and select suitable protective fields, leading to inadequate monitoring of danger areas.
Innovation Solution
The monitoring device shifts the evaluation of measurement data from the optical sensor to a safety controller, allowing for flexible object detection and adaptation to changing conditions, with the safety controller generating object detection signals for system control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple protective fields are stored in the optical sensor, then adaptation to changing boundary conditions is improved, but device complexity and configuration effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the evaluation function from the optical sensor and relocates it to the safety controller. This removes the limitation of storing multiple protective fields in the sensor's memory, as the controller can now dynamically create and switch between protective fields using software, thereby improving adaptability without increasing sensor complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller is given the universal capability to perform protective field evaluation for multiple different protective fields. Instead of the optical sensor being limited to storing a fixed number of protective fields, the controller can handle various protective field configurations through software, making the system more versatile without adding hardware complexity
2Measurement precision
If the optical sensor performs complete measurement data evaluation, then object detection accuracy is improved, but processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the evaluation task by having the optical sensor perform only basic measurement and data generation, while the safety controller performs the more complex protective field evaluation. This division allows the sensor to operate quickly for data acquisition while the controller handles detailed analysis, improving overall system efficiency without sacrificing detection accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces secure telegrams as an intermediary data format between the optical sensor and safety controller. This standardized interface enables efficient data transmission and processing, allowing the sensor to send raw measurement data quickly while the controller processes it with full evaluation capabilities, thus reducing overall processing time while maintaining accuracy
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
This approach enables improved, comprehensive, and simpler monitoring that can be quickly adapted to changing situations, reducing effort and ensuring safer operation by controlling systems based on precise object detection within entire or partial monitored areas.
Implementation Method 1
a transmitter/receiver unit with at least one light-emitting transmitter and at least one light-receiving receiver
Implementation Method 2
at least one light-receiving receiver, wherein the light beams are guided within a monitoring area
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a monitoring device (1) with an optical sensor (5) which has a transmitter/receiver unit (10) with at least one light beam emitting transmitter (12) and at least one light beam receiving receiver (13), wherein the light beams (11) are guided within a monitoring area (6). The measured values generated by the optical sensor (5) are transmitted as secure telegrams to a safety controller (4). In the safety controller (4), the measurement data is evaluated to generate an object detection signal.