초록 ▼

A photoelectric sensor array apparatus and method, relates to at least two photoelectric rail elements each having alternating light emitting diode transmitters and photo detecting receivers. The array produces a plurality of light devices with corresponding sensors, whereby the light beams are bloc

A photoelectric sensor array apparatus and method, relates to at least two photoelectric rail elements each having alternating light emitting diode transmitters and photo detecting receivers. The array produces a plurality of light devices with corresponding sensors, whereby the light beams are blocked in the region where an opaque object is located. Each rail contains both transmitters and receivers so that control circuits for the transmitters and receivers are substantially identical and mounted on opposite sides of the array apparatus, to provide a more compact unit of higher resolution and to reduce the design and manufacturing costs. Such construction and method enable the sensing array apparatus to function in direct sunlight or other such photoelectric saturation conditions, which would otherwise blind conventional light sensitive sensor arrays.

대표청구항 ▼

1. Photoelectric sensing array apparatus, comprising:a pair of rails mounted in photoelectric communication with one another for detecting the presence of an opaque object disposed therebetween, each one of said rails including a row of alternating photoelectric transmitters and receivers; means for

1. Photoelectric sensing array apparatus, comprising:a pair of rails mounted in photoelectric communication with one another for detecting the presence of an opaque object disposed therebetween, each one of said rails including a row of alternating photoelectric transmitters and receivers; means for energizing and sensing one of said rails; means for energizing and sensing the other one of said rails; means responsive to the energizing and sensing of the pair of rails for determining the location of an opaque object disposed in the communication path between said rails and for supplying an address to one of said rails and an inverted address to the other one of said rails, said means including a processor; and means for sensing receiver saturation error conditions, and said processor being responsive to the sensing of said error conditions to utilize only the detected information from one of said rails; wherein said processor is adapted to determine the difference between the detected information from said pair of rails, and to cause the utilizing of only the detected information of one of said pair of rails, said one of said pair of rails having a smaller detected information.