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Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Stefan Mack ·
Assignee(s)	Sick AG ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Townsend and Townsend and Crew, LLP ·
Primary Examiner	Thomas H Tarcza ·
Assistant Examiner	Luke D Ratcliffe ·
Application Number	US11881656
Filing date	07/26/2007
Issue date	07/07/2009
Prior Publication Data	US20080024754 - 01/31/2008
Predicted expiration date	07/26/2027
U.S. Classifications	356/401  ·
International Classifications	G01C308 ·
Foreign Priority	DE102006034926 - 07/28/2006 ·

Patent Family

Abstract

A distance measurement device which has a lighting unit, including transmission optics with light beam forming optics. Illumination patterns are formed on objects in the measurement area which differ depending on the distances from the measurement device. A light receiving unit is arranged adjacent the lighting unit and generates an image of the illuminated object via receiving optics. A detector array is located in the image plane of the receiving optics which converts the optical image into corresponding electrical signals. The signals from the detector area are forwarded to a signal processing unit that is capable of generating information concerning the distance between the object and the distance measurement device from the detected illumination pattern and the signals generated by the detector.

Independent Claims | See all claims (5)

1. 1. An optoelectronic distance measurement device comprising a lighting unit including a light source and transmitting optics for directing light from the source to an object in a measurement area, a light receiver including light receiving optics and a light detector array, the light receiving optics forming an image of the object in the measurement area on the light detector array, the light detector array generating signals caused by the image of the object, the light transmitting optics including beam forming optics which cause the formation of different types of illumination patterns on the object at different distances from the measurement device, each type of illumination pattern having its own beam cross-section, the beam forming optics including a plurality of spatially separate multi-zone optical elements arranged about a common axis, light emitted from each optical element of the beam forming optics having a beam forming characteristic that generates a different type of illumination pattern from beam forming characteristics of the other multi-zone optical elements, each optical element having a cylindrical lens which has a focal depth and a cylinder axis orientation which differ from the focal lengths and the cylinder axis orientations of the other cylindrical lenses, and the multi-zone optical elements generating line-shaped illumination patterns on the object which have different rotational directions in dependence on the distance of the object from the measurement device, and a signal processor receiving the signals and therewith generating information from the illumination patterns concerning the distance between the object and the distance measurement device.
2. 3. An optoelectronic distance measurement device comprising a lighting unit including a light source and transmitting optics for directing light from the source to an object in a measurement area, a light receiver including light receiving optics and a light detector array, the light receiving optics forming an image of the object in the measurement area on the light detector array, the light detector array generating signals caused by the image of the object, the light transmitting optics including beam forming optics which cause the formation of different illumination patterns on the object at different distances from the measurement device and having a plurality of multi-zone optical elements each including a beam forming characteristic that differs from beam forming characteristics of the others and each comprising a cylindrical lens which has a focal depth and a cylinder axis orientation which differs from the focal lengths and the cylinder axis orientations of the other cylindrical lenses, and a signal processor receiving the signals and therewith generating information from the image patterns concerning the distance between the object and the distance measurement device.