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User selectable remote programming for cascade-connected light curtains

  • US 10,459,113 B2
  • Filed: 11/20/2015
  • Issued: 10/29/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A cascadable light curtain apparatus arranged to receive requests from a remote request generator, the apparatus comprising:

  • a housing extending along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end of a light curtain segment;

    a distal electrical interface disposed at a distal end of the housing;

    a proximal electrical interface disposed at a proximal end of the housing;

    a processor system disposed in the housing and operatively coupled to send and receive communication signals via the distal electrical interface and the proximal electrical interface; and

    ,a data store coupled to the processor system and containing a program of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations to control a programming mode of one or more cascadable light curtain segments that are connected in a cascade arrangement, the operations comprising;

    receive a request signal via the distal electrical interface;

    determine if the received request signal contains an initial predetermined programming mode request (PPMR);

    retrieve status information that indicates whether the light curtain segment is a master or a slave in the one or more cascadable light curtain segments;

    if the retrieved status information indicates that the light curtain segment is a slave in the string of cascade connected light curtain segments, and the request signal contains the initial PPMR;

    generate a replica PPMR that substantially reproduces the initial PPMR, and,transmit the replica PPMR via the proximal electrical interface;

    if the retrieved status information indicates that the light curtain segment is a master in the string of cascade connected light curtain segments, and the request signal contains the initial PPMR;

    select which segments of the one or more cascadable light curtain segments to program based on the request signal,generate a cascade programming mode command signal (CPMCS) for the selected segments of the one or more cascadable light curtain segments, and,transmit the CPMCS via at least one of the distal electrical interface and the proximal electrical interface to cause each of the one or more cascadable light curtain segments to enter a predetermined learn mode.

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