Device for monitoring spatial areas

• US 20070181786A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Doemens, Gunter, Mengel, Peter, Stockmann, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,701,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4814 of transmitters alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4816 of receivers alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning

Abstract

A monitoring device for spatial areas comprises a receiver, to which an anamorphotic optical system, is assigned. The monitoring device also has a transmitter which scans a field of view assigned to the receiver using radiation pulse beams. A distance image of an object in the field of view can be produced by way of a radiation transit time determination with short-term integration carried out in an evaluation unit.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring a space, comprising:

a transmitter emitting light with temporal intensity changes;

a receiver having one-dimensional resolution;

an optical system, for assigning to said receiver a field of view, disposed in a radiation path in front of said receiver;

said receiver receiving radiation pulses emitted by said transmitter into the field of view;

an evaluation unit connected to said receiver and to said transmitter, said evaluation unit serving to determine a transit time of the radiation pulses;

said transmitter subjecting the field of view to radiation pulse beams partially covering the field of view, and said evaluation unit receiving information concerning a shape of the radiation pulse beams in the field of view during determination of the transit time of the radiation pulse beams; and

an anamorphotic optical system disposed to compress the field of view onto said receiver.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said receiver has a plurality of sensor elements and the field of view is divided into field of view segments each assigned a respective said sensor element of said receiver.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said transmitter is configured to sequentially illuminate the field of view with radiation beams.

4. The device according to claim 3, which comprises a mirror device for emitting the radiation pulse beams in different directions.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said transmitter is configured to simultaneously illuminate the field of view with different radiation pulse beams emitted in different directions.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said receiver comprises a line of sensors with a row of sensor elements disposed next to one another for light transit time measurement.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the field of view is divided into field of view strips.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the radiation pulse beam is a ring-segment-shaped beam.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein an intensity of the radiation pulse beams varies from one to another.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein light curtains, formed one behind another, are designed as object illumination.

11. The device according to claim 1, configured for a motor vehicle collision protection system.

12. The device according to claim 1, configured for early detection of accidents involving motor vehicles.

13. The device according to claim 1, configured for controlling automatic doors.

14. The device according to claim 1, configured for automatic access control.

15. In combination with a motor vehicle, the device according to claim 1.