Monitoring System And Method For Determining The Speed And/Or Angle Of Motion Of An Object
First Claim
1. A monitoring system comprising:
- a phototransmitter for providing illumination of a portion of a space through which an object will pass;
a plurality of photoreceivers spaced apart from one another, wherein each photoreceiver comprising a plurality of receiver elements, and wherein the phototransmitter and the plurality of photoreceivers are configured to establish a respective light curtain associated with each photoreciver;
a triggering mechanism configured to cause the phototransmitter to provide the illumination in response to a predefined triggering event; and
a controller configured to analyze output signals provided by the receiver elements of the plurality of photoreceivers and to detect the object in relation to a respective photoreceiver based upon the output signals provided by the receiver elements of the respective photoreceiver, wherein the controller is also configured to determine a parameter associated with a flight of the object through the space based upon detection of the object in relation to each of a plurality of the photoreceivers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A monitoring system and associated method are provided to determine various parameters, such as the speed and/or angle of motion, of an object. The monitoring system includes a phototransmitter for illuminating the space through which the object will pass. The monitoring system also includes a plurality of photoreceivers spaced apart from one another with each photoreceiver including a plurality of receiver elements. The monitoring system further includes a controller to analyze output signals provided by the receiver elements and to detect the object in relation to a respective photoreceiver based upon differences between the output signals provided by the receiver elements of the respective photoreceiver. The controller is also configured to determine a parameter associated with the flight of the object, such as the speed and/or angle of motion of the object, based upon detection of the object in relation to each of a plurality of the photoreceivers.
25 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A monitoring system comprising:
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a phototransmitter for providing illumination of a portion of a space through which an object will pass; a plurality of photoreceivers spaced apart from one another, wherein each photoreceiver comprising a plurality of receiver elements, and wherein the phototransmitter and the plurality of photoreceivers are configured to establish a respective light curtain associated with each photoreciver; a triggering mechanism configured to cause the phototransmitter to provide the illumination in response to a predefined triggering event; and a controller configured to analyze output signals provided by the receiver elements of the plurality of photoreceivers and to detect the object in relation to a respective photoreceiver based upon the output signals provided by the receiver elements of the respective photoreceiver, wherein the controller is also configured to determine a parameter associated with a flight of the object through the space based upon detection of the object in relation to each of a plurality of the photoreceivers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
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illuminating a portion of a space through which an object will pass, wherein illuminating comprises initiating illumination of the portion of the space in response to a predefined triggering event; detecting light with each of a plurality of spaced apart photoreceivers, wherein detecting light with a photoreceiver comprises detecting light with a plurality of receiver elements that comprise the photoreceiver, and wherein said illuminating and detecting establishes a plurality of light curtains with a respective light curtain associated with each photoreciver; detecting the object in relation to a respective photoreceiver based upon output signals provided by the receiver elements of the respective photoreceiver; and determining a parameter associated with a flight of the object through the space based upon detection of the object in relation to each of a plurality of the photoreceivers. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification