Method and Apparatus for Detecting a Vehicle Movement

• US 20130100438A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wabco GmbH (Wabco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wabco GmbH (Wabco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Breuer, Karsten, Hoffmann, Guido, Sandkuhler, Dirk, Gerami-Manesch, Bijan, Hanslik, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/807,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20130100438A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems

Abstract

The description relates to a method and a motion sensor for detecting a vehicle movement with respect to a subsurface. The motion sensor comprises a light source unit (12) for emitting light of at least one wavelength onto the subsurface (1), at least one detector (22) for detecting light reflected by the subsurface, and an evaluation device (50) for detecting a change in the intensity of the detected reflected light over time.

Claims

1. A method for registering a vehicle movement in relation to an underlying surface (1), wherein the method comprises:

emitting at least one light beam (11) onto the underlying surface (1);

detecting light (21) reflected on the underlying surface (1); and

ascertaining whether the light intensity of the reflected light changes in a predetermined time interval within a predetermined variance.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light beam is emitted substantially perpendicular to the underlying surface.

3. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the reflected light comprises diffusely reflected light.

4. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the emission of the light comprises light of multiple wavelengths in the infrared range.

10. The movement sensor as claimed in one of claims 6 to 9, which is designed to carry out the method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 8.

5. A use of an optical surface sensor for determining a vehicle movement.

6. A movement sensor (2, 102) for registering a vehicle movement in relation to an underlying surface (1), wherein the movement sensor (2, 102) comprises:

a light source unit (12) for emitting light of at least one wavelength onto the underlying surface (1),

at least one detector (22) for detecting light reflected from the underlying surface, and

an analysis unit (50) for registering a change of the intensity of the detected reflected light over time.

7. The movement sensor (2, 102) as claimed in claim 6, which is also a surface sensor.

8. The movement sensor (2, 102) as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the light source unit (12) comprises at least one infrared light source, in particular multiple infrared light sources.

9. The movement sensor (2, 102) as claimed in one of claims 6 to 8, wherein an optical detector axis (20a, 30a) of the at least one detector (22, 32) and an optical emitter axis (10a) of the light source unit (12) are arranged substantially parallel to one another and/or superimposed on one another.