Infrared intrusion detector with beam indicators

• US 4,484,075 A
• Filed: 05/17/1982
• Issued: 11/20/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cerberus ABP Investor LLC (Cerberus Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Cerberus ABP Investor LLC (Cerberus Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Baldwin, John, Kahl, William G. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Janice A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Application Number:
  US06/379,141
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 250/342, 250/353, 340/567, 350/452
• US Class Current: 250/353
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/193 using focusing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 250/01 Passive intrusion detectors

Abstract

A passive infrared intrustion detector is provided with a lens which has a plurality of first lens segments, each for focusing infrared radiation from various beams of sensitivity onto an infrared detecting element. Associated with each of the first lens segments is a second lens segment, with a displaced lens center, which serves to focus light originating within the detector device into a radiated beam, which corresponds in space to the region of sensitivity of the infrared beams.

Claims

1. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device, comprising:

an enclosure having an aperture;

an infrared detecting element in said enclosure;

an alarm circuit, connected to said detecting element for providing an electrically detectable indication in response to a detecting element output above a selected threshold level;

a light source within said enclosure having a selected spacing from said infrared detecting element;

and a lens unit, mounted in said aperture, said lens unit comprising;

at least one first lens segment for receiving radiation from a first selected region of space and having a lens center, focal distance and effective lens area selected to focus infrared radiation emitted by an intruder within said first selected region of space onto said detecting element with sufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level, and to focus light from said light source to a second region of space outside said first selected region; and

at least one second lens segment, having a lens center, focal distance and an effective lens area between about 5 and 25 percent of the effective lens area of said first lens segment, selected to focus light from said light source into said first selected region of space and to focus infrared radiation emitted by an intruder in a third region of space onto said infrared detecting element with insufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level.

2. A passive infrared intrusion sensor as specified in claim 1, wherein the effective lens area of said second lens segment is approximately 10% of the effective lens area of said first lens segment.

5. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device as specified in claim 1 or claim 3 wherein there are provided a plurality of said first lens segments, each for focusing radiation from one of a corresponding plurality of first selected regions of space onto said detecting element, and wherein there are provided a corresponding plurality of said second lens segments, each for focusing light from said light source into one of said corresponding plurality of first selected regions of space, and wherein all of said corresponding second regions of space are above all of first regions of space.

6. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device as specified in claim 5 wherein said plurality of first lens segments include lens segments having lens centers displaced horizontally from each other, and wherein the lens centers of the corresponding second lens segments have corresponding horizontal displacements, thereby to form selected first regions of space displaced in azimuth.

7. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device as specified in claim 5 wherein said plurality of first lens segments include lens segments having lens centers displaced vertically from each other, and wherein the lens centers of the corresponding second lens segments have corresponding vertical displacements, thereby to form selected first regions of space displaced in elevation.

8. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device as specified in claim 5, wherein each of said first lens segments extends over an area of said lens unit, and wherein each of said second lens segments is within the area of its corresponding first lens segment.

9. A passive infrared intrusion sensor as specified in claim 5, wherein at least some of said first and second lens segments have lens centers displaced from the geometric centers of said segments.

10. A passive infrared intrusion sensor as specified in claim 9 wherein at least some of said first and second lens segments have lens centers outside the physical area of said segments.

3. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device comprising:

an enclosure, adapted to be mounted to a vertical wall, and having a nominally vertical aperture oriented outward from said wall;

an infrared detecting element in said enclosure, having a selected first spacing from said aperture;

an alarm circuit, connected to said detecting element for providing an electrically detectable indication in response to an output from said infrared detecting element above a selected threshold level;

a light source, mounted within said enclosure vertically below said detecting element by a selected second spacing; and

a lens unit, mounted in said aperture, said lens unit comprising;

at least one first lens segment for receiving radiation from a selected region of space, said first lens segment having a focal distance corresponding to said first spacing, having a lens center between said detecting element and said region of space, said lens center being vertically above said light source, and having an effective first lens area to focus infrared ratiation emitted by an intruder within said first selected region of space onto said detecting element with sufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level and to focus light from said light source to a second region of space above said first selected region; and

at least one second lens segment for focusing radiation from said light source into said first selected region of space, said second lens segment having a focal distance corresponding to said first spacing, having a lens center vertically below said lens center of said first lens segment by said selected second spacing, and having an effective second lens area between about 5 and 25 percent of the effective first lens area, to focus infrared radiation emitted by an intruder within a third region of space onto said infrared detecting element with insufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level.

4. A passive infrared intrusion sensor as specified in claim 3, wherein the effective lens area of said second lens segment is approximately 10% of the effective lens area of said first lens segment.

11. In a passive infrared intrusion detector wherein an infrared detecting element is enclosed within an enclosure having an aperture formed in one wall of said enclosure, wherein there is provided a light source in said enclosure having a selected displacement from said detecting element, and wherein a lens unit is provided in said aperture, said lens unit having a plurality of first lens segments each covering an area on said lens unit and each having a selected first lens center for focusing infrared radiation onto said detector element from a corresponding beam of infrared sensitivity, the improvement wherein there is provided a plurality of second lens segments, each located within the area of a corresponding one of said first lens segments and each having an effective lens area between about 5 and 25 percent of the area of its corresponding first lens segment, each of said second lens segments having a lens center displaced from the lens center of the corresponding first lens segment by said selected displacement whereby said second lens segments focus light from said light source into a plurality of beams corresponding to said sensitivity beams.

12. The improvement specified in claim 11 wherein each of said second lens segments is within the area of said corresponding first lens segments.

13. The improvement specified in claim 11 or claim 12 wherein said light source is displaced below said detecting element whereby said first lens segments focus light from said light source above said sensitivity beams.

14. The improvement specified in claim 11 or 12 wherein the effective lens area of said second lens segments is approximately 10% of the effective area of said corresponding first lens segments.

15. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device, comprising:

an enclosure having an aperture;

an infrared detecting element in said enclosure;

an alarm circuit, connected to said detecting element for providing an electrically detectable indication in response to a detecting element output above a selected threshold level;

a light source within said enclosure having a selected spacing from said infrared detecting element; and

a lens unit, mounted in said aperture, said lens unit comprising;

a plurality of first lens segments, each extending over an area of said lens unit, for receiving radiation from one of a corresponding plurality of first selected regions of space and each having a lens center, focal distance and effective lens area selected to focus infrared radiation emitted by an intruder within said corresponding first selected region of space onto said detecting element with sufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level, and to focus light from said light source to a corresponding second region of space above all of said first selected regions of space; and

a corresponding plurality of second lens segments, each located within the area of its corresponding first lens segment and having a lens center, focal distance and effective lens area smaller than the effective lens area of said first lens segment, selected to focus light from said light source into said first selected region of space and to focus infrared radiation emitted by an intruder in a third region of space onto said infrared detecting element with insufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level.

16. A passive infrared intrusion sensing device, comprising:

an enclosure, adapted to be mounted to a vertical wall, and having a nominally vertical aperture oriented outward from said wall;

an infrared detecting element in said enclosure, having a selected first spacing from said aperture;

an alarm circuit, connected to said detecting element for providing an electrically detectable indication in response to an output from said infrared detecting element above a selected threshold level;

a light source, mounted within said enclosure vertically below said detecting element by a selected second spacing; and

a lens unit, mounted in said aperture, said lens unit comprising;

a plurality of first lens segments, each extending over an area of said lens unit, for receiving radiation from one of a corresponding plurality of first selected regions of space, each of said first lens segments having a focal distance corresponding to said first spacing, and having a lens center between said detecting element and said first selected corresponding region of space, said lens center being vertically above said light source, and having an effective first lens area to focus infrared radiation emitted by an intruder within said corresponding first selected region of space onto said detecting element with sufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level and to focus light from said light source to a corresponding second region of space above all of said first selected regions of space; and

a corresponding plurality of second lens segments, each located within the area of its corresponding first lens segment, and for focusing radiation from said light source into corresponding first selected region of space, each of said second lens segments having a focal distance corresponding to said first spacing, having a lens center vertically below said lens center of said corresponding first lens segment by said selected second spacing and having an effective second lens area, less than said effective first lens area, to focus infrared radiation emitted by an intruder within a corresponding third region of space onto said infrared detecting element with insufficient energy to cause said detecting element to have an output above said threshold level.

17. In a passive infrared intrusion detector wherein an infrared detecting element is enclosed within an enclosure having an aperture formed in one wall of said enclosure, wherein there is provided a light source in said enclosure having a selected displacement from said detecting element, and wherein a lens unit is provided in said aperture, said lens unit having a plurality of first lens segments each covering an area on said lens unit and each having a selected first lens center for focusing infrared radiation into said detector element from a corresponding beam of infrared sensitivity, the improvement wherein there is provided a plurality of second lens segments, each corresponding to one of said first lens segments and each having a substantially smaller effective lens area than and located within the lens area of the corresponding first lens segment, each of said second lens segments having a lens center displaced from the lens center of the corresponding first lens segment by said selected displacement whereby said second lens segments focus light from said light source into a plurality of beams corresponding to said sensitivity beams.

18. The improvement specified in claim 17 wherein the effective lens area of said second lens segments is between 5 and 25 percent of the area of said corresponding first lens segments.