Contrast indicating arrangement in photoelectric sensing systems

• US 4,644,341 A
• Filed: 07/05/1984
• Issued: 02/17/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tri-Tronics Incorporated (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tri-Tronics Incorporated (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Warner, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Curtis, Marshall M.
• Application Number:
  US06/627,853
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 356/226, 356/227, 356/228, 340/707, 340/815.31, 340/753, 340/754
• US Class Current: 345/39
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/08 Arrangements of scales, pointers, lamps or acoustic indicators, e.g. in automobile speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/486 delivered by photo-electric detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/405 using a plurality of active, i.e. light emitting, e.g. electro-luminescent elements, i.e. bar graphs

Abstract

A photoelectric sensing system, the adjustment of which is facilitated by the incorporation therein of a contrast indicator with a display in the form of an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) controlled by a driver circuit which is arranged for successive illumination of the LEDs, preferably on a one-to-one basis. This bargraph type instrument is also effective in photoelectric sensing tasks involving variations of the detected light between "light" and "dark" at a rapid rate, in which case the range of LEDs between these two extremes appears dimly lit at a steady glow.

Claims

1. In a photoelectric sensing system of the type which has a light transmitting device and a photoelectric light receiving device providing an electrical output;

in which the intensity of the light received by said light receiving device undergoes variations in accordance with the presence or condition of an object or object or objects in the light path between said light transmitting device and said light receiving device; and

in which an electronic processing circuit is connected to said output, producing from said output an electric analog signal which is a function of said light variations and hence permits the presence or condition of said object or objects in said light path to be detected,

a contrast indicating arrangement including a control circuit connected to said electronic processing circuit and a bargraph display in the form of an array of light emitting diodes connected to said control circuit,

said control circuit successively illuminating said light emitting diodes in instantaneous response to the strength of said analog signal,

so that both the maximum light intensity and the minimum light intensity detected by said photoelectric light receiving device, which between them determine the available range of light variation, can be read off said bargraph display during the photoelectric sensing operation.

2. In a photoelectric sensing system of the type which has a light transmitting device and a photoelectric light receiving device providing an electrical output;

in which the light received by said light receiving device undergoes variations, as between a high light intensity and low light intensity, at a rapid rate in accordance with the presence of condition of an object or objects in the light path between said light transmitting device objects in the light path between said light transmitting device and said light receiving device; and

in which an electronic processing circuit is connected to said output, producing from said output an electric analog signal which is a function of said light variations and hence permits the presence or condition of said object or objects in said light path to be detected,

a contrast indicating arrangement including a control circuit connected to said electronic processing circuit and a bargraph display in the form of an array of light emitting diodes connected to said control circuit, said control circuit selectively and incrementally illuminating different ones of said light emitting diodes in instantaneous response to the strength of the analog signal,

so that both the high light intensity and the low light intensity detected by the photelectric light receiving device, which between them determine the available range of light variation can be read off said visual display during the photoelectric sensing operation in terms of the range of diodes which are dimly illuminated due to the rapid transition of the analog signal between the corresponding two extremes.

3. A photoelectric object-sensing unit comprising,

optical means for receiving a light beam which is high frequency modulated and the intensity of which also undergoes variations in accordance with the presence or condition of an object or objects in the path of said light beam,

photoelectric receiving means for providing from the light beam passed by said optical means a high frequency modulated electrical output,

an electronic processing circuit for high-frequency demodulating said output and producing therefrom an analog DC signal which is substantially proportional to said light variations and hence permits the presence or condition of said object or objects in said light path to be detected,

control means for manually adjusting said electronic processing circuit, and

contrast indicating means including,

on the front of said unit a visual display in the form of an array of light emitting diodes, and

an electronic control circuit for said visual display, said electronic control circuit being connected to said electronic processing circuit for selectively controlling said light omitting diodes so as to selectively illuminate said diodes instantaneous response to variations in the strength of the analog DC signal received from the electronic processing circuit, such that the detected maximum light intensity and the detected minimum light intensity, which between them determine the available range of light variation, can be read off said visual display, and said manually adjustable control means correspondingly set, during the photoelectric sensing operation.

4. A photoelectric sensing unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said manually adjustable control means and said visual display are mounted on said unit adjacent to each other.

5. A photoelectronic sensing unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said unit also comprises electronic light beam generating means and optical means for transmitting the beam generated by said light generating means.

6. A photoelectric sensing unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said optical light beam transmitting means and said optical light beam receiving means together form an assembly which is detachably and interchangeably mounted on said unit.

7. A photoelectric sensing unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein said light beam generating means includes a high frequency modulator and said electronic processing circuit includes a corresponding demodulator, the modulation of said light beam serving to substantially eliminate the effect of ambient light.

8. A photoelectric sensing unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said electronic processing circuit includes amplifying means and wherein said manual adjusting means includes a manual offset control for adjusting the bias of said amplifying means, thereby to center the light intensity variation range indicated by said visual display with respect to the scale of said display.

9. A photoelectric sensing unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein said manual adjusting means also includes a control for adjusting the gain of said amplifying means.

10. A photoelectric sensing unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein there is also provided a digital switching circuit and a voltage comparator means having two inputs and one output, said output being connected to the digital switching circuit, one of said inputs being connected to said electronic processing circuit and having the analog signal supplied by said electronic processing circuit impressed thereon, and the other input being connected to a reference voltage.