Contrast indicating arrangement in photoelectric sensing systems
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
24 Citations
10 Claims
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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.
- 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
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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.
- 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
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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.
Specification