Optoelectronic sensor having transparent cover shaped as light deflecting element

• US 6,818,884 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Muller, Andreas, Bobel, Ralf, Koch, Holger
• Primary Examiner(s): PYO, KEVIN K
• Application Number:
  US10/236,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20030047668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 250/239, 250/216, 250/208.1, 250/551, 250/221, 250/231.13, 250/231.14, 356/213, 356/218, 356/222, 356/225, 341/11, 341/13
• US Class Current: 250/239
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0266 Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a photometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of the measurement area; Position tracking; Photodetection involving different fields of view for a single detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/04 Optical or mechanical part supplementary adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0407 Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. manifolds, windows, holograms, gratings

Abstract

An optoelectronic sensor includes optoelectronic converter elements having photosensitive surfaces arranged in a one or two dimensional array. A transparent cover protects the photosensitive surfaces of the optoelectronic converter elements. At least one portion of the transparent cover is shaped to include a light deflecting element such as a prism which enables the optoelectronic converter elements to be exposed to light beams coming from different directions.

Claims

1. An optoelectronic sensor comprising:

a plurality of optoelectronic converter elements having photosensitive surfaces arranged in an array having a number of dimensions, where the number is selected from the group consisting of one and two; and

a transparent cover entirely enclosing the optoelectronic converter elements including the photosensitive surfaces of the optoelectronic converter elements in order to protect the photosensitive surfaces of the optoelectronic converter elements, wherein at least one portion of the transparent cover includes a light deflecting element which enables the photosensitive surfaces of the optoelectronic converter elements to be exposed to light beams coming from different directions.

2. The sensor of claim 1 wherein:

the light deflecting element enables the same optoelectronic converter elements to be exposed to light beams coming from different directions.

3. The sensor of claim 1 wherein:

the light deflecting element is a prism.

4. An optoelectronic sensor for determining the angle of a steering wheel, the sensor comprising:

a photosensitive sensor having a photosensitive surface formed from a plurality of optoelectronic converter elements placed in an array having a number of dimensions, wherein the number is selected from the group consisting of one and two;

a first device for imaging a first light stream in a first direction towards the photosensitive sensor;

a second device for imaging a second light stream in a second direction towards the photosensitive sensor; and

a transparent cover entirely enclosing the photosensitive sensor including the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive sensor in order to protect the photosensitive sensor, wherein at least a portion of the transparent cover is formed to include a light deflecting element for deflecting at least one of the light streams to enable the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive sensor to be exposed to light streams coming towards the photosensitive sensor from different directions.

5. The sensor of claim 4 wherein:

the light deflecting element enables the photosensitive surfaces of the same optoelectronic converter elements to be exposed to light streams coming towards, the photosensitive sensor from different directions.

6. The sensor of claim 4 wherein:

the light deflecting element is a prism.

7. The sensor of claim 4 wherein:

the first device images the first light stream in a direction directly incident onto the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive sensor;

the second device images the second light stream in a direction parallel with the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive sensor;

the light deflecting element of the transparent cover deflects the second light stream onto the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive sensor.

8. The sensor of claim 4 wherein:

the first device is a code disk.

9. The sensor of claim 4 wherein:

the second device is a cycle counting element.