Anti-thief security sensor assembly with variable amount of emitted infrared beam

• US 6,998,982 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iwasawa, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US10/316,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20040113779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/555, 340/556, 340/557, 340/511
• US Class Current: 340/545.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/12 using one transmitter and one receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/183 by interruption of a radiation beam or barrier

Abstract

To provide an anti-thief security sensor assembly capable of automatically setting a projecting power in such a manner that a received beam amount of the anti-thief security sensor assembly for detecting an infrared beam interrupted to sense an intruder attains a predetermined value during an optical axis adjustment, the anti-thief security sensor assembly includes an infrared beam projecting unit (1) for emitting the infrared beam (IR), and an infrared beam receiving unit (2) for receiving the infrared beam (IR). The infrared beam receiving unit (2) has a received beam amount detector (26) for detecting the received beam amount, and a signal transmitter (28) for transmitting a received beam level display signal (L) indicative of the amount of the received beam detected to the infrared beam projecting unit (1). The infrared beam projecting unit (1) has a projecting power adjuster (15) for, on the basis of the received beam level display signal (L), adjusting a projecting power so that the amount of the received beam attains the predetermined value.

Claims

1. An anti-thief security sensor assembly which comprises:

a radiation beam projecting unit for projecting a radiation beam; and

a radiation beam receiving unit for receiving the radiation beam projected by the radiation beam projecting unit and operable to detect a human body in the event that the human body traverses the optical path of travel of the radiation beam from the radiation beam projecting unit towards the radiation beam receiving unit;

said anti-thief security sensor assembly further comprising a mode switching device for switching a mode between an adjustment mode for adjusting an optical axis and an operation mode for performing a security operation,

said radiation beam receiving unit comprising a received beam amount detector for detecting an amount of the radiation beam received and a request signal outputting device for, when the amount of the received radiation beam detected in the adjustment mode is larger than a predetermined value, which is larger than an optimum value of the received radiation beam amount in the operation mode, transmitting a projecting power decrease request signal to the radiation beam projecting unit with a wireless transmitter;

said radiation beam projecting unit comprising a projecting power step decreasing device for decreasing an amount of the radiation beam emitted by a predetermined amount each time the radiation beam projecting unit receives the projecting power decrease request signal with a receiver unit, and

means for adjusting an optical axis between the radiation beam projecting unit and the radiation beam receiving unit.

2. The security sensor assembly of claim 1 wherein the mode switching device including a switch unit for setting the radiation beam projecting unit to one of an optical axis adjusting mode and a security operation mode and providing an indication of the mode to a control security center.

3. The security sensor assembly of claim 2 further including a cover member for extending over the switch unit which is removed for performing an optical axis adjusting mode.

4. The security sensor assembly of claim 1 further including a projecting power adjustment table stored in a memory to provide the predetermined value.

5. The security sensor assembly of claim 4 wherein the projecting power adjuster unit decreases the strength of the radiation beam by a set amount when the radiation beam is above the predetermined value and operation of the means for adjusting the optical axis is repeated for an alignment adjustment until the radiation beam is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

6. A method of aligning and setting the power of a radiation beam between a radiation beam projecting unit and a remote radiation beam receiving unit in a security sensor assembly, comprising the steps of:

switching the radiation beam projecting unit to an optical axis adjusting mode;

aligning the optical axis between the radiation beam projecting unit and the remote radiation beam receiving unit;

automatically sending a signal representative of the power level of the received radiation beam;

automatically comparing the power level of the received radiation beam with a predetermined stored value;

automatically adjusting the output power to a predetermined level to optimize the detecting ability of the security sensor assembly including (a) sending a power decrease signal when the received power level is above the predetermined stored value, (b) decreasing the power level of the radiation beam by a set amount upon receipt of the power signal and (c) automatically repeating steps (a) and (b) until the radiation beam attains the predetermined stored value; and

switching the security sensor assembly to a security operation mode.