Battery-operated object detecting device

• US 8,907,283 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hatano, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kiho
• Application Number:
  US13/671,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20130112877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 2503381-3385
• US Class Current: 250/338.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/183 by interruption of a radiation beam or barrier
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/181 due to failing power supply

Abstract

A battery-operated object detecting device (D) includes a detecting unit (U) adapted to be driven by an electric cell (12) mounted thereon, and a transmitting device (20) driven by the electric cell (12) in the detecting unit (U) for wireless transmitting at least a low battery signal being indicative of a reduction in voltage of the electric cell (12). An electric power sharing unit (30) for outputting a supply voltage to the transmitting device (20) includes a voltage changing circuit (32) for changing, based on a low battery detection result from a low battery detecting circuit (13), to a voltage necessary for causing a low battery determining circuit (21) of the transmitting device (20) to change the supply voltage from the electric cell (12) to a voltage for determining a low battery state.

Claims

1. A battery-operated object detecting device for detecting an object and the outputting a detection information signal, the object detecting device comprises:

a detecting unit adapted to be driven by an electric cell mounted thereon; and

a transmitting device driven by the electric cell in the detecting unit for transmitting wireless at least a low battery signal from the detecting unit and the detection information signal, the low battery signal being indicative of a reduction in voltage of the electric cell;

wherein the detecting unit comprises a low battery detecting circuit built therein for detecting a low battery state, in which the voltage of the electric cell in the detecting unit is lower than a first reference signal, and

wherein the transmitting device comprises a low battery determining circuit built therein for determining whether or not the voltage supplied from the electric cell is lower than a second reference value.

2. The battery-operated object detecting device as claimed in claim 1,

further comprising an electric power sharing unit for outputting a supply voltage towards the transmitting device in response to the voltage from the electric cell and

in which the electric power sharing unit comprises a voltage changing circuit for changing, based on a low battery detection result from the low battery detecting circuit, to a voltage necessary for causing the low battery determining circuit of the transmitting device to change the supply voltage from the electric cell to a voltage for determining a low battery state that is lower than the second reference value.

3. The battery-operated object detecting device as claimed in claim 2,

in which the voltage changing circuit is provided with a plurality of change voltages and

in which the electric power sharing unit comprises a changeover switch for changing the change voltage by the voltage changing circuit in dependence on a type of the transmitting device used.