Optoelectronic apparatus and method for the detection of object information

• US 9,880,265 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sick AG (Sick)
• Original Assignee: Sick AG (Sick)
• Inventors: Schneider, Florian, Bertz, Denise, Strohmeier, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke D
• Application Number:
  US14/664,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20150268333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4816 of receivers alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/005 based on electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

An optoelectronic apparatus (10) for the detection of object information from a monitored zone (12), comprising a light receiver (18), a receiving optics (16) associated with the light receiver (18), the receiving optics having an adaptive lens (26) with variable tilt, and an evaluation unit (20) for the generation of object information from a received signal of the light receiver (18) is provided. In this respect the evaluation unit (20) is configured to bring the adaptive lens (26) into a plurality of different tilt positions and to thereby obtain additional object information from an enlarged monitored zone (12).

Claims

1. An optoelectronic apparatus for the detection of object information from a monitored zone, comprising a light receiver, a receiving optics associated with the light receiver, the receiving optics having an adaptive lens with variable tilt, and an evaluation unit for the generation of object information from a received signal of the light receiver,

wherein the evaluation unit is configured to bring the adaptive lens into a plurality of different tilt positions and to thereby obtain additional object information from an enlarged monitored zone, and

wherein the evaluation unit is configured for the generation of three-dimensional images in accordance with the stereoscopic principle from at least two recordings in different tilt positions.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adaptive lens is a liquid lens or a gel lens.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the adaptive lens in the circumferential direction has segmented control elements.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the evaluation unit is configured to bring the adaptive lens into the plurality of tilt positions in accordance with a predefined pattern of movement.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, that has a light transmitter which is associated with a transmission optics having an adaptive lens with variable tilt.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the evaluation unit is configured to determine object distances by determining the time of flight of light between transmission and reception of a light signal.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the evaluation unit is configured for the reading of code information from the object information.

8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

that is a camera with an enlarged monitored zone and whose evaluation unit is configured for the stitching of an image from the object information recorded in the different tilt positions.

9. A method for the detection of object information from a monitored zone, in which light is received by a receiving optics and a received signal is generated and evaluated from the light, wherein the receiving optics is aligned with the aid of an adaptive lens by its variable tilt,

wherein the adaptive lens can be brought into a plurality of different tilt positions and a received signal is respectively generated in the tilt positions in order to thereby obtain additional object information from an enlarged monitored zone, and

wherein the evaluation unit is configured for the generation of three-dimensional images in accordance with the stereoscopic principle from at least two recordings in different tilt positions.