Photosensor unit with a condensing lens including a plurality of light-emitting convex lens

• US 9,841,504 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alpha Corporation, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ono, Takashi, Hirai, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Legasse, Jr., Francis M
• Application Number:
  US14/435,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20150285910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0214 Constructional arrangements for removing stray light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0271 Housings; Attachments or accessories for photometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4815 using multiple transmitters

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a photosensor unit with a structure which is simple and also does not cause decrease in detection accuracy. Provided is a photosensor unit including a light emitting element 1 and a light receiving element 2 housed in a unit case 3, and configured such that reflected light of detection light emitted from the light emitting element 1 to the outside of the unit case 3 is received with the light receiving element 2, the reflected light being reflected from the outside of the unit case 3. A plurality of the light emitting elements 1 are disposed around the light receiving element 2, and a passage space for the reflected light inside the unit case 3 is separated from a passage space for the detection light inside the unit case 3 by an appropriate partition 4.

Claims

1. A photosensor unit including a light emitting element and a light receiving element housed in a unit case, and configured such that reflected light of detection light emitted from the light emitting element to an outside of the unit case is received with the light receiving element, the reflected light being reflected from the outside of the unit case, wherein

a plurality of the light emitting elements are disposed around the light receiving element,

a passage space for the reflected light inside the unit case is separated from a passage space for the detection light inside the unit case by an opaque partition,

the unit case is provided with a condensing lens configured to condense irradiation light from all the light-emitting elements at a single focal point on an optical path of the reflected light, and

the condensing lens includes a plurality of light-emitting convex lens portions integrally formed therewith respectively for the light emitting elements such that each of the light-emitting convex lens portions is located over a respective one of the light emitting elements.

2. The photosensor unit according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting elements are disposed at an equal interval on a single circle centered at the light receiving element.

3. A door controlling device of a vehicle, comprising:

the photosensor unit according to claim 1 attached to the vehicle; and

a door controller configured to start a preparatory operation for moving a door of the vehicle when a detection object is detected in a detection region based on a level of light reception at the light receiving element;

wherein

the detection region is located near the single focal point of the condensing lens.