Determining the distance of an object

US11579269B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• SICK AG · DE

Inventors

• Hartmut GIMPEL · Waldkirch, DE
• Matthias HONAL · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 6, 2020
• Grant date: Feb 14, 2023
• Expiry date: Jan 21, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/42
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optoelectronic sensor for determining the distance of an object in a monitoring area has a light transmitter for transmitting transmitted light, a light receiver for generating a received signal from remitted light remitted by the object, and a control and evaluation unit configured to modulate the transmitted light with at least a first frequency and a second frequency, to determine a phase offset between transmitted light and remitted light for the first frequency and the second frequency, and to determine a light time of flight. The control and evaluation unit is configured to determine a first amplitude and a second amplitude for the first frequency and the second frequency from the received signal and to detect whether the transmitted light impinges on an edge in the monitoring area on the basis of an evaluation of the first amplitude and the second amplitude.