Method for using a single optical emitter/receiver pair for creating a light curtain using LCD+MEMS technology for beam deflection
US7442917B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 23, 2006 |
| Grant date | Oct 28, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 23, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01V8/22
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate increasing a coverage area for an emitter-receiver pair in a light curtain by generating multiple light beams from a single emitter and aggregating the light beams at a corresponding receiver. A plurality of light beams can be generated by reflection off of a MEMS mirror associated with the emitter, which can then be reflected from receiver-side mirrors along generally parallel paths, to corresponding emitter-side mirrors, which in turn reflect the light beams back to a MEMS mirror associated with the receiver. The receiver-side MEMS mirror can aggregate the reflected light beams for detection thereof by the receiver. According to a related aspect, transmissive LCD arrays can be employed at both the emitter and receiver to generate and recombine a plurality of light beams, respectively.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.