# US 11,442,167 B2 · Sensor and autonomous vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,167 B2 - Document ID: US11442167B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/565,987 - Filed: 2019-09-10 - Published: 2020-03-12 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-12 - Assignees: Sick AG - Applicants: Sick AG - Inventors: Michael Pfister - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442167B2 ## CPC - G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters} - G01S 17/04: Systems determining the presence of a target - G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders - G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging - G01S 17/93: for anti-collision purposes - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G06V 10/147: Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses (fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19) - B60R 2300/301: combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract An autonomous vehicle having a sensor and a sensor having a plurality of light transmitters and a plurality of light receivers that are arranged in a common housing, with the optical axes of the light transmitters and light receivers being arranged in parallel or in fan form in different angle directions having angular intervals, whereby a protected field is formed, and having a control and evaluation unit for monitoring and evaluating the protected field, wherein a camera is connected to the control and evaluation unit, with camera images of the camera being evaluated by the control and evaluation unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sensor comprising: a plurality of light transmitters and a plurality of light receivers arranged in a common housing, with the optical axes of the light transmitters and light receivers arranged in parallel or in fan form in different angle directions having angular intervals, whereby a protected field is formed; and a control and evaluation unit for monitoring and evaluating the protected field, wherein a camera is connected to the control and evaluation unit, with camera images of the camera being evaluated by the control and evaluation unit, and wherein a plurality of switchable protected fields are provided, with the protected fields being switched over in dependence on the detected camera image, and with the field of view of the camera directed to the protected field and at least the region of the protected field detected by the camera. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sensor is a sensor in accordance with the time of flight process. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the camera is arranged in the housing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein an event in the protected field starts a recording of the camera. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein a recording mode of the camera is settable in the control and evaluation unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the camera recordings of the camera that have led to an intervention in the protected field are evaluated by the control and evaluation unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein a repetition rate of recordings for the camera is changeable in the control and evaluation unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control and evaluation unit carries out a code recognition on the basis of the camera recording; and wherein symbols of a barcode or of a matrix code can be identified by the control and evaluation unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control and evaluation unit carries out an object recognition on the basis of the camera recording of the camera and distinguishes permitted objects from unpermitted objects and suppresses an object determination signal of the sensor with permitted objects. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the camera is a camera in accordance with the time of flight process. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The sensor in accordance with claim 1, wherein an output interface for measured data is provided. ### Claim 12 An autonomous vehicle comprising: a sensor, having a plurality of light transmitters and a plurality of light receivers arranged in a common housing, with the optical axes of the light transmitters and light receivers arranged in parallel or in fan form in different angle directions having angular intervals, whereby a protected field is formed; and the sensor further having a control and evaluation unit for monitoring and evaluating the protected field, wherein a camera is connected to the control and evaluation unit, with camera images of the camera being evaluated by the control and evaluation unit, and wherein a plurality of switchable protected fields are provided, with the protected fields being switched over in dependence on the detected camera image, and with the field of view of the camera directed to the protected field (6) and at least the region of the protected field detected by the camera. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The autonomous vehicle in accordance with claim 12, wherein the sensor is a sensor in accordance with the time of flight process.