Multi-optical-path photoelectric safety apparatus
AssigneeKeyence Corporation
InventorsMotohiro Kudo, Tetsu Inoue
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-optical-path photoelectric safety apparatus or a light curtain is placed in front of a pressing machine or a folding machine. Optical paths are set as a floating blanking area B (some paths out of a large number of optical paths) in the light curtain. The operation of the pressing machine or folding machine is forcibly stopped when two contiguous optical paths are blocked in the floating blanking area B. On the other hand, the normal protection function serves in areas A and C between which area B is sandwiched. In these areas A and C, if any one optical path enters a light blocked state, the operation of the pressing machine or folding machine is immediately stopped.
Claims9
A multi-optical-path photoelectric safety apparatus comprising:
- a light emitting unit;
- a light receiving unit forming a plurality of optical paths with a light emitting unit so as to provide a light curtain between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit;
- and
- a floating blanking function device having a floating blanking function for forcibly stopping operation of an apparatus protected by the light curtain when at least two optical paths forming the light curtain enter a light blocked state,
- wherein a floating blanking area is set by the floating blanking function device and is an area where the floating blanking function is operated, the floating blanking area being set as a part of a detection area forming the light curtain.
A multi-optical-path photoelectric safety apparatus comprising:
- a light emitting unit having a plurality of light emitting elements equally spaced from each other and being disposed in a row;
- a light receiving unit separated from the light emitting unit and having a corresponding number light receiving elements as the number of the light emitting elements, the light receiving elements being equally spaced from each other and being disposed in a row, and wherein each of the light receiving elements with the corresponding light emitting element form optical paths for forming a light curtain;
- and
- a floating blanking area setting unit having a floating blanking function for setting a floating blanking area that will stop operation of an apparatus protected by the light curtain when at least two optical paths forming the light curtain enter a light blocked state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.