Photoelectric sensor and method for aiding operational checking of photoelectric sensor
AssigneeOMRON Corporation
InventorsHideyoshi Nakamura, Atsushi Iwamoto, Koji Kosaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A photoelectric sensor comprises a control unit which is configured to store in a memory data on the amount of received light input from a light-receiving unit or measurement data obtained by a measuring process, and to perform a sampling process in which the data stored in the memory are read at fixed intervals as sampling data, the sampling process being performed within a limited reading period. Further, the control unit outputs the thus read sampling data so as to correspond to the order in which they are stored in the memory.
Claims9
A photoelectric sensor comprising:
- a light-projecting unit for projecting light;
- a light-receiving unit for receiving light projected from the light-projecting unit and generating data on an amount of received light;
- an output unit for outputting a detection signal indicating that a detection target has been detected;
- and
- a signal processing unit for receiving the data on the amount of received light generated by the light-receiving unit, performing a measuring process for the data on the amount of received light, comparing measurement data obtained by the measuring process with a predetermined threshold to determine whether a detection target is present or not, and switching between ON and OFF states of the detection signal according to a result of the determination, wherein
- the signal processing unit includes:
- storage means for storing the data on the amount of received light input from the light-receiving unit or the measurement data captured by the measuring process;
- sampling means for performing a sampling process in which the data on the amount of received light or the measurement data stored in the storage means are read as sampling data at fixed intervals, the sampling process being performed during a limited reading period;
- and
- output means for outputting the sampling data, read by the sampling means, in association with order in which the sampling data are stored in the storage means.
A method for aiding checking of a detecting operation of a photoelectric sensor, the photoelectric sensor including:
- a light-projecting unit for projecting light;
- a light-receiving unit for receiving light projected from the light-projecting unit and generating data on an amount of received light;
- an output unit for outputting a detection signal indicating that a detection target has been detected;
- and a signal processing unit for receiving the data on the amount of received light generated by the light-receiving unit, performing a measuring process for the data on the amount of received light, comparing measurement data obtained by the measuring process with a predetermined threshold to determine whether a detection target is present or not, and switching between ON and OFF states of the detection signal according to a result of the determination,
- the method comprising:
- operating the photoelectric sensor while a detection target is moving through a detecting area of the photoelectric sensor and simultaneously causing the signal processing unit of the photoelectric sensor to store in a memory data on an amount of received light input from the light-receiving unit or measurement data obtained by the measuring process;
- performing a sampling process in which the data on the amount of received light or the measurement data stored in the memory are read as sampling data at fixed intervals, the sampling process being performed during a limited reading period;
- and
- causing a display unit integrally provided to the photoelectric sensor or a display device externally provided to the photoelectric sensor to display values of the sampling data read from the memory, the values being displayed in association with the order in which the data are stored in the memory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.