# US 2022/0035012 A1 · Infra-red sensor assemblies with built-in test equipment

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- Number: US 2022/0035012 A1
- Document ID: US20220035012A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/128,903
- Filed: 2020-12-21
- Published: 2022-02-03
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-31
- Assignees: Goodrich Corporation
- Applicants: Goodrich Corporation
- Inventors: Rajkumar Sengodan; Thirunavukkarasu Ramalingam
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220035012A1

## CPC

- G01S 7/497: Means for monitoring or calibrating
- B64D 9/00: Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like
- G01J 5/026: {Control of working procedures of a pyrometer, other than calibration; Bandwidth calculation; Gain control}
- G01J 5/041: {Mountings in enclosures or in a particular environment}
- G01J 5/0806: Focusing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or concave mirrors
- G01S 7/4814: {of transmitters alone}
- G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters}
- G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone}
- G01S 17/04: Systems determining the presence of a target
- G01S 17/88: Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
- B64D 2009/006: {Rollers or drives for pallets of freight containers, e.g. PDU}
- 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
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N)

## Abstract

An infra-red sensor assembly may comprise a substrate and an infra-red transmitter electrically coupled to the substrate. An infra-red receiver may be electrically coupled to the substrate. A testing infra-red transmitter may be electrically coupled to the substrate. An infra-red transmission channel may optically couple the testing infra-red transmitter and the infra-red receiver.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An infra-red sensor assembly, comprising:
a substrate;
a first infra-red transmitter electrically coupled to the substrate;
an infra-red receiver electrically coupled to the substrate;
a testing infra-red transmitter electrically coupled to the substrate; and
an infra-red transmission channel optically coupling the testing infra-red transmitter and the infra-red receiver.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The infra-red sensor assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
a controller operably coupled to the first infra-red transmitter, the infra-red receiver, and the testing infra-red transmitter;
a first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor coupled between the controller and the first infra-red transmitter; and
a second metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor coupled between the controller and the testing infra-red transmitter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The infra-red sensor assembly of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to turn on the first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and turn off the second metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor when the infra-red sensor assembly is in an object detection mode.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The infra-red sensor assembly of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to turn off the first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and turn on the second metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor when the infra-red sensor assembly is in a self-test mode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The infra-red sensor assembly of claim 4, wherein the infra-red transmission channel defines an optical pathway, the optical pathway being configured to reflect infra-red radiation emitted from the testing infra-red transmitter toward to the infra-red receiver.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The infra-red sensor assembly of claim 5, further comprising a lens coupled to the infra-red transmission channel.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The infra-red sensor assembly of claim 6, wherein the lens comprises a convex surface oriented toward the infra-red receiver.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The infra-red sensor assembly of claim 5, wherein a first portion of the infra-red transmission channel and a second portion of the infra-red transmission channel form a 120° angle.

### Claim 9

A power drive unit, comprising:
an infra-red sensor assembly configured to detect objects located over the power drive unit, the infra-red sensor assembly, comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of infra-red transmitters electrically coupled in series to the substrate;
an infra-red receiver electrically coupled to the substrate;
a testing infra-red transmitter electrically coupled to the substrate; and
an infra-red transmission channel optically coupling the testing infra-red transmitter and the infra-red receiver.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The power drive unit of claim 9, wherein the infra-red sensor assembly further comprises:
a controller operably coupled to the plurality of infra-red transmitters, the infra-red receiver, and the testing infra-red transmitter;
a first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor coupled between the controller and the plurality of infra-red transmitters; and
a second metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor coupled between the controller and the testing infra-red transmitter.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The power drive unit of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to turn on the first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and turn off the second metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor when the infra-red sensor assembly is in an object detection mode, and wherein the controller is configured to turn off the first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and turn on the second metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor when the infra-red sensor assembly is in a self-test mode.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The power drive unit of claim 11, wherein the infra-red transmission channel defines an optical pathway, the optical pathway being configured to reflect infra-red radiation emitted from the testing infra-red transmitter toward to the infra-red receiver.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The power drive unit of claim 12, wherein the infra-red sensor assembly further comprises a lens coupled to the infra-red transmission channel.

### Claim 14

An article of manufacture including a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for controlling an infra-red sensor assembly, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a controller, cause the controller to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the controller, an initial power-on signal;
performing, by the controller, a self-check of the infra-red sensor assembly in response to the initial power-on signal; and
determining, by the controller, if a fault condition is present.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The article of claim 14, wherein performing, by the controller, the self-check of the infra-red sensor assembly, comprises:
powering off, by the controller, a first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor electrically coupled between the controller and a plurality of infra-red transmitters; and
powering on, by the controller, a second metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor electrically coupled between the controller and a testing infra-red transmitter.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The article of claim 15, wherein determining, by the controller, if the fault condition is present comprises determining, by the controller, if the testing infra-red transmitter is emitting infra-red radiation.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The article of claim 16, wherein determining, by the controller, if the fault condition is present comprises:
determining, by the controller, an expected BITE_Sense_Feedback signal;
receiving, by the controller, a BITE_Sense_Feedback signal from an infra-red receiver of the infra-red sensor assembly; and
comparing, by the controller, the BITE_Sense_Feedback signal from the infra-red receiver to the expected BITE_Sense_Feedback signal.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The article of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise ordering, by the controller, a fault alert to be output by an output device if the controller determines the fault condition is present.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The article of claim 18, wherein the fault alert is configured to indicate whether the fault condition is in a transmitter section or a receiver section of the infra-red sensor assembly.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The article of claim 19, wherein the infra-red sensor assembly comprises a infra-red transmission channel optically coupling the testing infra-red transmitter and the infra-red receiver.