# US 4,381,446 A · Photoelectric switch

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- Number: US 4,381,446 A
- Document ID: US4381446A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/278,426
- Filed: 1981-06-29
- Granted: 1983-04-26
- Earliest claimed: 1980-06-30
- Assignees: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co.
- Inventors: Toshifumi Fukuyama; Norio Onji
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4381446A

## CPC

- G01V 8/12: using one transmitter and one receiver
- G01D 5/36: Forming the light into pulses
- H03K 17/941: {using an optical detector (H03K17/968 takes precedence)}
- G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02)
- G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## Abstract

There is provided a photoelectric switch comprising a light projecting segment including a pulse oscillator and a light-emitting element adapted to give a pulse light emission in response to an output pulse of the pulse oscillator, a light reception segment including a light reception element adapted to yield a light reception signal on incidence of light, a gate circuit adapted to gate the light reception signal according to the output pulse of the pulse oscillator and an integration circuit for integrating outputs of the gate circuit, and a control circuit for varying the pulse frequency by controlling the pulse oscillator on generation of a light reception signal from the light reception element.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A photoelectric switch comprising a light projecting segment including a pulse oscillator and a light-emitting element adapted to give a pulse light emission in response to an output pulse of said pulse oscillator, a light reception segment including a light reception element adapted to yield a light reception signal on incidence of light, a gate circuit adapted to gate said light reception signal according to said output pulse of said pulse oscillator and an integration circuit for integrating outputs of said gate circuit, and a control circuit for varying the pulse frequency by controlling said pulse oscillator on generation of a light reception signal from said light reception element.

### Claim 2

A photoelectric switch comprising a light projecting segment including a pulse oscillator and a light-emitting element adapted to give a pulse light emission in response to an output pulse of said pulse oscillator, a light reception segment including a light reception element adapted to yield a light reception signal on incidence of light, a gate circuit adapted to gate said light reception signal according to said output pulse of said pulse oscillator and a control circuit for delaying a next pulse by stopping temporarily the action of said pulse oscillator in response to a light reception signal generated from said light reception element during a period where there is no pulse output from said pulse oscillator.

### Claim 3

A photoelectric switch comprising a light projecting segment including a pulse oscillator and a light-emitting element adapted to give a pulse light emission in response to an output pulse of said pulse oscillator, a light reception segment including a light reception element adapted to yield a light reception signal on incidence of light, a gate circuit adapted to gate said light reception signal according to said output pulse of said pulse oscillator and a control circuit for delaying a next pulse by stopping temporarily the action of said pulse oscillator in response to a light reception signal generated from said light reception signal during a period immediately before generation of a pulse from said pulse oscillator.

### Claim 4

A photoelectric switch comprising a light projecting segment including a pulse oscillator and a light-emitting element adapted to give a pulse light emission in response to an output pulse of said pulse socillator, a light reception segment including a light reception element adapted to yield a light reception signal on incidence of light, a gate circuit adapted to gate said light reception signal according to said output pulse of said pulse oscillator and a control circuit for advancing the timing of generation of a next pulse by quickening temporarily the action of said pulse oscillator in response to a light reception signal generated from said light reception element during a period immediately following generation of a pulse from said pulse oscillator.

### Claim 5

A photoelectric switch comprising a light projecting segment including a pulse oscillator and a light-emitting element adapted to give a pulse light emission in response to an output pulse of said pulse oscillator, a light reception segment including a light reception element adapted to yield a light reception signal on incidence of light, a gate circuit adapted to gate said light reception signal according to said output pulse of said pulse oscillator and a control circuit for shortening the pulse frequency of said pulse generator in response to the output of said gate circuit.