Detector having a transversal optical sensor and a longitudinal optical sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10120078-B2
Application number	US-201615099717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

A detector having a transversal optical sensor adapted to determine a transversal position of at least one light beam traveling from an object to the detector and a longitudinal optical sensor having at least one sensor region. The longitudinal optical sensor is designed to affect at least one longitudinal sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of the sensor region by the light beam. The longitudinal sensor signal, given the same total power of the illumination, is dependent on a beam cross-section of the light beam in the sensor region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A detector, comprising:
a transversal optical sensor, the transversal optical sensor being adapted to determine a transversal position of at least one light beam traveling from an object to the detector, the transversal position being a position in at least one dimension perpendicular to an optical axis of the detector, the transversal optical sensor being adapted to affect at least one transversal sensor signal; and
a longitudinal optical sensor, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor has at least one sensor region, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor is designed to affect at least one longitudinal sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of the sensor region by the light beam, wherein the longitudinal sensor signal, given the same total power of the illumination, is dependent on a beam cross-section of the light beam in the sensor region.

2. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the transversal optical sensor is a photo detector having at least one first electrode, at least one second electrode and at least one photovoltaic material, wherein the photovoltaic material is located in between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the photovoltaic material is adapted to affect electric charges in response to an illumination of the photovoltaic material with light, wherein the second electrode is a split electrode having at least two partial electrodes, wherein the transversal optical sensor has a sensor region, wherein the at least one transversal sensor signal indicates a position of the light beam in the sensor region.

3. The detector according to claim 2 , wherein electrical currents through the partial electrodes are dependent on a position of the light beam in the sensor region, wherein the transversal optical sensor is adapted to affect the transversal sensor signal in accordance with the electrical currents through the partial electrodes.

4. The detector according to claim 3 , wherein the detector is adapted to derive the information on the transversal position of the object from at least one ratio of the currents through the partial electrodes.

5. The detector according to claim 2 , wherein the photo detector is a dye-sensitized solar cell.

6. The detector according to claim 2 , wherein the first electrode at least partially is made of at least one transparent conductive oxide, and wherein the second electrode at least partially is made of an electrically conductive polymer.

7. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the transversal optical sensor and the longitudinal optical sensor is a transparent optical sensor.

8. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the transversal optical sensor and the longitudinal optical sensor are stacked along the optical axis such that a light beam travelling along the optical axis both impinges on the transversal optical sensor and on the longitudinal optical sensor.

9. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal optical sensor comprises at least one dye-sensitized solar cell.

10. The detector according to claim 9 , wherein the longitudinal optical sensor comprises at least one first electrode, at least one n-semiconducting metal oxide, at least one dye, at least one p-semiconducting organic material, and at least one second electrode.

11. The detector according to claim 10 , wherein both the first electrode and the second electrode are transparent.

12. The detector according to claim 1 , further comprising an evaluation device, wherein the evaluation device is designed to generate at least one item of information on a longitudinal position of the object from at least one predefined relationship between a geometry of the illumination and a relative positioning of the object with respect to the detector.

13. The detector according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one illumination source.

14. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the detector has a plurality of longitudinal optical sensors, wherein the longitudinal optical sensors are stacked.

15. The detector according to claim 14 , further comprising an evaluation device, wherein the longitudinal optical sensors are arranged such that a light beam from the object illuminates all longitudinal optical sensors, wherein at least one longitudinal sensor signal is affected by each longitudinal optical sensor, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to normalize the longitudinal sensor signals and to generate the information on the longitudinal position of the object independent from an intensity of the light beam.

16. The detector according to claim 14 , wherein a last longitudinal optical sensor is arranged in a manner that the light beam illuminates all other longitudinal optical sensors apart from the last longitudinal optical sensor, until the light beam impinges on the last longitudinal optical sensor, wherein the last longitudinal optical sensor is intransparent with respect to the light beam.

17. The detector according to claim 14 , wherein the stack of at least two optical sensors is partially or fully immersed in an oil, in a liquid and/or in a solid material.

18. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one transversal optical sensor and/or the at least one longitudinal optical sensor uses at least two different transparent substrates.

19. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the detector further comprises an imaging device.

20. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the detector further comprises an optically sensitive element.

21. The detector according to claim 20 , wherein the optically sensitive element comprises a color wheel, a color drum, and/or a filter wheel using an elliptically polarizing filter.

22. The detector according to claim 1 , further comprising an evaluation device, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to generate the at least one item of information on the longitudinal position of the object by determining a diameter of the light beam from the at least one longitudinal sensor signal.

23. The detector according to claim 22 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to compare the diameter of the light beam with known beam properties of the light beam in order to determine the at least one item of information on the longitudinal position of the object.

24. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal optical sensor is furthermore designed in such a way that the longitudinal sensor signal, given the same total power of the illumination, is dependent on a modulation frequency of a modulation of the illumination.

25. A human-machine interface comprising the detector according to claim 1 , wherein the human-machine interface is designed to generate at least one item of geometrical information of the user by means of the detector wherein the human-machine interface is designed to assign to the geometrical information at least one item of information.

26. An entertainment device suitable for carrying out at least one entertainment function, wherein the entertainment device comprises the human-machine interface according to claim 25 , wherein the entertainment device is designed to enable at least one item of information to be input by a player by means of the human-machine interface, wherein the entertainment device is designed to vary the entertainment function in accordance with the information.

27. A tracking system

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Bruder Ingmar
• Spiller Simone Christina
• Thiel Erwin
• Irle Stephan
• Send Robert
• Wonneberger Henrike

Classifications

• G01S5/0249

  Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined · CPC title

• G01S3/786

  the desired condition being maintained automatically · CPC title

• G01S17/66

  Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title

• G01S3/781

  Details · CPC title

• G01S17/89 Primary

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title