Photoelectric sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10831259-B2
Application number	US-201715805653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2017
Priority date	Oct 23, 2013
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a photoelectric sensor capable of enhancing display flexibility of a display section mounted on the photoelectric sensor and making this display flexibility contribute to improvement in user's operability. In a Run mode, a current value is displayed in large-sized numerals on a display section. When switching is made from the Run mode to a setting mode and letter information is to be displayed in the setting mode, a current value is displayed in relatively small-sized numerals at the corner (e.g., lower left) of the display section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photoelectric sensor optically sensing at least one of a light reception amount and a distance, and outputting either an ON signal or an OFF signal based on a threshold value and a current value representing the at least one of the light amount and the distance, and the current value is automatically updated to correspond to current light reception amount or distance or both, said photoelectric sensor comprising:
a body having a first surface;
a dot-matrix display disposed on the first surface and comprising a predetermined display form for a run mode and a predetermined display form for a setting mode, configured to display the current value and a display item according to the predetermined display form for the run mode, and configured to sequentially display each one of a plurality of setting items, and display one of the plurality of setting items according to the predetermined display form for the setting mode,
wherein the predetermined display form for the run mode and the predetermined display form for the setting mode include one or more display portions which are variable in size and proportion between the predetermined display forms in the run mode and the setting mode,
the predetermined display form for the run mode includes a main display portion and a second display portion smaller in size than the main display portion,
the predetermined display form for the setting mode includes the main display portion smaller in size than the main display portion of the first display form for the run mode and an item display portion partially overlapped with the main display portion of the first display form for the run mode; and
a plurality of buttons including a part of or disposed around the dot-matrix display, configured to switch between the run mode and the setting mode, and configured to adjust the threshold value in the run mode and a plurality of setting items in the setting mode;
wherein the threshold value is adjusted in response to operation with respect to at least one of the plurality of buttons during displaying the threshold value on the dot-matrix display in the run mode, and each one of the plurality of setting items is sequentially displayed on the dot-matrix display in response to operation with respect to at least one of the plurality of buttons in the setting mode,
wherein, in the run mode, the current value is displayed in the main display portion of the dot-matrix display and in larger-sized numerals than numerals of the threshold value, and the threshold value being displayed in the second display portion of the dot-matrix display, and
wherein, in the setting mode, when the one of the plurality of setting items is selected, the current value and the one of the plurality of setting items other than the threshold value are displayed according to the predetermined display form for the setting mode, the one of the plurality of setting items is displayed as a selected condition with letter information indicating the one of the plurality of setting items in the item display portion partially overlapped with the main display portion of the first display form for the run mode, the current value is displayed in the main display portion of the predetermined display form for the setting mode smaller in size than the main display portion of the first display form for the run mode, and the current value is displayed in smaller-sized numerals than numerals of the current value that are displayed on the dot-matrix display in the run mode.

2. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 1 , wherein a display form for a display on the dot-matrix display in the run mode is selectable by the user from the plurality of predetermined display forms for the run mode.

3. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 2 , wherein when the threshold value has first and second threshold values, the first and second threshold values are laterally displayed in the second display form.

4. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 2 , wherein numerals of the threshold value are smaller in size than numerals of the current value in the second display form.

5. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 2 , wherein the selectable display forms further include a third display form that displays a current value, a peak value, and a bottom value on the dot-matrix display, and the peak value and the bottom value are displayed in a laterally arrayed state below the current value in the third display form.

6. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 2 , wherein in the setting mode, when a setting item which requires display of the current value is displayed on the dot-matrix display, the current value is displayed in smaller-sized numerals than numerals of the current value that are displayed on the dot-matrix display in the run mode.

7. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 6 , wherein the selectable display form further includes a fourth display form that displays a current value and a bar display on the dot-matrix display, and the bar display is displayed below the current value in the fourth display form.

8. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the display of the dot-matrix display is switched to an abnormal notification display screen when an abnormality occurs during run of the photoelectric sensor, and on the abnormal notification display screen, letter information is displayed in the main portion of the dot-matrix display, and the current value is displayed in smaller-sized numerals than numerals of the current value that are displayed on the dot-matrix display in the run mode, in a position not interfering with the letter information.

9. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the setting mode has a display form that displays letter information in the main portion of the dot-matrix display and display the current value in a position not interfering with the letter information, and in the display form in the setting mode, the current value is displayed in smaller-sized numerals than numerals of the current value that are displayed on the dot-matrix display in the run mode.

10. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the setting mode includes a manual tuning mode, in the manual tuning mode, the display of the dot-matrix display is changed to a setting screen by one operation by a user during operation of the photoelectric sensor in the run mode, and a current value and a threshold value are displayed on the setting screen, when the threshold value displayed on the setting screen is adjusted by the user's operation, the photoelectric sensor is operated based on the adjusted threshold value, and on a condition that the user's operation is not performed for a predetermined period of time, the threshold value after the adjustment is set and the photoelectric sensor is returned to the display form in the run mode.

11. The photoelectric sensor according to claim 10 , wherein numerals of the threshold value are smaller in size than numerals of the current value on the setting screen.

12. A photoelectric sensor optically sensing at least one of a light reception amount and a distance, and outputting either an ON signal or an OFF signal based on a threshold value and a current value representing the at least one of the light amount and the distance, and the current value is automatically updated to correspond to current light reception amount of distance or both, said photoelectric sensor comprising:
a body having a first surface;
a dot-matrix display disposed on the first surface and comprising a plurality of predetermined display forms for a run mode and a predetermined display form for a setting mode, configured to displ

Assignees

• Keyence Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hanada Tomoki

Classifications

• G06T11/60 Primary

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F3/01 Primary

  Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer (G06F3/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B11/14

  for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures (G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/04812

  Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects · CPC title