Detector for determining a position of at least one object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11041718-B2
Application number	US-201515324223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2015
Priority date	Jul 8, 2014
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

A detector (110) for determining a position of at least one object (112), the detector (110) comprising: at least one transfer device (114) for imaging the object (112) into an image plane (116), the transfer device (114) having a focal plane (118), at least one longitudinal optical sensor (122), wherein the longitudinal optical sensor (122) has at least one sensor region (124), wherein the longitudinal optical sensor (122) is at least partially transparent, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor (122) is designed to generate at least one longitudinal sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of sensor region (124) by at least one light beam propagating from the object to the detector (110), 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 (124); and at least one evaluation device (129), wherein the evaluation device (129) is designed to generate at least one item of information on a longitudinal position of the object (112) by evaluating the longitudinal sensor signal. Herein the at least one longitudinal optical sensor (122) comprises a focal longitudinal optical sensor (136), wherein the focal longitudinal optical sensor (136) at least substantially is arranged in the focal plane (118).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A detector for determining a position of at least one object, the detector comprising:
at least one transfer device for imaging the object into an image plane, the transfer device having a focal plane,
at least one longitudinal optical sensor, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor has at least one sensor region, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor is at least partially transparent, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor is designed to generate at least one longitudinal sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of the sensor region by at least one light beam propagating from the object to the detector, 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; and
at least one evaluation device, wherein the evaluation device is designed to generate at least one item of information on a longitudinal position of the object by evaluating the longitudinal sensor signal,
wherein the at least one longitudinal optical sensor comprises a focal longitudinal optical sensor, wherein the focal longitudinal optical sensor at least substantially is arranged in the focal plane, and
wherein the focal longitudinal optical sensor is spaced apart from the focal plane by a distance ±ε, wherein |ε|≤0.2·f, with f being the focal length of the transfer device.

2. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to evaluate at least one longitudinal sensor signal j focal of the focal longitudinal optical sensor and to derive a theoretical longitudinal sensor signal j image of a hypothetical longitudinal optical sensor in the image plane.

3. The detector according to claim 2 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to use, for determining the theoretical longitudinal sensor signal j image , a predetermined or determinable relationship between the longitudinal sensor signal j focal of the focal longitudinal optical sensor and the theoretical longitudinal sensor signal j image .

4. The detector according to claim 2 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to use, for determining the theoretical longitudinal sensor signal j image , an assumption that the theoretical longitudinal sensor signal j image is proportional to the longitudinal sensor signal j focal of the focal longitudinal optical sensor.

5. The detector according to claim 4 , wherein the evaluation device, for determining the theoretical longitudinal sensor signal j image , is adapted to use the following relationship:

j
image

j
focal

=

const
.

,

with const. being a predetermined or determinable constant.

6. The detector according to claim 4 , wherein the evaluation device, for determining the theoretical longitudinal sensor signal j image , is adapted to use the following relationship:

j
image

j
focal

=

c
⁡

(

h
target

,

f
lens

,

l
lens

)

,

with c(h target , f lens , l lens ) being a predetermined or determinable function dependent on the size h target of the object, the focal length f lens of the transfer device, and the aperture l lens of the transfer device.

7. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one longitudinal optical sensor, besides the focal longitudinal optical sensor, comprises at least one further longitudinal optical sensor.

8. The detector according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one longitudinal optical sensor comprises a stack of longitudinal optical sensors.

9. The detector according to claim 8 , wherein the focal longitudinal optical sensor forms part of the stack of longitudinal optical sensors.

10. The detector according to claim 8 , wherein the stack of longitudinal optical sensors comprises no more than three longitudinal optical sensors.

11. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one longitudinal optical sensor comprises at least one semiconductor detector, wherein the semiconductor detector is an organic semiconductor detector comprising at least one organic material.

12. The detector according to claim 11 , wherein the semiconductor detector is at least one member selected from the group consisting of an organic solar cell, a dye solar cell, a dye-sensitized solar cell, a solid dye solar cell, and a solid dye-sensitized solar cell.

13. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one 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.

14. A human-machine interface for exchanging at least one item of information between a user and a machine, wherein the human-machine interface comprises at least one detector according to claim 1 , wherein the human-machine interface is designed to generate at least one item of geometrical information of the user with the detector, wherein the human-machine interface is designed to assign to the geometrical information at least one item of information.

15. An entertainment device for carrying out at least one entertainment function, wherein the entertainment device comprises at least one human-machine interface according to claim 14 , wherein the entertainment device is designed to enable at least one item of information to be input by a player with the human-machine interface, wherein the entertainment device is designed to vary the entertainment function in accordance with the information.

16. A tracking system for tracking a position of at least one movable object, the tracking system comprising a detector according to claim 1 , the tracking system further comprising at least one track controller, wherein the track controller ( 158 ) is adapted to track a series of positions of the object at specific points in time.

17. A camera for imaging at least one object, the camera comprising at least one detector according to claim 1 .

18. A method for determining a position of at least one object, the method comprising:
imaging the object into an image plane by using at least one transfer device, the transfer device having a focal plane,
providing at least one longitudinal optical sensor, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor has at least one sensor

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Send Robert
• Bruder Ingmar
• Irle Stephan
• Thiel Erwin

Classifications

• G01S17/86

  Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders · CPC title

• G01C3/32 Primary

  by focusing the object, e.g. on a ground glass screen · CPC title

• G01S17/46

  Indirect determination of position data · CPC title

• G01S7/481

  Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title