Sensor apparatus, article display shelf, and production management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940562-B2
Application number	US-201916979672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2019
Priority date	Mar 19, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a sensor apparatus including: a laser ranging device that scans a predetermined scan range with a laser light such that at least a part of the emitted laser light passes through a region including a predetermined detection region; and a reflection mirror that reflects at least a part of the laser light to a direction not parallel to an incident direction and is provided so that the laser light occurring after reflection passes through the detection region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor apparatus comprising:
a laser ranging device that scans a predetermined scan range with laser light such that at least a part of the laser light passes through a region including a predetermined detection region;
a reflection mirror that reflects at least a part of the laser light to a direction not parallel to an incident direction and is provided so that the laser light occurring after reflection passes through the detection region;
an object detector that performs first detection by using the laser light occurring before reflection by the reflection mirror and second detection by using the laser light occurring after reflection by the reflection mirror in parallel planes on an object; and
a shield object distinguisher that distinguishes a shield object from the object by comparing a distance to the object obtained by the first detection with a distance to the object obtained by the second detection.

2. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in at least a part of the scan range, the laser light does not pass through the detection region before being reflected by the reflection mirror.

3. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reflection mirror causes the laser light that has not passed through the detection region to pass through the detection region by reflection.

4. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reflection mirror causes the laser light that has passed through the detection region to again pass through the detection region by reflection.

5. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reflection mirror reflects the laser light by a reflection surface forming a plane.

6. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reflection mirror reflects the laser light by a reflection surface forming a part of an ellipse.

7. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the detection region, the laser light occurring after reflection by the reflection mirror passes through a different plane from the laser light occurring before reflection by the reflection mirror.

8. The sensor apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising a motion direction detector that detects a motion direction of the object based on order of a timing of detecting the object by using the laser light occurring after reflection by the reflection mirror and a timing of detecting the object by using the laser light occurring before reflection by the reflection mirror.

9. The sensor apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising a type determiner that determines a type of an object based on whether or not a result of detecting the object by using the laser light occurring after reflection by the reflection mirror and a result of detecting the object by using the laser light occurring before reflection by the reflection mirror are the same.

10. The sensor apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising a position detector that detects a position of the object based on the position where the object in the scan range is detected.

11. A sensor apparatus comprising:
a laser ranging device that scans a predetermined scan range with laser light such that at least a part of the laser light passes through a region including a predetermined detection region;
a reflection mirror that reflects at least a part of the laser light to a direction not parallel to an incident direction and is provided so that the laser light occurring after reflection passes through the detection region;
an object detector that performs first detection by using the laser light occurring before reflection by the reflection mirror and second detection by using the laser light occurring after reflection by the reflection mirror in parallel planes on an object; and
a shield object distinguisher that distinguishes a shield object from the object by comparing the scan range in the first detection with the scan range in the second detection.

12. An article display shelf comprising:
the sensor apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
a display portion having an opening through which an article is taken out or put in,
wherein the sensor apparatus is configured such that the detection region is arranged in the opening.

13. A production management system comprising:
the sensor apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detection region is provided so as to include a region through which a transport apparatus that transports an article passes.

14. The sensor apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein in at least a part of the scan range, the laser light does not pass through the detection region before being reflected by the reflection mirror.

15. The sensor apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the reflection mirror causes the laser light that has not passed through the detection region to pass through the detection region by reflection.

16. The sensor apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the reflection mirror causes the laser light that has passed through the detection region to again pass through the detection region by reflection.

17. The sensor apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the reflection mirror reflects the laser light by a reflection surface forming a plane.

18. The sensor apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the reflection mirror reflects the laser light by a reflection surface forming a part of an ellipse.

19. The sensor apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein in the detection region, the laser light occurring after reflection by the reflection mirror passes through a different plane from the laser light occurring before reflection by the reflection mirror.

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Uchimura Jun
• Takahashi Hiroshi

Classifications

• G01S7/4817 Primary

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• A47F5/00

  Show stands, hangers, or shelves characterised by their constructional features · CPC title

• G01S17/88

  Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• G01S17/42 Primary

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title

• G05B19/418

  Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] · CPC title