Light source position sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11988744-B2
Application number	US-201916978764-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2019
Priority date	Mar 7, 2018
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

There is provided a sensor device, a sensor module, and methods for determining a position of a light source. The sensor device comprises a plurality of sensor units, each sensor unit having a respective sensor area. The sensor device also comprises a mask disposed above the plurality of sensor units and arranged such that incident light from the light source will illuminate different regions of the sensor area of each one of the sensor units depending on the position of the light source relative to the sensor device. The position of the light source may therefore be determined based on which regions of the sensor area of the sensor units are illuminated. Further, each sensor unit is arranged to be controlled by a respective unit controller to determine the position of the light source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor device for determining a position of a light source, the sensor device comprising:
a plurality of sensor units, each sensor unit of the plurality of sensor units having a respective sensor area; and
a mask disposed above the plurality of sensor units and arranged such that incident light from the light source will illuminate different regions of the sensor area of each sensor unit of the plurality of sensor units depending on a position of the light source relative to the sensor device, so that the position of the light source may be determined based on which regions of the sensor areas of the plurality of sensor units are illuminated;
wherein each sensor unit of the plurality of sensor units is arranged to be controlled by a respective unit controller of a plurality of unit controllers to determine the position of the light source;
wherein each sensor unit of the plurality of sensor units comprises a first strip and a second strip arranged substantially orthogonal to the first strip, and wherein the mask is arranged such that the light source will illuminate regions of the first strip and the second strip of each sensor unit simultaneously.

2. A sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor units of the plurality of sensor units are positioned adjacent one another.

3. A sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mask comprises a first transparent slit and a second transparent slit arranged substantially orthogonal to the first transparent slit.

4. A sensor device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein each sensor unit comprises a first strip and a second strip arranged substantially orthogonal to the first strip, the first transparent slit is substantially orthogonal to the first strip of each sensor unit, and the second transparent slit is substantially orthogonal to the second strip of each sensor unit.

5. A sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the first strip and the second strip of each sensor unit comprises a plurality of pixels, and wherein the pixels of each strip of the first strip and second strip of each sensor unit are offset from the pixels of each adjacent first strip or second strip of other sensor units of the plurality of sensor units by a distance less than a width of each pixel in the direction of offset.

6. A sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising graded shielding to reduce intensity of light incident on the plurality of sensor units so as to counteract a relative intensity decrease of light incident on the sensor unit at an angle.

7. A sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each sensor unit of the plurality of sensor units is arranged to be part of a respective power domain.

8. A sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each sensor unit of the plurality of sensor units is connected to an independent signal domain and connected to an independent power domain.

9. A sensor module for determining a position of a light source, the sensor module comprising:
a plurality of sensor devices, wherein each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is a sensor device as recited in claim 1 ; and
a plurality of unit controllers, wherein each sensor device comprises one corresponding unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers that is configured to control one sensor unit in each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices.

10. A sensor module as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers belongs to a respective power domain.

11. A sensor module as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of module controllers, wherein each module controller of the plurality of module controllers is configured to control each unit controller of the plurality of unit controllers.

12. A sensor module as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a base and three sensor devices of the plurality of sensor devices arranged on respective faces of the base, wherein the base has a shape corresponding to at least a portion of a tetrahedron.

13. A sensor module as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of sensor devices comprises three sensor devices each positioned parallel to a different surface plane of a tetrahedron, with one sensor device of the three sensor devices on each surface plane facing outwards.

14. A sensor module as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the sensor module is embodied in a sun sensor for a satellite.

15. A sensor module as claimed in claim 9 , arranged to have a field of view of at least a hemisphere for detection of the light source.

16. A sensor system for determining a position of a light source, the sensor system comprising a plurality of sensor modules, wherein each sensor module of the plurality of sensor modules is a sensor module as claimed in claim 10 , and wherein each sensor module of the plurality of sensor modules is arranged to have a different field of view for detection of the light source.

17. A method of determining a position of a light source using a sensor device as recited in claim 1 , the method comprising:
determining the position of the light source to be an average of the positions determined by the sensor units of the plurality of sensor units.

18. A method of determining a position of a light source using a sensor device as recited in claim 1 , the method comprising:
(i) reading digital output pixel values from one sensor unit of the plurality of sensor units;
(ii) setting to 1 any pixel values neighboring pixel values of 1;
(iii) setting to 0 any pixels values neighboring a 0 value;
(iv) repeating step (iii) until performing step (iii) one more time would result in all pixel values of the sensor unit being set to 0; and
(v) determining the position of the light source using the remaining non-zero pixel or pixels.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 , comprising repeating step (ii) a plurality of times.

Assignees

• Univ Oslo

Inventors

• Østby Joar Martin
• Häfliger Philipp Dominik

Classifications

• G01S17/06 Primary

  Systems determining position data of a target · CPC title

• G01S7/4804

  Auxiliary means for detecting or identifying lidar signals or the like, e.g. laser illuminators · CPC title

• G01S3/7862

  mounted on a moving platform, e.g. space vehicle · CPC title

• G01S3/784 Primary

  using a mosaic of detectors · CPC title