Optoelectronic apparatus and method for alignment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015268481-A1
Application number	US-201514661246-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2015
Priority date	Mar 24, 2014
Publication date	Sep 24, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

An optoelectronic apparatus ( 10 ) having a light transmitter ( 22 ) and/or a light receiver ( 16 ) and an optics ( 24, 14 ) arranged in front of the light transmitter ( 22 ) and/or the light receiver ( 16 ) is provided that has an adaptive lens ( 26 ) with variable tilt. In this respect an alignment unit ( 18 ) is provided which is configured to tilt the adaptive lens ( 26 ) in such a way that manufacturing tolerances and/or assembly tolerances are compensated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An optoelectronic apparatus having a light transmitter and/or having a light receiver and having an optics arranged in front of the light transmitter and/or the light receiver, the optics including an adaptive lens with variable tilt, the optoelectronic apparatus further having an alignment unit that is configured to tilt the adaptive lens in such a way that manufacturing tolerances and/or assembly tolerances are compensated.

2 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the alignment unit has a storage element in order to store tilt positions of the adaptive lens as aligned work settings, the tilt positions being taught during a manufacturing process.

3 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
that is configured as a camera having an image sensor as a light receiver.

4 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 3 ,
wherein the alignment unit is configured to identify at least one image feature in a recording of the image sensor and to store it including its position.

5 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 3 ,
wherein the alignment unit is configured to read in at least one image feature and a position of the image feature and to tilt the adaptive lens in such a way that the image feature is present at the position in a recording of the image sensor.

6 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the adaptive lens is a liquid lens or a gel lens.

7 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the adaptive lens has segmented control elements in the circumferential direction.

8 . An optoelectronic apparatus having at least two image sensors in front of which a respective optics having an adaptive lens with variable tilt is arranged, wherein the respective viewing fields of the image sensor have an overlap region,
the optoelectronic apparatus further having an alignment unit that is configured to identify at least one image feature in the overlap region and to align the viewing fields of the image sensors with respect to one another by tilting at least one adaptive lens with reference to the image feature.

9 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 8 ,
wherein the adaptive lens is a liquid lens or a gel lens.

10 . The optoelectronic apparatus in accordance with claim 8 ,
wherein the adaptive lens has segmented control elements in the circumferential direction.

11 . A method for aligning an optoelectronic apparatus that has a light transmitter and/or a light receiver, wherein an optics is arranged in front of the light transmitter and/or the light receiver, the optics having an adaptive lens with variable tilt,
the method comprising the step of tilting the adaptive lens in such a way that manufacturing tolerances and/or assembly tolerances are compensated.

12 . A method for the exchange of an optoelectronic apparatus having an image sensor and having a receiving optics with an adaptive lens arranged in front of the image sensor,
wherein an optoelectronic apparatus to be exchanged stores at least one image feature and a position of the image feature with respect to its image sensor and an optoelectronic apparatus provided for the exchange reads in the image feature and the position of the image feature and tilts its adaptive lens in such a way that the image feature is present in a recording of its image sensor at the position.

13 . A method for the mutual alignment of at least two optoelectronic apparatuses which each comprise an image sensor and an optics having an adaptive lens with variable tilt arranged in front of the image sensor, wherein the viewing fields of the image sensors have an overlap region,
the method comprising the steps of: identifying at least one image feature in the overlap region; and aligning the viewing fields of the image sensors are aligned with respect to one another with reference to the image feature by tilting at least one adaptive lens.

Assignees

• Sick Ag

Inventors

• Strohmeier Dirk
• Schneider Florian
• Bertz Denise

Classifications

• G02B27/648 Primary

  for automatically maintaining a reference alignment, e.g. in self-levelling surveying instruments (surveying instruments per se G01C) · CPC title

• G01J1/0411

  using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction · CPC title

• H04N5/369

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01J1/0448

  Adjustable, e.g. focussing · CPC title

• H04N17/002

  for television cameras · CPC title