Sensor system having a plurality of coupled sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291497-B2
Application number	US-201314051505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2013
Priority date	Nov 9, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

In a sensor system including a plurality of photoelectric sensor units, a light projecting period arbitrarily determined in each type is provided and mutual interference is prevented between identical types. The sensor system includes the plurality of sensor units coupled by a connector unit while a signal can be transmitted. Each of the sensor units retains type information thereof, and sets a unique identification number by transmitting the signal to each other. Each sensor unit operates after a delay time determined according to the identification number thereof elapses with a synchronous signal as a starting point. The synchronous signal is transmitted with a predetermined period from the sensor unit having a specific identification number in the plurality of sensor units. The delay time of each sensor unit is determined such that an operating period is matched with a predetermined period determined in each piece of the type information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor system comprising:
a plurality of sensors coupled by a connector such that a signal is transmitted,
wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors includes information identifying itself as one of a first type or second type, and sets a unique identification number by transmitting the signal to each other,
wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors operates after a delay time determined according to the identification number thereof elapses with a synchronous signal as a starting point, the synchronous signal being transmitted with a predetermined period from the sensor having a specific identification number in the plurality of sensors, and
wherein the delay time of each of the sensors is determined such that each sensor of the same type has the same operating period, and such that the delay time among sensors of the same type is different.

2. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the delay time is determined so as to be added by a predetermined time fixed in each type with respect to each operation.

3. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the delay time is shortened when the delay time is longer than a transmission period of the synchronous signal, and the sensor system is not operated in the transmission period, and the shortened delay time is determined as a delay time of the next transmission period.

4. The sensor system according to claim 3 , wherein the delay time is shortened by the transmission period when the delay time is longer than the transmission period.

5. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein an operating period of each type is longer than a summation of the delay times of the same type of sensors.

6. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors are disposed adjacent to each other, and the sensors adjacent to each other are coupled by the connector unit in such a manner the signal is transmitted.

7. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the connector is an optical connector that comprises a pair of a light projecting element and a light receiving element, and a driving circuit of the light receiving element is electrically connected to a driving circuit of the light projecting element in the sensors.

8. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is linearly aligned with each other.

9. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first type or second type of sensors include one of different light projecting time, different wavelength, different period, different amplitude, and different frequency of light projected by the sensor.

10. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors of the plurality of sensors are optical fiber sensors.

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Iida Yusuke
• Iguchi Koji
• Kishiba Hideyuki
• Gondo Kiyohiko

Classifications

• G01S7/497

  Means for monitoring or calibrating · CPC title

• H03K2217/94094

  Wired transmission, e.g. via bus connection or similar · CPC title

• H04L12/4015

  by scheduling the transmission of messages at the communication node · CPC title

• H03K17/941

  using an optical detector (H03K17/968 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S7/003

  Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations · CPC title