Abstract:
A laser diode ( 22 ) emits laser light which is collimated into parallel rays with a collimating lens ( 24 ). The collimated beams travel about 5 to 50 cm before being reflected back to an adjustable mirror ( 28 ), to a fixed mirror ( 30 ), and then on to a photoreceiver ( 34 ). The adjustable mirror ( 28 ) is pivoted by turning an adjusting screw ( 40 ). The adjustable mirror ( 28 ) has a toothed cam ( 48 ) on its backside that mate with the threads of the adjusting screw ( 40 ). When the adjusting screw ( 40 ) is turned, it forces the cam to move with it, thus changing the angle of the adjustable mirror ( 28 ). A ball lens ( 32 ) focuses the reflected light onto the photoreceiver ( 34 ). The photoreceiver ( 34 ) and laser diode ( 22 ) are synchronized so that the receiver ( 34 ) can only receive light during appropriate windows of time corresponding to when the laser light was emitted. The photoreceiver ( 34 ) has the ability to tell when it is and when it is not receiving laser light and has the ability to initiate action based upon that information.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the laser sensor art. It finds particular application when detecting objects at very short distances and will be described with particular reference thereto. 
     Laser sensors have a rather extensive variety of applications in many fields. They are used to provide an easily perturbable equilibrium, such as in a security system. They also gauge the location and orientation of moving objects, such as on an assembly line. They are also used to judge the distance from the sensor to a target. In general, laser sensors are useful when information about a remote object is desired, such as whether the object is present and, if so, its distance. 
     Heretofore, laser sensors have included a laser diode or other laser source which was focused to a preselected focal length by a convergent focusing lens. Laser light reflected from a reflector or reflective surface was received by another convergent lens with a relatively long focal length and focused on a photodiode detector. The output of the photodiode was monitored and an electronic signal was generated indicative of the reception of the reflected laser beam or the absence of the reflected laser beam. In order to distinguish between the reflected laser beam and stray light of like color, some laser sensors included a feedback system, such as a continuous wave type feedback system, between the laser source and the detector. 
     Although successful, such prior laser sensors have drawbacks. In general, the use of a convergent light beam requires one focal point to be set at the point of convergence. As a result, different focal lengths require different lenses. A design is desired that will allow different focal lengths without having to change between different lenses. 
     The present invention provides a new and improved laser method and apparatus that solves the above referenced problems and others. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a laser is provided. A laser diode emits laser light. A collimating lens mounted adjacent the laser diode collimates the emitted laser light. Reflected laser light encounters a pivotable mirror whose angle selects a convergence distance. A photoreceiver receives reflected laser light from the adjustable mirror and produces an output signal indicative of the receipt/non-receipt of reflected laser light. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of laser sensing is provided. Laser light is emitted and collimated into a collimated beam. The collimated beam is transmitted across a region and is reflected off a target object back across the region and reflected from an adjustable mirror, which mirror was adjusted to set a convergence distance. The laser light reflected from the adjustable mirror is detected. A presence/absence of reflected laser light is determined. 
     One advantage of the present invention is that it senses over ranges of about 5 to 50 cm. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that no lens replacements are required to change between distance ranges. The same sensor can be used for all distances within the range of the apparatus without lens changes. 
     Another advantage is ease of alignment on small targets. 
     Another advantage resides in insensitivity to background objects beyond a point of convergence. 
     Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it provides extremely accurate spatial data. 
     Still further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a laser sensor in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side sectional view illustrating optical and opti-electrical components of the laser sensor of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the laser sensor; and, 
     FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the laser sensor of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to FIG. 1, a laser sensor includes a housing  10  including a forward projecting portion  12 . The forward projecting portion includes a window  14  through which a laser beam is projected and through which reflected laser light is received. An electrical fitting or connector  16  at the base of the housing  10  includes contacts for receiving electrical power in and sending signals out indicative of whether or not the laser beam is reflected back. Indicator lights, such as red and green LEDs  18 ,  19  mounted on the exterior of the housing  10 , provide a user with a local, visual indication regarding whether the beam is reflected and whether the laser sensor is powered. 
     With reference to FIG. 2, a circuit board  20  carries the circuit that operates the laser detector, which is described below. A laser diode  22 , emitting in the visible red range of the electromagnetic spectrum in the preferred embodiment, is supported behind and optically coupled to a collimating lens  24 . The collimating lens is mechanically mounted adjacent the laser diode  22 . The collimating lens collimates the light output from the laser diode into parallel rays, rather than focusing it on a focal point at a selected distance. The collimating lens causes a laser beam of parallel rays A to be emitted without converging to a focal point. The collimated parallel rays A are more forgiving of object size and target distance relative to focused beams. As a result of the preferred beam geometry, that is, a “tube” of parallel rays rather than converging rays, the detector has a fairly large sensing area which is a three-dimensional volume at the intersection of the beam A and a field of view of the detector. This embodiment is easier to align on small targets and sense varying distances within the range of the sensor. 
     When the light strikes an object at a convergence area  26  of the collimated light beam A and a field or cylinder of view  27  of the detector, a portion B of the light is reflected back towards the laser sensor. The reflected laser light B returning through the window  14  encounters a pivotally mounted mirror  28  which reflects the light onto a fixed mirror  30 . The light is reflected once again and encounters a receiving lens  32  which focuses the light onto an active surface of a photoreceiver  34 . In the preferred embodiment, the receiving lens  32  is a ball lens. 
     Alternatively, there is no fixed mirror  30  and the receiving lens  32  is mounted in its place to receive light directly from the pivoting mirror  28 . The advantage of including the fixed mirror  30  is that it allows the accuracy of the laser sensor to be selected. If the fixed mirror  30  were made extremely small, then the laser sensor will only detect object over a very small distance from the convergence point. As the fixed mirror  30  is increased in size, the laser sensor becomes more forgiving of object position, and responds to a greater range of distances from the convergence point of the collimated light beam and the field of view of the detector. 
     The receiving lens  32  has a large field of view which adds flexibility in target size and target distance. The receiving lens  32  preferably has a very short focal length, on the order of its radius, about 6.3 mm in the preferred embodiment, for focusing parallel and other rays on the photoactive surface. Receiving lenses with diameters of 3-12 mm are also contemplated. Moreover, the receiving lens  32  has a high efficiency due to its low f-number, (focal length÷aperture). An f-number less than one is preferred with an f-number of 0.6-0.7 being optimal. The index of refraction of the receiving lens  32  is selected relative to the wavelength of the selected light such that the light is focused substantially on the circumference of the receiving lens  32 , which abuts the photosensitive receiver  34 . An index of refraction of 1.5±0.1 at 650 nm is preferred. For visible red light, glass, acrylic, polycarbonate, polystyrene, and other optical materials are preferred for forming the receiving lens  32 . The receiving lens  32  can also be tinted to function concurrently as a filter. 
     Other receiving lenses  32  are also contemplated. Other lenses with an f-number of less than 1.0 can also produce satisfactory results. 
     Optical lasers in the near infrared range, preferably below 1100 nanometers, are also contemplated. The use of lasers with significantly higher or lower wavelengths is also contemplated, provided a sensor which is sensitive to that wavelength is selected. Optionally, a phosphor which is energized by one wavelength, (that of the laser diode) and which emits light of another wavelength, (that of the receiver) may be used as an interface between mismatched lasers and detectors. 
     The angle of the pivoting mirror  28  relative to the collimated light A is changed by turning an adjusting screw  40 . The screw  40  is held in a slip collar  42  which prevents longitudinal or lateral displacement, permitting rotation. In the preferred embodiment, the pivoting mirror  28  has a support or backing  44  that is mounted to the housing by a pair of pivots  46  The support  44  has a rounded cam with teeth  48  that engage threads of the adjusting screw  40 . By turning the adjusting screw  40 , the teeth  48  force the cam to move, and thus, the angle of the mirror  28  is changed. This action allows the convergence region  26  of the collimated beam and the detector field of view to be precisely selected anywhere from about 5 to 50 cm from the detector. The range is controlled by the degree of freedom through which the pivoting mirror  28  can move. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the angle of the pivoting mirror  28  is set and fixed in the factory in accordance with the application and the required focal length of the application. Fixing the pivoting mirror  28  in the factory is preferred because of the sensitivity of the device. Very small variations of the angle of the pivoting mirror  28  will produce shifts in the distance to the convergence spot  26 . Once the convergence distance is set, the window  14  is set in place to prevent unauthorized readjustment. 
     Alternatively, the end user can adjust the pivoting mirror by manipulating the adjusting screw  40 . The advantage of using a screw to adjust the pivoting mirror  28  over other means, is that the screw  40  allows for an infinite number of distances d, where the collimated laser beam spot and the detector field of view converge as opposed to other means of adjustment. Further, the screw&#39;s mechanical advantage inhibits vibration or other factors from changing the focus. 
     With reference to FIG. 3, the pivot  28 ′ can be located at other locations. Similarly, a vertical screw  40 ′ can be used to move a traveler  50  which adjusts the angular orientation of the mirror  28 . 
     Alternately, a pin or detent locks the mirror into one of multiple preset incremental positions about the pivot  46 . In another alternative, the position of the mirror is vertically adjusted. By having a fixed mirror angle and using vertical adjustments, the focus point is shifted as a function of the new geometry (the distance between the adjustable and fixed mirrors). 
     If there is an object at the convergence point  26 , laser light is reflected back to the pivoting mirror  28 , up to the fixed mirror  30 , and on to the photodetector  34 . If the object is not at the convergence point, laser light may be reflected back to the pivoting mirror  28 , but will be incident at an improper angle to be reflected to the photodetector  34 , and thus, will be absorbed somewhere in the housing  10 . The distance between the fixed mirror  30  and the pivoting mirror  28  in the preferred embodiment is approximately 2.5 cm, or as far apart as the housing  10  will allow. The laser sensor distinguishes the difference between when it is not receiving laser light reflected from the convergence point  26  and when it is, indicating there is an object at the convergence point  26 . 
     With reference to FIG. 4, a DC voltage contact and a ground contact pair  60  are physically located in the electrical connector  16 . The contacts  60  preferably receives 10-30 volts DC. A power conditioning circuit  62  including a voltage regulator chip  64  converts the received power into a regulated 6 volts. 
     The regulated voltage powers a sensing circuit  70  and a laser drive circuit  72 . More specifically, the sensing circuit includes a pulse modulation synchronous detector chip  74 , such as a Sharp IS450, which includes the photosensor  34 . The synchronous detector chip includes the light sensitive circuit, accompanying amplification and signal conditioning circuitry, and the like. In the preferred embodiment, the same chip also includes the synchronization circuitry, although such circuitry could be provided separately. That is, the chip  74  further generates pulses for pulsing the laser diode  22  and an internal comparitor for comparing whether received light is received at an appropriate timing relative to the pulsing of the laser diode. Based on the reaction speed of the laser diode, the travel time of the light from the laser diode to the reflective surface and back to the photosensitive surface, and the speed of the circuitry within the detector chip  74 , there is a known time interval or window within which reflected laser light is received. The comparitor filters out any light received at other times. 
     The pulse modulation output of the detector chip  74  is connected to a gated feedback circuit  76  for turning the laser diode ON and OFF. A reference voltage source  78  provides the laser diode assembly with a regulated reference voltage that is proportional to the amount of emitted light to provide an automatic, dynamic intensity adjustment. The reference voltage source is connected to a photodiode  80  mounted behind the laser diode  22  for sensing its output. The gated feedback circuit includes switches  82 ,  84  for switching the reference voltage from the reference voltage source  78  in and out for sharper pulses, particularly for faster rise times and less phase delay without excessive over-shoot of the laser drive current. The faster rise time and less phase delay allows the circuit to function with the synchronous detection circuitry with little degradation and performance while limiting destructive leading edge current peaks caused by the inherent lag in the response of the feedback monitoring photodiode  80 . 
     When the detection circuit  74  detects reflected laser light, it outputs a signal to a dark-on/light-on selection circuit  86 . That is, depending on the application, it may be advantageous to have an output signal when reflected light is received or it may be advantageous to have an output signal whenever no reflected light is received. 
     An output circuit  90  shapes the output signal to control a pair of analogous output transistors to produce a PNP output on a PNP output terminal  92  and an NPN output on an NPN output terminal  94 . The output terminals  92 ,  94 , which are again located in the electrical connector  16 , carry the high and low signals from the transistors to downstream equipment. 
     The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, changes and modifications will occur to those of normal skill in the art upon reading and understanding of the detailed description. The present invention is meant to include all such modifications so long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.