Patent ID: 7590345

Claim:
An optoelectronic protective device for providing a signal when an unauthorized object is present in an opening bounded by wall surfaces comprising a control unit, a light source for illuminating the at least some of the wall surfaces, a camera for forming a picture of at least one of the wall surfaces, an evaluation unit, at least one control unit including at least one light source for illuminating the opening, a camera, and a position resolving light receiver, the camera forming a picture of at least one of the wall surfaces on the light receiver, the light receiver being adapted to generate picture signals which correspond to the picture for evaluation by the evaluation unit, and a housing for the control unit, the light source, the light receiver and the camera, the housing being configured for securing it to at least one of the wall surfaces so that it extends only a short distance into the passage opening, the light source illuminating a spatial angle and the camera having an angular field of view of sufficient sizes so that objects which are present in the opening and have a predetermined minimum size are reliably detected.