The invention relates to an optical sensor system, an optical sensor device for a sensor system and a bus segment for connecting a sensor device to a bus of a sensor system.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,123 discloses an optical sensor system with optical sensor devices which are connectable to optical head sections by means of optical fibers. Each sensor device comprises an electrooptical transmitter for sending light into a first optical fiber, an electrooptical receiver for detecting light received through a second optical fiber and means for determining an output value indicative of a state of an optical section between the transmitter and the receiver. In order to prevent optical interference between the sensor devices, the optical activities of their transmitters are synchronized: Each sensor device has a signal input for receiving synchronization pulses and a signal output for providing synchronization pulses to a succeeding sensor device: the signal input and output terminals of the sensor devices are connected in pairs according to a daisy chain pattern. An electrical bus of the system comprises this signal daisy chain, as well as power supply lines.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds