Patents by Inventor Klaus Pirkl

Klaus Pirkl has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7767954
    Abstract: Monitoring is provided, for a passageway through which objects on carrier (12) are transported, such that the passageway is guarded by at least one light grid (16) with a plurality of light rays running one above the other, where the light grid (16) is divided into a first, lower area (16a) through which the carriers (12) pass and a second, upper area (16b) through which the objects pass, which light grid (16) disposes over an evaluating circuit which emits a signal if a light ray (22) is interrupted in the first, lower area (16a) and provides information on the height of the object. A current value for the height is stored height as last measured value. Readouts are taken of a lower area (16a) and upper area (16b) of the light grid (16), and the readouts are used to determine a current value for the height of the object, and a determination is made whether an object flag has been changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Sick AG
    Inventor: Klaus Pirkl
  • Patent number: 7408462
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the control of a monitored zone, in particular at transport devices for objects, wherein the monitored zone is scanned by means of at least one spatially resolving sensor, in particular a laser scanner and/or a camera system, the positions of object points in the monitored zone are determined and a contour search is carried out in at least a sub-set of the determined positions in that these positions are mathematically examined as to whether the respective object points lie on at least one model line pre-determined with respect to shape and/or length within a pre-determinable tolerance, said model line corresponding to at least a part of a contour of a permitted object in the monitored zone, with the contour search being carried out independently of the location of the positions relative to the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Sick AG
    Inventors: Klaus Pirkl, Manfred Haberer, Gerhard Mutter
  • Publication number: 20080179506
    Abstract: Process for monitoring a passageway through which objects on carriers (12) are transported, such that the passageway is guarded by at least one light grid (16) with a plurality of light rays running one above the other, where the light grid (16) is divided into a first, lower area (16a) through which the carriers (12) pass and a second, upper area (16b) through which the objects pass, which light grid (16) possesses an evaluating circuit which emits a signal if a light ray (22) is interrupted in the first, lower area (16a) and provides information on the height of the object, which process comprises by the following steps: a) storage of the current value for the height as last measured value b) readout of the first, lower area (16a) of the light grid (16) to determine whether a carrier (12) has passed through the light grid (16) and readout of the second, upper area (16b) of the light grid (16) c) determination of a new current value for the height of the object from the data read out from the second, uppe
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: Sick AG
    Inventor: Klaus Pirkl
  • Patent number: 7326914
    Abstract: A light grid for measuring an object and securing a dangerous zone of a machine has an emitting unit with individual light emitters for directing a plurality of light beams in the form of emitted light cones approximately along a lit plane. A receiving unit is spaced apart from the emitting unit and has individual light receivers for receiving light from the emitted light cones. The emitting unit and the receiving unit define a protected zone between them. The emitting unit and/or the receiving unit has at least two differently formed first and second optics. The first optics generate the emitted and/or the received first light cones. The first light cones have a greater dimension in a direction parallel to the plane than in a direction transverse to the lit plane. The second optics generate a second emitted and/or received light cone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Sick AG
    Inventor: Klaus Pirkl
  • Publication number: 20060278817
    Abstract: A light grid for measuring an object and securing a dangerous zone of a machine has an emitting unit with individual light emitters for directing a plurality of light beams in the form of emitted light cones approximately along a lit plane. A receiving unit is spaced apart from the emitting unit and has individual light receivers for receiving light from the emitted light cones. The emitting unit and the receiving unit define a protected zone between them. The emitting unit and/or the receiving unit has at least two differently formed first and second optics. The first optics generate the emitted and/or the received first light cones. The first light cones have a greater dimension in a direction parallel to the plane than in a direction transverse to the lit plane. The second optics generate a second emitted and/or received light cone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Publication date: December 14, 2006
    Applicant: Sick AG
    Inventor: Klaus Pirkl
  • Publication number: 20060067579
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the control of a monitored zone, in particular at transport devices for objects, wherein the monitored zone is scanned by means of at least one spatially resolving sensor, in particular a laser scanner and/or a camera system, the positions of object points in the monitored zone are determined and a contour search is carried out in at least a sub-set of the determined positions in that these positions are mathematically examined as to whether the respective object points lie on at least one model line pre-determined with respect to shape and/or length within a pre-determinable tolerance, said model line corresponding to at least a part of a contour of a permitted object in the monitored zone, with the contour search being carried out independently of the location of the positions relative to the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Applicant: Sick AG
    Inventors: Klaus Pirkl, Manfred Haberer, Gerhard Mutter