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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to optical sensors. More specifically, the present invention relates to reflective optical sensors for sensing the presence and absence of an object.

2. The Relevant Technology

Optical sensors are used in a wide variety of applications. One application where optical sensors are of particular use is to detect the presence and absence of an object. Two types of optical sensors that detect the presence and absence of an object are interrupt optical sensors and reflective optical sensors.

Interrupt optical sensors include an optical emitter and an optical receiver located on opposite sides of an object to be sensed. The presence of the object is indicated when the object breaks the optical link between the optical emitter and the optical receiver. The absence of the object is indicated when the optical transmission of the optical receiver is received by the optical emitter.

Reflective optical sensors can include an optical emitter and an optical receiver located on the same side of an object to be sensed. The presence of the object is indicated when an optical emission from the optical emitter is reflected from the surface of the object and is received by the optical receiver.

Reflective optical sensors can present several advantages over interrupt optical sensors. Reflective optical sensors are advantageous because both the optical transmitter and the optical receiver are located in a single package. A single package can eliminate additional screws, brackets, packaging, and shipping costs related to a two package interrupt sensor design. In addition, a reflective optical sensor may be relatively small in size, and more adaptable to a greater variety of placements because it is in a single package. The optical transmitter and receiver of the reflective optical sensor is also typically aligned during manufacturing, rather than on-site by the consumer often preventing misalignment by the consumer. Conventional reflective optical sensors typically include a light emitting diode ("LED") and an optical receiver (e.g. a photodiode or a phototransistor) mounted within side-by-side cavities in a sensor housing. The cavities must be of a sufficient depth to prevent undesirable cross talk between the LED and the optical

receiver when an object is not present. Although this typical reflective optical sensor has been implemented in a number applications, it nonetheless presents a number of limitations.

Conventional reflective optical sensors using a LED emitter are limited in the concentration of light emitted from the LED resulting in a relatively short distance at which they can sense an object. LEDs also have a broad angular emission window projected in a large undefined angular range similar to a conventional light bulb. In certain applications, this results in low intensity of reflected light, excessive cross talk, lower resolution, and less accurate detection of the presence and absence of an object. In addition, a conventional reflective optical receiver using typical photodiodes and photo transistors may have a low contrast ratio that may not be as sensitive to changes in illumination where fairly small changes in illumination are expected. Typical photodiodes and photo transistors may also detect certain low levels of light interference falsely indicating the presence of an object. In addition, typical photodiodes and photo transistors can operate in a substantially linear relationship between incident light intensity and photocurrent produced. As a result, typical photodiodes and photo transistors may produce interference current signals at low light levels supplying a less accurate and potentially false indication of the presence of an object. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to reflective sensors. A reflective optical sensor for sensing the presence of an object is described. The sensor can include a reflective sensor package including a first cavity and a second cavity, the first and second cavities can be located side-by-side in the sensor package. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) can be located within the first cavity for producing an optical emission. An optical receiver can be located within the second cavity and configured to receive at least a portion of the produced optical emission that is reflected from the object such that when the reflected emission is above a threshold strength the object is determined to be present. A reflective optical sensor is described. The sensor can include a sensor package including a first cavity, a second cavity located next to the first cavity, a laser located within the first cavity for producing an optical emission, and a shunt

phototransistor located in the second cavity for receiving a reflection of the optical emission from an object being sensed.

A reflective optical sensor for sensing the presence of an object is described. The sensor can include a reflective sensor package made of a resilient plastic material. The sensor package can include a first cavity and a second cavity. The second cavity can be located next to the first cavity in the sensor package. A

VCSEL can be located within the first cavity for producing an optical emission. A shunt phototransistor including reverse bias protection can be located within the second cavity and can be configured to receive at least a portion of the produced optical emission reflected off of the object. The shunt phototransistor can include reverse bias protection. The shunt phototransistor can include an emitter, a collector, a base, a diode including an anode and a cathode, the anode being electrically coupled with the base and the cathode being electrically coupled with the collector, a shunt internal resistor electrically coupled between the anode and the emitter creating a PN junction relationship, the PN junction relationship being disposed in parallel electrical relationship with the diode and the first resistor, and a bias protection internal resistor coupled in electrical communication between the first resistor and the emitter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a reflective sensor for sensing the presence and absence of an object according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a side operational cross-sectional view of a reflective sensor according to an example embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 illustrates an electrical schematic of a shunt phototransistor according to an aspect of an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 illustrates an electrical schematic of a shunt phototransistor according to an aspect of an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 illustrates the light current output of the shunt phototransistor as compared to a standard phototransistor with similar sensitivity according to an aspect of an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 illustrates a schematic of a shunt phototransistor with reverse bias protection according to an aspect of an example embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 7 illustrates a schematic of a shunt phototransistor with reverse bias protection according to an aspect of an example embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The principles of the present invention are described with reference to the attached drawings to illustrate the structure and operation of example embodiments used to implement the present invention. Using the diagrams and description in this manner to present the invention should not be construed as limiting its scope. Additional features and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious from the description, including the claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a reflective sensor 100 for sensing the presence and absence of an object according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the reflective sensor 100 comprises a reflective sensor package 110. The reflective sensor package 110 can include a first cavity 115 and a second cavity 120 located in a side-by-side arrangement. The first cavity 115 can include a laser 125 (e.g. an edge emitting laser or a vertical cavity surface emitting laser ("VCSEL")) for producing an optical emission. The second cavity 120 can include an optical receiver 130 (e.g. a photodiode or phototransistor) for receiving a portion of the optical emission reflected from an object. The laser 125 can be located above a first electrical contact 135. The laser

125 can be electrically coupled to both the first electrical contact 135 and a second electrical contact 140. Similarly, the optical receiver 130 can be located above a third electrical contact 145, and the optical receiver 130 can be electrically coupled to both the third electrical contact 145 and a fourth electrical contact 150. It should be understood that the arrangement of the components shown in Figure 1 is merely an example embodiment. It would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, after having reviewed this description, that other component arrangements are included within the scope of the present invention.

For example, Figure 2 depicts a reflective sensor 200 including a laser, in this case a VCSEL 225, and an optical receiver, in this case a phototransistor 230, in opposing cavities according to an example embodiment of the present invention. The reflective sensor 200 can include a package 210 made of a resilient plastic material having a first cavity 215 and a second cavity 220. The VCSEL 225 can be located in the first cavity 215 above a first electrical contact 235. The VCSEL 225 can be electrically coupled to the first contact 235 by an electrical connection and a second electrical contact (not visible, for example, similar to contact 140 depicted in Figure 1). Similarly, a phototransistor 230 can be located in the second cavity 220 above a third electrical contact 245. The phototransistor 230 can be electrically coupled to both the third electrical contact 245 and a fourth electrical contact (not visible, for example, similar to contact 150 depicted in Figure 1). According to the example embodiment shown in Figure 2, the first cavity 215 and the second cavity 220 can be filled by an at least partially transparent resin material 250 allowing for transmission of light to and from the VCSEL 225 and phototransistor 230, while providing protection for these active optical devices and their electrical connections.

In operation, an object 260 to be sensed is located above the reflective sensor

200. The object 260 can be any object and can be traveling across the emission window of the VCSEL 225 as indicated by arrow 265, such as, for example, in the case of a sheet of paper in an automatic teller machine ("ATM") or a printer. The VCSEL 225 produces an optical emission in the direction of the object 260. At least a portion of the optical emission is reflected from the surface of the object 260 and is received by the phototransistor 230. Upon receiving the reflected emission, the phototransistor 230 produces a light current output, which can be transmitted to the fourth electrical connector electrically coupled to the phototransistor 230. The reflective sensor 200 shown in Figure 2 can be at least as small as about 3 millimeters square or larger depending on the application.

Using a VCSEL to produce the optical emission according to this example embodiment of the present invention has several advantages over conventional reflective sensors using a LED. For example, a VCSEL emits a more concentrated light, which allows for a greater distance between the reflective sensor and the object to be sensed. The concentrated light emission of the VCSEL also results in more concentrated light reception by the phototransistor. This may allow for placement of the sensor in locations not ordinarily available using a LED, such as

for example, at further distances from an object being sensed or in dirty or hazardous environments. In addition, the concentrated emission of a VCSEL emitter may also allow for sensing an object having a surface that would not provide sufficient reflection of the less concentrated light of a LED.

A VCSEL also produces a more defined emission of light than a LED. Typically, a VCSEL creates an emission having an angular emission window of about 20-30 degrees. A LED, on the other hand, creates an emission without a well defined emission window (e.g. approaching 180 degrees). The VCSEL emission, therefore, creates less cross-talk between the VCSEL and the phototransistor. The well defined VCSEL emission also results in a more defined reflection from the object thereby allowing for higher resolution and more accurate detection of the object. The well defined VCSEL emission may also be produced in a particular angular direction allowing for a greater directional reflection and more particular tailoring of the sensor for a particular application or distance between the sensor and the object to be sensed. Using a VCSEL according to embodiments of the present invention also has particular advantages in some applications over embodiments using conventional edge-emitting lasers. For example, VCSELs have a surface-normal emission, and geometry similar to that of a photodetector allowing for easy alignment and packaging in the reflective sensor of example embodiments of the present invention. VCSELs may also have a low threshold currents enabling high-density arrays of VCSELs, which may be advantageous for certain applications of embodiments of the present invention implementing arrays of VCSELs or photodetectors in a sensor. VCSELs also have circular and low divergence output beams that may eliminate the need for corrective optics and may allow for low cost and predictable alignment. VCSELS are also characterized by lower temperature sensitivity and low power consumption potentially allowing for additional applications and placements according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

According to another example embodiment of the present invention, the phototransistor 230 shown in Figure 2 can be a shunt phototransistor. Figure 3 illustrates a schematic of a shunt phototransistor. A shunt phototransistor is a phototransistor with internal base-emitter shunt resistance. The shunt phototransistor includes a first resistor R _p . The resistor R _p may be an internal

resistor that is formed by doping a region of P ⁺ conductivity type material in a portion of the N conductivity type semiconductive material.

Referring to Figure 4, another schematic of a shunt phototransistor is shown. The phototransisor Qi includes a base, an emitter, and a collector. A diode Di is formed by a junction between N conductivity type material and P ⁺ conductivity type material and a photocurrent S ₀ is created when light is imposed on the diode Dl . A resistor R _p is formed by doping a second region of P ⁺ conductivity type material in a portion of N conductivity type semiconductive material. The junction relationship between the N conductivity type material and the second region of P ⁺ conductivity type material provides a diode relationship that is represented by diode D _p , which is a parasitic diode that is formed by the structure of the first resistor R _p .

The shunt phototransistor incorporates all of the desired features of a standard phototransistor with the added advantage of low level light rejection. The phototransistor switching occurs when the light from the VCSEL reflected off of the object increases above a threshold ("knee point"). When the light level exceeds the knee point of the shunt phototransistor, it will function as a standard phototransistor. Figure 5 illustrates the light current output of an example shunt phototransistor as compared to a standard phototransistor with similar sensitivity. Figure 5 depicts the specified limits of light current slope for the example shunt phototransistor with a slope beginning at a knee point of 0.25mW/cm . Light current slopes for high and low gain and standard phototransistors are shown for comparison. Note that for phototransistors of the same gain, the slopes are the same.

The shunt phototransistor may have different knee points and light current slopes. The light current slope is the change in light current output divided by the change in source irradiances defined by Equation 1 as follows: I _L Slope = [ I _LI ( @ Hi ) -I _L2 ( @ H ₂ ))] / [H ₁ -H ₂ ]

(1) where:

I _L slope is the light current slope in mA/mW/cm ² ; I _L is the light current output in mA; and H is the source intensity in mW/cm ² .

The knee point (e.g. the source irradiance needed to increase I _L to 5OuA in this instance but subject to change based on the value of R _p ) is another parameter of the phototransistor circuit design. Variation in the knee point is offset by the

internally guardbanded light current slope limits and an appropriate formula for circuit design is defined by Equation 2 as follows: I _L = I _L slope _min * (H _A - H _KP )

(2) where: I _L is the light current output in mA;

I _L slope _m i _n is the minimum limit on the light current slope (i.e. 4.0mA/mW/cm ² );

H _A is the source light incident on the detector for the application; and H _KP is the specified level of source light incident on the detector at the typical knee point (e.g. 0. 25 mW/cm ² ).

The present example embodiments incorporating a shunt phototransistor can be particularly well suited for environments where an ambient light or other low level light conditions are present. The shunt phototransistor further provides high contrast ratio where unwanted background reflection or other low level interference is a possibility. The high contrast ratio is particularly advantageous when coupled with the particularly well defined emission of a VCSEL, as compared to a LED, giving an almost "digital" type response to the presence of an object in certain instances.

According to another example embodiment of the present invention, the phototransistor 230 shown in Figure 2 can be a shunt phototransistor with reverse bias protection. A schematic of a shunt phototransistor with reverse bias protection is illustrated in Figure 6. As shown, a phototransistor can be provided with a first resistor R _p that operates as a shunt resistor, and a second resistor R _N+ that operates to protect the device from damage that may be caused by a reverse bias condition. Referring now to Figure 7, another schematic of a shunt phototransistor with reverse bias protection is shown. The first resistor R _p can be provided in a manner described above in conjunction with Figure 4. In addition, a second resistor R _N + can also be connected between the emitter E of transistor Qi and the parasitic diode D _p .

The presence of the parasitic diode D _p creates a current path between the emitter terminal and collector terminal of transistor Qi and, in the event of a reverse voltage connected across the transistor, could damage the device. The second resistor R _N+ prevents this damage by disposing a resistance in this current path provided by the parasitic diode.

The possible damage results from the creation of a PN junction relationship caused by the doping of N conductivity type material with P ⁺ conductivity type material in order to form the shunt resistor R _p . This junction relationship creates a parasitic diode that provides a current path between the emitter and collector terminals of a shunt phototransistor. In order to prevent damage that might occur during a reverse voltage connection, the second resistor R _N + is coupled between the emitter of transistor Qi and the first resistor R _p . The second resistor R _N+ is in series with the junction relationship resulting from the structure used to form the first resistor R _p , and therefore, serves to limit the current flowing between the emitter and collector terminals of the shunt transistor under reversed bias conditions. An example embodiment of the present invention including a shunt phototransistor with reverse bias protection can create a more robust sensor by preventing damage that would otherwise be caused by a reverse voltage placed across the collector and emitter of the phototransistor.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.