Reflective photoelectric sensor and object detecting method

1. A reflective photoelectric sensor comprising:

light projector emitting light;

light receiver receiving optical feedback from the light emitted from the light projector;

evaluator determining whether or not an object exists in the direction in which the light is emitted from the light projector, based on the optical feedback; and

a reflection preventing plate having a moth-eye structure, disposed at a position on the optical path of the light that is emitted from the light projecting means at a position that is more distant than the location at which the object is anticipated to appear.

2. The reflective photoelectric sensor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

the evaluator determines whether or not an object exists in the direction in which the light is emitted, based on the optical feedback.

3. The reflective photoelectric sensor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

the evaluator determines that an object exists in the direction in which the light is emitted when the distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance when calculating the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback based on the optical feedback.

4. A reflective photoelectric sensor comprising:

a semiconductor laser emitting a laser light; a laser driver driving the semiconductor laser;

light receiver for converting into an electric signal the laser light that is emitted from the semiconductor laser and an optical feedback from this laser light;

distance determination processor for calculating the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback, based on information for an interference waveform that is generated by the laser light and the optical feedback, included in the output information of the light receiver, to determine that an object exists in the direction in which the laser light is emitted, if this distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance; and

a reflection preventing plate having a moth-eye structure, disposed at a position on the optical path of the laser light that is emitted from the semiconductor laser at a position that is more distant than the location at which the object is anticipated to appear.

5. The reflective photoelectric sensor as set forth in claim 4 , wherein:

the laser driver causes the semiconductor laser to operate so as to alternate between a first oscillation interval that includes at least an interval wherein the oscillation wavelength is increased continuously and monotonically, and a second oscillation interval which includes at least an interval wherein the oscillation wavelength is decreased continuously and monotonically; and wherein:

the distance determination processor comprises:

a counter counting the number of interference waveforms during the first oscillation interval and the number of interference waveforms during the second oscillation interval; and

a determiner calculating the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback based on the counting results by the counter and determining that an object exists in the direction of emission of the laser light if this distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance.

6. A reflective collector sensor comprising:

a semiconductor laser emitting a laser light; a laser driver driving the semiconductor laser;

detector detecting an electric signal that includes an interference waveform that is produced through the self-coupling effect between the laser light that is emitted from the semiconductor laser and optical feedback of this laser light;

distance determination processor transmitting the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback, based on the interference waveform information that is included in the output signal from the detector, to determine that an object exists in the direction of the emission of the laser light if the distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance; and

a reflection preventing plate having a moth-eye structure, disposed at a position on the optical path of the laser light that is emitted from the semiconductor laser at a position that is more distant than the location at which the object is anticipated to appear.

7. The reflective photoelectric sensor as set forth in claim 6 , wherein:

the reflection preventing plate is disposed so that a magnitude of the optical feedback from the reflection preventing plate when there is no object is greater than a critical point Γc and less than a critical point fextc, when the critical point Γc of the magnitude of the optical feedback that produces a mode competition between the resonator mode of the semiconductor laser itself and an external resonator mode, and fextc is the critical point for a magnitude of the optical feedback due to a coherent collapse.

8. An object detecting method comprising the steps of:

emitting light based on a light projecting procedure;

receiving optical feedback of the light emitted in the light projecting procedure based on a light receiving procedure;

determining whether or not an object exists in the direction in which light is emitted in the light projecting procedure, based on the optical feedback based on a determining procedure; and

disposing a reflection preventing plate of a moth-eye structure at a position on the optical path of the light that is emitted in the light projecting procedure at a position that is more distant than the location at which the object is anticipated to appear.

9. The object detecting method as set forth in claim 8 , wherein:

the determining procedure determines whether or not an object exists in the direction in which the light is emitted, based on the magnitude of optical feedback.

10. The object detecting method as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the determining procedure comprises the steps of: calculating, based on the optical feedback, the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback, and determining that an object exists in the direction in which the light is emitted if this distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance.

11. An object detecting method comprising the steps of:

supplying a driving electric current to a semiconductor laser to cause the semiconductor laser to operate based on an oscillating procedure;

converting into an electric signal the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser and the optical feedback of that laser light based on a light receiving procedure;

calculating the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback based on interference waveform information generated by the laser light and the optical feedback included in the output signal obtained from the light receiving procedure to determine that an object exists in the direction in which the laser light is emitted when this distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance based on a distance determination processing procedure; and

disposing a reflection preventing plate of a moth-eye structure at a position on the optical path of the laser light that is emitted from the semiconductor laser at a position that is more distant than the location at which the object is anticipated to appear.

12. The object detecting method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein:

the oscillating procedure causes the semiconductor laser to operate so as to alternate between a first oscillation interval that includes at least an interval wherein the oscillation wavelength is increased continuously and monotonically, and a second oscillation interval which includes at least an interval wherein the oscillation wavelength is decreased continuously and monotonically; and wherein:

the distance determination processing procedure comprises the steps of: counting the number of interference waveforms during the first oscillation interval and the number of interference waveforms during the second oscillation interval; and calculating the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback based on the counting results by the counting means and determining that an object exists in the direction of emission of the laser light if this distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance.

13. An object detecting method, comprising the steps of:

supplying a driving electric current to a semiconductor laser to cause the semiconductor laser to operate based on an oscillating procedure;

detecting an electric signal including an interference waveform produced through the self-coupling effect of the laser light that is emitted from the semiconductor laser and the optical feedback from the laser light based on a detecting procedure;

calculating the distance of the point of reflection of the optical feedback based on interference waveform information included in the output signal obtained in the detecting procedure to determine that an object exists in the direction in which the laser light is emitted when this distance is closer than a predetermined reference distance based on a distance determination processing procedure; and

disposing a reflection preventing plate of a moth-eye structure at a position on the optical path of the laser light that is emitted from the semiconductor laser at a position that is more distant than the location at which the object is anticipated to appear.

14. An The object detecting method as set forth in claim 13 , wherein:

the reflection preventing plate is disposed so that the magnitude of the optical feedback from the reflection preventing plate when there is no object is greater than the critical point Γc and less than the critical point fextc, when the critical point Γc of the magnitude of the optical feedback that produces a mode competition between the resonator mode of the semiconductor laser itself and an external resonator mode, and fextc is the critical point for the magnitude of the optical feedback due to a coherent collapse.