Safety device for industrial machines comprising fluorescence detection apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF INDUSTRIAL MACHINES OF A TYPE HAVING A WORK BED AREA OVER WHICH OPERATOR''S HANDS PASS DURING MACHINE OPERATION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A SENSOR HEAD SPACED FROM SAID WORK BED, A FLUORESCENCE-PRODUCING RADIATION SOURCE CARRIED BY SAID HEAD AND DIRECTED TOWARD SAID WORK BED FOR BATHING SAID BED AREA WITH SAID RADIATION, MEANS FOR MODULATING SAID SOURCE FOR PRODUCING HIGH INTENSITY PULSES OF PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, GAUNTLET MEANS FORMED WITH A FLUORESCING MATERIAL AND ADAPTED TO BE WORN BY MACHINE OPERATORS WHEREUPON PASSAGE OF OPERATORS'' CLOTHED HANDS OVER SAID RADIATION-BATHED WORK AREA PRODUCES A FLUORESCENCY, MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID MACHINE IN RESPONSE TO SAID GAUNTLET-PRODUCED FLUORESCENCE, A PHOTO-DETECTOR CARRIED BY SAID SENIOR HEAD, A FLUORESCENCE ISOLATING AND TRANSMISSIVE FILTER FOR EXPOSING SAID DETECTOR ONLY TO THE SPECTRAL REGION OF SAID GAUNTLET-PRODUCED FLUORESCENCE, AND MEANS ELECTRICALLY COUPLED BETWEEN SAID DETECTOR OUTPUT AND SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY TRANSMITTING TO SAID CONTROL MEANS ONLY THE DETECTOR OUTPUT PRODUCED IN RESPONSE TO THE FLUORESCENCE RESULTING FROM SAID MODULATED RADIATION SOURCE, SAID SELECTIVE MEANS INCLUDING: A FREQUENCY-DISCRIMINATING MEANS TRANSMISSIVELY RESPONSIVE ONLY TO SAID MODULATED PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, AND AN AMPLITUDE-RESPONSIVE MEANS HAVING A THRESHOLDING RESPONSE FIXED BY SAID MODULATED PULSE INTENSITY.