JP2002344010A - Detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To timely announce the maintenance period of sensors, constituted of photoelectric elements to be used for the human detector of a automatic ticket examining and collecting machine. SOLUTION: This detector, equipped with a plurality of sensors constituted of photoelectric elements, is provided with a monitoring means for monitoring the detected state of these sensors, and an output means for outputting an announcement signal for urging maintenance of the sensor, when the detection of an object to be detected cannot be executed by anyone of those sensors.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a detection device using a transmission sensor or a reflection sensor comprising a photoelectric element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A detecting device using a transmission type sensor or a reflection type sensor comprising a photoelectric element is widely adopted as a device for detecting an object in various industrial fields.

[0003] For example, a transmission type sensor as a human detector in an automatic ticket gate is provided on one side of a casing of the automatic ticket gate installed with a predetermined interval along a passage direction of the ticket gate. In addition, a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged while maintaining the above, and light receiving elements are provided on the other side of the housing at positions corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements. Therefore, a user (passenger) in the ticket gate passage can be detected by the transmission type sensor.

[0004] A reflection type sensor as a human detector in an automatic ticket gate passes through the ticket gate in a sensor box provided on the upper surface of the casing of the automatic ticket gate. A light-emitting element is provided for emitting light toward an adult user and at predetermined intervals in the direction of passage of the ticket gate, and a light-receiving element for receiving light reflected from the user (reflected light) Is provided. Therefore, when the user is detected by the reflection type sensor, the user is determined to be an adult user. When the user is not detected by the reflection type sensor and the user is detected only by the transmission type sensor, the user is determined to be a child (child) user.

[0005] By the way, in the above-described conventional detection device including a photoelectric element, if the light projecting surface or the light receiving surface is contaminated by dust or the like, there is a possibility that an object cannot be detected or an object is erroneously detected. Therefore, in order to prevent such inconvenience, the detection device including the photoelectric element is regularly subjected to maintenance and inspection such as cleaning of the light emitting surface and the light receiving surface.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned conventional sensor detecting device comprising a photoelectric element is regularly maintained and inspected, but it is not only difficult to determine the maintenance and inspection time, but also the maintenance is required. If the inspection period is too short, there is a drawback that maintenance costs increase.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide a detection device capable of accurately notifying a maintenance time.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detection apparatus including a plurality of sensors each including a photoelectric element, the monitoring apparatus comprising: a plurality of sensors each configured to monitor a detection state of the plurality of sensors. Means, and output means for outputting a notification signal prompting maintenance and inspection of the sensor when any one of the plurality of sensors cannot detect the object to be detected. . In addition, the output of the notification signal for prompting the maintenance and inspection of the sensor is performed when any one of the plurality of sensors cannot detect the object to be detected a predetermined number of times. The sensor including the photoelectric element is a transmission sensor or a reflection sensor. Further, the sensor including the photoelectric element is provided in an automatic ticket gate.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows one of a pair of housings constituting a main body (hereinafter, referred to as “main body”) G of the automatic ticket gate when the detecting device according to the embodiment is applied to the automatic ticket gate. It is a perspective view of body G1. The other housing (not shown) is provided facing the one housing G1 with the ticket gate P interposed therebetween.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a ticket entrance provided on the entrance side of the casing G1 in the direction of passage of the ticket gate P, and 2 denotes
An exit 3 is provided on the upper surface of the housing G1 on the exit side of the ticket gate P. Reference numeral 3 denotes a ticket exit P near the exit 2.
The display screen 4, which is provided on the exit side for guiding the user to the predetermined content by text, is a speaker for guiding the user to the predetermined content by voice.

A card handler (not shown) is provided in the housing G1 between the inlet 1 and the outlet 2. This card handler is configured to be able to convey a ticket or the like inserted from the insertion slot 1 to the exit 2 or a ticket collection box provided in the housing G1 (not shown).
Then, during the transportation, it is necessary to read the data recorded in the tickets inserted into the slot 1, write new data, perform punching and printing as necessary, and return the data to the user. Discharge certain tickets to Exit 2
Tickets that need to be collected in the housing G1 can be collected in a ticket box.

In FIG. 1, B is a sensor box,
It is provided on the upper surface of the housing G1 and on the side opposite to the ticket gate passage P, and is provided along the ticket gate passage P. The sensor box B has a built-in human detector including reflective sensors S, S,..., And is configured to detect an adult user in the ticket gate P. That is, the reflection type sensors S, S... Irradiate a light beam toward the ticket gate P, and a light receiving device that receives a light beam (reflected light) reflected by the irradiated light beam hitting an object (user). And an element.

In FIG. 1, S ', S'... Are transmissive sensors composed of photoelectric elements, which are provided at predetermined intervals on the side of a ticket gate passage P between a pair of housings. It is configured to be able to detect the position of the user in the inside. That is, the transmission type sensors S ', S',... Have a light emitting element on one side surface of the housing and a light receiving element on the other side surface of the housing. If the transmission type sensors S ′, S ′... Are detected and the above-mentioned reflection type sensors S, S... Are not detected, the user is determined to be a child user.

In FIG. 1, D1 and D11 are doors for opening and closing the ticket gate passage P, and a controller C for integrally controlling the housing G1.
It is configured to be driven by The other housing (not shown) is provided with a door at a position corresponding to the doors D1 and D11 of the housing G1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller C has a central processing unit (CPU) 11 for performing predetermined entry / exit arithmetic processing using a system program and working data stored in a memory 10. ing. And this CP
U11 is a card handler 12 via an I / O unit (not shown), a door driver 13 for driving and controlling the doors D1 and D11, and human detection devices (S, S..., S ', S'...).
And a communication control unit 15 for connecting to a monitoring panel (not shown) installed at a clerk window. Note that the CPU 1
A device such as a display driver for driving and controlling the display screen 3 is also connected to 1, but is omitted here.

The above-mentioned automatic ticket gate is of a loading type in which tickets are loaded into a housing G1 for processing. The tickets are non-contact tickets made of an IC card having a wireless communication function.
When processing the contactless ticket, a reader / writer having an antenna for exchanging data with the contactless ticket is provided in the housing G1.

Hereinafter, the control operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Now, it is assumed that the main body G is operated and the detection of the user in the ticket gate passage P is started (step 1).
00 affirmation. Hereinafter, the step is referred to as “S”. ).

When the user passing through the ticket gate P is detected by all the reflection sensors S, S... And the transmission sensors S ', S'... (Yes at S102), the human detector operates normally. It is determined that there is. Then, the detected user is determined to be an adult user.

By the way, the user passing through the ticket gate P is detected by all the transmission sensors S ', S',..., And the reflection sensors except for the central reflection sensor S among the reflection sensors S, S. When the detection is performed in S, S... (No in S102), and when there is a non-detection in which the central reflective sensor S cannot perform the human detection a predetermined number of times (for example, five times) (S104 affirmation, S106 affirmation) ), It is determined that the maintenance and inspection time of the sensor has come, and the fact is output to the monitoring panel via the communication control unit 15 (S108). In the above case, since the user is detected by the remaining reflective sensors S, S..., The user is determined to be an adult user. In addition, another device such as a station control device may be provided outside the monitoring panel as a notification destination, and a lamp provided on the main body G may be turned on.

As described above, when a signal prompting maintenance is output when a predetermined number of non-detections continue, a maintenance inspection signal is output when one non-detection that occurs suddenly for some reason. Can be effectively prevented.

In the above-described example, the non-detection sensor is an example of the reflection type sensor S provided in the center, but the same applies to other sensors.

Further, the above-described example shows an example in which the detection device is applied to a human detector of an automatic ticket gate. However, the detection device can be applied to any detection device having a sensor including a plurality of photoelectric elements.

[0023]

According to the present invention, there is provided a detecting device for monitoring a detection state of a plurality of sensors, and when one of the plurality of sensors cannot detect an object to be detected. And output means for outputting a notification signal for prompting maintenance and inspection of the sensor, so that the maintenance and inspection timing of the sensor can be notified in a timely manner. In addition, when the output of the notification signal prompting the maintenance of the sensor is performed when any one of the plurality of sensors cannot perform the detection of the detected object a predetermined number of times, a sudden Can be prevented from notifying due to non-detection.
When the sensor including the photoelectric element is a transmission sensor or a reflection sensor, the maintenance / inspection time of the transmission sensor or the reflection sensor can be effectively notified. Further, when the sensor composed of the photoelectric element is provided in the automatic ticket gate, it is possible to effectively notify the maintenance inspection time of the human detector of the automatic ticket gate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one of a pair of housings constituting a main body when a detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an automatic ticket gate.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation.

[Description of Signs] G Automatic ticket gate main body (main body) G1 housing D1, D11 door P ticket gate passage S, S ... Reflection type sensor S ', S' ... Transmission type sensor 1 Inlet 2 Outlet 4 Speaker

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A detection device comprising a plurality of sensors each composed of a photoelectric element, wherein: a monitoring means for monitoring a detection state of the plurality of sensors; and any one of the plurality of sensors detects an object to be detected. Output means for outputting an information signal prompting maintenance and inspection of the sensor when the detection becomes impossible. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the output of the notification signal prompting the maintenance and inspection of the sensor is performed when any one of the plurality of sensors cannot detect the object to be detected a predetermined number of times. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein 3. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor including the photoelectric element is a transmission sensor or a reflection sensor. 4. A sensor comprising a photoelectric element is provided in an automatic ticket gate.
The detection device according to any one of the above.