JPH05501304A - Obstacle detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Obstacle detection device The present invention relates to an obstacle detection device, and particularly to an obstacle detection device for moving an elevator or a train. This invention relates to a device for detecting obstacles in the path of a moving object such as a door.

Such doors are often automatically controlled and are designed to prevent the presence of obstacles such as objects in their path. It should be possible to detect the movement and stop the movement. For elevator doors, Ensure that the door closes before the aircraft ascends or descends, and that the door It is important to ensure that the vehicle does not hit or even startle passengers. Ru. In addition, at least two independent protection devices are included in the door mechanism, both of which are on the safety side. It is also useful to have a failure in the open state. Typically, one mechanism A beam can be used and the other mechanism monitors the door torque.

0 area A where it is desirable to monitor two different areas of one doorway as shown in Figure 4 is the area of /J% thickness that follows the closed door path across the doorway. this Obstacles in the path cause the door to "hold" so people can enter and exit the elevator. 0 area B is located just in front of the door, and 8 area B, which is wider than area A, is where the door stops. Extends a distance greater than the distance and prevents the door from hitting people passing through the entrance.

According to the invention, the a transmitter and a receiver mounted on the other side of the area to receive the signal from the transmitter. positioned within at least a portion of the field of view to reflect the signal back to the receiver. and has a significantly higher reflectivity than any other object at which the emitter is normally directed. The presence of a reflector and objects intervening in the path from the transmitter to the receiver via the reflector. a device for detecting attenuation of the signal received by the receiver to indicate an obstruction; A sensing device is provided.

The reflector is within only a portion of the field of view, relatively close to the receiver, and within the field of view in which it is located. Detects an enhancement in the signal received by the receiver that indicates the intrusion of an object in a part outside the part It is desirable that the device include a device that does this.

According to the invention, each pair of transmitters and receivers are arranged in close proximity and share a substantially common field of view. each set includes a transmitter/receiver mounted in spaced apart relationship along the leading edge of the door. The arrangement of the transmitter/receiver pairs and the visual field of each transmitter/receiver pair adjacent to the surface it hits when the door is closed. located within at least a portion of the field of view and higher than any other surface normally within the field of view. The existence of a reflective device with a fairly high reflectance and an object interposed between the door and the reflective device detecting the attenuation of the signal received by one or more receivers to indicate the presence of A moving door system is provided that includes a system for moving the door.

The reflector is only in part of the field of view, and does not cover any part of the field of view other than the part in which the reflector is located. an increase in the number of signals received by one or more receivers to indicate the intrusion of an object within a minute. It is desirable that a device for detecting the strength be provided.

Each transmitter/receiver pair is multiplexed to Can be activated and monitored in sequence.

The reflector, or reflective device, is preferably a retroreflector, but other types such as a plane mirror may also be used. Any reflector of , if care is taken to prevent unwanted reflections from reaching the receiver, can be used. The retroreflector can be a spherical bead screen or a suitable small It is advantageous to take the form of an object with surfaces.

Advantageously, each set of fields of view is arranged such that the majority lies on the selected side of the doorway. be.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view of the elevator door device.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the door device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the present invention. J4 wants to monitor FIG. 3 is a diagram of the doorway area.

1 and 2, the elevator door l is installed close to the elevator frame 2. It will be done. Another door 3 is installed at each landing, and when in use, each dance Passengers cannot enter or exit the elevator until both platform door 3 and elevator door 1 are open. Multiple sets of transmitter/receiver units in vertically spaced relationship on the door where it is not possible to 4 will be installed.

These sets may be of any suitable type, such as infrared, ultrasound, etc. Each transmitter and receiver may be placed in close proximity or integrated into one unit so that they are They are arranged so that they share a common field of view F. Therefore, the transmitter and receiver focus On the other side of the door shown in Figures 1 and 2, a fixed doorstop post 5 is shown. 0 In systems using two double doors, the other door takes the place of this pillar. The doorstop post 5, which may be able to A reflective strip 6 is mounted vertically. This is useful for e.g. multiple corner cues It can include bu.

or road markings [2] which may have a coating of retroreflective paint of the commonly used types. Other types of retroreflective media may be used, such as a translucent sphere to form the outer edge. Alternatively, a screen with embedded shaped beads can be applied, like a flat mirror. A zero reflector, or a retroreflector, can be used for other reflectors in the surrounding area. It is desirable that the reflector be of a sufficiently good quality than any other surface. The retroreflector is It has the effect of reflecting all radiation back in the direction in which it came. Therefore, Figure 1 Almost all the radiation emitted within the plane (horizontal) opening angle region R of is reflected back to the receiver section of the transmitter/receiver 4. Similarly, the transmitter in Figure 1 and Figure 2 / All the radiation in the vertical opening tilted wall S by the receiver 4a is reflected back to that situation. 6 An obstacle such as a hand 7 is placed in the area between the transmitter/receiver set 4 and the retroreflector 6. When exposed to radiation, less radiation is reflected back. Therefore, the transmitter/receiver section 4 receives The signal to be used will be reduced. Attenuation of this signal is done using standard well-known techniques such as limit value methods. 1, e.g. using a comparator or delay, and the door closes. or if it is already closing, stop it from closing and open it. Used to give an instructional signal. Therefore, all objects in the direct closing path of the door Any obstruction immediately prevents the door from closing6. A limit value unit 20 is shown in FIG. the signal is less than a predetermined limit value and/or a second predetermined limit value. If it is greater than the value, a control signal is sent to stop the door from closing or start opening the door as appropriate. Output the number. Such units are known. Of course, other signal detection devices can also be used. Can be used.

The transmitter/receiver pair 4 is placed at a distance d below one side of the door l. This distance The distance should be approximately 50 mm, which is close to the diameter of the child's wrist, and the body should be within the closing path of the door. In some cases, any part of the body is usually visible at all times. The advantageous transmitter/receiver pairs are unfocused and overlap each other as shown in Figure 2. Ru. Therefore, when an object is placed in front of the retroreflector 6, there are usually at least two receivers. The hand placed at position 7b in Figure 2 causes an attenuation of the signal received by the transmitter 4. /part of the signal from the receiver 4a and the transmitter/receiver above the transmitter/receiver 4a 4b, resulting in attenuation of some of the signal from 4b. Each receiver of each respective transmitter/receiver section 4 By measuring the output of the signal and noting its relative changes, the location of the obstacle can be determined. , can be detected with a high degree of accuracy 1, e.g. at the receiver 4a. If the signal decreases by 172 and the signal at receiver 4b decreases by 1/4, then the object The body must be in a position close to 4a, between 4a and 4b.

The transmitter/receiver sections 4 are operated in sequence, ie multiplexed, so that the received signals are in phase with each other. It would be preferable to compare the two with each other; this is done using a retroreflective paint reflector. This is particularly preferred in order to prevent the reception of unwanted radiation.

Although a retroreflective strip is attached to the doorstop post as shown, instead Alternatively, they can be placed on the edge of the door in a double-door system.

Radiation from the transmitter 4 that falls outside the area defined by the retroreflective strip 6 is It is either reflected by the surface it hits and dissipated, or, more typically, absorbed. The image produced by the strip 6 is either If an object is placed within this area outside of the defined area, this object will If it is close enough to the transmitter/receiver section, it will reflect the radiation back and increase the received signal. It has a strengthening effect. Therefore, it is close to its transmitter/receiver section and Within the area determined by the reflectance of the Obstacles make their presence known by signal enhancement. . The system according to the invention therefore automatically monitors two different areas simultaneously, but Monitor independently, eliminating the need for two or more different types of sensors. this area can correspond to required areas A and B in Figure 4. are very young or old passengers who are not directly in the closed path. If so, this dual zone surveillance is preferable because closing the door would startle the passenger. stomach.

If the elevator is used during busy periods, the elevator will be packed with maximum capacity. Often, in such cases, a person of 1 Å or more stands very close to the edge of the corner of the elevator. The need usually arises. In such situations, an obstacle detection device can detect such a person. Figure 3 shows that the central plane of the field of view makes an angle φ in the door closing direction. By rotating the field of view of one transmitter/receiver pair about a vertical axis to , such detection is avoided. This angle φ is The detection area where signal enhancement occurs is directly in front of elevator door 1 and landing door 3. , the three transmitter/receiver pairs determined are still located on the door stop post or second door. 5 and even retro-reflectors and can directly point to obstacles in the closed path. It is possible to detect signal attenuation that indicates The object to be detected is the retroreflective strip 6 An enhancement of the signal will be seen if it enters the detection zone outside the area defined by .

A reference transmitter outside the detection zone, as a reference for comparison to other sets. /receiver set; instead, it is preferable to average all the received signals. By doing so, a reference signal can be created.

The present invention allows all transmitter/receiver pairs to be oriented at specific angles without focusing. It has a conical field of view that eliminates the need for separate focusing of each set. Become In applications it is possible to limit the viewing angle. This is partially focused Use a matched transmitter and receiver or a shutter to limit the angle of view. It can be implemented.

On the right side of the door in the diagram, only a passive retroreflector is needed; an active circuit is needed on one side of the doorway. Significant cost savings are achieved since only one side is needed. Therefore, both sides of the doorway Wiring to connect is omitted, and power consumption is also reduced.

The retroreflector 6 is also preferably housed in an enclosure of the same shape as the transmitter/receiver circuit. , these circuits are housed in an elongated channel extending up and down the length of the door. In many cases, retroreflectors can also be installed within similar components, significantly reducing costs. The appearance of the system will be improved. The protective channel also has a transmitter/receiver The present invention also helps protect both the instrument set and the retroreflector. in vision systems, or with robots, mechanical guards, and for transportation or material handling. 1 The present invention can also be used for intruder detection systems. Wear.

Copy and translation of written amendment) Submission (Article 184-8 of the Patent Law) April 13, 1992

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. transmitters mounted on one side of the area to be monitored and having a substantially common field of view and a receiver mounted on the other side of the area to reflect the signal from the transmitter. the field of view for return to the receiver; a reflection that has a significantly higher reflectance than any other object at which the emitter is normally directed and the presence of an object intervening in the path from the transmitter to the receiver via the reflector. and a device for detecting attenuation of the signal received by the receiver to indicate the obstruction. Detection device. 2. The reflector is within only a portion of the field of view and is relatively close to the receiver so that the reflector a signal received by the receiver indicating the intrusion of an object in a part outside the existing part of the field of view; 2. The obstacle detection device of claim 1, further comprising a device for detecting an enhancement of the obstacle detection device. 3. Obstacle detection according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of spaced apart transmitter/receiver sets. Knowledge device. 4. 4. The obstacle detection system of claim 3, wherein each of said receivers includes a device for comparing received signals. Knowledge device. 5. A claim comprising a device that detects the approximate position of an obstacle using the compared signals. Item 4: Obstacle detection device. 6. Obstacle detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reflector is a retroreflector. . 7. Each set includes a transmitter and a receiver in close proximity and sharing a substantially common field of view; An array of transmitter/receiver pairs, each pair mounted in spaced apart relationship along the leading edge of the door. and at least the field of view of each transmitter/receiver pair adjacent to the surface that the door hits when closed. is also installed within the area and is significantly higher than any other surface normally within the field of view. A reflective device with reflectivity and an object that indicates the presence of an object interposed between the door and the reflective device. a device for detecting attenuation of the signal received by one or more receivers in order to Including moving door device. 8. The reflector is only in a part of the field of view, and the reflector is in only a part of the field of view, and outside the part of the field in which it is received by one or more receivers to indicate intrusion of an object in a portion of the field of view; 8. The moving door system of claim 7, wherein a device is provided for detecting signal enhancement. 9. Each transmitter/receiver pair is multiplexed. 9. A moving door system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the moving door system is operated and monitored in sequence. 10. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the receivers includes a device for comparing the signals it receives. Movable door device according to any item in item 9. 11. The claim includes a device for detecting the approximate position of an object using the compared signals. The moving door device of item 10. 12. A moving door according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein the reflecting device is a retro-reflecting device. Device. 13. One or more sets of fields of view are arranged such that the majority of the field of view is on the selected side of the doorway. A moving door device according to any of claims 7 to 12, wherein the moving door device is arranged.