JP2000291337A - Holding detecting method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely detect a bite in all range of a closing track even if it is the mark of a single body. SOLUTION: A bite detecting device is provided with a probing section 30 housing the light emitting section 31 and light receiving section 32 which are made so as to be attached to a structure 10, a ranging section calculating the distance to a reflection position based on the light emitting and receiving by the light emitting section 31, and a judging section to judge the holding made along the closing track of the opening and closing aperture formed in the structure 10 based on the distance calculated by the ranging section. This device is set at a position adjacent to the opening and closing aperture of the structure 10 and the distance to a reflection position is calculated by performing light emission and reception along the closing track formed when the opening and closing aperture of the structure 10 closes, and judging of holding on the closing mark is performed based on the distance. Through this operation, light is reciprocated along the closing mark, and precise judgement can be made based on the information of the reflection position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an entrapment detection method and apparatus for detecting an entrapment of a foreign object or the like by a door or the like in a railway vehicle or the like. The present invention relates to a pinch detection method and a pinch detection device based on an optical non-contact detection method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 shows a railway car employing a general contact-type pinch detection method.
(A) is a cross-sectional plan view of a door portion, (b) is a front view of a door portion, and (c) is a circuit diagram of a driving portion of a door bulging indicator lamp and the like. FIG. 10 shows a general non-contact detection method used for a ticket gate, an entrance, or the like.

In the former case (see FIG. 9), the railway vehicle 10
In order to open and close the entrance 11 (opening / closing opening) formed in the (structure) with the double door 12 (see FIG. 9A),
The door 12 is horizontally movably suspended by a rod 14 driven by an air cylinder or the like via a link 13 (see FIG. 9B), and both doors 12 are closed when the door 12 closes the entrance 11. When the closing opening 11a (closing notch) formed at the seam becomes a single line extending vertically, the tip of the rod 14 hits the microswitch 15, and further,
In response to this, the door-jam display drive relay 16 drives the door-jam indicator light 17 (see FIG. 9C) to automatically detect whether or not a foreign object such as a user or baggage is trapped in the closing opening 11a. And confirmation display.

In the latter case (see FIG. 10), in order to automatically detect that the user 1 has passed through the entrance 2 and the like, the sensor unit 3 having a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit is connected to both the entrance 2 and the exit 2. It is installed so as to face the side and detects that light is blocked by the user 1. In this case, in order to ensure the reliability and to grasp the difference in height, a plurality of sensor units 3 are often provided at different installation heights.

[0005]

However, some railway vehicles and the like may jump or jump just before the door 12 is closed. Therefore, continuous enhancement of safety is required, and automatic detection of entrapment is also required. It is desired to enhance the detection capability in place of the former contact-type detection method described above or by adding another method thereto. In consideration of the easiness of the combined use, the use of the latter optical sensor, which is a different non-contact detection method, comes to mind.

However, simply applying such a conventional optical detection method as it is to the detection of a pinch in a door or the like does not enable a reliable detection. That is,
It is difficult to install the optical sensors densely without any gaps, and the cost is too high, so that a certain gap is left between the light beams of each optical sensor.
For this reason, when only a part of the user's body or the end of clothes is caught, it is uncertain because the position cannot be detected or cannot be detected.

On the other hand (see FIG. 11), a modification and application in which the sensor unit 3 is installed above and below a closing opening 5 formed by closing the door 4 to perform optical detection along the closing opening 5 can be considered. However, when dirt such as mud adheres to the floor-side sensor unit, the light is blocked by the dirt, which may cause a malfunction. The same disadvantage remains even when a reflection type optical sensor is used in place of the cutoff type with respect to contamination of the reflection plate. In addition, in the system where the sensor is installed only above the door, such as an automatic door, a reflector or the like is not placed on the floor side. It cannot be adopted for the pinch detection in this case.

In particular, in the case of a railway vehicle (see FIG. 12), it is assumed that the user 1 is caught in the skirt or trouser hem when getting on or off, so that not only the center of the entrance 11 but also the vicinity of the floor is included. There is a strong demand for accurate detection. Further, since the railcar 10 is a moving body, the detection conditions are diversified by reflection from the platform 6 and the track 7 and the like, and it is extremely difficult to accurately discriminate and identify them and perform reliable detection. It is. Moreover, the railway vehicle 10
In many cases, the vicinity of the floor is bent so as to expand including the door, so that it is difficult to provide the optical sensors vertically and face each other. For this reason, the only conventional method of operating by applying an optical sensor to pinch detection in a railway vehicle is to install a plurality of sensor units 3 on both sides of the entrance 11 in order to operate the system. Has the above-mentioned disadvantages.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to devise a new optical non-contact pinch detection method, which is different from the conventional method and eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to realize an entrapment detection method and apparatus that can reliably detect entrapment over the entire area of a closed trace even when used alone.

[0010]

Means for solving the problems The structure, operation and effect of the means invented to solve such problems will be described below.

The pinch detection device used in this solution (as described in claim 4 at the beginning of the application) is formed so as to be attachable to a structure and integrally or separately formed a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit. And a distance measuring unit that calculates a distance to a reflection position based on light transmission and reception by the light transmitting unit and the light receiving unit, and a pinch at a closing trace of an opening and closing opening formed in the structure. A determining unit for performing a determining process based on the distance calculated by the distance measuring unit.

[0012] The pinch detection device of this solution (as described in claims 3 and 2 at the time of filing of the application) is fitted or equipped with a structure. That is, a probe unit for mounting on a structure having an opening and closing opening,
An integrally formed or separate light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit which are stored in the probe unit and transmit and receive light in a direction along a closing cut mark of the opening / closing opening when the probe unit is attached to the structure. Unit, a distance measuring unit that calculates the distance to the reflection position based on the light transmission and reception by the light transmitting unit and the light receiving unit, and a determination unit that performs a determination process about entrapment in the closed cut based on the distance. Things.

[0013] Alternatively, a probe section mounted on a structure having an opening / closing opening, and a light transmitting / receiving direction in a direction along a closing cut made when the opening / closing opening is closed and stored in the searching section. Integrally formed or separate light transmitting unit and light receiving unit, a distance measuring unit that calculates a distance to a reflection position based on light transmission and reception by the light transmitting unit and the light receiving unit, and the closing cut based on the distance And a determination unit for performing a determination process regarding the entrapment in.

In the pinch detection device equipped in this way, the light emitted from the light transmitting section reaches the opposing surface such as the floor along the closing cut and is reflected there to return. Since the reflection position is shifted depending on whether or not a human body or a foreign object is caught, a difference occurs in the distance calculated based on the light receiving state. Then, based on the difference in the distance, the presence / absence of the pinching in the closing cut is determined. However, the distance can accurately reflect the position of the foreign matter, etc. over the entire area of the closing cut, and thus the tooth Not only is there no missing or half-finished state, but also accurate discrimination and the like can be performed only by simple calculations based on perspective and the like.

In this way (as described in claim 1 at the beginning of the filing), light is transmitted and received along a closing mark formed when the opening / closing opening of the structure is closed, and the distance to the reflection position is calculated. An entrapment detection method of performing an entrapment determination process at the closed trace based on the distance is performed. Moreover, as long as there is an appropriate luminous intensity, even a single light will reciprocate along the closed cut,
In addition to covering the entire area of the closed trace, appropriate judgment can be easily made based on information corresponding to the reflection position. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably detect the entrapment over the entire area of the closing trace even if it is plural, as well as a single substance.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Various embodiments for implementing the pinch detection device of the present invention achieved by such a solution will be described.

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention (as described in claim 5 at the outset of the application) is the pinch detection device of the above-described solving means, wherein the determination unit is In the determination process, (the length of the closing cut and the width, diameter, and size of the opening / closing opening are determined in consideration of the mounting position of the probe unit, and can be fixedly set or can be changed within a predetermined range. If a predetermined threshold value (set) is compared with the distance and it is detected that the distance continuously falls below the threshold value (for a predetermined time of several seconds to one second or less), there is a pinch. And outputs a significant signal.

In this case, the presence / absence of entrapment can be easily determined according to whether the distance exceeds or falls below the threshold value. Also, when a butterfly, a bird, or flying dust blocks transmission / reception, the distance may temporarily fall below the threshold, but even in such a case, the output of an erroneous signal is avoided. You. Thereby, the detection accuracy can be further improved.

[Second Embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention (as described in claim 6 at the time of filing the application) is the pinching detection device according to the above-mentioned solving means or embodiment, A flexible optical transmission member is provided between the probe unit and the distance measuring unit. In this case, only the probe unit that is resistant to wind and rain and electromagnetic noise is installed on the outer surface of the structure, and the distance measuring unit etc. are stored inside the structure to isolate it mechanically and electromagnetically from the severe external environment. This makes it possible to easily and reliably protect weak points. This ensures reliable operation not only in the case where the structure is a stationary door provided on the platform, but also in the case of a moving object such as a railway train that is exposed to a rapidly changing environment as well as easy to move. Can be secured.

[Third Embodiment] A third embodiment of the present invention (as described in claim 7 at the outset of the filing) is the pinching detection device according to the above-described solving means or embodiment, The light transmitting unit performs light transmission that spreads in a fan shape along the closed cut mark. In this case, even if the light transmission line and the closing cut are slightly separated, or the closing cut is slightly bent, or even if a foreign substance or the like is trapped with a slight inclination,
Foreign matter and the like can be prevented from coming off the light transmission destination.
Thereby, the detection accuracy is further improved.

[Fourth Embodiment] A fourth embodiment of the present invention (as described in claim 8 at the time of filing the application) is the pinching detection device according to the above-mentioned solving means or embodiment, The light-sending section and the light-receiving section intersect in a light-sending direction and a light-receiving direction (at a short distance of several meters or less corresponding to the size of the opening and closing port). This point is clearly different from a general rangefinder in which both directions are almost parallel. In this case, the range of transmission and reception is expanded even near the probe,
Even around that point, it is possible to prevent foreign substances and the like from going out of the detection range. As a result, the detection accuracy is further improved not only in the vicinity of the crossover position but also in the vicinity of the probe section.

[Fifth Embodiment] A fifth embodiment of the present invention (as described in claim 9 at the beginning of the application) is the pinching detection device according to the above-described solving means or embodiment, The structure is a railway vehicle. With respect to railway vehicles, it was difficult to apply general block-type or reflection-type optical sensors due to the specialness of the vehicle body structure and the severe use environment.
The existing mechanical contact detection method can be easily applied without deteriorating. As a result, pinching of the railway vehicle can be reliably prevented. Hereinafter, a method of applying the present invention to a railway vehicle will be specifically described with reference to an embodiment.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A specific configuration of an embodiment of a pinch detection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire structure, and FIG.
(A) is a longitudinal side view of the probe portion,
(B) is a longitudinal front view. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a calculation control unit, and FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a distance calculation unit in the distance measurement unit.

The entrapment detecting device 20 is provided as shown in FIGS.
(Refer to (a)), since the structure to be fitted is the railway vehicle 10, which is for detecting that a foreign substance or the like protrudes from the outside or outside of the railway vehicle 10 and is caught by the door 12. A sensor unit 30 (probe section) mounted on the outer surface of the railway vehicle 10 and exposed to the external environment, an optical cable 40 extending from the sensor unit 30 and reaching the inside of the railway vehicle 10,
And a controller 50 stored in the railway vehicle 10. The sensor unit 30 includes a light projecting lens 31 (a light transmitting unit) and a condenser lens 32 (a light receiving unit).
The controller 50 is a unit of an electronic circuit including a distance measuring unit 51 and a determining unit 52, which will be described in detail later. The optical cable 40 includes a light emitting device 51a of the distance measuring unit 51 (FIG. 3). ) And the light projecting lens 31, and a flexible optical fiber 42 connecting the light receiver 51 b of the distance measuring unit 51 (see FIG. 3) and the condenser lens 32.
Is stored. Thus, the device 20 has the flexible optical transmission members 41 and 42 interposed between the probe unit 30 and the distance measuring unit 51.

The lens box 33 of the sensor unit 30
(See FIG. 2) is a sturdy box to protect the lenses 31, 32, etc. from the external environment. A screw hole or bolt insertion hole is formed on one side and A window is also formed so that the light projecting lens 31 and the condensing lens 32 can transmit and receive light downward when attached to a position immediately above the entrance 11 of the vehicle 10. In addition, a single laterally extending cylindrical lens (rod-shaped lens) is used for the light projecting lens 31 and the condensing lens 32 in consideration of easiness of manufacture and assembly and cost. And the part where the tip of the optical fiber 41 is in contact is
The portion where the tip of the optical fiber 42 abuts functions as the light projecting lens 31 and functions as the condenser lens 32. Thereby, the sensor unit 30 is formed so as to be attachable to the structure 10 in order to attach the sensor unit 30 to the structure 10 having the opening / closing opening 11, and the light transmitting unit 31 and the light receiving unit 32 are integrally formed. It is a stored probe unit.

The cylindrical lens (see FIG. 2)
See FIG. 2 (a), and the outgoing light 34 having a semicircular shape, an elliptical shape, an arc shape or a shape close to it and spreading from the tip of the optical fiber 41 is viewed substantially from the side (see FIG. While squeezing forward, looking from the front (Fig. 2
(Refer to (b)) Since there is no stop, the width increases with the progress 2
It becomes several centimeters about m away. Thereby, the projection lens 3
1 is a door 12 and its closing opening 11a (a closing cut mark)
It is a light transmitting unit that performs light transmission that spreads in a fan shape along.
The condensing lens 32 is also formed similarly to the light projecting lens 31 except that it is symmetrical with respect to the closing opening 11a.
As a result, the light projecting lens 31 and the condensing lens 32 transmit and receive light (34) in directions (35, 36) along the closing mark 11a of the opening / closing opening 11 when the probe unit 30 is mounted on the structure 10. , 36).

Further, in the cylindrical lens (see FIG. 2B), the contact position of the optical fiber 41 with the light projecting lens 31 and the contact position of the optical fiber 42 with the condenser lens 32 are separated by 2 to 3 cm. ing. In addition, the optical fibers 41 and 42 are attached with a slight inclination from the vertical line of the contact surface, and when viewed from the front, the center line 35 of the emitted light of the light projecting lens 31 and the center line of the reflected light of the condenser lens 32 are seen. 36 approach the closing opening 11a side from opposite sides, and overlap with the closing opening 11a together at a distance of about 1 to 2 m. The position of the intersection is determined based on the height of the entrance / exit 11 and the installation position of the sensor unit 30, and the inclination of the optical fiber 41.42 is adjusted so that the position of the intersection coincides with several tens of cm from the lower end of the entrance / exit 11. Is adjusted. The position is where the frequency of occurrence of pinching is high. Thus, the light projecting lens 31 and the condensing lens 32 are a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit where the light transmitting direction and the light receiving direction intersect.

The controller 50 (see FIG. 3) is a distance measuring section 51 which comprises a photoelectric conversion section and an analog circuit and obtains the distance C.
A determination unit 52 comprising a microprocessor system (MPU) for determining the presence or absence of pinching based on the distance C and the threshold value D, and a power supply 53 for instructing operation timing in addition to supplying operating power thereto. A detection signal output unit 54 that outputs a detection signal to the outside based on the determination result of the determination unit 52, a threshold setting unit 55 that sends a threshold D to the determination unit 52, and a housing 56 that stores these. In order to cooperate with the existing mechanical contact detection method, a signal from the micro switch 15 is input and the door stop indicator 17 is driven.

The distance measuring section 51 (see FIG. 3) is connected to the optical fiber 41 so as to be able to transmit light, and is connected to the optical fiber 42 so as to be capable of receiving light. Photodetector 51b that outputs a light receiving signal B together with
And a distance calculation circuit 51c that generates a light emission signal A and receives the light reception signal B to calculate a distance C. The light emitter 51a is composed of a laser diode, a light emitting diode, or the like, and avoids the influence of natural light and emits light in the near infrared region or another wavelength region that does not adversely affect the user 1 according to the light emission signal A. , And is emitted through the optical fiber 41 and the light projecting lens 31. The light receiver 51b is composed of a phototransistor or the like, and is configured to generate a light reception signal B by photoelectrically converting the reflected light returned via the condenser lens 32 and the optical fiber 42.

The distance calculation circuit 51c (see FIG. 4) embodies a so-called continuous modulation phase difference measurement method in consideration of the measurement distance and the cost. That is, the light emitting device 51a
When driving, the distance measurement range is less than 10 m, so that an oscillation signal of 15 MHz is generated as the light emission signal A, and the light emission signal A is frequency-divided to perform the phase difference detection at a low speed. Is also generated. Also,
Regarding the processing of the light reception signal B from the light receiver 51b, the 15 MHz signal obtained by appropriately amplifying the light reception signal B and the 15.015 MHz oscillation signal generated separately are mixed, and the 15 kHz band, which is the difference between the two, is mixed. By extracting and amplifying, an intermediate frequency signal IF having a low frequency is generated while inheriting the phase information of the light receiving signal B. Further, a circuit for detecting a phase difference between the reference signal Ref and the intermediate frequency signal IF having relatively low frequencies and generating a distance C by multiplying the difference by an appropriate magnification if necessary. .

Here, the phase difference between the light emission signal A and the light reception signal B is determined by the fact that the outgoing light 34 emitted from the light projecting lens 31 is reflected upon the object existing on the closed opening 11a or an extension thereof and further condensed by the condensing lens 32. It changes according to the reciprocating distance before returning to. Moreover, the correspondence is the reference signal R
Since the phase difference between the signal ef and the intermediate frequency signal IF is also taken over, the distance C corresponds to the distance from the sensor unit 30 to the reflecting object in the direction of the closing port 11a. Thereby, the distance measuring unit 51 calculates the distance C to the reflection position based on the light transmission and reception by the light transmitting unit 31 and the light receiving unit 32.

The threshold setting section 55 is a distance slightly shorter than the height of the entrance 11, that is, 1.6 m, 1.7 m, 1.8.
m, 1.9 m, a voltage signal generating unit that generates several voltage signals by resistance division, etc., and a rotary switch that selects any one of the voltage signals and outputs it as a threshold value D 55a. Each of the above distances is
It is determined based on the fact that the sensor unit 30 is installed immediately above the entrance 11, and the sensor unit 30 is provided at a location away from the entrance 11,
If is higher, it will be changed accordingly. Accordingly, the threshold value setting unit 55 can change the length of the closing cut 11a and the width, diameter, size, and the like of the opening / closing opening 11 in consideration of the mounting position of the probe unit 51 to the structure 10, and the like, and can change the value within a predetermined range. The threshold D is set.

The determination unit 52 has a comparison routine 52a and a determination routine 52b installed in the program memory in order to perform a determination process regarding the entrapment in the closing cut 11a based on the distance C calculated by the distance measurement unit 51. . The comparison routine 52a is repeatedly started at a constant period of about several ms to several tens of ms, inputs a digitized distance C and a threshold value D via an A / D converter (not shown) as needed, and determines the magnitude of both. A comparison is performed, and the comparison result is passed to the determination routine 52b. Also, the determination routine 52b is started at the same cycle or a later cycle, checks the comparison result of the comparison routine 52a for a predetermined time of about 1 second, and the value of the distance C is smaller than the threshold value D for 90% or more. If the result is that, the detection signal output unit 54 is driven. Accordingly, the determination unit 52 performs
When the threshold value D is compared with the distance C and it is detected that the distance C continuously falls below the threshold value D, it is determined that the closing mark 11a is pinched, and the detection signal output unit 5
4 to output a significant signal.

The detection signal output section 54 includes a relay having the same driving capability as the relay 16 for driving the door deformation indicator 17 driven by the door deformation display driving relay 16 in parallel. It is turned on and off according to the determination result of the determination unit 52. The power supply 53 receives 100 V DC power via the microswitch 15 and lowers the power to an appropriate voltage such as 12 V or 5 V in order to perform a subsequent pinch check in conjunction with the door squeezing operation, and reduces the voltage to another appropriate voltage such as 12 V or 5 V. 51 to 55. The housing 56 is a box made of a good conductor such as aluminum, and is connected to the conductive member of the railway vehicle 10 to enhance the shielding effect.

The mode of use and operation of such an entrapment detection device 20, that is, an embodiment of the entrapment detection method will be described below.
This will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing a method of using the device, and FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation state.

Prior to use, the pinch detection device 20 is fitted to the railcar 10 (see FIGS. 5 and 6), and is provided for each entrance 11 at that time. The sensor unit 30 is disposed immediately above the closing opening 11a of the door 12, and is mounted on the outer surface of the railway vehicle 10 so as to protrude near the door bulging indicator 17 or the like. . One (Fig. 2
(See (a))), the controller 50
It is stored in the interior space of the railroad vehicle 10 which corresponds to the back side of the 0 or door-jam indicator light 17 and is invisible to the public.

In this manner, the sensor unit 30 and the controller 50 are dispersedly installed, and accordingly, the sensor unit 30 which becomes a protrusion on the outer surface of the railway vehicle 10
Is small and low, and the controller 50, which is an electronic circuit that is vulnerable to disturbances such as electromagnetic noise, operates stably under a mild operating environment. Prior to use, the threshold value D is adjusted by operating the rotary switch 55a, and the threshold value D is set to a value smaller by several cm than the distance from the sensor unit 30 to the lowermost end of the entrance 11.

Then (see FIGS. 5 and 6), the railway vehicle 10
Is stopped at the platform 6, and after the user 1 passes through the entrance 11, the door 12 is closed and the micro switch 15 is turned on. When the micro switch 15 is turned on, electric power is supplied to the power supply 53 of the pinch detection device 20, and the controller 50 etc. start operation. Then, the slit-shaped emission light 34 modulated by the light emission signal A is continuously projected downward from the sensor unit 30. The outgoing light 34 travels downward along the closing opening 11a of the door 12, and the railway vehicle 10 and the user 1
What comes after that according to the state of, for example, orbit 7
And the upper surface of the platform 6 or the clothes of the user 1 and the like, and is reflected there, and a part thereof is a sensor unit 3.
The operation returns to the zero condenser lens 32. Thus, transmission and reception of light along the closing opening 11a is performed in conjunction with the operation of the microswitch 15.

Then, the reflected light is converted into a light receiving signal B by the light receiving device 51b, and based on this, a distance C from the sensor unit 30 to the reflection position is calculated by the distance calculating circuit 51c. Further, the determination unit 52 compares the distance C with the threshold value D, and checks whether the distance C is continuously below the threshold value D. If so, the detection signal output unit 54 is driven. The lighting of the door bulging indicator 17 is maintained. Otherwise, the detection signal output unit 54 is not driven.

In this manner, the presence or absence of the pinch in the closing opening 11a is automatically determined based on the distance C, and an alarm is also issued via the door bulging indicator 17 or the like based on the determination. In the detection and the like, a clear reflection is also performed near the floor of the railway vehicle 10 so that the target object is not missed, and based on the comparison between the distance C and the threshold value D, the platform 6, the track 7 and the like are detected. The reflection from the object and the reflection from the foreign matter or the like sandwiched in the closing opening 11a are clearly and accurately distinguished, so that the foreign matter or the like can be reliably detected at any position on the closing opening 11a. be able to.

[0041]

FIRST MODIFIED EXAMPLE In an entrapment detection apparatus whose block diagram is shown in FIG. 7, a threshold setting section 65 is introduced instead of the threshold setting section 55, and a comparison routine 62a and a determination routine are provided to the determination section 52. 62b is additionally installed, and an abnormality detection signal output unit 64 is newly provided.

The threshold value setting section 65 is provided with a dip switch 65a of a plurality of bits instead of the rotary switch 55a so that the threshold value D can be directly set by a digital value. A dip switch 65b is also provided. Normally, a distance farther than the trajectory 7 is set as the threshold value E. Then, the comparison routine 62a also compares the distance C with the threshold E, and when the determination routine 62b detects that the distance C is continuously exceeding the threshold E, the abnormality detection signal output unit 64
Is driven.

In a normal use environment, the distance C does not exceed the threshold value E. Therefore, when this abnormality detection signal is output, the optical path of the optical cable 40 or the like or the distance calculation circuit 51
It is assumed that some inconvenience has occurred in the phase matching between the signals in c. Moreover, in such a situation, the output of the detection signal output unit 54 is suppressed. On the other hand, such an inconvenience can be detected by monitoring the abnormality detection signal, and the reliability is further improved.

[0044]

SECOND MODIFIED EXAMPLE A pinch detection device whose circuit diagram shows a distance measuring section and the like in FIG. 8 detects the amplitude level of a light receiving signal B and compares it with a predetermined threshold value F to continuously determine the threshold value F. Is provided, a non-detection signal output section 74 for outputting a non-detection signal when the value falls below. In this case, the cylindrical lens or the like of the sensor unit 30 is dirty, or a foreign material or the like in the closing opening 11a happens to be made of a special material that almost absorbs the emitted light 34, and therefore, only a weak detection signal is obtained. At times, this is indicated by a non-detection signal. As a result, a situation in which an uncertain determination is made based on an insufficient signal is reliably prevented, and the reliability is further improved.

[0045]

[Other Modifications] In the above embodiment, the distance measuring section 51 is used.
Has been embodied based on the continuous modulation phase difference measurement method, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the distance measurement unit 51 may be based on another method such as a so-called pulse time difference measurement method. Also, the determination unit 52 has embodied this with a microprocessor,
The present invention is not limited to this, and may be embodied by a logic circuit, a relay circuit, or the like. Furthermore, the structure to which the present invention is applied is preferably a railway vehicle, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to a shared bus or other vehicle or moving object, or a home by appropriate design change or the like. It is also applicable to buildings such as doors.

[0046]

As is apparent from the above description, in the entrapment detection method and the entrapment detection device according to the present invention, light reciprocates along a closed cut and an accurate detection is performed based on information on the reflection position. Since the determination can be made, there is an advantageous effect that the entrapment can be reliably detected over the entire area of the closing trace even by itself.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an entire structure of an embodiment of a pinch detection device of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a longitudinal sectional side view and FIG. 2B is a longitudinal sectional front view of the probe unit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the arithmetic control unit.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a distance calculation unit in the distance measurement unit.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing a method of using the device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation state.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an arithmetic control unit of a first modification of the pinch detection device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of a distance calculation unit and the like in a second modification of the pinch detection device of the present invention.

9A is a cross-sectional plan view of a door part, FIG. 9B is a front view of the door part, and FIG. () Is a circuit diagram of a drive unit and the like of the door bulging indicator.

FIG. 10 shows a conventional general non-contact detection method.

FIG. 11 shows an application of the conventional method to pinch detection.

FIG. 12 is an example of application of a conventional method to a railway vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 User (passenger, passenger, entrance, thing caught) 2 Entrance / exit (passage) 3 Sensor unit (light-blocking detector, non-contact type probe unit) 4 Door (opening / closing member) 5 Closing opening (closing mark) 6 Platform 7 Track etc. (ballast ballast, slab, roadbed) 10 Railcar (structure) 11 Doorway (entrance, opening / closing opening) 11a Closing opening (butting part, closing cut mark) 12 Door (opening / closing member) 13 Link (transmission for opening / closing drive) 14) Rod (hanging member for opening / closing drive) 15 Micro switch (mechanical sensor, contact-type probe unit) 16 Door dimming display driving relay 17 Door dimming indicator 20 Entrapment detection device 30 Sensor unit (photodetector, light transmission / reception) Part, non-contact type probe part) 31 light emitting lens (light transmitting part) 32 light collecting lens (light receiving part) 33 lens box (protection box) 34 outgoing light 35 Emitting light center line (light emitting axis, light sending direction) 36 Reflected light center line (light collecting axis, light receiving direction) 37 Crossover position (point where both center lines cross) 40 Optical cable 41 Optical fiber (transmitting fiber, flexible 42 Optical fiber (light receiving side fiber, flexible optical transmission member) 50 Controller (arithmetic control unit) 51 Distance measuring unit 51a Light emitting device (infrared laser, light emitting diode) 51b Light receiving device (phototransistor, photoelectric conversion) Unit) 51c distance calculation circuit (distance calculation unit) 52 determination unit (MPU, microprocessor,
Control device) 52a comparison routine 52b determination routine 53 power supply (operation control unit) 54 detection signal output unit (judgment result output unit) 55 threshold value setting unit 55a rotary switch (selector, selection means) 56 housing (shield box) 62a comparison Routine (second determination unit) 62b Determination routine (second determination unit) 64 Abnormality detection signal output unit (second determination result output unit) 65 threshold setting unit 65a DIP switch (first threshold setting unit) 65b DIP switch (second Threshold setting means) 74 non-detection signal output unit (third determination result output unit)

Claims (9)

[Claims] An object of the present invention is to transmit and receive light along a closed cut formed when an opening / closing opening of a structure is closed, calculate a distance to a reflection position thereof, and determine a trapping in the closed cut based on the distance. And a method for detecting entrapment. 2. A probe mounted to a structure having an opening and closing opening and receiving and transmitting and receiving light in a direction along a closing notch formed when the opening and closing opening is closed. Integrally formed or separate light transmitting unit and light receiving unit, a distance measuring unit that calculates a distance to a reflection position based on light transmission and reception by the light transmitting unit and the light receiving unit, and the closing cut based on the distance And a determination unit for performing a determination process regarding the entrapment in the entrapment detection device. 3. A probe section for mounting to a structure having an opening and closing opening, and said opening and closing section stored in said detecting section and said opening and closing section when said probe section is mounted to said structure. Distance measuring unit that calculates the distance to the reflection position based on the integrated light transmitting and receiving unit and the light transmitting and receiving unit that transmit and receive light in the direction along the closing cut mark And a determination unit for performing a determination process on the entrapment at the closing cut based on the distance. 4. A probe section which is formed so as to be mountable to a structure and stores an integrally formed or separate light transmitting section and light receiving section, and reflects light based on light transmission and reception by said light transmitting section and said light receiving section. A distance measuring unit that calculates a distance to a position, and a determining unit that performs a determination process of entrapment in a closing trace of an opening / closing opening formed in the structure based on the distance calculated by the distance measuring unit. An entrapment detection device characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. A means for comparing a predetermined threshold value with the distance at the time of the determination processing, a means for detecting that the distance has continuously fallen below the threshold value, 5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a unit configured to determine that there is an entrapment based on the result, and a unit that outputs a significant signal based on the determination result. 6. apparatus. 6. A sandwiching device according to claim 2, wherein a flexible optical transmission member is provided between said probe portion and said distance measuring portion. Detection device. 7. The pinch detecting device according to claim 2, wherein the light transmitting section transmits light that spreads in a fan shape along the closing cut. 8. The pinch detecting device according to claim 2, wherein said light transmitting section and said light receiving section have a light transmitting direction and a light receiving direction crossing each other. . 9. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said structure is a railcar.