JP2002112870A - Anti-fogging device for mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an anti-fogging device for a mirror, which eliminates the waste of power consumption. SOLUTION: The device is provided with a human body detection sensor for detecting the movement of a human body, a mirror fitted along a wall surface, an anti-fogging heater fitted to the rear surface of the mirror and a means for connecting the human body detection sensor and the heater electrically to energize the heater only when detecting the human body with the human body detection sensor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing fogging of a mirror in a bathroom or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is conventionally known that a mirror is fogged by steam or the like in a bathroom or a washroom when taking a bath, so that an electric heater is attached to the mirror and the mirror is prevented from fogging by heating by the heater. . Various proposals have been made for structures, methods, and the like for preventing fogging of mirrors.

[0003]

However, the conventional mirror anti-fog device requires a power switch for operating the electric heater, and once the power switch is turned on, the electric heater is heated and the power switch is turned off. The electric heater is kept energized unless turned off. For this reason, if the user moves from the front of the mirror or forgets to switch off the electric heater, there is a problem that power is continuously supplied forever and wasteful power is consumed.

[0004] In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mirror anti-fog device that eliminates waste of power consumption.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a mirror fogging prevention device according to the present invention includes a human body detection sensor for detecting the movement of a human body, a mirror mounted along a wall, and a back surface of the mirror. The first feature is that a heater for preventing fogging attached to the device, means for electrically connecting the human body detection sensor and the heater, and that the heater is energized only when a human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. According to the first feature, the heater is energized only when the human body is detected by the human body detection sensor, so that waste of power consumption due to forgetting to turn off the heater switch can be prevented. Further, the mirror anti-fog device of the present invention is a human body detection sensor that captures an image of the movement of the human body and performs image processing, a mirror mounted along a wall, a heater for anti-fog mounted on the back of the mirror, A second feature is that means for electrically connecting the human body detection sensor and the heater and that the heater is energized only when a human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. According to the second feature, in addition to the features described above, there is an advantage that the detection of the human body can be reliably performed, and the accuracy of turning on and off the heater can be improved.

Further, the mirror anti-fog device of the present invention is provided with a human body detection sensor composed of an artificial retinal chip for imaging and processing an image of a human body, a mirror mounted along a wall surface, and mounted on the back surface of the mirror. A third feature is that a fogging prevention heater, means for electrically connecting the human body detection sensor and the heater, and that the heater is energized only when the human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. According to the third feature, in addition to the above-mentioned features, there is an advantage that the use of the artificial retinal chip enables quick image processing and downsizing of the entire apparatus.

A fourth feature of the mirror anti-fog device according to claims 1 to 3 of the present invention is that it is provided in a bathroom. According to the fourth feature, in addition to the features described above, the heater for preventing fogging of the mirror operates only when the body and the head are washed in the bathroom, so that energy saving in the bathroom can be achieved. The fifth feature of the mirror fogging prevention device according to claims 1 to 3 of the present invention is that the device is provided in a washroom. According to this fifth feature,
Since the heater for preventing fogging of the mirror operates only when washing hands and heads in the washroom, it is possible to save energy in the washroom.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric circuit showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of an image core circuit constituting one pixel of the image detection unit of the human body detection sensor. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the imaging range of the sensor, the detection range, and the detection area. FIG.
4 is a control flowchart showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a bathroom 1 as viewed from the side, schematically showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a bathtub 2 and a washing place 3 are provided. 4 is an entrance to the bathroom. A human body sensor 5 is installed on the ceiling of the bathroom 1. When the bathroom 1 is a system bathroom, it is desirable to attach the bathroom 1 to an inspection port opened on the ceiling for maintenance and inspection. Of course, the human body sensor 5 may be attached to the upper part of the bathroom wall. The human body sensor 5 has an imaging device using an artificial retina and includes a human body detection sensor 51 that captures an image of a human body movement in a bathroom and performs image processing, and an infrared sensor 52 that detects a human body by infrared detection. . As another preferred embodiment, the human body sensor 5 may be mounted on the washroom. In this case, a human body sensor, which is a sensor for detecting a human body, may be mounted above the wash basin or at the ceiling of the wash room. Further, in the present embodiment, the human body detection sensor 51 that captures the image of the movement of the human body and performs image processing, and the infrared sensor 52 that detects the human body by infrared detection are integrally incorporated in one frame. Without being limited to this example, both sensors may be provided separately.

One of the functions of the human body detection sensor is as follows.
If there is no movement of the bather for a certain period of time, it is presumed that the bather is sleeping or falling down in the bathtub. First, the bathroom remote control 60 such as a water heater alerts the user with an alarm sound or voice, and a response from the bathroom within a predetermined period of time. If not, a remote controller for the kitchen such as a water heater (not shown) may be used to notify others by an alarm sound or voice.

A mirror 40 is mounted on the wall surface of the bathroom 1 near the washing room 3 along the wall surface. And this mirror 40
A heater 41 for preventing fogging is attached to the back surface.
The heater 41 may be sealed with a waterproof sheet. 42 is a home-use 1 that reaches the human body sensor 5 and the heater 41
00 volt commercial electric wire, 43 is a power plug. A power switch 44 for turning the heater 41 on and off is provided in the middle of the electric wire leading to the heater 41. This power switch 44
By separating from the bathroom 1, the adverse effect of the humidity of the bathroom 1 can be prevented. The power for operating the human body sensor 5 may be supplied from the power supply plug 47 and reduced in voltage to lower voltage via a transformer of a controller of a water heater (not shown). The human body sensor 5 and the heater 41 are connected via a signal line 45, and the heater 41 is energized by a detection signal from a human body detection sensor.

FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration of the human body sensor 5 including a human body detection sensor 51 using an artificial retinal chip and an infrared sensor 52. Human body detection sensor 51
Is composed of an imaging device 6 that detects a human body and processes the detected image, and a control device 7 that supplies a control signal to the imaging device 6 and determines processing information. By imaging the motion of the human body and performing image processing, the detection of the human body is assured, and the accuracy of turning on and off the switch to the heater is also improved. An infrared sensor 52 is provided in the same case as the infrared sensor 52 in addition to the human body detection sensor 51, and the control device 7 is shared, so that the monitoring when the bathroom 1 is dark is mutually supplemented.

The image pickup section 8 of the image pickup apparatus 6 comprises an image detecting section 9 having 32 × 32 pixels (= 1024 pixels), an imaging lens 10, a scanner 11, a multiplexer 12, and a scanner drive control section 13. ing. Further, the detection processing may be performed by thinning out a large number of pixels. The pixels of the image detection unit 9 have monochrome 256 gradations “level 0 (black) to
255 (white), 256 gradations ". Color pixels may be used.

In the image pickup section 8, an image in the bathroom is formed on the image detecting section 9 by the image forming lens 10. The drive of the scanner 11 is controlled by a scanner drive control unit 13, and controls each pixel row of the image detection unit 9 so as to sequentially enter a light receiving state (on state) at regular intervals. Photocurrents simultaneously output from the pixels in one column in the light receiving state are converted from analog data into serial data by the multiplexer 12, amplified by the amplifier 14, and then input to the image processing unit 15. The conversion from analog data to serial data may be performed by a control unit provided externally or by an IC provided separately.

Each pixel of the image detecting section 9 is constituted by a pixel core circuit 17 as shown in FIG. The pixel core circuit 17 includes a light receiving element 18, a charge storage circuit 19, and a sensitivity variable circuit 20.
The reset terminal 22 is connected to the scanner 11, and the photocurrent output terminal 23 is connected to the multiplexer 12.

In FIG. 2, a gain adjusting unit 16 checks the image average value (brightness of the image) in the image processing unit 15 and, if the image average value is out of an appropriate range, the amplifier 14 controls the image pickup device 6. The gain is adjusted, and the accumulation time of the image detection unit 9 is adjusted by the scanner drive control unit 13 so that the light is adjusted so that an image with appropriate brightness is obtained.

In the imaging device 6 using the artificial retina, the average value of the image is expressed by the gradation (0 gradation (black) to 255 gradation (white)) of all the 32 × 32 pixels constituting the image detecting unit 9. 25
(6 gradations) and is represented by a value from 0 to 255. The average value of the image is determined by the gain of the amplifier 14 and the accumulation time of the image detector 9. Here, the gain corresponds to the aperture of the camera, and the accumulation time corresponds to the shutter speed of the camera. Therefore, in order to obtain an appropriate image average value of the imaging device 6, the gain is fixed to an appropriate gain,
The accumulation time may be adjusted. Alternatively, the gain may be adjusted by fixing an appropriate accumulation time.

In FIG. 2, at least an image detecting section 9 for performing image pickup and an image processing section 15 for performing image processing.
Is composed of one chip. This chip is called an artificial retinal chip. By configuring the human body detection sensor from an artificial retinal chip, image processing can be speeded up. As the chip becomes smaller, the entire device can be made smaller. A control device 7 is provided at the back surface of the chip. The control device 7 is composed of a microcomputer. The control device 7 includes a region for dividing a detection region for performing detection processing by the human body detection sensor 51 into a plurality of regions. The dividing means 24 is incorporated as software.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a point table 25 for processing image information input to the image processing section 15 is divided into a plurality of areas. That is, the imaging capability range detectable by the human body detection sensor (corresponding to the entire point table 25) is firstly changed to a detection area 26 requiring image processing and a non-detection area 27 not performing image processing.
And divided into That is, the entire imaging capability range is not set as the detection area. As a result, a part of the detection processing area that can be detected is used as a sensor detection area for actually detecting and processing, thereby limiting the processing range of the image and increasing the speed of the image processing. Further, the detection area 26 is divided into two areas, a washing area 30 and a bathtub area 31. Detect human body images for each area,
By processing, the processing is ensured. Further, the dimming degree can be determined for each area. Therefore, human body detection in the washing room 3 can be performed quickly and reliably. Further, the area between the washing area 30 and the bathtub area 31 may be an invalid area, and the invalid area may be a non-detection area where no image processing is performed.

The imaging lens 10, the imaging device 6, and the control device 7 constituting the human body sensor 51 are housed in one case together with the infrared sensor 52, and attached to the ceiling or the like of the bathroom 1 as a human body sensor set. .

Then, the detection output of the imaging device 6 and the detection output of the infrared sensor 52 are input to the judgment means 32, respectively. The determination means comprehensively determines the presence or absence of a bather and the movement of the bather in the bathroom based on the output from the imaging device 6 and the output from the infrared sensor.

The image detected by the artificial retina is image-processed as follows. The image processing unit 15 receives image information from all pixels constituting the image detection unit 9 at regular intervals. The image processing unit 15 receives the image information at regular time intervals,
The image information is processed and output to the judging means 32 to monitor the movement of the bather.

More specifically, first, the image processing unit 15 calculates the difference (difference) in the amount of received light between the image (previous image) a predetermined time earlier detected by the image detection unit 9 and the current image (current image). I do. Pixels having a positive difference are represented by +, negative pixels are represented by-, and pixels having a difference of 0 are represented by 0. Since the movement of the object can be determined based on the boundary of the image, the movement of the boundary of the image appears as a positive or negative difference there. Thereby, the moving direction of the image boundary is estimated. By looking at the sum of the differences, it is possible to roughly grasp the movement of the person. Further, the above-described analysis method is applied to a two-dimensional image. Specifically, the directions on the pixels are divided into four directions of a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, a diagonally upward diagonal direction, and a diagonally downward diagonal direction. Each time, the difference (scalar) between the current image and the previous image is obtained, the motion in each direction is determined from the image of the difference, and the difference in each direction may be represented as a vector. Then, by averaging the difference vector between the pixel and its surrounding 3 × 3 pixels (optical flow), it is possible to detect the presence or movement of a person in the bathroom.

As shown in FIG. 4, the detection area 26 of the human body detection sensor 51 is divided into two areas, a washing area 30 and a bathtub area 31, and the sum of the differences or the amount of movement is detected for each area. . Here, the amount of motion refers to each region 30, 3
It is the average of the scalar amounts of the optical flows of each pixel for each pixel (scalar average) or the sum of the scalar amounts (scalar sum). The entrance of the bathroom 1 may be added to the detection area.

Next, determination of whether or not a person has entered the bathroom 1 and control of energization of the heater 41 will be described. FIG.
When a person starts to enter the bathroom 1, the infrared sensor in a standby state detects a human body and is turned on (step S1), and a timer is set (step S2), and the human body detection sensor 51 is washed within a predetermined time. When a person is detected in the place (step S3), the detection signal is sent to the determination means 3
Output via 2. Then, the power switch 44 is turned on via the signal line 45 (step S1).
2). As a result, electricity is supplied to the fogging prevention heater 41 attached to the back surface of the mirror, and the fogging prevention function is exhibited by heating the heater. In this embodiment, the ON operation of the power switch 44 is performed when a person is detected in the washing room. However, the power switch 44 may be turned ON after it is determined that the user has entered the room (step S4). In short, the heater 41 may be energized only when the human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. In this entry determination, since the human body detection by the human body detection sensor 51 requires time for imaging and calculation of the amount of motion, or when the bathroom is dark, the monitoring sensitivity is low. After the detection by the human body detection sensor 52, the human body detection sensor 51 detects a person together, thereby compensating for the weak points of the human body detection sensor 51 and ensuring the entry into the room.

Also, when leaving the bathroom 1, the infrared sensor 52 is turned off (No in step S5), and the human body detection sensor 51 does not detect the amount of movement (in step S6). (In the case of no), he is judged to have left the bathroom. Since the infrared sensor 52 may erroneously determine the bathtub temperature as the human body temperature, the weak point of the infrared sensor 52 is supplemented by using another sensor. After the exit is determined, the power switch 44 for the heater 41 is turned off (step S13). The off signal may be performed by the output signal of the leaving determination of the determining means 32.

Then, even when the human body detection sensor 51 does not detect a person in the washing room 3 (No in step S3), if a person is detected in the bathtub (step S3).
8) If both the infrared sensor 52 and the human body detection sensor 51 detect a person within a predetermined time (step S
9, S10), it is determined that the person has entered the room (step S4). After it is determined that the person has entered the room, a timer is set (step S11) so that the detection duration time of the sensor matches the average bathing time. The timer set time may be extended by detecting that a person is in the bathroom.

The attachment of the human body detection sensor 51 is as follows.
It may be mounted on the ceiling of the bathroom 1 at a boundary between the washroom area 30 and the bathtub area 31 of the bathroom. This position is the optimum position where the movement of a person in the bathroom provided with the washing room 3 and the bathtub 2 can be monitored in a standard bathroom. In particular, by attaching to the boundary between the bathtub 2 and the washing place 3, the boundary can be clarified with respect to the movement of a person in the bathtub 2 and the washing place 3. Further, the attachment of the human body detection sensor 51 may be at a position above the wall surface of the bathroom 1 so that the entire bathroom can be overlooked. Human body sensor 5
Since the human body detection sensor 51 and the infrared sensor 52 constituting the above are housed in one case, it is easy to mount and check.

In the case of a system bathroom comprising a unit bath or the like, an inspection port for inspection is located on the ceiling of the bathroom, and the human body sensor 5 is attached to the inspection port which is an inspection lid. Is recommended. The inspection port can be attached and detached, so that the human body sensor 5 can be
Not only can the inspection be performed easily, but also the condition of the optimum mounting position of the sensor is satisfied. Further, the human body detection sensor may be provided integrally with the ceiling of the bathroom to simplify the mounting work.

Further, in the present invention, the heater is energized only when the human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. However, the heater is energized only when the human body is detected by the human body detection sensor in the washing room of the bathroom. The power supply to the heater may be turned off when entering the bathtub from the place and when leaving the bathroom. In particular, by dividing the detection area into the washing area and the bathtub area, the detection speed can be increased, the detection accuracy can be increased, and the ON / OFF of the heater can be reliably performed.

The above-described embodiment shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made within the scope. For example, in the present embodiment, the system bathroom has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example and can be installed in other existing bathrooms. Further, by providing the human body detection sensor and the mirror in the washroom, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of a heater for preventing fogging in, for example, a vanity stand. In addition, although a sensor having a small number of pixels is used as the human body detection sensor, a similar effect can be expected by using an image sensor using a CCD and combining it with an infrared sensor.

[0032]

As described above, the present invention energizes the heater only when a human body is detected by the human body detection sensor.
It is possible to prevent waste of power consumption due to forgetting to turn off the heater switch. Further, the present invention has an advantage that the detection of the human body can be reliably performed, and the accuracy of turning on and off the heater can be improved. further,
Advantageous Effects of Invention The present invention has an advantage that by using an artificial retinal chip, image processing can be performed quickly and the entire apparatus can be downsized. Further, according to the present invention, the heater for preventing fogging of the mirror operates only when the body and the head are washed in the bathroom, so that energy saving in the bathroom can be achieved. Further, according to the present invention, since the heater for preventing fogging of the mirror operates only when washing hands and heads in the washroom, it is possible to save energy in the washroom.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric circuit showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of an image core circuit forming one pixel of an image detection unit of the human body detection sensor.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an imaging range of a sensor, a detection range, and a detection area.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathroom 2 Bathtub 3 Washing room 4 Doorway 5 Human body sensor 6 Imaging device 7 Control device 9 Image detection part 15 Image processing part 17 Image core circuit 24 Area division means 26 Detection area 30 Washing area 31 Bathtub area 32 Judgment means 40 Mirror 41 Heater 42 Commercial wire 43 Power plug 44 Power switch 45 Signal line 51 Human body detection sensor 52 Infrared sensor 60 Remote control for bath

Claims (5)

[Claim] Mirror anti-fog device 1. A human body detection sensor for detecting the movement of a human body, a mirror mounted along a wall, a heater for preventing fogging mounted on the back of the mirror, and an electric connection between the human body detection sensor and the heater And a heater for energizing the heater only when a human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. 2. A human body detection sensor for capturing a motion of a human body and performing image processing, a mirror mounted along a wall, a heater for fogging prevention mounted on a back surface of the mirror, and the human body detection sensor and the heater. An anti-fogging device for a mirror, comprising: means for electrically connecting; and energizing a heater only when a human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. 3. A human body detection sensor composed of an artificial retinal chip for imaging and processing an image of a human body, a mirror mounted along a wall surface, a fogging prevention heater mounted on the back surface of the mirror, and the human body detection. A means for electrically connecting a sensor and a heater, and a heater for energizing the heater only when a human body is detected by the human body detection sensor, wherein a mirror fogging prevention device is provided. 4. The antifogging device for a mirror according to claim 1, wherein the human body detection sensor and the mirror are provided in a bathroom. 5. The antifogging device for a mirror according to claim 1, wherein the human body detection sensor and the mirror are provided in a washroom.