JP2008159293A - Non-contact switch for automatic door - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact switch for an automatic door, capable of easily changing an object detection direction, and preventing a sanitary problem as much as possible even if the object detection direction is directed just under. <P>SOLUTION: The switch includes a chassis 2 having, at a front upper section 2A thereof, a gentle curved surface and a substantially rectangular shaped opening 3b narrower in width than the chassis 2, and having, at a front lower section thereof, a substantially flat face and a substantially "q" shaped vertical section; a detecting unit 6 having an infrared transmission section 7, a light emitting element 8, and a light receiving element 9; a controller 11 for detecting the presence or absence of an object in the vicinity based on a received light output of the right receiving element 9, and outputting an opening/closing control signal when detecting the presence of the object; and a holder 5 for supporting the detecting unit 6 rotatably or fixedly such that the detecting unit 6 can emit or receive the infrared light through the opening 3b and the light emitting or receiving direction is variable within a predetermined range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact switch for an automatic door that outputs a control signal for opening and closing an automatic door simply by holding a finger close to the hand, and particularly suitable for a food factory or a hospital that requires consideration of hygiene. The present invention relates to a non-contact switch for doors.

  Conventionally, as a technique for detecting a person approaching an automatic door by a near infrared reflection method and controlling the opening and closing of the automatic door, devices such as Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have been proposed.

  In addition, for outdoor entrances such as stores, touches that can open the automatic door by lightly touching directly from the outside in order to prevent accidental opening and closing by passersby who just pass through the vicinity. Sensors and the like have also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

  On the other hand, near-infrared rays similar to those in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are used for entrances to production lines of food factories that require consideration for hygiene, entrances to hospital operating rooms, and toilets. There has also been proposed a non-contact switch for an automatic door (sometimes referred to as a non-contact activation sensor) that uses a reflection method to detect an object such as a finger held close to the door and control the opening and closing of the automatic door.

This non-contact switch for automatic doors is roughly classified into an embedded type that is embedded in a wall surface or the like and detects a finger near the front direction, and an exposed type that can be easily attached to the wall surface or the like. Furthermore, this exposure type can be divided into those for detecting an object such as a finger in the front direction and those for detecting almost in the downward direction. In both cases, the detection direction is fixed.
JP 2000-320243 A JP 2003-155869 A JP 2003-336447 A (2nd page, FIG. 6)

  However, among the non-contact switches for automatic doors described above that perform object detection in the front direction, passers who cross a distant place, etc., although the position where the hand should be held are easy to understand and easy to detect reliably There is a risk of false detection. It can be avoided to some extent by electrically adjusting the amount of infrared light on the light emitting side and the detection sensitivity on the light receiving side, but the reflectance of infrared rays varies greatly depending on the object, so it is difficult to prevent detection errors almost completely. .

  On the other hand, in the case of performing object detection almost directly below, there is no risk of false detection by a passerby that crosses away, but the position to detect fingers etc. is close to the wall etc. When you hold your hand over, you may accidentally touch the wall surface, which may cause some problems in hygiene.

  Of these, if anything, false detection by a passerby that crosses away is a more noticeable problem, and once a non-contact switch for automatic doors is installed, the replacement work is troublesome. In view of this, the exposure type in which object detection is performed almost directly below is relatively often used. For this reason, there is a concern that some sort of problem may occur in terms of hygiene.

  In view of such problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to enable an object detection direction to be easily changed with a simple configuration, so that an appropriate object detection direction can be set according to an installation place and an application. In addition, it is an object to provide a non-contact switch for an automatic door that causes no sanitary problems even when the object detection direction is almost directly below.

  In order to achieve the above object, the non-contact switch for an automatic door according to the present invention has a gently curved surface at the front upper part of the housing, and the curved surface shape is a curved line that protrudes forward in side view, and is substantially straight in plan view. And having an opening formed in a substantially horizontally long rectangular shape having a lateral width narrower than the lateral width of the housing over a portion that is reversely inclined from the portion including the ridge line of the upper front surface of the housing, The vertical section of the lower part of the front of the housing is a straight line that is almost straight in the vicinity of the left and right ends in a plan view and concave in the forward direction, and is a straight line that is gently reversely inclined in a side view. A substantially q-shaped housing, an infrared transmission part capable of transmitting near infrared rays in both directions between the inside and the outside, and a projection that projects near infrared light from the inside to the outside through the infrared transmission part. Reflected by an optical element and an object after being projected from the light projecting element A detection unit having a light receiving element that receives the reflected light that has returned to the inside through the infrared transmission unit, and detects the presence or absence of an object in the vicinity based on the light reception output of the light receiving element. A controller that outputs an open / close control signal when detected, and the detection unit that can project and receive infrared light through the opening, and that the direction is variable within a predetermined range. And a support mechanism that supports the unit so as to be rotatable and fixable.

  According to the non-contact switch for an automatic door having such a configuration, it is possible to easily set an appropriate object detection direction according to the installation location and application. Even when the object detection direction is almost directly below, the position where the finger should be held is easy to understand, so that reliable detection is possible. In addition, due to the characteristics of the overall shape surface, it is possible to prevent the fingers from touching the casing by mistake accidentally as much as possible, which is very preferable in terms of hygiene.

  In the non-contact switch for an automatic door according to the present invention, at least the front surface of the housing may be formed of an antibacterial material.

  According to the non-contact switch for an automatic door having such a configuration, even if a finger is directly touched by mistake, at least the front surface of the housing is formed of a material having antibacterial properties. Compared with the case where the user has touched the touch, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of sanitary problems as much as possible.

  In the non-contact switch for an automatic door according to the present invention, the color of the infrared transmission part may be different from the color of the part other than the infrared transmission part in the detection unit and the color of the front surface of the housing. .

  According to the non-contact switch for an automatic door having such a configuration, when the detection unit is rotated, the direction of the detection direction at that time is visually recognized due to a difference in color between the infrared transmission part and the surrounding area. Since it is possible, it is easy to know where to put the finger. Since it is not necessary to separately provide a member for displaying the direction of the detection direction, it is preferable from the viewpoint of appearance design.

  In the non-contact switch for an automatic door according to the present invention, the detection unit may hold the light projecting element and the light receiving element such that respective optical axes are inclined in directions of each other.

  According to the automatic door non-contact switch having such a configuration, the maximum distance at which an object can be detected can be optically limited to the short distance side. As a result, the detection distance range can be surely limited without much depending on the infrared reflectance of the object.

  In the non-contact switch for an automatic door according to the present invention, the casing is composed of at least a main body and a front cover fitted into the main body, and the detection is performed when the front cover is removed from the main body. A lock mechanism may be further provided that allows the unit to rotate and that fixes the detection unit to be non-rotatable when the front cover is fitted in the main body.

  According to the non-contact switch for an automatic door having such a configuration, the detection unit can be freely rotated only when the front cover is removed and adjustment work is performed during installation. This facilitates adjustment work during installation, and by attaching the front cover after the installation work is completed, the detection unit can be prevented from being rotated inadvertently thereafter. It is blocked as much as possible.

  According to the non-contact switch for an automatic door of the present invention, it is possible to easily set an appropriate object detection direction according to the installation location and application. Even when the object detection direction is almost directly below, the position where the finger should be held is easy to understand, so that reliable detection is possible. In addition, due to the characteristics of the overall shape surface, it is possible to prevent the fingers from touching the casing by mistake accidentally as much as possible, which is very preferable in terms of hygiene.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Appearance of non-contact switch 1 for automatic door>
FIG. 1 is an external view of a non-contact switch 1 for an automatic door according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a right side view, and (c) is a bottom view. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the automatic door non-contact switch 1.

  As shown in these drawings, the automatic door non-contact switch 1 includes a housing 2 configured by fitting a front cover (decorative cover) 3 so as to cover the main body 4, and a near-infrared reflection method to detect a nearby object. A detection unit 6 for detecting the presence / absence, and a holder 5 (not shown in FIG. 1) that makes the detection direction setting variable from the front direction to the downward direction by supporting the detection unit 6 to be rotatable and fixed; A separate controller 11 (not shown in FIG. 1) for controlling the detection unit 6 is provided. Details of the main body 4, the holder 5, and the detection unit 6 will be described later with reference to FIGS. The controller 11 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The housing | casing 2 is formed in the streamline shape as a whole, The longitudinal cross-section is substantially q shape (refer FIG. 2 and FIG. 3). Thus, even if dirt or the like adheres to the outside, the dirt or the like can be easily wiped off. The front cover 3 is made of a light-colored material (for example, ivory) that has antibacterial properties in consideration of hygiene and makes it easy to see whether dirt or the like is attached. However, the color is not limited to such a color, and an appropriate color may be selected according to the color around the installation location or the purpose of use.

  In the case upper part 2A of the case 2, the front cover 3 is formed so as to swell in the front direction, and in particular, the upper surface 3a is a more gently curved surface (in side view, FIG. 1 (b), FIG. 2 and FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, it has a curved shape that protrudes forward, and is inclined so as to be substantially linear as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in plan view. As a result, dust or the like hardly accumulates on the upper surface 3a, which is preferable in terms of hygiene.

  Furthermore, a substantially horizontally long rectangular opening 3b having a width slightly narrower than the width of the housing 2 is formed from the portion including the ridgeline of the curved surface of the front cover 3 to the portion inclined in the reverse direction. The object detection by is performed through the opening 3b.

  In the case lower part 2B of the case 2, the front cover 3 has a shape that is almost flat, but its thickness gradually decreases as it goes downward (as shown in FIG. 1B). (Inclined). Further, in the central portion excluding the left and right end portions 3d of the front cover 3, a shallow concave portion 3c having substantially the same width as the opening 3b (in a side view, substantially straight as shown in FIG. 3, and in a plan view, FIG. And, as shown in FIG. 7, a gently curved shape that is concave forward is formed.

  The detection unit 6 is formed in a horizontally long cylindrical shape (see FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 for the entire shape), and a horizontally long detection window 7 that is curved along a part of its peripheral surface is fitted. In this detection unit 6, the same material of the same color as that of the front cover 3 is used for the parts other than the detection window 7, but the detection window 7 has a characteristic of transmitting near infrared rays and has the front cover 3. A material of a distinctly different color (eg dark red) is used.

  Detection of the presence or absence of a nearby object by the detection unit 6 is performed through the detection window 7, but when the detection unit 6 is rotated, the position of the detection window 7 is also moved according to the rotation. As a result, the direction of the detection direction at that time can be visually recognized even from the outside, so that it is easy for the person who wants to open and close the automatic door to know where to place the finger. Further, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for displaying the direction of the detection direction, which is preferable from the viewpoint of appearance design.

  In FIG. 8, the detection direction setting is the front direction (90 degrees as a rotation angle described later), but FIG. 9 is the detection direction setting obliquely downward in the front side (45 degrees as a rotation angle described later). FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the automatic door non-contact switch 1 when the detection direction is set, and FIG. 10 is a non-contact for automatic door when the detection direction setting is set to a direct downward direction (rotation angle described later is 0 degree). FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a switch 1.

  When the detection direction setting of the detection unit 6 is set to the downward direction, a person who wants to open and close an automatic door or the like needs to hold his / her finger near the detection unit 6 but the left and right ends 3d of the front cover 3 Since the presence of the recess 3c formed between the fingers serves as a guide for the position where the finger is held over, there is not much confusion. For this reason, it contributes also to a finger being detected reliably.

  In addition, the front cover 3 may accidentally touch the front cover 3 accidentally due to the extremely gentle reverse inclination of the front cover 3, the presence of the recesses 3c, and the features of the shape such as the absence of protrusions as much as possible below the opening 3b. Is prevented as much as possible, and is very preferable in terms of hygiene. For example, even if a finger is touched by mistake, the front cover 3 is made of an antibacterial material, so that sanitary problems may occur compared to touching the wall surface. Can be avoided as much as possible.

  Further, even when the detection direction setting of the detection unit 6 is set to the direct downward direction, the detection visual field of the detection unit 6 is not blocked as much as possible due to the extremely gentle reverse inclination of the front cover 3 and the presence of the recess 3c. ing. Thereby, a necessary and sufficient detection visual field is always ensured regardless of the detection direction setting of the detection unit 6.

<Internal structure of non-contact switch 1 for automatic door>
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the main body 4 with the front cover 3 removed. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view in which the detection unit 6 is further removed from the main body 4 in this state. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the front cover 3 and the main body 4 as viewed from the back side of the front cover 3 with the front cover 3 removed from the automatic door non-contact switch 1.

  As shown in FIG. 11, both ends 6a of the rotation shaft of the detection unit 6 are formed so as to protrude from both end portions slightly above the center in the main body 4 that can be attached to a wall surface, etc. The front is supported by the disk-shaped holders 5 and 5 so as to be rotatable and fixed within a predetermined angle range. As a result, the detection unit 6 can be rotated and fixed so that the detection window 7 faces a desired direction.

  As a specific configuration of the holders 5 and 5, for example, when the front cover 3 is removed, the detection unit 6 is securely fixed unless the detection unit 6 is touched. Then, the detection unit 6 is rotated by applying a force.

  As for the fixing method of the detection unit 6 by the holders 5 and 5, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of shallow grooves or holes are provided on one of the contact surfaces between the two, and a protrusion having a shape corresponding to the other. It is good also as a structure which provides a protrusion or a projection. In this case, although the rotation angle of the detection unit 6 is discrete, the direction adjustment of the detection window 7 can be performed with a simple operation with good reproducibility. Or it is good also as a structure implement | achieved only by the frictional force of the contact surface between both. In this case, since the detection unit 6 can be continuously rotated, the detection window 7 can be directed in an arbitrary direction within a predetermined angle range. However, it is not restricted to these structures.

  As the predetermined angle range, the front direction of the automatic door non-contact switch 1 is determined from the angle at which the detection window 7 faces directly below the automatic door non-contact switch 1 (this direction is set to 0 degrees with reference to the rotation angle). A mechanism for limiting the rotation angle range is also provided so that the rotation angle can be rotated up to 90 degrees. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 12, etc., a protrusion in the circumferential direction is formed on the rotation shaft 6a of the detection unit 6, and the movable range of this protrusion is limited by the shape of the bearing hole on the holder 5 side. You may do it. However, the configuration is not limited to this. The predetermined angle range is not necessarily limited to 0 to 90 degrees. For example, when the angle range is wider than this, the opening 3b is enlarged or the recess 3c of the front cover 3 is increased accordingly. It should be noted that it may be necessary to deepen.

  Furthermore, a lock mechanism for completely fixing the detection unit 6 in a state where the front cover 3 is attached is also provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, ribs 3e are formed at positions corresponding to the holders 5 and 5 on the back side of the front cover 3, and the holders 5 and 5 are bent outward when the front cover 3 is attached. It is good also as a structure which prevents. Then, the rotation of the detection unit 6 becomes free only when the front cover 3 is removed and adjustment work at the time of installation is performed. As a result, adjustment work at the time of installation is facilitated, and by attaching the front cover 3 after the installation work is completed, the detection unit 6 can be prevented from being rotated inadvertently thereafter, so that adjustment may be shifted. It is blocked as much as possible.

  FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view showing the inside and the periphery of the detection unit 6 with the detection window 7 removed.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the detection unit 6 includes a light projecting element 8 that projects near-infrared light, and a nearby object after being projected from the light projecting element 8 and transmitted through the detection window 7. And a light receiving element 9 for receiving the reflected light that has been reflected by the light and transmitted again through the detection window 7. A partition wall 10 is provided between the light projecting element 8 and the light receiving element 9 to prevent a part of the near infrared light projected from the light projecting element 8 from reaching the light receiving element 9 directly through the detection unit 6. Is provided.

  Further, the light projecting element 8 and the light receiving element 9 are arranged such that their optical axes are slightly inclined at equal angles in the directions of each other. As a result, the maximum distance at which an object can be detected can be optically limited to the short distance side. As a result, for example, even when the detection window 7 of the detection unit 6 is directed in the front direction, erroneous detection of a person who simply crosses a remote place is prevented as much as possible. Further, when the detection window 7 is directed directly downward, erroneous detection due to a change in the floor surface or the approach of a small object other than a person is prevented as much as possible.

  You may further provide the adjustment mechanism in which the angle adjustment which interlock | cooperated about the inclination angle to the mutual direction of the light projection element 8 and the light receiving element 9 is attained. Thus, for example, if each inclination angle is increased with respect to the front direction, the maximum distance at which an object can be detected can be optically limited to the near side, so the maximum detectable distance can be finely adjusted as necessary. It becomes possible to do.

  Further, since it is not based on the electrical adjustment of the amount of infrared light projected from the light projecting element 8 or the detection sensitivity of the light receiving element 9, the detection distance range can be surely limited without depending much on the infrared reflectance of the object. Yes. However, the above-described optical restriction and electrical adjustment may be used in combination.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of the detection unit 6 and the controller 11.

  The controller 11 controls near-infrared light projection by the light projecting element 8 and also controls the operation of the light receiving element 9, and detects the presence or absence of an object in the vicinity based on the light reception output of the light receiving element 9. To do. Specifically, for example, when the light reception output of the light receiving element 9 is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, it is highly likely that an object such as a human finger is present in the vicinity, so it is determined that the object has been detected. The automatic door opening / closing control signal S11 is output.

  If the controller 11 is separated from the housing 2 as described above, the cost of the automatic non-contact switch for the automatic door can be reduced by sharing it with other non-contact switches for the automatic door. The housing 2 can be further downsized.

  However, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration, and the configuration in which the controller 11 is incorporated in the housing 2 may be employed. In this case, it is not necessary to install the controller 11 separately from the housing 2, and wiring between them becomes unnecessary, so that the installation work of the non-contact switch for automatic doors becomes easy.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof. Therefore, the above-mentioned embodiment is only a mere illustration in all points, and should not be interpreted limitedly. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an external view of the non-contact switch 1 for automatic doors which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a right view, (c) is a bottom view. It is II-II sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a). It is III-III sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a). It is IV-IV sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a). It is VV sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a). It is VI-VI sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a). It is VII-VII sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a). It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the non-contact switch 1 for automatic doors (a detection direction setting is a front direction). It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the non-contact switch 1 for automatic doors (a detection direction setting is diagonally downward on the front side). It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the non-contact switch 1 for automatic doors (a detection direction setting is a downward direction). It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the main body 4 in the state which removed the front cover 3. FIG. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view in which the detection unit 6 is further removed from the main body 4 in the state of FIG. 11. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front cover 3 and the main body 4 as viewed from the back side direction of the front cover 3 with the front cover 3 removed from the automatic door non-contact switch 1. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the inside of the detection unit 6 of the state which removed the detection window 7, and its periphery. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of a detection unit 6 and a controller 11. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Non-contact switch for automatic door 2 Housing 2A Housing upper 2B Housing lower 3 Front cover (decorative cover)
4 Body 5 Holder 6 Detection unit 7 Detection window 8 Light projecting element 9 Light receiving element 10 Bulkhead 11 Controller

Claims (5)

The upper front part of the housing is a gently curved surface, and the curved surface shape is a curve that is convex forward in a side view and is substantially straight in a plan view, and is reversely inclined from the portion including the ridge line at the upper front of the housing And has an opening formed in a substantially horizontally long rectangular shape with a width that is narrower than the width of the housing, and the shape of the lower portion of the front surface of the housing is substantially straight in the vicinity of the left and right ends in plan view. A casing whose longitudinal section is substantially q-shaped, such as a straight line gently curving in a side view in a curved shape that is concave between the front,
Infrared transmission part that allows near infrared rays to pass in and out between the inside and the outside, a light projecting element that projects near infrared light from the inside to the outside through the infrared transmission part, and a light projecting from the light projecting element A detection unit having a light receiving element that receives reflected light that has been reflected by an object and then returned to the inside through the infrared transmission unit;
A controller that detects the presence or absence of an object in the vicinity based on the light reception output of the light receiving element, and outputs an open / close control signal when the presence of the object is detected;
A support mechanism for enabling the detection unit to project and receive infrared rays through the opening, and to support the detection unit so that the direction of the detection unit can be rotated and fixed within a predetermined range. Non-contact switch for automatic doors, characterized by In the non-contact switch for automatic doors of Claim 1,
A non-contact switch for an automatic door, wherein at least the front surface of the casing is formed of an antibacterial material. In the non-contact switch for automatic doors of Claim 1 or 2,
The non-contact switch for an automatic door, wherein a color of the infrared transmission part is different from a color of a part other than the infrared transmission part in the detection unit and a color of the front surface of the housing. In the non-contact switch for automatic doors as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
The non-contact switch for an automatic door, wherein the detection unit holds the light projecting element and the light receiving element such that respective optical axes are inclined in directions of each other. In the non-contact switch for automatic doors as described in any one of Claims 1-4,
The housing is composed of at least a main body and a front cover fitted into the main body.
When the front cover is removed from the main body, the detection unit can be rotated, and when the front cover is fitted into the main body, the detection unit is fixed so that the detection unit cannot be rotated. A non-contact switch for an automatic door, further comprising:

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