JP2009009489A - Proximity sensor and proximity sensor system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a proximity sensor for largely improving the reliability and safety of a proximity sensor system by using the emission of an operation display emission device as optical communication to communicate an operating state of a detection object by radio or via an optical fiber in real time. <P>SOLUTION: The proximity sensor is equipped with one or more operation display parts capable of executing operation optical communication, and configured to make the operation display part display operations, and to execute operation optical communication corresponding to the detecting operation of the detection object. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact sensor unit that detects a detection object in a non-contact manner, and sensor control that performs necessary control in accordance with operations such as the position, distance, speed, and vibration of the detection object from the sensor signal of the non-contact sensor unit. And a proximity sensor system using the proximity sensor.

  The proximity sensor of the present invention is a concept including what is called a proximity switch.

Proximity sensor to handle the distance, position, speed, vibration, etc. of detection items such as the electrical properties, electrical capacitance, electromagnetic properties such as magnetism, optical properties such as reflectance, absorptivity, environmental temperature and humidity, etc. There are a wide variety of sensors. In addition, when mounting on an actual machine, the position, distance, angle, optical axis, etc. are adjusted appropriately to minimize the effects of environmental electromagnetic fields, etc., and self-diagnosis is performed. A technique for displaying operation by light emission and colored light emission is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
JP 2006-92486 A: published on April 6, 2006 (2006.4.6)

  Even if the proximity sensor disclosed in the above publication is equipped with an operation display unit, after the proximity sensor is attached to the installation location, the operation display unit is used except when the proximity sensor is malfunctioning or malfunctioning. Absent. Further, it is difficult to realize the proximity sensor to transmit the operation data of the detected object safely and at high speed and with a large capacity because of its shape and cost.

  A proximity sensor according to the present invention includes one or a plurality of operation display units having a light emitting function capable of operating light communication with a host amplifier or a controller such as a PLC, a non-contact sensor unit that detects a detection object in a non-contact manner, And a sensor control unit that controls the operation display unit in response to the detection operation of the detected object from the sensor signal of the non-contact sensor unit.

  The proximity sensor includes a proximity switch.

  The proximity sensor is not limited to inductive, magnetic, capacitive, ultrasonic, photoelectric, etc.

  In the present invention, since the operation display unit has an operation light communication function, for example, operation light communication can be performed with an optical communication unit in a proximity sensor system including a sensor and a switch. It can be used for optical communication of the operation state in real time.

  Preferably, the operation display unit is a light emitting unit or a light receiving / emitting unit.

  When the operation display unit is configured by a light emitting unit, one-way operation light communication can be performed with respect to the light receiving unit in the proximity sensor system corresponding to the proximity sensor, and the operation display unit receives and emits light. In the case where the optical receiver is configured, bidirectional optical communication can be performed with the optical receiver. In particular, when the operation display unit is composed of a light emitting / receiving unit, the bidirectional optical communication enables feedback control in real time for a proximity sensor system including a sensor and a switch. Compared to this, advanced precision control and safety control can be performed.

  Preferably, the operation display unit is any one of a light bulb-shaped light emitting diode that emits visible light, a sheet-shaped organic electroluminescence, and a laser diode.

  Preferably, the operation display unit is an infrared light emitting diode that realizes high-performance optical communication that cannot be visually recognized by humans.

  Preferably, the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor together with a light receiving sensor have a light receiving and emitting integrated device configuration, and the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor enable bidirectional optical communication. This device configuration includes a one-chip configuration.

  Preferably, a solar cell is mounted as a power source for the proximity sensor.

  Preferably, a storage unit that stores in advance rewritable data of the light emitting unit or the light emitting and receiving unit of the light emitting and receiving unit shared with the operation light communication data corresponding to at least the detection operation of the non-contact sensor unit is provided.

  A proximity sensor system according to the present invention includes the proximity sensor, an operation display unit of the proximity sensor, and a light receiving unit that performs optical communication between space, liquid, or via an optical fiber. is there.

  The non-contact sensor unit includes a sensor head that detects a position deviation, a distance deviation, a speed deviation, a vibration range, and the like of a detected object in a non-contact manner, and an oscillation circuit unit that includes a coil of the sensor head as one element. Can be configured.

  The non-contact sensor unit is an induction type, but is not limited to a magnetic type, a capacitive type, an ultrasonic type, a photoelectric type, or the like.

  In addition, the proximity sensor of the present invention can be provided with a USB or RS485 that controls the operation display unit, the non-contact sensor unit, the sensor control unit, and the like by firmware and is connected to an external personal computer, PLC, etc. by serial communication. .

  Note that the light emitting unit can be configured by an organic EL that performs planar light emission and cylindrical light emission and performs operation light communication without a 360 ° blind spot.

  The proximity sensor side is configured as a system configuration that includes a light receiving side incorporating a light receiving device such as a photodiode via a space and between liquids or via an optical fiber. Can be used.

  Further, when the optical communication is bidirectional communication, the proximity sensor can be feedback-controlled in real time, and advanced precision control and safety control can be performed compared to the conventional proximity sensor.

  In the proximity sensor of the present invention, in a proximity sensor system that monitors a machine, device, or the like with the sensor detection signal of the proximity sensor, the machine, device, or the like is monitored, analyzed, and judged in real time by the operation light communication function. Therefore, the reliability and safety of the proximity sensor system can be greatly enhanced.

  Hereinafter, a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention and a proximity sensor system using the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a block configuration of an inductive proximity sensor of the present invention and a proximity sensor controller that controls the proximity sensor. FIG. 1 constitutes a proximity sensor system as a whole.

  First, the configuration of the proximity sensor according to the embodiment will be described. The proximity sensor includes a sensor head 5 including a detection coil 3 installed in a non-contact manner on a detection object 1 whose detection position is displaced in the direction of the double arrow shown in the figure. The output of the sensor head 5 is oscillated by the oscillation circuit unit 7 with a built-in preamplifier, and the output of the oscillation circuit unit 7 is input to the arithmetic / processing unit 9. Here, the detection coil 3 includes a core and a core. The sensor head 5 constitutes at least a part of the non-contact sensor unit. The non-contact sensor unit may include the oscillation circuit unit 7. In the proximity sensor, the sensor head 5 and the oscillation circuit unit 7 are connected by the coaxial cable 23 in the amplifier separation type.

  The arithmetic / processing unit 9 detects an impedance change and an oscillation state corresponding to the detection state of the detection object 1 of the sensor head 5 from the output of the oscillation circuit unit 7. The arithmetic / processing unit 9 is composed of a CPU / FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), hardware such as a memory, a detection circuit, and a peripheral circuit, and software programmed with oscillation, drive, display, correction, and the like. An example of a sensor control unit including (firmware) is configured. The calculation / processing unit 9 outputs a corrected and corrected detection output and a drive signal to the operation display control unit 13.

  The operation display control unit 13 is connected to an operation display / operation light communication LED 14 which is an operation display unit, and drives the LED 14 in response to a drive signal corresponding to the operation display and operation light communication from the arithmetic / processing unit 9. Make it emit light. The emission color of the LED 14 is not particularly limited. The arithmetic / processing unit 9 generates a drive signal for driving the LED 14 by built-in software. An external personal computer or PLC 15 is connected to the arithmetic / processing unit 9 via the USB communication input / output connector 17, whereby the arithmetic / processing unit 9 can perform various communications with the external personal computer or the PLC 15. Moreover, the preferable form of this LED14 is infrared rays light emission LED which implement | achieves highly functional optical communication although a human being cannot visually recognize. Although LED14 comprises an operation | movement display part, you may call an operation | movement display part including the operation | movement display control part 13. FIG. Note that the arithmetic / processing unit 9 can perform various communications with an external personal computer or the PLC 15. In the case of a proximity sensor mounted with a solar cell (solar cell) 19, a power generation circuit unit 21 for supplying power to each part of the proximity sensor is incorporated.

  The proximity sensor controller 16 receives the light emitted from the operation display / operation light communication LED 14 of the proximity sensor as the operation light communication light, and the demodulation / processing for demodulating and processing the light reception output of the light reception element 16a. Circuit 16b. The proximity sensor controller 16 can know the detection state of the detected object 1 by the proximity sensor based on the output of the demodulation / processing circuit 16b, and can constitute a proximity sensor system together with the proximity sensor.

  The form of the proximity sensor and the proximity sensor controller 16 having the above configuration can be easily developed from the configuration of FIG. 1 in the magnetic type, the capacitive type, the ultrasonic type, or the photoelectric type.

  2A, 2B and 2C show the structure of the inductive proximity sensor of the present invention. The sensor head 5 is connected to a base substrate (platform) 25 by soldering or bonding. On this base substrate 25, electronic component modules 27 such as electronic circuit elements 7, 9, 11, 13, etc. of FIG. 1 including LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit) are mounted and molded. The sensor head 5 may be separated and connected to the base substrate 25 with a coaxial cable.

  In FIG. 2A, the LED 29 is mounted on the base substrate 25 alone, and the LED 29 is an LED for both operation display and operation light communication. Note that the LED 29 includes a structure in which a single organic EL is replaced. The LED 29 may be used for visible light operation display and operation light communication combined light emission, or may be dedicated to infrared operation light communication light emission.

  In FIG. 2B, two LEDs 31 and 33 are mounted on the base substrate 25. These two LEDs 31 and 33 are used for both operation display and operation light communication, and realize high-performance optical communication that cannot be seen by humans. As a form of the safety proximity sensor device, the detection coil 3 and the oscillation circuit unit 7 are made into two independent systems so that the failure of the proximity sensor or the detection object 1 can be checked on the light receiving side. Also good. In this case, it is not necessary to provide two proximity sensors for safety, and safety control by feedback control can be realized at low cost and wirelessly with a proximity sensor device including a controller such as a programmable controller. . Note that both the LEDs 31 and 33 may be used for operation light communication and operation display. Further, it may be possible to increase the amount of information of the operation by combining the light emission color of both the LEDs 31 and 33, the light emission blinking and the light emission blinking.

  In FIG. 2C, an organic EL sheet 35 is provided on the base substrate 25, and the battery-less proximity that uses the organic EL sheet 35 for optical communication that also serves as an operation display of the proximity sensor and performs optical power feeding with a solar cell 37. It may be a sensor. Since the organic EL sheet 35 emits light in a plane, the organic EL sheet 35 has a light emitting form excellent in communication in optical communication.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the proximity sensor system including the optical receiving side in the operation display / operation optical communication by the proximity sensor of the present invention. In the figure, an arrow A indicates a proximity sensor of the present invention, an arrow B indicates a radio or optical fiber of a transmission medium, and an arrow C indicates an optical receiver.

  On the proximity sensor A side, the operation light transmission arithmetic processing unit 39 is composed of a CPU / FPGA module, hardware such as a memory, a detection circuit, and a peripheral circuit, and software programmed for oscillation, drive, display, correction, and the like. And an operation display / light communication unit 41 in charge of drive and output, and a light output device 45 including visible light, a laser diode (LD), and an infrared light emitting LED.

  The light receiving unit C side includes a light receiving device 47 such as a photodiode (PD) and a demodulation / processing circuit 49 including optical demultiplexing, a demodulation circuit, a processing circuit, and the like. The output light from the light output device 45 on the proximity sensor A side is transmitted to the light receiving device 47 side on the light receiving section C side by radio or optical fiber 53 indicated by a dotted line 51 between the space and the liquid, and demodulated by the demodulation / processing circuit 49. ·It is processed.

  The proximity sensor system of FIG. 3 includes a light receiving unit (see FIG. 1) using a photodiode (PD) on the proximity sensor A side and a transmitting unit (not shown) using an infrared LD (laser diode) on the light emitting side. Thus, bidirectional communication is performed, and a highly functional sensor system having a command from the optical receiver C side to the proximity sensor A side and a real time feedback function in real time can be configured.

  The operation display / optical communication unit 41 on the proximity sensor A side drives an optical output device 45 such as an LD or a visible light infrared light emitting LED, and operation display information indicating a detection state from the sensor head 5 on the proximity sensor A side. Is directly communicated with the optical receiver C side. This optical communication is performed between the proximity sensor A side and the optical receiver C side via the radio 51 and the optical fiber 53. The optical receiver C side includes a light receiving device 47, a demodulation / processing circuit 49, and the like.

  The light receiving device 47 on the optical receiver C side is composed of a photodiode or the like. The photodiode receives optical communication information from the proximity sensor A side, and the demodulation / processing circuit 49 on the optical receiver C side receives the optical communication information. Demodulate. In this manner, in the proximity sensor system, information from the sensor head 5 (not shown) on the proximity sensor A side is optically communicated with the light receiving unit C side, thereby being used for monitoring and controlling the state of the proximity sensor. Can do.

  FIG. 4 shows a structure of a light receiving / emitting integrated device 65 in which a light emitting element (light emitting unit) 61 as an operation display unit is formed into a device configuration with a light receiving sensor 63 by a resin mold. This device 65 includes a one-chip configuration. The light emitting element 61 and the light receiving sensor 63 can emit and receive light from the transparent window 64, respectively. A small and high-performance proximity sensor of the present invention is realized by high-performance bidirectional operation light bidirectional communication using the light receiving and emitting integrated device 65 instead of the single LED 29 of FIG. Real-time instruction and feedback control to the proximity sensor are realized by bidirectional operation light communication using the light receiving and emitting integrated device 65 of FIG.

  In addition, the calculation / processing units 9 and 39 include detection and analysis programs, data on the light emission modes of the operation display / operation light communication LED 14 and the light output device 45 (detection of position, distance, speed, vibration, etc. of the non-contact sensor unit). A storage unit may be provided that stores data that is shared with the operation optical communication data corresponding to the operation) in an rewritable manner by an external operation.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, real-time operation monitoring / analysis / judgment can be performed by the operation optical communication function, and reliability and safety are greatly enhanced. Further, it is possible to provide a proximity sensor having functions, safety, cost, and shape in consideration of not only display by light emission but also optical communication, photovoltaic power generation and light reception.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention and a proximity sensor controller that controls the proximity sensor. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of each proximity sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a block configuration of a proximity sensor system using the proximity sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a light receiving and emitting integrated device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Detected object 3 Detection coil 5 Sensor head 7 Oscillation circuit part 9 Arithmetic / processing part 13 Operation display control part 14 Operation display / operation light communication LED

Claims (7)

One or a plurality of operation display units having a light emitting function capable of operating light communication with a host amplifier or controller such as PLC;
A non-contact sensor unit for detecting a detected object in a non-contact manner;
A sensor control unit for controlling the operation display unit corresponding to the detection operation of the detected object from the sensor detection signal of the non-contact sensor unit;
A proximity sensor characterized by comprising:   The proximity sensor according to claim 1, wherein the operation display unit is a light emitting unit or a light emitting / receiving unit.   The proximity sensor according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting unit is any one of a light bulb-shaped light emitting diode that emits visible light, a sheet-shaped organic electroluminescence, a laser diode, and an infrared light emitting diode.   The proximity sensor according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor are combined with a light receiving sensor to form a light receiving and emitting integrated device configuration, and bidirectional light communication is possible between the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor.   The proximity sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a solar cell is mounted as a power source of the proximity sensor.   A memory that stores in advance rewritable data on the light emitting unit or the light emitting mode of the light emitting / receiving unit that is shared with the operating light communication data, corresponding to the detection operation of the position, distance, speed, vibration, etc. of the non-contact sensor unit The proximity sensor according to claim 2, further comprising a unit.   A proximity sensor system comprising: the proximity sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and an operation display unit of the proximity sensor and a light receiving unit that performs optical communication via radio or optical fiber. .

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