JP2763572B2 - Office equipment operator detection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to office equipment using a microprocessor,
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operator detection device for office equipment that detects that an operator operating the office equipment is present within a predetermined range in front of the office equipment in office equipment having a relatively large number of mutual responses between the operator and the equipment. .

[Conventional technology]

With the remarkable spread of office equipment and industrial robots in recent years, technologies for facilitating human-machine interaction (man-machine interface), in particular, technologies relating to speech synthesis and recognition, have attracted attention. Was. In a device having such a man-machine interface, it is necessary for the device to frequently detect the presence of an operator in its operation control, and it is necessary to detect that a person who wants to operate the device is present in front of the device. An operator detection device is added.

For example, if the office equipment is a copying machine, and the copying machine is stopped for a predetermined time in front of the copying machine,
This is detected by the operator detection device, and it is determined that an operator is present, and a voice such as "Please set a document."

As a means for preventing the operator from leaving the original or copy after the operator has made a copy, a device for notifying the operator of the original or copy when the operator leaves the copy machine by using a synthesized voice is added. In this case, an operator detecting device is used as means for detecting that the operator has left from the front of the copying machine.

As a device for detecting an operator, a device that detects a human body temperature using an infrared sensor and detects its presence (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
58-207148), and a method in which a pressure-sensitive sensor is installed at the operation position of an operator and the pressure is detected by the operator when the sensor is placed on the sensor (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 235855/1986). In addition, there is a type that emits an ultrasonic wave and detects its reflection level, and a type that detects reflected light by a photo sensor.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In the case of using an infrared sensor, the light receiving angle detected by the detector is wide and it receives infrared rays generated by the human body temperature, so the size of the exposed area of the skin, for example, the wide area of the neck of clothes Depending on whether the skin of the arm is exposed, the surface temperature of the skin, the number of people in front of the equipment, etc.
The output level of the sensor changes. The output level also changes due to the temperature change of the sensor itself. Because of such output fluctuation factors, it is difficult to accurately and stably detect the distance between the operator and the device based on the output level of the sensor.

As another problem, the pyroelectric sensor used as an infrared sensor generates an output due to a change when the temperature rises due to the received infrared light and a temperature difference is generated, so even if a person emits infrared light However, if it is stationary, there is no change in the emitted infrared light, so that the presence or distance of a person cannot be detected. In the case of office equipment, for example, in the case of a copying machine, there are heating sources such as a fixing heater, an exposure lamp, other lamps, a motor, a power supply, and a semiconductor element inside the machine, and a certain degree of temperature rise is inevitable. If the temperature at the installation position of the pyroelectric sensor rises and becomes higher than the temperature of the exposed skin such as the human face, even if it is configured to receive infrared light from the human body, the infrared radiation emitted by the pyroelectric sensor , The temperature does not change due to infrared rays from the human body, and detection becomes impossible. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to take measures such as cooling the sensor, which causes problems such as an increase in cost and an increase in the size of the device.

As described above, the device using infrared rays has many limitations in achieving its function, and has many problems in reliably detecting the stop, movement, and movement direction of the operator.

The device that detects the reflection level of ultrasonic waves is difficult to limit the range of emitting ultrasonic waves to a specific area, it is difficult to limit the directivity of the microphone that receives reflected waves, It is difficult to detect the operator only at the position where the operator stands. In addition, ultrasonic waves affect the detection level to be received due to reflection from surrounding objects other than the detection target, such as walls, ceilings and floors.Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the level for each installation location. Also, there is a problem that the intensity of the reflected ultrasonic wave varies depending on the size and the number of operators, and the received level is affected, which is not suitable for detecting the operator of the copying machine.

The one using a pressure-sensitive sensor can reliably detect an operator standing at a specific position, but since the office equipment and the detection device are placed separately, and the detection device is light, it easily moves. A fixing means such as sticking to the floor is required so that the place to be detected does not change. For this reason, it takes time and effort to install and move office equipment, and there is a step on the floor by the height of the pressure-sensitive sensor, which causes problems such as tripping.

Problems of this type include: transmitting means for firing a distance measuring medium in a direction existing when an operator uses office equipment; receiving means for receiving reflection of the medium emitted by the transmitting means; firing by the transmitting means. Office equipment is equipped with an operator detection device comprising: a control means for measuring a distance between the reflection target and the office equipment based on a correlation between the received signal and the signal received by the reception means and a propagation characteristic of the medium in the air. Then, the transmitting means emits a distance measuring medium (light, ultrasonic wave, etc.) in a direction existing when the operator operates the office equipment, and receives the reflection from the reflector by the receiving means. In the control means, based on the propagation characteristic of the medium in the air, in a method not affected by the reflection level received by the receiving means (time difference between transmission and reception, change in the receiving position, etc.)
This is improved by measuring the distance to the reflective object and determining that the operator is present when the measurement result is within a predetermined range and has been present for a predetermined time.

Since the principle of measuring the distance differs depending on the distance detection medium, a case where light is used and a case where ultrasonic waves are used will be described and described below.

(Detection by Light) An infrared light emitting diode and an optical system for making the output of the light emitting diode a narrow beam are provided on or near the operation unit, display unit, or document table of the copying machine. Install in a direction that is sometimes useful. A one-dimensional position sensor (Positi) that receives reflected light via a light receiving lens at a position that is a predetermined distance from the beam emission position in a plane orthogonal to the beam emission direction.
on Sensitive Dvice (PSD) is installed so that its longitudinal direction is in the direction of the distance from the beam launch position.
From the data of the position where the PSD receives the reflected wave, the distance to the target object can be obtained by the principle of triangulation.

Due to the operational characteristics of the copying machine, the operator sometimes approaches the copying machine or approaches the state close to it. In this method, when the operator approaches extremely,
There is a case where the light receiving unit or the light emitting unit is blocked by the operator, or the reflecting unit exceeds the light receiving range based on the limitation of the length of the PSD, so that the reflected light cannot be received.

(Detection by ultrasonic waves) A speaker and microphone for ultrasonic waves are placed in or near the operation unit, display unit, or document table of the copying machine, and the directivity of the speaker and microphone is oriented in a direction in which the operator stands when operating the copying machine. Install as follows. The time required for the ultrasonic wave emitted from the speaker to be reflected on the detection target and return to the microphone is measured, and the distance is determined from the speed at which the sound wave propagates in space. Since the emitted ultrasonic waves have a spread, not all of them are reflected from the same distance, but the time required to return depends on the distance to the position where the ultrasonic waves are reflected. Therefore, signals with various delay times are mixed in the signal received by the microphone. Of these signals, the distance of the detection target is determined by the delay time of the signal that returns first, and if the distance is within a predetermined range,
This is used as an operator presence signal. When the speaker and the microphone are far apart from each other, if the operator approaches the copying machine extremely, one or both of them are blocked by the operator and cannot receive reflection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems, provide an operator detection device capable of detecting an operator more accurately, and use it for improving office equipment having a man-machine interface.

[Means for solving the problem]

An operator detection device for office equipment according to the present invention includes: transmitting means for emitting a medium for distance measurement in a direction existing when the operator uses the office equipment; receiving means for receiving reflection of the medium emitted by the transmitting means; Control means for measuring the distance between the reflection target and office equipment from the correlation between the signal emitted by the transmitting means and the signal received by the receiving means, and from the propagation characteristics of the medium in the air, and In the first aspect of the present invention, the control means determines that there is an operator when the measurement result is within a predetermined range, after the determination, when there is no output of the receiving means despite the medium is being fired, In the second aspect of the present invention, the control unit is a distance detection target when there is no moving object in a predetermined range. Measuring the distance to a constant object, stored advance, when the long distance measurements from the stored distance is obtained, determines that the operator is present.

[Action]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the presence / absence of the detection target is determined after directly obtaining the distance to the detection target, so that the detection of the operator is reliably performed without being affected by the detection level of the receiving unit. However, after the presence of the operator is determined, when the operator is extremely close to the detection device and cannot receive the reflection, the control means continuously determines the presence of the operator. Even when distance detection is impossible, the determination that an operator is present continues,
The information on the presence or absence of the operator is accurate.

The second aspect of the present invention is to detect and store a distance to a reflecting object when there is no moving object such as an operator or a passing person, for example, a rear wall, a ceiling, and the like, and store the distance. When a farther object is detected, it is determined that an operator is present. This is because the operator is extremely close and cannot receive the reflected light because the detection result is the same as when the object is sufficiently far away and the reflected light can not be received. The determination is made using what cannot occur unless the condition in which the detection device is installed is changed. Thereby, the operator is reliably detected without being affected by the detection level of the receiving means.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an operator detection device 500 includes a transmitter 520 that emits a detection medium such as an infrared ray or an ultrasonic wave, a receiver 530 that receives a reflection of the detection medium emitted from the transmitter 520 hitting an object, and a transmitter 530. A signal processing unit 510 that measures the distance between the operator detection device 500 and the reflecting object, based on the correlation between the signal emitted from the detector 520 and the signal received by the receiver 530 and the propagation characteristics of the detection medium in the air; And a microcomputer 540 for controlling the processing unit 510. The microcomputer 540 is connected to the main controller 200 of the copier main body 1 via a data line, and exchanges data.

FIG. 2a shows a side view of a copier equipped with the operator detecting device of the present invention, and FIG. 2b shows a top view thereof.

2a and 2b, 1 is a copying machine main body, 2 is a manuscript pressure plate, 3 is an operation / display unit, 4 is a detection unit of an operator detection device composed of a transmitter 520 and a receiver 530, 5 and 6 is an infrared beam when infrared (light) is used as a detection medium, 7 to 10
Indicates the outer edge of the detection area when ultrasonic waves are used as the detection medium, and the distance between the operator can be measured in the area between 7-8 and 9-10, and within this range, within a predetermined distance. If there is a reflector, it is determined that there is an operator. In both the case of the infrared ray and the case of the ultrasonic wave, the detection is performed by aiming around the chest of the average operator. Usually, when the operator operates the copier, the width of the chest is the sum of the width of the arms, so even if the operator's position is slightly different, there is no fear that the operator will fall out of the detection area of the detection device. Like that. The detection of the operator at a portion as wide as possible is performed when the detection medium is an infrared ray having no spread such as an ultrasonic wave, and the detection area is a single beam. Therefore, the operator can be detected by one detection device. This is particularly important in this case.

In the following, each embodiment in the case where infrared (light) and ultrasonic waves are used as the medium for distance detection will be described.

(Embodiment Using Light for Distance Detection Medium) FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a position of a spot hitting a light receiving surface of a light receiving element (PSD) and an output current.

The light receiving element 14 has a common electrode 14c and two output terminals 14a and 14b.
In each of the output terminals, an output current as shown in FIG. 3 flows through each of the output terminals in accordance with the position where the spot light in the longitudinal direction of the light receiving surface 14d shines. That is, when the spot light hits the center, the current Ia flowing through the output terminal 14a
And the current Ib flowing through the output terminal 14b is equal. If the spot light shifts to the right, Ia <Ib, and if it shifts to the left, Ib <Ia. The rate of increase or decrease of Ia, Ib is proportional to the deviation from the center of the spot light. Therefore, the relationship between the position of the spot light and Ib / Ia is a constant value, and is independent of the intensity of the spot light. That is, by calculating the current ratio, the position where the spot light is applied can be obtained.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the detector 4 for realizing distance measurement using the light receiving element 14 shown in FIG. 3 in the operator detection device 500.

By making use of the fact that the light receiving element 14 can detect the position where the spot light hits, the distance L to the position where the emitted infrared beam (light) is reflected is obtained by adopting the configuration shown in FIG. It can be obtained in the manner of triangulation.

More specifically, the infrared light of the light emitting LED 11 is made into a fine beam by the light emitting lens 12 and emitted toward a position where an operator to be detected stands. The spot light reflected by the detection target is received by the light receiving lens 13 by the light receiving surface 14 of the light receiving element 14.
Make a real image on d. The deviation d from the center of the spot light is inversely proportional to the distance L to the object to be detected, and the relationship f / L = d / S holds between the base line length S and the distance f between the light receiving lens 13 and the light receiving element 14. .

As shown in FIG. 3, the output currents Ia, Ib
Has the following relationship:

Ia = c / 2−d = c / 2−fS / L Ib = c / 2 + d = c / 2 + fS / L From this, Ib / Ia = (cL / 2 + fS) / (cL / 2−fS) = (cL / 2 −fS + 2fS) / (cL / 2−fS) = 1 + 2fS / (cL / 2−fS) From this, Ib / Ia−1 = 2fS / (cL / 2−fS) = 4fS / (cL−2fS) Therefore, 1 / (Ib / Ia-1) = (cL−2fS) / 4fS = (c / 4fS) · L−1 / 2, and (Ib / Ia−1) is proportional to 1 / L, and c, f, S Has a value unique to the detection device, so that the distance L to the detection target can be obtained from Ib / Ia.

In this embodiment, the light receiving element 14 required as the distance decreases
Needs to be large, but the accuracy is high, and it is suitable for detecting the presence of the operator 5 of the copying machine 1.

Next, the determination of the presence of the operator 5 based on the measured distance will be described. When the result of the distance measurement becomes smaller than a predetermined value within 50 cm, it is determined that the operator 5 is present. When the time within a predetermined distance has continued for a predetermined time to distinguish it from a person who only passes in front of the machine 1, it is determined that the operator 5 is present.

When the operator 5 is too close to the copying machine body 1 and exceeds the light receiving range of the light receiving element 14 or covers the transmitter 520 or the receiver 530, and the position data cannot be obtained, the operator 5 is simply Judge that it exists.
However, in this case, if the detection device 500 is out of order, there is a possibility of making an erroneous determination. Therefore, the position data is obtained as a result of the approach of the operator 5 using the data before the position data cannot be obtained. Such a problem can be avoided by making the disappearance a condition for the determination.

Alternatively, distance data n such as a ceiling or a wall obtained when the operator 5 does not exist may be stored, and when a longer distance is detected, it may be determined that the operator 5 exists.

The setting position of the operator detecting device 500 shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b is set so that data by reflection from the ceiling can be obtained as distance data n from the background of the operator under ordinary installation conditions of the copying machine body 1. Is considered.

Since the copying machine body 1 is installed under various lighting conditions, it is necessary to distinguish the ambient light from the light for distance measurement. For this reason, the emitted infrared rays are set to 800 to 950 nm, and a visible light cut filter is inserted in front of the light receiving surface 14a of the light receiving element 14. However, this alone is useless for light such as sunlight and incandescent lamps. Therefore, the light emitting LED 11 is pulse-driven or AC-lit, and the signal received by the receiver 530 is extracted by the signal processing unit 510 by the amount corresponding to the change. In this way, it is distinguished from external light. Further, the driving of the light emitting LED 11 is limited to a predetermined interval, and the calculation of the detection current is performed only when the light emitting LED 11 is being driven to obtain distance data.

By inserting a visible light cut filter into the receiver 520 and the transmitter 530, the detection unit 4 of the operator detection device 500 becomes invisible, and there is an effect that the operator does not feel uncomfortable. It is possible to prevent a countermeasure that is different from the design intention, such as not being consciously detected unless it is visible.

(Embodiment Using Ultrasonic Sensor) FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of the detecting section 4 of the operator detecting apparatus 500 when using an ultrasonic wave as a measuring medium.

The device shown in FIG. 5 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG.
Ultrasound instead of infrared light, speaker 15 and ultrasonic oscillator 16 instead of LED 11 and light projecting lens 12, light receiving lens 13
A microphone 17 and a microphone receiver 18 are used instead of the light receiving element 14. A region sandwiched between 9 and 10, 9R and 10R indicates the directivity of each of the speaker 15 and the microphone 17. Actually, when compared with the distance between the speaker 15 and the microphone 17, the detector 500 and the operator 5
2a and 2b, it can be represented as a total detection area 7-8, 9-10 as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b.

In this configuration, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the speaker 15 are reflected, received by the microphone 17, and the time from emission to reception is measured. Assuming that the distance from the operator detector 500 to the operator 5 is L, the time from emission to reception of the ultrasonic wave is d, and the propagation speed of the ultrasonic wave in the air is v, L = vd / 2, and v is 340 m / s. Since the value is of the order, the distance L can be obtained from the measured d.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing emitted ultrasonic waves and waveforms at various parts when received.

An ultrasonic signal having a fixed period as shown in FIG. 6 is given to the speaker 15, and this signal is emitted from the speaker 15 as an ultrasonic wave. The emitted ultrasonic waves hit the object and are reflected, and the reflected waves are received by the microphone 17. Ultrasound waves are reflected by various objects within the solid angle indicated as directivity and return.Therefore, each transmission path is different, and the received signal has a different time from emission to reception. It is a composite of different signals. In this signal, data of a signal reflected from the nearest place is used as distance measurement data.

Therefore, after amplifying the reception signal and limiting the amplitude to a predetermined value by a limiter, detection is performed to obtain a detection signal.
The time from the emission of the ultrasonic wave to the leading edge of the detection signal is d
Using the value d, the above equation is calculated, and the distance from the operator detection device 500 to the operator 5 is obtained.

The case where the operator 5 cannot measure the distance because the operator 5 is too close is the same as the case of the embodiment using infrared rays.

In FIG. 7, measured by the detection device 500 of the present invention,
7 shows a control operation flowchart of the microcomputer 540 for determining the presence of the operator 5 based on the distance to the operator 5.

When the microcomputer 540 receives a start instruction from the main controller 200 of the copying machine, the microcomputer 540 firstly operates an internal timer,
Initialization is performed by clearing FLAG and the like (Step 1: hereinafter, the word “step” is omitted in parentheses), and control is performed so that the medium for distance measurement is emitted from the transmitter 520, and The distance to the reflecting object is calculated based on the signal received by the receiver 530 (2). Next, it is checked whether the distance detected in step 1 is a predetermined value A terminal (3), and if the distance is the A terminal, the operator is within a predetermined range (at least when the distance is measured). Then, it went to step 4,
If the distance is greater than or equal to A, then either the operator 5 does not exist within the predetermined range, or the operator 5 is closer than the predetermined range.
Proceed to 16.

In step 4, "FLAG within A" indicating that the operator 5 exists within the distance A is set to "1" (4).
It is checked whether "time-up FLAG" indicating that the operator 5 is present for a predetermined time or more within the distance A is "1" (5), and if "1", the process proceeds to step 9; The value of the time-up counter is incremented by one, and the process proceeds to step 7 (6). When the process proceeds to step 7, it is checked whether the value of the time-up counter is 100 or more (7). When the value is less than 100, the process proceeds to step 10, and when the value is 100 or more, it is counted for a predetermined time or more. "Time-up FLAG" is set to "1" (8).

In step 9, since the operator 5 has been within the distance A for a predetermined time or more, the message "operator presence FL
AG "is set to" 1 "(9).

It is checked whether the distance to the operator 5 detected in step 2 is at the B-terminal (10). If it is at the B end, it is determined that the operator 5 exists within the distance B and “B
"FLAG" is set to "1" (11).
LAG "is set to" 0 "(12), and the process returns to step 2.

It is checked whether the distance to the reflection object detected in step 2 is further at the C-terminal (13). If it is a C-terminal, it is determined that the operator body exists within the distance C and “C
“Within FLAG” is set to “1” (14).
LAG "is set to" 0 "(15), and the process returns to step 2.

Here, regarding the distances A, B, and C, the distances A, B, and C have a relationship of A>B> C, and each FLAG determines at which position in the detection range the operator exists. Judgment and change of these FLAG combinations over time
It is possible to check the moving direction of the operator.

In step 3, when the process proceeds to step 16, "within A
FLAG "is set to" 0 "(16).

Next, it is checked whether the distance from the reflection object detected in step 2 is the n-terminal (17). n is a value in which the distance to a reflective object such as a ceiling or a wall is measured and stored in the absence of an operator in advance. If the detection distance in step 2 is not more than n, the reflection object is between the outside of the distance A and the ceiling or wall, and the operator 5 is not within the predetermined range. "0", time-up FLAG "is set to" 0 ", the time-up counter is cleared, and the process returns to step 1. (20 to 22) If the value detected in step 2 is larger than n, measurement is impossible. Proceed to step 18.

In step 18, it is checked whether "FLAG within C" is "1" (18), and if it is "1", it is determined that the distance cannot be measured because the operator has approached too much. "Existing FLAG" is set to "1" (19). If “FLAG within C” is “0”, it is determined that the distance cannot be measured due to some abnormality.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the copying machine 1 showing ranges A, B, C, and n of the distance detection shown in the flowchart of FIG.

As described above, according to the apparatus of the present embodiment, it is detected that the operator has approached, and if it is within the predetermined range for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the operator is present. By storing the background distance information corresponding to the setting conditions of the device, the detection of the operator is made more reliable, and it is possible to detect even when the operator is too close to the device.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, since the presence or absence of a detection target is determined after directly obtaining the distance to the detection target, the operator can be reliably detected without being affected by the detection level of the receiving means. Thus, according to the first aspect, after determining the presence of the operator, the control means continuously determines the presence of the operator even when the operator becomes extremely close to the detection device and cannot receive the reflection. Therefore, when the reflection is not received and the distance cannot be detected, the determination that the operator is present continues, and the information on the presence or absence of the operator is accurate.

According to the second aspect, the distance to a reflecting object when there is no moving object such as an operator or a passing person, for example, a rear wall, a ceiling, etc., is detected and stored.
When detecting an object farther than the stored distance,
It is determined that an operator exists. This is because the operator is extremely close and cannot receive the reflected light.
The same detection result that the object is sufficiently far away and cannot receive the reflected light, and the data farther than the background,
Judgment is made using what cannot occur unless the conditions under which the detection device is installed are changed. Thereby, the operator is reliably detected without being affected by the detection level of the receiving means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention. FIG. 2a shows a side view of a copier equipped with the apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2b shows a top view thereof. FIG. 3 is a characteristic graph showing the relationship between the position of the spot light of the light receiving element 14 and the output current. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the detection unit 4 of the operator detection device 500 when infrared light is used as the distance measurement medium. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the detection unit 4 of the operator detection device 500 when an ultrasonic wave is used as a distance measurement medium. FIG. 6 is a time chart showing waveforms of respective parts of the apparatus of the operator detection apparatus 500 when an ultrasonic wave is used as a distance measuring medium. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control operation of the microcomputer 540 for determining an operator detection. FIG. 8 is a top view of the copying machine showing the distance detection range of the present invention. 1: Copying machine body, 2: Original platen 3: Operation / display unit, 4: Detection unit of operator detection device 6: Infrared beam (medium for distance detection and detection) 7-10: Ultrasonic wave (medium for distance detection) 11: Light emitting LED (transmitting means), 12: Light emitting lens (transmitting means) 13: Light receiving lens (receiving means), 14: Light receiving element (receiving means) 15: Speaker (transmitting means), 16: Ultrasonic oscillator (transmission means) 17: Microphone (reception means) 18: Microphone receiver (reception means) 200: Main control device of copier, 500: operator detection device 510: signal processing unit (control means), 520: transmission 530 (receiving means) 540: microcomputer (control means)

────────────────────────────────────────────────── (5) References JP-A-58-207148 (JP, A) JP-A-63-199080 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01S 7/00-17/95 G01V 8/00-8/26 G03G 15/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A transmitting means for projecting a medium for distance measurement in a direction existing when an operator uses office equipment; a receiving means for receiving a reflection of the medium emitted by the transmitting means; Control means for measuring a distance between a reflection target and office equipment from a correlation between a signal and a signal received by the receiving means and a propagation characteristic of the medium in the air; and It is determined that there is an operator when is within a predetermined range, and after the determination, when there is no output of the receiving means even though the medium is being fired, it is determined that the operator is continuously present,
Office equipment operator detection detection device. 2. Transmitting means for emitting a distance measuring medium in a direction existing when an operator uses office equipment; receiving means for receiving reflection of the medium emitted by the transmitting means; and emitting by the transmitting means. Control means for measuring a distance between the object to be reflected and office equipment from a correlation between a signal and a signal received by the receiving means and a propagation characteristic of the medium in the air; The distance to a fixed object that is a distance detection target when there is no moving object is measured and stored, and when a measurement result at a longer distance than the stored distance is obtained, it is determined that an operator is present. An operator detection device for office equipment.