JP3029592B2 - Earthquake detector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an earthquake detector capable of accurately detecting both a longitudinal and a rolling mode of an earthquake.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the recent great earthquakes, demands for various earthquake countermeasures are increasing. By the way, while it is indispensable to accurately detect earthquakes, equipment manufacturers cannot increase costs unnecessarily due to their added value.

Conventionally, various methods using a sphere rolling due to an earthquake have been proposed as a method for easily detecting an earthquake. However, both a roll mode and a pitch mode are detected by a sphere and the sphere is detected. There has been a long-felt need for a simple mechanism capable of reliably moving a movable part other than the above to a predetermined position and performing a predetermined earthquake countermeasure operation.

[0004] In fact, the present inventor conducted a prior art search using the logical formula of international patent classification (H01H35 / 14) x free keyword (earthquake) using Patrice of the Patent Information Organization, and found 41 patent applications. However, none of them could solve the above problems.

[0005] Typical forms among these prior arts are:
One sphere that fluctuates due to an earthquake is brought into contact with a conductive part at a remote position. This includes connecting and supporting a sphere to a coil spring (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-32123).
6, JP-A-8-315700, JP-A-8-3157
No. 10), or one in which an inertial sphere is arranged in a container containing silicon oil (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-105805,
JP-A-7-130258, JP-A-8-273504)
There is. Further, there is a method in which a sphere that is stably positioned in a recess is moved to a contact portion side by an earthquake to detect an earthquake (JP-A-59-60835 and JP-A-63-925).
issue). In these, the sphere rolling by the earthquake returns to the initial position when the shaking stops, so other complicated mechanisms are required to surely move the movable parts other than the sphere to the predetermined position. .

As another form of the above-mentioned prior art, a method using mercury (JP-A-3-1151 and JP-A-3-1382)
No. 9, JP-A-3-219517), but also in this case, another complicated mechanism is required to surely move the movable portion to a predetermined position.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to detect both the roll mode and the pitch mode using a sphere,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple earthquake detector capable of reliably moving a movable part other than the sphere to a predetermined position and performing a predetermined earthquake countermeasure operation.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an earthquake detector comprising: a first chamber having a first bottom plate; and a second chamber having a second bottom plate below the first chamber. , A second bottom plate is formed with first and second openings, and the second bottom plate is connected to the second bottom plate.
A container body having a first inclined surface which is inclined downward toward the opening; and a first body which rolls on a first bottom plate of the first chamber.
A sphere, a second sphere rolling on a second bottom plate of the second chamber, and a shaft portion guided vertically and rotatably by the container body and inserted through the first and second openings, A movable shaft that is fixed to the first position by the flange portion being locked to the second sphere, and the first bottom plate at least at the time of an earthquake roll; Rotating the movable axis based on the first sphere rolling on the upper side, moving the second sphere outward by the rotation of the movable axis,
First locking release means for releasing the locked state between the second sphere and the movable shaft, and moving the second sphere rolling on the second bottom plate outward at least at the time of the pitching of the earthquake to the outside And second unlocking means for releasing the locked state between the second sphere and the movable shaft, and locked by at least one of the first and second unlocking means. The movable shaft portion whose state has been released is dropped to a second position below the first position to detect an earthquake.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the movable shaft is rotated by the rolling of the first sphere mainly in the rolling mode. By the rotation of the movable shaft, the second sphere, which has the movable shaft stationary at the first position, can be moved outward, and the movable shaft can be dropped to the second position below the first position. Primarily in the pitching mode, the second sphere itself can be moved directly outward, thereby dropping the movable shaft to a second position below the first position. As described above, in any of the vertical and roll modes, the earthquake can be accurately detected by moving the movable shaft. By utilizing the displacement of this movable shaft mechanically or electrically,
Various earthquake countermeasures can be taken.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the first unlocking means is fixed to the movable shaft, and the first sphere rolls on the first bottom plate due to a roll of an earthquake. A first sphere contact portion for rotating the movable shaft by contacting the
A second sphere contact portion that is fixed to the movable shaft and that contacts the second sphere and moves the second sphere outward based on rotation of the movable shaft. The stop releasing means has a second inclined surface on the lower surface of the flange portion, which is inclined downward toward the shaft portion.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by providing the first and second spherical contact portions on the movable shaft, the movable shaft can be reliably dropped in the roll mode. Further, when the second inclined surface is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion, the second inclined surface is formed in the pitching mode.
Since the outward force is generated as a component of the reaction force that the sphere receives from the second inclined surface, the second sphere can be easily moved outward.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the second sphere contact portion protrudes downward from the second inclined surface to form a 1/4 upper hemisphere area on the movable axis side of the second sphere. It is characterized in that it is a projection that comes into contact with the surface.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the projection formed on the second inclined surface can apply a force for surely moving the second sphere outward when the movable shaft rotates.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the switch is driven to be closed based on the movable shaft that has fallen to the second position, and the switch is driven to be closed. And an energizing means for energizing an external energized portion.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when an earthquake is detected, a portion to be energized, such as a light bulb, is energized, so that a countermeasure in the event of an earthquake or evacuation convenience can be achieved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, a timer circuit is further provided for canceling energization to the energized portion after a predetermined time from the time of closing the switch.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the power can be supplied only for a required time after the occurrence of the earthquake, and thereafter, the power can be cut off by the timer circuit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the timer circuit according to the fifth aspect, further comprising a solenoid disposed below the second chamber and around the movable shaft formed of a magnetic material. Is a current for generating a magnetic field sufficient to push the movable shaft upward after the predetermined time has elapsed,
It is characterized in that the solenoid is energized.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the movable shaft can be returned to the initial state by the magnetic field generated by the solenoid, and the power to the portion to be energized can be cut off by this return operation.

[0020]

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

(Structure of Seismic Sensing Section) FIG.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state after the earthquake is detected. In the figure, first, the seismic sensor 110 of the earthquake detector 100 will be described.

The earthquake detector 100 has a container body 10 composed of a bottomed cylindrical portion 12 and a lid portion 14. In the present embodiment, the container body 10 has the same size and shape as a single dry cell. The container body 10 is partitioned into a first chamber 20 and a second chamber 30 below the first chamber 20.

The first chamber 20 accommodates the first sphere 1 and has, for example, a horizontal first bottom plate 22 having a first opening 22A formed in the center. The first chamber 20 further has an outer peripheral wall 24 and an inner peripheral wall 26, between which an annular passage 28 of the first sphere 1 is formed.

The second chamber 30 below the first chamber 20 accommodates the second sphere 2, and has a second bottom plate 32 having a first opening 32A formed in the center. The second bottom plate 32 is a first inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the second opening 32A. The second chamber 30 has an outer peripheral wall 34 located outside the outer peripheral wall 24 of the first chamber 20. This second bottom plate 32
A ring-shaped passage 36 of the second sphere 2 is defined within a range surrounded by the outer peripheral wall 34 and the outer peripheral wall 34.

A movable shaft 40 is provided in the container body 10 so as to be vertically movable and rotatable with respect to the container body 10. The movable shaft 40 has first and second openings 22A, 3A.
It has a shaft portion 42 inserted through 2A and a flange portion 44 protruding outward from the shaft portion 42. The shaft portion 42 includes a small-diameter shaft portion 42A provided on the upper end side and another large-diameter shaft portion 42A.
B. In the present embodiment, the shaft portion 42 is formed of a conductive and magnetic metal, and the lower end thereof is
C. The shaft portion 42 is provided on the inner peripheral wall 2 of the first chamber 20.
6 and a contact sphere 64 provided in a third chamber 50 to be described later.
Thus, it is supported so as to be vertically movable and rotatable.

The flange portion 4 provided in the middle of the shaft portion 42
Reference numeral 4 denotes a second inclined surface whose flange lower surface 44A is inclined downward toward the shaft portion 42. The flange lower surface 44A of the flange portion 44 is provided with a plurality of projecting portions 46 projecting downward (see a broken line 2 in FIG. 3).
(See two protrusions 46). Flange lower surface 44A
Always faces the second chamber 30. And the projection 4
6 corresponds to the second sphere 2 arranged in the second chamber 30.
The contact is possible at a position Q in the upper hemisphere and in the quarter upper hemisphere inside the spherical center P.

The flange portion 44 further supports a plurality of blades 48 in a position where the flanges 44 can contact the first sphere 1 in the first chamber 20 (see the two blades 48 indicated by solid lines in FIG. 3). thing).

(Earthquake Detection Operation) In the earthquake detector 100 of the present embodiment, the state where the movable shaft 40 is set at the first position shown in FIG. 1 is an initial state, and the movable shaft 40 is shown in FIG. An earthquake is detected by falling to the second position.

In the state shown in FIG. 1, the second sphere 2 is
The chamber 30 is located at the center due to the inclination of the second bottom plate 32. At this time, the flange lower surface 44 </ b> A of the flange portion 44 is in contact with the second sphere 2. By locking the flange lower surface 44A by the second sphere 2, the movable shaft 40 is stationary at the first position shown in FIG.

In order for the movable shaft 40 to drop to the second position shown in FIG. 2, one of the following roll mode and pitch mode operation is required.

(Earthquake Detection Operation in Rolling Mode) In the rolling mode of an earthquake, earthquake detection is performed mainly by using rolling of the first sphere 1. At this time, the first sphere 1
It turns on a first bottom plate 22 of the chamber 20 along a ring-shaped passage 28 defined by an outer peripheral wall 24 and an inner peripheral wall 26.

FIG. 3 shows the movement of the first sphere 1 in the right half, and the movement of the second sphere 2 at that time in the left half. Here, the first sphere 1 is located between the two blades 48 fixed to the flange portion 44 as shown in FIG. After the start, it comes into contact with one of the blades 48.
Then, in the roll mode sufficient to push the blade plate 48 even after the contact, the movable shaft 40 is driven to rotate via the blade plate 48. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the first sphere 1 is in the position 1A at the time of initial contact with the wing plate 48.
Rather, the movable shaft 40 rotates to the position 1B where the movable shaft 40 rotates along the ring-shaped passage 28, and the movable shaft 40 rotates by the amount of the rotation.

When the movable shaft 40 rotates, the flange portion 44
At the same time, the rotational position of the projection 46 changes. This projection 4
6 contacts the second sphere 2 in the second chamber 30 with its rotation. Then, the protrusion 46 is rotated and displaced even after the contact, so that the second sphere 2 is brought into the contact position 2A shown in FIG.
Thus, it is repelled to the outer position 2B closer to the outer peripheral wall 34. This operation, as shown in FIG.
This can be implemented effectively when the contact position Q of the projection 46 is located on the inner quarter upper hemisphere closer to the movable shaft 40 than the spherical center position P of the second spherical body 2.

When the second sphere 2 is flipped outward, the contact point between the second sphere 2 and the flange portion 44 moves downward,
Eventually, the second sphere 2 reaches a position where it is separated from the flange portion 44. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the locked state of the flange portion 44 is released, and the movable shaft 40 falls to the second position shown in FIG. 2 by its own weight.

When the roll of the earthquake is remarkable,
The second sphere 2 moves outward against the direction of inclination of the second bottom plate 32, which is the first inclined surface, whereby the locked state between the second sphere 2 and the flange portion 44 can be released.

(Earthquake Detection Operation in Pitch Mode) In this pitch mode, the fluctuation of the first sphere 1 is small, and the fluctuation of the second sphere 2 is used for earthquake detection. At this time, the second sphere 2 is moved to the movable shaft 40 via the flange portion 44.
Fluctuate so as to push upward. Actually, in the present embodiment, since there is a gap δ between the top surface of the movable shaft 40 and the inner surface of the lid 14, the movable shaft 40 slightly rises. When the movable shaft 40 reaches the upper limit position, the second sphere 2 receives a downward reaction force W perpendicular to the flange lower surface 44A at the flange lower surface 44A, as schematically shown in FIG. Since the reaction force W has a component of a component force W1 directed outward, the second sphere 2 is moved outward. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, if the angle formed between the lower surface 44 </ b> A of the flange and the second bottom plate 32 is an acute angle and has a wedge shape, the escape area of the second sphere 2 is only outside due to the wedge shape effect. Thus, the second sphere 2 can be reliably released to the outside.

As described above, in the pitching mode, the locked state between the second sphere 2 and the flange portion 44 can be released by directly guiding the second sphere 2 to the outside. As a result, as in the roll mode, the movable shaft 40 can be dropped from the first position shown in FIG. 1 to the second position shown in FIG. An earthquake can be detected by the movement of the movable shaft 40.

(Construction for Energizing and Canceling After Earthquake Detection) In the present embodiment, the movable shaft 40 is set to the second position shown in FIG. In addition, a configuration is adopted in which the current can be released after a predetermined time has elapsed after the current is applied. FIG. 5 shows the above-described earthquake detector 10.
0 shows a circuit diagram for energizing the light bulb 220 which is an energized part.

As shown in FIG. 5, the earthquake detector 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a power terminal 200, a ground terminal 202, and an energizing terminal 204. The earthquake detector 100 further includes a movable shaft 40 made of a conductive and magnetic material, for example, iron, and a contact portion 206 that comes into contact with the movable shaft 40.
And a solenoid 208 using the movable shaft 40 as an iron core
And a switch 210 using the contact 42C at the lower end of the movable shaft 40 as a movable contact. The bulb 220 is connected to the ground terminal 202 and the energizing terminal 204 of the earthquake detector 100, and when the switch 210 is turned on, the bulb 2
A closed circuit for energization for 20 is established.

In the present embodiment, the solenoid 20
One end of 8 is connected to the energizing terminal 204, and the other end is connected to the ground terminal 202 via the timer circuit 212. The timer circuit 212 supplies a low current to the solenoid 208 until a predetermined time elapses after the switch 210 is turned on, and then applies a high current to the solenoid 208 based on a time constant determined by the internal resistance R and the capacitance C. It works like shedding. And the solenoid 208
When the high current flows through the movable shaft 40, the movable shaft 40, which is an iron core, is returned from the second position shown in FIG. 2 to the first position shown in FIG.

The return movement of the movable shaft 40 causes the light bulb 2
The power supply to 20 is released.

Next, the energization / shutoff operation section 120 necessary for performing the above-described operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

A third chamber 50 is provided above the first chamber 20 of the container body 10. The third chamber 50 has a base supporting portion 52 for supporting the substrate 212A of the timer circuit 212 at a peripheral portion thereof. The inside of the substrate support 52 is partitioned by a partition 66. A magnet 54 is attached to the upper end of the movable shaft 40 located in the partition 66, and is prevented from falling off by an O-ring 56. A metal ring 60 connected to the power supply terminal 200 shown in FIG. 5 is disposed around the small diameter shaft portion 42A of the movable shaft 40, and a contact plate 62 is further disposed inside the metal ring 60.
The contact plate 62 has a third opening 62A at the center, and
Third inclined surface 62 inclined downward toward opening 62A
The B side is formed.

A plurality of contact spheres 64 for rolling contact with the third inclined surface 62B and the small diameter shaft portion 42A of the movable shaft 40 are provided. And these metal rings 6
0, the contact plate 62 constitutes the contact portion 206 of FIG.

In the state shown in FIG. 1, the contact conductive balls 64 can freely roll. For this reason, the contact conductive ball 6
The reference numeral 4 functions as a bearing ball for supporting the movable shaft 40 vertically and rotatably. On the other hand, when the magnet 54 comes close to the metal ring 60 as shown in FIG. 2, the magnetic attraction force generated during this time presses the contact conductive sphere 64 from above, and causes the contact between the movable shaft 40 and the contact plate 62. The contact conductive balls 64 are closely contacted so that the contact resistance is reduced.

The container body 10 further has a fourth chamber 70 below the second chamber. In the fourth chamber 70, the frame 7
A conductive movable piece 72 that is supported by the movable member 4 and that can swing between a position indicated by a solid line and a chain line in FIG. 1 is provided. The movable piece 72 has a stopper 72A on the tip side. The movable piece 72 is connected to the power supply terminal 204 shown in FIG. The movable piece 72 and the contact 42C at the lower end of the movable shaft 40 constitute the switch 210 shown in FIG. Further, in the fourth chamber 70, a solenoid 208 described with reference to FIG.

(Operation of energizing the light bulb when an earthquake is detected) In the state shown in FIG.
Is not in contact with the movable piece 72, so that the switch 2 in FIG.
10 is turned off, and the light bulb 220 is not turned on.

When the contact 42C of the movable shaft 40 comes into contact with the movable piece 72 as shown in FIG.
Switch 210 is turned on. At this time, the movable shaft 40
By the action of the magnet 54, the contact plate 62 and the small-diameter shaft portion 42A are reliably electrically connected via the contact conductive sphere 64 on the upper end side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the power supply terminal 200, the contact portion 206, the movable shaft 40, the switch 2
10. A closed circuit is formed by the energizing terminal 204, the lamp 220, and the ground terminal 202, and the light bulb 220 is automatically turned on. For this reason, this light bulb 220 can be used as an emergency light at the time of an earthquake.

At this time, as shown in FIG.
The other closed circuit is also configured in parallel with the above-described closed circuit by the 00, the contact portion 206, the movable shaft 40, the switch 210, the timer circuit 212, and the ground terminal 202.
The timer circuit 212 functions to supply a low current to the solenoid 208 for a predetermined time after energization. This allows
An upward magnetic attraction is generated in the movable piece 72 shown in FIG. 2, and the contact between the movable shaft 40 and the movable piece 72 becomes dense.

(De-energization and return operation of movable shaft) The timer circuit 212 functions to supply a high current to the solenoid 208 after a lapse of a predetermined time after energization. Then,
Based on the current flowing through the solenoid 208 and the magnetic field generated by the current, the upward force acting on the movable shaft 40 functioning as an iron core exceeds the own weight of the movable shaft 40 and its sliding resistance. As a result, the movable shaft 40 rises. At this time, the movable piece 72 also moves while being in contact with the movable shaft 40 due to the magnetic attraction described above. Therefore, switch 210 is kept on.

When the stopper 72A of the movable piece 72 comes into contact with the lower end of the solenoid 208, the movable shaft 40 continues to rise by the upward force and the inertial force, while the movement of the movable piece 72 is restricted. Therefore, the switch 2 in FIG.
10 is turned off. Thereby, the lighting of the light bulb 220 is automatically released.

In the process of moving the movable shaft 40, the lower surface 44A of the flange contacts the upper hemisphere of the second sphere 2 in the second chamber 30, and as the lower surface 44A of the flange rises, the second sphere 2 becomes the second bottom plate. It is returned inward according to the inclination of 32. Then, finally, as shown in FIG. 1, the movable shaft 40 returns to the initial position and stops at the first position. Thereby, all are returned to the initial state, and the earthquake can be detected again.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a lighting device which is turned on by a movable shaft to energize a light bulb. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It can be performed. Further, the movable shaft is not limited to the one used for electrical control such as the start of energization, but may be used as a part of a mechanical mechanism for implementing earthquake countermeasures, such as a lock mechanism.

[0055]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an earthquake detector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an earthquake detection state of the earthquake detector of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining rolling of first and second spheres of the earthquake detector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining a force acting on a second sphere in a pitching mode.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a lighting circuit including the earthquake detector of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st sphere 2 2nd sphere 10 Container main body 20 1st chamber 22 1st bottom plate 22A 1st opening 30 2nd chamber 32 2nd bottom plate 32A 2nd opening 40 Movable shaft 42 Shaft part 44 Flange part 44A Flange lower surface (1st sphere) Inclined surface) 46 Projection (second sphere contact portion) 48 Blade plate (first sphere contact portion) 72 Movable piece 72A Stopper 200 Power supply terminal 202 Ground terminal 204 Energizing terminal 206 Contact portion 208 Solenoid 210 Switch 212 Timer circuit 220 Light bulb (Electrified section)

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-10-123164 (JP, A) JP-A-8-270282 (JP, A) JP-A 8-129080 (JP, A) JP-A-63- 925 (JP, A) Fully open 1986-82336 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01V 1/18 G01H 1/00 G01P 15/03 G01P 15/135 H01H 35/14

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] A first chamber having a first bottom plate; and a second chamber having a second bottom plate below the first chamber, wherein the first and second bottom plates have first and second openings formed therein. A container body having a first inclined surface that is inclined downward as the second bottom plate moves toward the second opening; a first sphere rolling on the first bottom plate of the first chamber; A second sphere rolling on the second bottom plate; a shaft guided vertically and rotatably by the container body and inserted through the first and second openings; and protruding outward from the shaft. A movable shaft fixed to the first position by the flange portion being locked to the second sphere, and the first shaft rolling on the first bottom plate at least at the time of rolling in the event of an earthquake The movable shaft is rotated on the basis of the sphere, and the second sphere is moved outward by the rotation of the movable shaft. First unlocking means for releasing the locked state with the movable shaft; and moving the second sphere rolling on the second bottom plate at least at the time of a pitching of an earthquake to the outside, Second unlocking means for releasing the locked state between the sphere and the movable shaft, wherein the locked state is released by at least one of the first and second unlocking means. An earthquake detector wherein the movable shaft portion is dropped to a second position below the first position to detect an earthquake. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first unlocking means is fixed to the movable shaft, and comes into contact with the first sphere rolling on the first bottom plate due to a rolling of an earthquake, A first sphere contact portion that rotates the movable shaft, and a second sphere that is fixed to the movable shaft and that contacts the second sphere and moves the second sphere outward based on the rotation drive of the movable shaft. And a contact portion, wherein the second unlocking means has, on the lower surface of the flange portion, a second inclined surface which is inclined downward toward the shaft portion. 3. The projection according to claim 2, wherein the second sphere contact portion protrudes downward from the second inclined surface and contacts a quarter upper hemisphere region on the movable axis side of the second sphere. An earthquake detector, characterized in that: 4. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the switch is driven to be closed based on the movable shaft that has fallen to the second position, and the switch is driven to be closed so that external power is supplied. And an energizing means for energizing the part. 5. The earthquake detector according to claim 4, further comprising a timer circuit for releasing power to the power-supplied part after a predetermined time from the time of closing the switch. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a solenoid disposed below the second chamber and around the movable shaft formed of a magnetic material, wherein the timer circuit is configured to perform the predetermined time. An earthquake detector characterized in that after the lapse of time, a current for generating a magnetic field sufficient to push back the movable shaft upward is supplied to the solenoid.