JP3126710B1 - Contact sensor and method of using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract: [PROBLEMS] Easy installation and removal, visual confirmation of a work area with installation is possible, and the possibility of malfunction is low, and it is directly detected that a person has entered the vicinity of a construction vehicle. And a method using the same. A mobile heavy equipment 100 includes a plurality of contact sensors 2.
Is attached so as to surround the mobile heavy equipment 100, the rope 3 is stretched between the detection units of the contact sensors, the contact sensor 2 is connected to the alarm 110, and a person or an object approaches the mobile heavy equipment 100 and Activate the alarm when contact is made.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact sensor suitable for detecting that a person has entered a work area around a construction vehicle, and a method of using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Mobile crane,
Construction vehicles such as forklifts and yumbo are often used. Many workers are working together with these construction vehicles. Therefore, for the purpose of ensuring safety and preventing accidents, a work area near the construction vehicle is set around the construction vehicle to prohibit entry into the work area, and when people (or objects) enter the work area. It is necessary to detect this and notify the operator of the construction vehicle. As a conventional measure, a work area is set by installing a color cone etc. around the construction vehicle, the work area of the construction vehicle is imaged with a video camera, and the image is displayed on the monitor in the operation room of the construction vehicle. The operator checks the safety by looking at the monitor, or detects that a person has entered the vicinity of the construction vehicle by using an electromagnetic wave sensor that uses electromagnetic waves such as laser light or microwaves to operate. Was informed.

[0003]

However, in the above-described method, it is necessary to move the color cone every time the construction vehicle is moved. Further, since the work area could not be visually recognized, it was difficult for surrounding workers to directly recognize the work area. Also, the method described above
It is difficult to remove the camera / sensor according to the situation because the cost is high and expertise is required to attach / detach the camera / sensor.

Further, the method using a video camera or a monitor cannot directly detect that a person has entered the vicinity of a construction vehicle. In addition, the method using the electromagnetic wave sensor is easily affected by noise and has a high possibility of malfunction.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is easy to attach and detach, enables visual confirmation of the work area together with installation, and has a low possibility of malfunction, so that people enter the vicinity of the construction vehicle. It is another object of the present invention to provide a contact sensor capable of directly detecting the fact and a method using the same.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a contact sensor for outputting as a contact signal that a person or an object has come into contact with a detection section, A switch (22) for transmitting a signal, a switching member (25) disposed above the switch and pressing the switch, and a holding member (for example, the case 23) for holding the switching member movably in a direction to press the switch. An elastic member (for example, a compression spring 24) that is built in the holding member and urges the switching member in a direction to push the switching member toward the switch; A bar (26) as a part, and is stretched between the detection unit and the switching member, and a compression spring is compressed via the switching member. Material to have a line (e.g., wire 2
8) and attachment means for attaching the contact sensor to another object such that the detection unit faces outward.

In the contact sensor according to the first aspect,
When a person or an object comes into contact with the detection unit, the elastic member contracts due to the contact force, and the wire is loosened. For this reason, the compression spring expands and pushes the switching member. As a result, the switch is pressed by the switching member and outputs a contact signal. That is, according to the contact sensor of the first aspect, it is possible to directly and reliably detect that a person or an object comes into contact with the detection unit. Therefore, the possibility of malfunction is extremely low.

Accordingly, a plurality of contact sensors are mounted on a machine so as to surround the machine, and these contact sensors are connected to an alarm (110) so that a person or an object approaches the machine. By activating the alarm when it comes into contact with the contact sensor, it is possible to detect, for example, a person or an object approaching the construction vehicle (machine) and notify the surroundings. In addition, since the detection unit is protruded outward, the work area can be visually confirmed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of using a contact sensor, wherein a wire (3) is stretched between detection portions of the plurality of contact sensors to surround the machine, and a person or a person is provided. If the alarm is activated when an object approaches a machine (for example, a construction vehicle) and comes into contact with the wire or the contact sensor, a person or an object approaches the machine even if the number of contact sensors is reduced. Can be reliably detected and notified to the surroundings. In addition, since the work area can be visually confirmed not only by the detection unit but also by the wire, the work area can be easily confirmed.

In the contact sensor according to the present invention, as described in claim 2, a holding stand (for example, one plate 21a) for holding the contact sensor main body on the upper surface, and this holding stand is vertically turned on one surface. A support base (for example, the other plate 21a) provided movably and provided with mounting means on the other surface; and a maintenance means (for example, the slide member 2) for maintaining the holding base in a rotated state.
1c). In this case, since the mounting angle of the contact sensor can be arbitrarily changed, for example, the contact sensor is mounted obliquely to the mounting surface or the contact sensor is mounted vertically to the oblique mounting surface. The area where the contact sensor can be mounted is widened.

Further, the contact sensor according to the present invention may have a configuration in which a magnet (for example, a magnet holder base 11) is provided as a mounting means.
As described above, in general, covers of machines and construction vehicles are made of steel plates. For this reason, according to the configuration of the third aspect, since attachment parts such as screws are not required, attachment and detachment of the contact sensor can be performed very easily.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the contact sensor, the contact sensor is held on an upper surface,
Both ends (21b) may be provided with rotatable pedestals (21), and magnets may be attached to both ends of the lower surface of the holding means. In this case, since the holding means can be deformed into a shape along the curved surface, the contact sensor can be attached to the curved surface portion.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION <Example of Work Area Setting Tool> Before describing a contact sensor of the present invention, a work area setting tool 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B are a schematic front view and a schematic side view of the work area setting tool 1, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the work area setting tool 1 attached to a mobile heavy equipment 100 (construction vehicle). It is the top view and side view which showed the example.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the work area setting tool 1 is provided with a plate 13 via a magnetic shielding rubber 12 on the upper surface of a well-known magnet holder base 11 from which a lower magnet is exposed from the lower surface by a switch 11 a. , And a telescopic bar 14 is attached to the plate 13 using a saddle 15.
Here, the variable range of the elastic bar 14 is appropriately adjusted according to the range of the work area to be set.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, the work area setting tool 1 includes a revolving part 101 of a movable heavy equipment 100.
Using a magnet holder base 11 on the lower surface,
A plurality of the elastic members 4 are attached in a direction extending outward from the revolving portion 101 so as to surround the revolving portion 101, and are used in a state in which a rubber cord 15 is stretched over the end of the extended elastic bar member 14. That is, the rubber string 15 surrounds the turning part 101, and the inside of the rubber string 15 is set as a work area of the mobile heavy equipment 100.

In other words, since the work area setting tool 1 and the rubber cord 15 move with the movement of the mobile heavy equipment 100, a constant work area is always set around the movable heavy equipment 100. Therefore, the work area can be reliably set in the predetermined range.

Further, the work area setting tool 1 can be attached to a machine such as the mobile heavy equipment 100 simply by operating the magnet holder base 11 without using screws or the like. Since it can be removed together with the rubber cord 15 only by cutting the 11a, the work load for attachment and detachment is reduced.

Further, since the work area can be changed only by extending and contracting the extendable bar member 14, the work area can be flexibly changed according to the surrounding situation.

<Embodiment of Contact Sensor> Hereinafter, a contact sensor 2 which is an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating the structure of the contact sensor 2, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating one usage example of the contact sensor 2, and FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view illustrating another usage example of the contact sensor 2. FIGS. 8A and 8B show the contact sensor 2.
It is the front view and side view explaining the composition of the rope end fixture 3 used together.

As schematically shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the contact sensor 2 is provided with a hole in the center of a plate-shaped pedestal 21, and a switch 22 for outputting a contact signal to the outside can be pressed in the hole from above. , And a substantially beaker-shaped case 23 (holding member) in which a compression spring 24 (elastic material) and a switching member 25 are inserted in this order is fixed directly above the switch 22 in an upside down state, and a hollow rod is provided. Material 26 into case 23
The spring 2 is placed on the upper surface of the pedestal 21 so as to be located
7, the upper end of the rod 26 and the switching member 25 are connected by a wire 28 (wire) that passes through the bottom of the case 23 and passes through the inside of the rod 26.
The magnet holder table 1 is provided on the lower surface of both ends 21b of the
1 (magnet). That is, the contact sensor 2 is mounted on the mounting surface made of a magnetic material such as iron by the magnet holder base 11 with the bar 26 facing outward.

The pedestal 21 has a generally hinge-like structure in which two ends of two plates 21a are rotatably attached to each other, and both ends 21b are rotatable up and down. As shown in detail in FIG.
The other end of 1a (support base) is rotatably attached to one end of a rod-shaped slide member 21c, and the upper plate 21a
The other end of the (holding table) is attached to the slide member 21c so as to be slidable and fixable along the slide member 21c. That is, the two plates 21 of the pedestal 21
a is held open by the slide member 21c. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to attach the main part of the contact sensor 2 including the bar 26 obliquely to the attachment surface, or to attach it to a curved surface by changing the angle of both ends 21b. Has become.

The switching member 25 is, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped iron piece. The switching member 25 can freely move up and down in the case 23 and is normally pulled toward the bar 26 by the wire 28 so that the compression spring 24 is moved. Compressed.

A cap 26a is fitted to the upper end of the bar 26 from above to cover a male screw bar 28a and an adjusting nut 28b, which will be described in detail later. The cap 26a has a saddle 26b for penetrating and holding a rope or a wire on a side surface.

The lower ends of the spring 27 and the bar 26 are housed in a cylindrical cover 27a, and can be expanded or contracted only in the vertical direction.

The wire 28 has one end attached to the lower end of a male screw rod 28a movably penetrating the upper end of the bar 26. A nut 28b is screwed into the male screw bar 28a on the outside of the bar 26. That is, the tension of the wire 28 can be adjusted by turning the nut 28b.

The bar 26 of the contact sensor 2 having such a configuration
When a person or an object comes into contact, the bar 26 moves downward in FIG. 4 along the cover 27a. As a result, the wire 28 is loosened,
The compression spring 24 extends. For this reason, the switching member 25 is pushed downward along the case 23 and
To output a contact signal to the outside. That is,
Since the sensor is operated by direct contact with a person or an object, the possibility of malfunction is extremely low.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of contact sensors 2 are attached to the side surface of the mobile heavy equipment 100 so as to surround the mobile heavy equipment 100, and the alarm 110 on the mobile heavy equipment 100 is activated by the output of each contact sensor 2. The contact sensor 2 outputs a contact signal and activates the alarm 110 so that the operator of the mobile heavy equipment 100 can perform the work. It can notify that a person or an object has entered the area.

Also, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of contact sensors 2 are attached to the side of the vehicle 0 so as to surround the movable heavy equipment 100, and the rope 3 is further attached to the saddle 26b
, And may be stretched between the contact sensors 2 to fix the end of the rope 3 with a rope end fixture 4 described in detail below. As shown in the front view of FIG. 8A and the side view of FIG.
b Attach the magnet holder base 11 to the lower surface,
A spring 41 for binding the rope 3 to the upper surface of the pedestal 21
Is rotatably mounted.

In this case, when a person or an object comes into contact with the rope 3, the same action as when a person or an object comes into contact with the bar 26 occurs, the contact sensor 2 outputs a contact signal, and the alarm 11
Activate 0. Here, since part or all of the periphery of the mobile heavy equipment 100 is surrounded by the rope 3, even if the number of the contact sensors 2 is reduced, it is detected that a person or an object enters the work area without fail. The work area of the mobile heavy equipment 100 can be more clearly confirmed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be arbitrarily modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the attachment destination of the contact sensor 2 is not limited to a construction vehicle, but can be applied to any machine. Further, the contact sensor 2 may be used instead of the rope end fixing tool 4. Further, a machine such as a construction vehicle may be emergency stopped by the output of the contact sensor 2.

[0031]

As described above, according to the contact sensor of the present invention, it is possible to directly and reliably detect that a person or an object has come into contact with the detecting portion. It is possible to accurately detect that a person has entered the area.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A is a schematic front view of an example of a work area setting tool, and FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of the same.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example in which the work area setting tool is attached to a mobile heavy equipment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating the structure of a contact sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of use of a contact sensor.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view illustrating another usage example of the contact sensor.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a front view and a side view illustrating a configuration of a rope end fixture used with a contact sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 work area setting tool 2 contact sensor 3 rope (wire) 11 magnet holder base (magnet) 14 telescopic rod 15 rubber string 21 pedestal 21a plate (holding or supporting base) 21b end 21c slide member (maintenance member) 22 switch 23 Case (holding member) 24 Compression spring (elastic material) 26 Bar 28 Wire (wire) 110 Alarm

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-10-109885 (JP, A) JP-A-8-48497 (JP, A) JP-A-1-85393 (JP, U) (58) Fields studied (Int .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B66C 15/00-15/06

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A contact sensor for outputting as a contact signal that a person or an object has come into contact with a detection unit, comprising: a switch for transmitting a contact signal; and a switching member disposed above the switch and pressing the switch. A holding member that movably holds the switching member in a direction in which the switch is pressed, an elastic material that is built in the holding member, and that urges the switching member in a direction to push the switching member toward the switch; A rod as a detection unit protruded and attached to the upper portion via an elastic member, a wire stretched between the detection unit and the switching member, and compressing a compression spring via the switching member; Mounting means for mounting the contact sensor so that the detection unit faces outward. 2. The contact sensor according to claim 1, wherein a holding table for holding the contact sensor main body on the upper surface, a holding table on one surface rotatably up and down, and mounting means on the other surface. And a maintaining means for maintaining the holding table in a rotated state. 3. The contact sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a magnet as a mounting means. 4. The contact sensor according to claim 3, wherein said contact sensor is held on an upper surface, and both ends are provided with rotatable pedestals, and magnets are attached to both lower ends of said pedestal. Contact sensor. 5. A method of using the contact sensor according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of contact sensors are mounted on the machine so as to surround the machine, and the contact sensors are connected to an alarm. Activating the alarm when a person or an object approaches the machine and comes into contact with the contact sensor. 6. A method of using a contact sensor according to claim 5, wherein a wire is stretched between detection portions of the plurality of contact sensors to surround the machine, and a person or an object approaches the machine to make the wire or the contact sensor. A method for using a contact sensor, comprising: activating the alarm when contact is made with a contact sensor.