JP4317474B2 - Apparatus for discriminating liquid type in container and control method therefor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in a container and a control method therefor, and particularly to a technique that can easily discriminate whether or not the liquid in a container is a liquid mainly composed of water that is not a dangerous substance. Related to effective.

  Passenger transport such as airplanes, trains and buses are obliged to transport passengers safely. In particular, accidents in aircraft are seriously damaged, and it is necessary to pay high attention to safety. For this reason, passengers who use aircraft will be checked for baggage using an X-ray imaging device, physical inspection using a metal detector or body check, and interrogation as necessary. Like to do. However, in view of the large number of passengers used and convenience for passengers, it is difficult to carry out rigorous inspections or interrogations over a large amount of time for all passengers. On the other hand, malicious passengers (for example, terrorists) attempt to bypass these inspections and bring dangerous goods into the plane. Although there is no particular problem with dangerous materials that can be found in current baggage inspections, it is relatively difficult to detect metal detectors, dangerous materials that cannot be detected by X-ray photography, such as flammable liquids such as gasoline. is there. Hazardous liquids such as gasoline are easy to procure on the market, and when dangerous liquids are filled in commercial beverage containers (for example, plastic bottles), they can be distinguished from genuine beverages. Since it becomes difficult to follow, it can be said that it is a dangerous act that can be easily adopted by a malicious person. Therefore, it is necessary to fully consider measures against these dangerous acts.

  In order to discriminate between a dangerous substance liquid such as gasoline and a beverage whose main component is water, there are various identification methods such as sensory inspection such as sniffing. However, since baggage inspection when using an aircraft requires rapid inspection, it is desirable that inspection can be performed quickly without contact. As a non-contact and quick inspection method, there is a method using a difference in dielectric constant of a liquid. Water has a high dielectric constant, and dangerous liquids such as gasoline are generally low. It is conceivable to determine the liquid type using the difference in dielectric constant.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method and apparatus for discriminating a liquid type from the outside of a container. In the technique described in this document, a liquid is filled in a container, a pair of electrodes are arranged outside the container so as to sandwich at least a part of the liquid, and the capacitance of a capacitor constituted by these electrodes is measured to measure the liquid. The type is determined. If such a technique is used, the capacity when the liquid is water and the capacity when the liquid is a dangerous substance liquid (for example, gasoline) are measured in advance, and a container filled with a liquid whose content is unknown is used as an electrode. If it is placed in between, it is possible to instantaneously and reliably determine the type of liquid inside the container by measuring the capacitance at that time.
JP 2001-272368 A

  However, the method for discriminating the type of liquid according to the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the size of the container and the amount of liquid in the container must be fixed, and various types of beverage containers that passengers will bring. It is difficult to use for inspections corresponding to the above and inspections when the remaining amount of liquid in the container varies. Therefore, as one of the inspection methods that can cope with various container shapes and can perform accurate and quick measurement even if the amount of liquid in the container varies, a plastic bottle or the like outside the parallel plate capacitor We have developed a method for discriminating the type of liquid in a container in which an insulator (dielectric) container is placed. Inventions related to these methods are described in the specification attached to Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-198046 or Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-385627 by the same applicant as the applicant of the present application.

  In the previous invention of the present inventors relating to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-198046 or Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-385627, a container in which a liquid is contained outside the capacitor is used instead of arranging the container between the electrodes of the parallel plate capacitor. Is installed. Further, the distance between the container and the parallel plate capacitor is adjusted by the container support member. Therefore, it is possible to determine the type of liquid in the container corresponding to various shapes of the container and not depending on the remaining amount of liquid in the container. However, since the distance between the capacitor and the container needs to be adjusted by the container support member, there is a problem that it cannot be applied to a container shape that does not correspond to the support member. In addition, since the determination process is performed by placing the container on the support member, there is room for improvement in its usability. That is, it is preferable to use a liquid type determination device that is easier to use, for example, the determination process is performed while holding the container in the hand.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a determination technique capable of dealing with an arbitrary container shape in an apparatus for determining the type of liquid in a container using the dielectric constant of the liquid. It is another object of the present invention to provide a container type discrimination device and a control method that are more convenient to use.

  The invention disclosed in this specification is as follows. That is, the device for discriminating the type of liquid in the container according to the present invention is capable of issuing an alarm that the user touches or presses the container held in his hand and that the contents of the container are dangerous. Means, a touch sensor connected to the electrode and detecting contact or proximity of a human body according to a change in an oscillation condition of an oscillation circuit, and an alarm signal output means for outputting an alarm signal to the notification means according to an output of the touch sensor And having.

  That is, a user holds a container containing a liquid whose type is to be determined, and the container is brought into contact with or pressed against an electrode connected to the touch sensor. The touch sensor has an oscillation circuit, and is a sensor that determines whether a human body touches an electrode or is in the vicinity thereof depending on a change in oscillation conditions of the oscillation circuit. In the case of an apparatus having such a configuration, the hand holding the container acts as a ground electrode facing the electrode, and the electrode and the hand constitute a kind of capacitor. Since the capacitance value of the capacitor changes the oscillation conditions of the touch sensor, the output of the touch sensor changes depending on the dielectric constant of the liquid in the container, and an alarm is notified according to the output. That is, if the liquid dielectric constant in the container is high, the capacitance value C of the capacitor with the electrodes formed by hand increases, and the touch sensor outputs a signal for detecting a human body (for example, ON). Conversely, if the dielectric constant of the liquid in the container is small, the capacitance value C of the capacitor is small, and a signal that does not detect a human body (for example, OFF) is output. Since beverages assuming application of the present invention contain water as a main component, the dielectric constant thereof is higher than that of gasoline or the like which is a dangerous substance liquid. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the sensitivity of the touch sensor, it is possible to distinguish between the dangerous substance liquid and the authentic beverage. Even when the beverage is a conductor such as an electrolyte, when expressed as an equivalent circuit, a resistor enters the capacitor C in parallel, and the output of the touch sensor is not affected.

  Other inventions disclosed in the present specification are as follows. That is, the device for discriminating the type of liquid in the container according to the present invention is capable of issuing an alarm that the user touches or presses the container held in his hand and that the contents of the container are dangerous. Means, an oscillation circuit for applying an AC voltage to the electrode, a determination means for determining a liquid type in the container from a change in the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit before and after the container is contacted or pressed against the electrode, Alarm signal output means for outputting an alarm signal to the notification means according to the determination result of the determination means. In the above-described invention, an oscillation circuit is provided instead of the touch sensor, and the liquid type is determined from the change in the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit. Also in this invention, the hand holding the container becomes the ground electrode of the capacitor, and the change in the capacitance value C of the capacitor formed by the electrode and the hand appears in the change in the oscillation frequency, so that the type of liquid in the container can be determined. Become.

  In these apparatuses, the type of liquid in the container can be determined by an extremely simple operation of holding the container in hand and pressing or pressing the electrode. In addition, since the capacitor is constituted by the electrode and the hand, it is possible to accurately determine the type of the liquid regardless of the shape and size of the container.

  In addition, the said electrode shall have the shape changeability which deform | transforms the contact part with a container in response to the stress from a container. When there is unevenness on the outer wall of the container, if the electrode has shape variability, the container is deformed along the uneven shape and no gap is formed between the container and the electrode. If a gap exists between the electrode and the outer wall of the container, a parasitic capacitor filled with air substantially equal to the dielectric constant of vacuum is formed in this portion. Since such a parasitic capacitor does not contribute to the change in the dielectric constant of the liquid in the container, it becomes a factor that reduces the accuracy of determination. When the electrode has shape variability, such a parasitic capacitor is not formed, and the determination system can be enhanced.

  When the electrode has shape variability, the electrode is supported by a flexible or elastic support member that recovers the original shape after the stress disappears, or a support member having flexibility or elasticity. Can be. When the stress disappears, the electrode shape recovers to the original shape, and can be prepared for the next new determination process.

  Moreover, the container sensor which detects arrangement | positioning of the said container is provided, and discrimination | determination can be started with the signal from the said container sensor. Thereby, operation can be simplified.

  The invention of the device for discriminating the type of liquid in the container can be grasped as an invention of a method for controlling the device. That is, according to the control method of the apparatus for determining the liquid type in the container of the present invention, the detection step of detecting contact or pressing of the container with the electrode and the detection of the detection step in the above-described apparatus, Obtaining an output value of the touch sensor, and comparing the output value with a predetermined threshold value and notifying a result of the comparison. Alternatively, a first detection step of detecting that the container is not in contact with or pressed against the electrode, and a first measurement step of measuring an oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit triggered by detection of the first detection step, A second detection step for detecting contact or pressing of the container with the electrode; a second measurement step for measuring an oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit triggered by detection of the second detection step; and the first measurement step. Comparing the difference between the oscillation frequency measured in step 2 and the oscillation frequency measured in the second measurement step with a predetermined threshold value, and notifying the result of the comparison. By these control methods, measurement is performed by contacting or pressing the container with the electrode, and for example, it can be determined whether or not the liquid in the container is safe (having water as a main component).

  In the latter method, after a lapse of a predetermined time after the first measurement step, a third measurement step for measuring the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit, the oscillation frequency measured in the first measurement step, When the absolute value of the difference from the oscillation frequency measured in the measurement step is larger than a predetermined value, the first measurement step and the third measurement step are repeated, and the absolute value of the difference is not larger than the predetermined value. And a step of waiting for detection that the container is in contact with or pressed against the electrode and repeating the steps from the one measurement step after a predetermined time has elapsed. In this case, calibration can be automatically executed when the liquid in the container is not measured.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a determination technique capable of dealing with an arbitrary container shape in an apparatus that determines the type of liquid in a container using the dielectric constant of the liquid. In addition, it is possible to provide a device and a control method for the type of liquid in the container that are easier to use.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an apparatus for determining the type of liquid in a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in the container according to the present embodiment includes an electrode 2 against which the container 1 is pressed, an oscillation circuit 4, a control unit 5, LED display devices 6a, 6b, 6c, and a container sensor 7. Have. The oscillation circuit 4 includes a capacitor 8, a coil 9, and NOT circuits 10a and 10b. The control unit 5 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 11, a pulse counter 12, a container detection circuit 13, a timer 14, and a RAM (random). An access memory 15, a ROM (read only memory) 16, and a display control circuit 17.

  The container 1 is held by the user's hand 3 as shown in the figure, and is brought into contact with or pressed against the electrode 2 by the user's action. Since the container 1 is held by the user's hand 3 and is brought into contact with or pressed against the electrode 2, the electrode 2 and the hand 3 act as an electrode of a capacitor that sandwiches the container 1. Here, the user is generally at the ground potential, but when using the apparatus, the user's other hand is touched to a metal or the like held at the ground potential, and the potential of the hand 3 is surely set to the ground potential. Also good. As a result of the hand 3 acting as the ground electrode of the capacitor, the dielectric constant of the liquid in the container 1 affects the capacitance of the capacitor composed of the electrode 2 and the hand 3 and affects the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit 4. In the apparatus of the present embodiment, the change of the oscillation frequency is detected to determine the liquid type. Further, the hand 3 functions as a ground electrode of the capacitor and the container 1 is brought into contact with or pressed against the electrode 2 so that the container 1 of any size or shape always has a positional relationship along the outer wall of the container 1. Capacitor electrodes will be placed. This is to provide a capacitor that matches the outer shape of the container 1 and means that the determination can be made reliably regardless of the shape and outer shape of the container 1.

  The container 1 is, for example, a plastic bottle that is a container for commercially available beverages. It may be a container made of other materials such as a glass bottle. However, the container 1 must be made of a non-conductive material, and is preferably a low dielectric constant dielectric. Examples of the shape of the container 1 include a prismatic shape, a cylindrical shape, and a spherical shape. A liquid to be inspected is accommodated in the container.

  The electrode 2 can be exemplified by a flat metal or the like, but preferably has a shape that can be deformed. When the electrode 2 has shape variability, even if the outer wall of the container 1 has a concavo-convex shape, the electrode 2 is arranged in a shape along the concavo-convex shape. This prevents the generation of a parasitic capacitor due to the gap formed between the electrode 2 and the outer wall of the container 1 and contributes to improving the accuracy of determination.

  The electrode 2 is preferably made of a material having flexibility or elasticity. When the electrode 2 has shape variability, when the container 1 is pressed against the electrode 2, the shape of the electrode 2 is deformed according to the outer shape of the container 1. If the electrode 2 does not have the flexibility and elasticity to restore the original shape, the electrode 2 maintains its deformed shape even after the container 1 is removed. However, when the electrode 2 is flexible or elastic, the deformed shape of the electrode 2 deformed in accordance with the outer wall shape of the container 1 is restored to the original shape before the deformation, so that other outer wall shapes can be quickly measured. Can be prepared. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the electrode 2. FIG. 2A shows an example in which the easily deformable electrode 2 is arranged on one surface of a support member 2a having flexibility or elasticity. Examples of the support member 2a include sponge and rubber. An example of the easily deformable electrode 2 is a metal mesh. FIG. 2B illustrates a case where the electrode 2 itself has flexibility or elasticity. Examples of the electrode 2 that itself has flexibility or elasticity include metal fibers.

  The oscillation circuit 4 is an oscillation circuit whose oscillation frequency changes when the capacitance of the capacitor formed by the electrode 2 and the hand 3 changes. The oscillation circuit oscillates substantially at a resonance frequency determined by the capacitance of the capacitor constituted by the electrode 2 and the hand 3, the capacitance of the capacitor 8, and the inductance of the coil 9. The oscillation is output as a pulse voltage by the NOT circuits 10a and 10b, and the oscillation frequency is obtained from the number of pulses counted in a predetermined time (for example, 1 second) by the pulse counter 12.

  The control part 5 controls the apparatus which discriminate | determines the liquid classification in the container of this Embodiment. The CPU 11 is a general-purpose arithmetic processing device and can execute processing according to a predetermined program. The pulse counter 12 is controlled by the CPU 11 and counts pulses output from the oscillation circuit 4. The container detection circuit 13 controls the container sensor 7 to detect that the container 1 has been disposed so as to touch or be pressed against the electrode 2 and is not disposed. The timer 14 is controlled by the CPU 11 and is used when measuring the passage of time. The RAM 15 is a temporary data storage device. A program and data loaded from the ROM 16 are held, and a work area used for executing the program is secured. The ROM 16 records programs and data used in this apparatus. Other memory devices such as a hard disk drive may be used instead of the ROM 16. The operation of the control program recorded in the ROM 16 will be described later. Although the control program recorded in the ROM 16 is intangible in itself, it is recorded in the ROM 16 and organically configures the apparatus together with the hardware resources of the apparatus. As long as the discriminating function is expressed, the control program is also a constituent requirement for specifying the invention constituting the apparatus of the present invention. The display control circuit 17 controls the display of the LED display devices 6a, 6b, 6c.

  The LED display devices 6a, 6b, and 6c display the state of the device described later and the measurement result of the liquid type in the container 1 by the device. For example, the LED display device 6a is green, the LED display device 6b is blue, and the LED display device 6c is red. In addition, although the example which alert | reports (displays) the state and measurement result of an apparatus by LED display apparatus 6a, 6b, 6c is demonstrated here, other arbitrary alerting | reporting means can be applied. For example, message display by a liquid crystal display device, notification by buzzer pronunciation in the case of abnormality detection, etc. can be applied.

  The container sensor 7 is a sensor for detecting that the container 1 is disposed. For example, an optical sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part can be exemplified. It is also possible to use other sensors such as proximity sensors.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the method for determining the liquid in the container in the apparatus for determining the type of liquid in the container according to the present embodiment. The procedure described below can be realized by a computer program, and this program is recorded in the ROM 16 described above. In this specification, as long as the program is recorded in the ROM 16 or other storage device, the program constitutes a part of the device of the present invention. In the following description, an example in which the following processing is executed by a computer program will be described, but it is needless to say that similar processing can be realized by other control means such as sequence control and automatic control by hardware.

  First, it is determined in step 20 whether the container 1 is detected. If a container is detected, step 20 is repeated until no container is detected. If no more containers are detected, go to step 21.

  In step 21, frequency measurement is executed. In the frequency measurement, an appropriate period such as 1 second is determined, and the number of pulses counted by the pulse counter 12 is measured within this period. If the number of pulses counted per second is obtained from the measured value, the oscillation frequency can be obtained. The oscillation frequency measured here is recorded in the RAM 15 as a variable A, for example.

  Next, for example, standby is performed for 0.5 seconds (step 22), and the oscillation frequency is measured again (step 23). The measured oscillation frequency is recorded as variable B. Next, the difference between the recorded A and B is obtained (AB), and it is determined whether the absolute value is larger than a predetermined value, for example, 5 Hz (step 24). If it is greater than the predetermined value, it is determined that the apparatus is not stable, and the process returns to step 21 to repeat the same processing.

  If it is determined in step 24 that the value is smaller than the predetermined value, it is determined that the apparatus is stable and the green lamp is turned on (step 25). The operator of the apparatus can recognize that the apparatus can be used by confirming that the green lamp is lit.

  The timer is activated simultaneously with the lighting of the green lamp to determine whether, for example, 3 minutes have elapsed (step 26). If 3 minutes have elapsed, the process from step 21 is repeated again to determine whether the apparatus is stable. If it is determined in step 26 that 3 minutes have not yet elapsed, the process proceeds to step 27, and the container proceeds to detection and measurement processing. In addition, although 3 minutes is illustrated here as elapsed time, it is an example to the last. The period during which the stability of the apparatus can be estimated is only 3 minutes, and this time can be arbitrarily set according to the apparatus stability.

  In step 27, it is determined whether a container is detected. If no container is detected, the process returns to step 26 and the process is repeated. If the container is detected, the oscillation frequency is measured, and the measurement result is recorded as a variable C (step 28).

  Next, the difference between the variable B and the variable C is obtained, and it is determined whether this value is larger or smaller than a predetermined threshold (step 29). That is, the value of the variable B is the oscillation frequency when the container is not installed as described above, and the value of the variable C is the value of the oscillation frequency when the container is installed. If any liquid in the container is contained, the dielectric constant of the liquid is larger than that of air, so that the value of C is smaller than B. On the other hand, when there is a liquid containing water as a main component in the container, water has a higher dielectric constant than that of a hazardous substance liquid such as gasoline, so the capacitance of the capacitor composed of the electrode 2 and the hand 3 is increased and oscillation occurs. As the frequency decreases, the value of BC increases. On the other hand, when a dangerous substance liquid such as gasoline is contained in the container, the capacitance of the capacitor becomes smaller than that described above, so the value of B−C becomes smaller. The threshold is set as a value that can be identified.

  As a result, when BC is larger than the threshold value in step 29, it can be determined that the liquid in the container is a liquid mainly composed of safe water, and the blue lamp is turned on (step 30). On the other hand, if BC is not larger than the threshold value in step 29, the liquid in the container cannot be determined as a liquid mainly composed of safe water, and therefore a red lamp indicating abnormality is turned on (step 31). After steps 30 and 31, the process returns to step 20 and the above processing is repeated. As described above, it is possible to determine the type of liquid in the container.

  In the above-described determination, the user is allowed to hold the portion containing the liquid in the container 1. If there is a portion that does not contain liquid, the dielectric constant of the liquid is not reflected in the change in frequency, and determination cannot be made. On the other hand, if you have a part containing the liquid, the dielectric constant of the liquid is reflected in the frequency change as described above, and an accurate determination is possible. That is, even if the remaining amount of liquid in the container is arbitrary, it is possible to accurately determine the liquid type by adjusting the position of the liquid.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes in the oscillation frequency measured by the apparatus of the present embodiment for containers of various shapes. FIG. 5 is a graph shown for comparison, and is a graph showing a change in the oscillation frequency when the container 1 is simply placed on the electrode 2 without holding the container 1 in the hand 3. 4 and 5, the vertical axis represents frequency change, and the horizontal axis represents the difference between containers. The horizontal axis 1 indicates a 500 ml cylindrical container, 2 indicates a 500 ml prismatic container, 3 indicates a 700 ml glass bottle container, and 4 indicates a 1500 ml cylindrical container. A solid line indicates a case where water is stored in the container, and a broken line indicates a case where ethanol is stored in the container.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, when any container is compared in the same container, the frequency change is greater in the case where water is contained as the contents than in the case where ethanol is contained. . This reflects the difference in the dielectric constant of the contents. In addition, referring to FIG. 4, in any case, when water is contained as the contents, the frequency change is 50 kHz or more, and when ethanol is contained, it is 40 kHz or less. This means that it is possible to determine whether the contents of each container is water or not with a single threshold (eg 45 kHz). On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 5, when ethanol is stored in 3 containers (700 ml glass bottle container) or 4 containers (1500 ml cylindrical container), the frequency change is 1 container (500 ml). It is larger than when water is stored in a cylindrical container. This means that when water or ethanol is contained in these containers, the contents of these containers cannot be determined with a single threshold. That is, in the apparatus according to the present embodiment, determination by a single threshold corresponding to various containers is impossible unless the container 1 is held in the hand 3 and pressed against the electrode 2, but the electrode 2 is held in the hand 3. This means that it is possible to determine the liquid type in each container with a single threshold value by a very simple method of pressing on the container.

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing changes in oscillation frequency for containers of various shapes when a flat electrode that is not deformed by pressing the container 1 is applied as the electrode 2. FIG. 7 shows a change in oscillation frequency in a state where the container 1 is simply placed on the electrode 2 without holding the container 1 in the hand 3 when the flat electrode that is not deformed by the pressing of the container 1 is applied as the electrode 2. It is the shown graph. Referring to FIG. 6, the frequency change is 40 kHz or more when water is contained as the contents of any container, and 35 kHz or less when ethanol is contained. That is, even if the electrode 2 is not deformed, it is possible to determine whether or not the contents of each container is water with a single threshold value (for example, 37 kHz) (in contrast, holding the container 1 with the hand 3). In the case where there is not (in the case of FIG. 7), it is impossible to determine with a single threshold as in the case of FIG. However, as apparent from a comparison between FIG. 6 and FIG. 4, when a deformable electrode is applied as the electrode 2, the fluctuation range of the frequency change depending on the type of the container becomes smaller, and the case where water is contained in the container and ethanol The difference in frequency change from the case where the battery is accommodated becomes large. That is, it can be said that when a deformable electrode is applied as the electrode 2, a margin of a value adopted as a single threshold value is increased, and stable determination can be realized.

  As described above, if the apparatus of the present embodiment is used, the type of liquid in the container (whether water is the main component or not) can be performed without depending on the shape of the container and the remaining amount of liquid in the container. it can. Further, in the present embodiment, since the determination is performed by holding the container 1 in the hand 3, its usability is extremely improved.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an apparatus for determining the type of liquid in a container according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the apparatus for discriminating the liquid type according to the second embodiment, the determination is performed using the touch sensor 40 instead of using the oscillation circuit 4. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, and redundant description is omitted.

  The touch sensor 40 has an oscillation circuit therein, and is a human body sensor that detects whether a human body touches or is close to the electrode 2 in accordance with a change in oscillation conditions. The touch sensor 40 includes, for example, a detection smoothing circuit and a switching circuit in addition to the oscillation circuit. The output of the oscillation circuit is detected and smoothed by the detection / smoothing circuit, the DC output of the detection / smoothing circuit that changes according to the change of the oscillation condition is input to the switching circuit, and the output of the switching circuit is turned on and off. That is, when the touch sensor 40 is used in the second embodiment, the touch sensor 40 is caused to function as a proximity sensor of the human body (hand 3), and the hand 3 is moved when a liquid having a high dielectric constant is contained in the container 1. When the container 1 is in close proximity (output is ON) and a liquid having a low dielectric constant is contained in the container 1, the operation is performed so that the hand 3 is not in proximity (output is OFF). It is easy to adjust the sensitivity of the touch sensor 40 so as to realize such an operation. Specifically, this can be realized by appropriately selecting circuit constants of the detection smoothing circuit.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the method for determining the liquid in the container in the apparatus for determining the type of liquid in the container according to the second embodiment. The procedure described below can be realized by a computer program, and this program is recorded in the ROM 16 described above.

  In step 50, it is determined whether the container 1 is detected. If the container is not detected, the green lamp is turned on (step 51) to inform the user that it can be determined. If a container is detected, the process proceeds to step 52, and the output of the touch sensor 40 is checked (step 52). Next, it is determined that the sensor output of the touch sensor 40 is ON (step 53). When there is a liquid containing water as a main component in the container, since the water has a higher dielectric constant than that of a dangerous substance liquid such as gasoline, the sensor output is turned on (the sensitivity of the touch sensor 40 is adjusted so as to be turned on. ). Conversely, when a dangerous substance liquid such as gasoline is contained in the container, the sensor output is turned off to reflect a low dielectric constant (the sensitivity of the touch sensor 40 is adjusted so as to be turned off). As a result, when the sensor output is ON in step 53, it can be determined that the liquid in the container is a liquid mainly composed of safe water, and the blue lamp is turned on (step 54). On the contrary, when the sensor output is OFF in step 53, since the liquid in the container cannot be determined as a liquid mainly composed of safe water, a red lamp indicating abnormality is turned on (step 55). After steps 54 and 55, the process returns to step 50 and the above processing is repeated. As described above, it is possible to determine the type of liquid in the container.

  Although the present invention has been specifically described above, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the first embodiment, the change in the capacitance of the capacitor composed of the electrode 2 and the hand 3 is detected by the oscillation circuit 4, but it is also possible to detect it by directly measuring the capacitance (capacitance) of the capacitor. .

  In the second embodiment, the control process is shown as an example using the CPU 11. However, the control process may be such that the output of the touch sensor 40 is output as it is. That is, the CPU 11, RAM 15, ROM 16, and container detection circuit 13 are not necessarily required. That is, the determination result can be notified to the user by always lighting the red lamp when the touch sensor 40 is OFF and always lighting the blue lamp when the touch sensor 40 is ON.

It is the block diagram which showed an example of the structure of the apparatus which discriminate | determines the liquid classification in the container which is one embodiment of this invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an electrode 2. FIG. FIG. 2A shows an example in which an easily deformable electrode 2 is arranged on one surface of a flexible or elastic support member 2a. FIG. 2B shows the electrode 2 itself having flexibility or elasticity. The case is illustrated. It is the flowchart explaining an example of the discrimination | determination method of the liquid in a container in the apparatus which discriminates the liquid classification in the container which is one embodiment of this invention. It is the graph which showed the change of the oscillation frequency measured with the apparatus of Embodiment 1 about the container of various shapes. 6 is a graph for comparison showing changes in oscillation frequency in a state where the container 1 is simply placed on the electrode 2 without holding the container 1 in the hand 3; It is the graph which showed the change of the oscillation frequency at the time of applying the flat electrode which does not deform | transform by pressing the container 1 as the electrode 2 about the container of various shapes. It is a graph for comparison showing a change in the oscillation frequency in a state where the container 1 is simply placed on the electrode 2 without holding the container 1 when the flat electrode that is not deformed by pressing the container 1 is applied as the electrode 2. . It is the block diagram which showed an example of the structure of the apparatus which discriminate | determines the liquid classification in the container which is other Embodiment 2 of this invention. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a method for discriminating liquid in a container in an apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in a container according to the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Container, 2 ... Electrode, 2a ... Electrode support member, 3 ... Hand, 4 ... Oscillation circuit, 5 ... Control part, 6a, 6b, 6c ... LED display device, 7 ... Container sensor, 8 ... Capacitor, 9 ... Coil DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10a, 10b ... NOT circuit, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Pulse counter, 13 ... Container detection circuit, 14 ... Timer, 15 ... RAM, 16 ... ROM, 17 ... Display control circuit, 40 ... Touch sensor.

Claims (9)

An electrode that contacts or presses the container that the user holds in his hand;
An informing means capable of issuing an alarm that the contents of the container are dangerous;
A touch sensor connected to the electrode and detecting contact or proximity of a human body according to a change in an oscillation condition of an oscillation circuit;
Alarm signal output means for outputting an alarm signal to the notification means according to the output of the touch sensor;
The apparatus which discriminate | determines the liquid classification in the container which has. An electrode that contacts or presses the container that the user holds in his hand;
An informing means capable of issuing an alarm that the contents of the container are dangerous;
An oscillation circuit for applying an alternating voltage to the electrode;
A determination means for determining a liquid type in the container from a change in oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit before and after the container is brought into contact with or pressed against the electrode;
An alarm signal output means for outputting an alarm signal to the notification means according to a determination result of the determination means;
The apparatus which discriminate | determines the liquid classification in the container which has. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrode has a shape variability that deforms a contact portion with the container in response to stress from the container. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the electrode has flexibility or elasticity that recovers the original shape after the stress disappears. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the electrode is supported by a support member having flexibility or elasticity.   The apparatus which discriminate | determines the liquid type in a container as described in any one of Claims 1-5 provided with the container sensor which detects arrangement | positioning of the said container, and starts a process with the signal from the said container sensor. An electrode that contacts or presses a container held by a user, a notification means capable of issuing an alarm that the contents of the container are dangerous, and a change in oscillation conditions of the oscillation circuit connected to the electrode A control method for an apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in a container, comprising: a touch sensor for detecting contact or proximity of a human body, and an alarm signal output means for outputting an alarm signal to the notification means in accordance with an output of the touch sensor Because
A detection step of detecting contact or pressing of the container with the electrode;
Triggering the detection of the detection step, obtaining an output value of the touch sensor;
Comparing the output value with a predetermined threshold and notifying the result of the comparison;
A method for controlling an apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in a container. An electrode that contacts or presses a container held by a user, a notification means capable of issuing an alarm that the contents of the container are dangerous, an oscillation circuit that applies an AC voltage to the electrode, and From a change in the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit before and after the container is brought into contact with or pressed against the electrode, a determination means for determining a liquid type in the container, and an alarm signal is output to the notification means according to a determination result of the determination means An alarm signal output means, and a control method for an apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in the container,
A first detection step for detecting that the container is not in contact with or pressed against the electrode;
Triggered by the detection of the first detection step, a first measurement step of measuring the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit;
A second detection step of detecting contact or pressing of the container with the electrode;
Triggered by the detection of the second detection step, a second measurement step of measuring the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit;
Comparing the difference between the oscillation frequency measured in the first measurement step and the oscillation frequency measured in the second measurement step with a predetermined threshold and notifying the result of the comparison;
A method for controlling an apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in a container. A third measurement step of measuring an oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit after a predetermined time has elapsed after the first measurement step;
When the absolute value of the difference between the oscillation frequency measured in the first measurement step and the oscillation frequency measured in the third measurement step is larger than a predetermined value, the first measurement step and the third measurement step are repeated. When the absolute value of the difference is not larger than a predetermined value, waiting for detection that the container is in contact with or pressed against the electrode, and repeating the steps from the one measurement step after a predetermined time has elapsed; ,
A method for controlling an apparatus for discriminating the type of liquid in a container according to claim 8.

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