JPH01272991A - Optical detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable fast, high-resolution detection by detecting a sample being arranged at a light recursive reflecting body arrangement position by an optical transmitting and receiving means. CONSTITUTION:Light recursive reflecting bodies 6 (6a-6c) which whose surfaces are covered entirely with glass beads are arranged in a parking area 8 and a laser source which generates a laser beam for reading the reflection bodies 6 is provided in the optical transmitting and receiving means 7. The laser beam from this laser source is passed through a mirror and a polygon mirror to generate a light scanning beam 22, which scans on the reflecting bodies 6. Reflected light from the reflecting bodies 6 is outputted through a photodetecting element in the means 7. For the purpose, the reflecting bodies 6 are scanned in order with the beam 22 and then reflection bodies 6 covered with a body 1 to be detected such as an automobile can not be detected, so an empty parking area in the parking lot, or the number of parked vehicles is accurately grasped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an optical detection device useful for detecting the presence and number of objects, people, moving objects, etc.

[Summary of the invention]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful for detecting the presence and number of objects, people, immigrants, etc. In an optical detection device for detecting the presence or absence of a subject, it is provided at a position where a subject is placed. It has a light recursive reflector and a light transmitting/receiving means for scanning the position of the light recursive reflector, and the light transmitting/receiving means detects that the subject is placed at the position of the light recurrent reflector. This is an attempt to detect unspecified moving objects in a non-contact manner.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in order to detect cars, people, moving objects, etc. in a non-contact manner, in most cases, it is necessary to count the number of cars based on the number of people in a parking lot, or to detect moving objects using a photointerrupter, etc., which is composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element. It was detected using With this type of detection method, it is necessary to guide cars to a gate so that they drive in a certain direction, or to send goods to a belt conveyor in a certain direction, etc., so it is necessary to It was difficult to manage parking locations, etc. In particular, if the situation of vacant seats in theaters, stadiums, trains, and airplanes is to be ascertained unmanned, inventory management, and unshelf operations are to be carried out unmanned, for example, in order to grasp the situation of vacant seats, it is necessary to have a person sitting in each seat to determine the degree of sinking. There are some systems that use image sensors to detect and manage inventory items. Figure 10 shows the image recognition of a code mark such as a barcode (2) attached to an article (1) using an image sensor (3).The barcode (2) is illuminated with a light (4), The subject (1) is configured to move at a predetermined speed on a belt conveyor (5).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Mechanical switches must be installed to detect the level of sinking when a person sits on the cooking seat, but there are various problems such as uncertainty in the operation of the switch, durability, seating comfort, and high cost. Occurred. In the conventional configuration shown in Fig. 10, a barcode (2) is attached to the object to be inspected, so a dimensional line sensor is sufficient as the image sensor (3). It is extremely difficult to recognize a subject under test, and it is not only impossible to extract a detection signal corresponding to the position of the subject unless the image position is determined accurately, but also requires a barcode to be attached to the subject. As a result, it was possible to manage inventory and shelving, but it was not possible to manage unspecified cars, parking lots where people came and went, vacant seats in theaters, etc.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical detection device capable of non-contact detection of unspecified moving objects.

[Means to solve the problem]

As an example of the optical detection device of the present invention is shown in FIG. Light recursive reflectors (6a), (6b), (6c) provided at positions where

(17), (17a) and this light regression reflector (6a
), (6b).

(6c), (17), (17a) A light transmitting/receiving means (7) for scanning a position is provided, and the subject (1) is a light recursive reflector (6a), (6b).

(6c), (17), and (17a) are arranged so as to be detected by the optical transmitting/receiving means (7).

[Effect]

In the present invention, the object (1) is a photoregressive reflector (6a),
(6b).

(6c), (17), (17a>) The optical transmitting/receiving means (7) determines whether the reflected light is blocked or allowed to enter.
By detecting this, it is possible to reliably detect unspecified cars, people, or empty seats without contact, without adding code marks or the like to the subject.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the optical detection device of the present invention will be explained using the drawings.

Figure 1 schematically shows parking situation management in a parking lot, where light regression reflectors (6a) and (6b) are arranged in the parking area (8) where one car is parked. There is. For example, when a car is parked, the light regression reflectors (6a), (6b)
Place an appropriate number of them in positions where they are hidden. In the example shown in the figure, two light regression reflectors (6a) and (6b) are provided,
Furthermore, a light recursive reflector (6C) is provided at the entrance/exit of the parking area (8) of the passageway (9), and this light recursive reflector (6C) is also used to manage the vehicle exit or entry status. This makes it possible. In a part of the parking lot there is a tower that looks like it's in front of the parking lot (
10), and a light transmitting/receiving means (7) is provided on this tower to constantly scan the position of the light recursive reflector with a laser beam or the like.

The light recursive reflector (6a>, (6
b).

The specific configuration of (6C) will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

Diameter 7 made of glass or acrylic resin in Figure 12 A
Microscopic spheres of about 0μ (hereinafter referred to as glass spheres) (lla)
Form an aluminum vapor deposited part (llb) on the back side as necessary. Now, the incident light beam (12a) is directed towards the glass bulb (llb).
When incident on the incident light beam (13a), the reflected light beam (13a) returns almost in the direction of the incident light beam (12a) due to refraction by the glass bulb (lla) and reflection at the aluminum deposited portion (llb). The incident ray (12a) and the reflected ray (13a) are generally not completely parallel, but if the wavelength of the incident ray is constant, they can be made almost parallel by appropriately selecting the refractive index of the glass bulb (Ila). be able to. Similarly, when the incident ray (12b) is incident on the glass bulb (lla) from a direction different from the above-mentioned incident ray (12a), the reflected ray (13b) is similar to this incident ray (12b).
returns almost parallel to the direction of incidence. Thus the glass bulb (ll
For example, in a), no matter what direction the light ray is incident on the left half surface, the light is reflected in the direction of incidence on the shank, so it can be seen that the light return property is present. This is a glass bulb (l
The same effect can be obtained even if the diameter of the glass bulb (lla) is made smaller, and instead of the aluminum vapor deposited part (llb), a glass bulb (lla) and an adhesive layer (1
5) may be provided. This adhesive layer (15) is applied onto the film base (14) and this adhesive layer (
15) Glass bulbs (lla) are laid out in a pattern on top, cut to a predetermined width, and pasted on the parking area (8).

Also, if necessary, glass bulbs (lla) may be added to the binder.
A paint mixed with a solvent may be applied to a predetermined location on the parking area (8).

The above-mentioned light regression reflector (6a), (6b), (6c
) explained the case where the entire surface was covered with glass bulbs,
The reflective surface may be coded as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and the received light signal may be extracted as a modulated code signal. Figure 3A shows Posiquip's light recursive reflector barcode (17
), an adhesive layer (15) is applied in stripes in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the black film base (14), and a glass bulb (Ila) is applied onto this adhesive layer (15).
drop it uniformly so that there are no gaps, and
), forming a dark area (16b) and a bright area (16a)
The barcode was formed using

FIG. 3B shows a negative type photoregressive reflector barcode (17a) in which the brightness of the barcode in FIG. 3A is reversed,
This light retroreflector barcode (17a) is attached to a glass bulb (lla) consisting of a glass bulb (lla) stuck on a film base (14) and an adhesive layer (15), as shown in Fig. 3. The part corresponding to the dark part (16b) of A has been removed. In the case of a negative type, the light reflecting area is wide, so it is convenient for locating the barcode.

As the scanning type optical transmitting/receiving means (7) used in FIG. 1, an optical system as shown in FIG. 4 can be used. 1st
In the parking area (8) shown in the figure, for example, as explained in Fig. 2B, there are light return reflectors (6a), (6b), and (6c) covered with glass bulbs (lla). ,
Inside the light transmitting/receiving means (7), there are light recursive reflectors (6a) to (6).
C) has a laser source (19) that produces a laser beam (18) for reading. A laser beam (18) from a laser source (19) is directed by a mirror (20), which is a polycon mirror (20) whose angle of reflection surface changes alternately.
21). Although not shown, the polygon mirror (21) is rotated by a motor in the direction of the arrow, so a scanning light beam (22) is generated and the light recursive reflector (6a
) to (6C) Scan above. Light regression reflector (6a) ~
The reflected light that hits the glass bulb (lla) of (6C) passes through the mirror (20) and passes through the second mirror (20).
The light recursive reflectors (6a) to (6C) that are reflected by the light receiving element (24) and output through the light receiving element (24) are, for example, labeled with the positive type light recursive reflector bar code (1) shown in FIG.
7), this output is amplified by a video amplifier, passed through a slicer, converted into a pulse train having a bright part (16a) and a dark part (16b) of the barcode, and sent to a decoder.

Therefore, if the scanning light beam (22) of the light receiving means (7) is sequentially scanned over the light recursive reflector or the barcode made of the light recursive reflector, the object (1) such as an automobile can be covered. Since it is not possible to detect the light-recurring reflector or the barcode made of the light-recurring reflector in the area covered by the parking lot, it becomes possible to clearly grasp the empty parking area or the number of parked cars in the parking lot.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the optical detection device of the present invention, which detects the number of people, the availability of seats, and the seat positions of people at gathering places such as trains, airplanes, theaters, and stadiums. It is designed to detect such things as

In Fig. 5, the backrest (26) of the chair (25) is shown in Fig. 3A.
.

As explained in section B, a bar code (17) made of a light recursive reflector is provided with a different code number depending on the chair position. When the subject (1) sits on a chair, the barcode (17) made of a light-recurring reflector placed on the backrest (26) is hidden, so the barcode (17) is similar to that explained in Fig. 4. The laser source (
Since the scanning light beam (22) from 14) does not have a barcode (17) made of a light-recurring reflector, the reflected light does not return, so the optical transmitting/receiving means (7) cannot read the reflected light, so there is no code. It is possible to detect which number a person is sitting in.

Conversely, you can also see that the seat where the code number was read is vacant. Note that the optical transmitting/receiving means (7) is arranged along the spiral shaft (27).
-Y axis or x- which is perpendicular to this Y-Y axis (not shown)
By being able to scan in the x-axis direction, a wide range of seats can be scanned.

Such an optical detection device can automatically detect the availability of reserved seats on trains, understand the availability, and reissue tickets.
The level of congestion can be reported to each station online, making it possible to average the number of passengers.

FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment of the optical detection device of the present invention, which detects the location and number of bottles, which are objects (1) placed in a partition case (29), and the empty state of the partition case. This is an example of detection, and on the bottom of the partition case (29) there is a light regression reflector barcode (17) similar to that explained in Fig. 3.
is installed. When the object (1), which is a bottle, is placed in the partition case (29), the barcode (17) made of an optical line reflector is hidden, and the scanning type optical transmitting/receiving means (7) located above is hidden.
The scanning light beam (22) from the object (1) does not have a barcode and the reflected light does not return to the area where the object (1) is located, so the barcode cannot be read. You can know.

In FIG. 6, the optical transmitting/receiving means (7) has the same structure as shown in FIG. 4, and (28) indicates a motor for rotating the polygon mirror (21).

With a configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to automate product detection on a factory belt conveyor, inventory product management, inventory management, etc.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, a case where the subject (1) hides the optical line reflector has been explained, but an example in which the optical line reflector is exposed when the subject (1) is placed at a predetermined position will be described below. Figures 7 and 8
The diagram will be explained.

Figure 7 shows that when the subject (1) sits on a chair (25) in a conference hall, school, etc., the photoregressive reflector barcode (17) that had fallen on the desk (30) stands up. This means that attendees, absentees, and their locations are detected using a scanning light beam (22) from an optical transmitting/receiving means (7). In this case, a person sitting on the chair (25) may stand up the photoregressive reflector barcode (17).

FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment of the optical detection device of the present invention. When a product, which is a subject (1), is placed on an inventory shelf (31), a hidden optical line reflector The barcode (17) consisting of the following is displayed on the entire window (32) of the shelf (31). Place the item on the item mounting table (33
), the spring (34) supporting the article table (33) sinks and the barcode (17) is placed on the window (32).
), so this barcode is sent to the optical transceiver means (7).
).

FIG. 9 shows an example of a rain gauge in which the subject itself forms part of a barcode made of an optical line reflector. That is, as the amount of rain (36) increases, the water (
38), the optical line reflector (6a) placed behind the horizontal part (37) is hidden and the dark part (16) of the barcode is hidden.
b) Since the barcode changes according to the amount of water, it is sufficient to read these with the optical transceiver means (7).

As an application of such an optical detection device, it is possible to use a weighing scale or the like, in which the number of bars or spaces (dark and bright areas) of a bar code is changed depending on the weight.

The optical detection device of this example can not only recognize unspecified objects such as people, objects, or moving objects in a non-contact manner, but also
Highly reflected light can be obtained using an optical line reflector, allowing for high speed,
High-resolution automatic detection is possible. Furthermore, by converting the optical line reflector into a bar code, coded reflected light can be obtained.

In this example, a laser source is used as the light emitting source of the scanning light beam, but infrared beams, ordinary light, etc. may also be used (a movable mirror may be used instead of the polygon mirror of the light transmitting/receiving means, and the movable means may also be bimorph). etc. may also be used.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments on the ridges, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, by detecting with the optical transmitting/receiving means that the subject is placed at the position where the light recursive reflector is placed, unspecified moving objects, etc. can be detected without contact, and high-speed, high-resolution detection is possible. becomes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example in which the optical detection device of the present invention is used for automobile parking lot management, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the basic configuration of a light regressive reflector used in the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example of a light recursive reflector barcode used in the present invention, FIG.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example in which the optical detection device of the present invention is used to manage seats in a theater, etc. FIG. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of using the optical detection device of the present invention for attendance management at a school, etc., Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of using the optical detection device of the present invention for inventory product management, and Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of using the optical detection device of the present invention for managing attendance at schools. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of the optical detection device of the present invention used in a rain gauge, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of the conventional optical detection device. (1) is a subject, (2) is a barcode, (3) is an image sensor, (6a), (6b), (6c) is a light recursive reflector, (7) is a light transmitting/receiving means, (lla) is a glass bulb, (14) is a film base, (17) is a positive type photoregressive reflector)<- code, (17a) is a negative type photoregressive reflector barcode, (19) is a laser source, (21) ) is a polygon mirror, (25) is a chair, (29
) is a partition case, and (30) is a desk. Agent Paige Ito
Hide Matsukuma Moriku - FtU1 - \ \ \ Ku \ / Futoshi - Jyotsato \ \ Haritoshi Tobuki, \ ■ ” Se5 ■ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ ＼ ＼ ＼ ゛ ＼ (Scold V Go Door・、゛・ ＼ ・ ＼゛＼＼、へ、＼＼ A＼ ＼ 1＼＼ ゞ

Claims (1)

[Claims] An optical detection device for detecting the presence or absence of a subject, comprising: a light-recurring reflector provided at a position where the subject is placed; and scanning the light-recurring reflector position. An optical detection device comprising: a light transmitting/receiving means, wherein the light transmitting/receiving means detects that the subject is placed at the light recursive reflector arrangement position.