JPH037774Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to a photo sensor.

In a conventional reflective photo sensor, a sensor body having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element and a reflective object are not connected to each other, but are arranged separately.

When the sensor main body or the reflective object moves and the sensor main body and the reflective object approach a certain position, the light from the light emitting element is reflected and sent to the light receiving element as an optical signal.

However, as described above, since the sensor body and the reflective object are not directly connected, their movements are not restricted to each other.

Therefore, for example, a slight angular deviation may occur in the movement of the reflective object, and in such a case, the reflected optical path will be distorted, and the detection performance of the photo sensor will become unstable and it will not be able to perform its original function. Furthermore, depending on the quality of the reflection efficiency of the object to be measured, there have been cases where the method cannot be used. Furthermore, dirt, stains, etc. on the reflective object had a large effect on the detection ability.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a photo sensor that detects the object to be measured regardless of its reflection efficiency by providing a reflective surface on the actuator section and has excellent detection accuracy. purpose.

To achieve this purpose, the photo sensor of the present invention is
An actuator section is pivotally attached to a main body section that incorporates a light emitting element and a light receiving element at a certain angle, and the actuator section rotates, and a reflecting section provided on the actuator section and having a reflective surface with high reflection efficiency reflects the light emitting element. The general idea is that the sensor will respond reliably by reflecting the light from the sensor and making it incident on the light receiving element.

Hereinafter, the photo sensor of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a photo sensor 1 of the present invention.

This photo sensor 1 consists of a main body part 2 and an actuator part 3.

In the main body part 2, as if facing at a certain angle,
A light-emitting element 21 and a light-receiving element 22 are built in, and holes 23 and 24, which serve as optical paths for the light-emitting element 21 and light-receiving element 22, are bored toward the end face 25. In this case, the intersection position of the light reflected from the light emitting element 21 and the light reflected to the light receiving element 22 is determined in advance, and therefore the stoppers S, S are provided on the end face portion 25, and the protrusion of the stoppers S, S is determined in advance. If the length is appropriately selected, rotation of the actuator section 3 can be restricted, and the intersection point can be placed on a reflective surface, which will be described later, at this restricted position.

Further, an actuator section 3 is provided on the upper part of the main body section 2.
A pair of branch parts 26, 26 for pivotally mounting are provided, and holes 26a, 26a for fitting are bored at the tips of the branch parts 26, 26. Furthermore, a mounting part 27 used when using the photo sensor 1,
27' and 27'' are provided as appropriate.

On the other hand, the actuator section 3 includes a pivot section 31, an arm section 32, and a reflecting section 33.

The pivot portion 31 is, for example, a cylindrical rod, and has pivoting protrusions 31a, 31a bored at both ends thereof.

An arm portion 32 is provided from approximately the center of the pivot portion 31 .

The arm portion 32 has a substantially U-shape, but its shape can be changed in various ways depending on the purpose of use.

Further, the arm portion 32 rotates, and a long plate-shaped reflective portion 33 is provided at a portion that is relatively long with the end surface portion 25 of the main body portion 2.
is installed.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the photo sensor 1, which is formed by combining the main body part 2 and the actuator part 3, which are the above-mentioned structural members.

Projections 31a, 31a at both ends of the pivot portion 31
The actuator section 3 is pivotally attached to the main body section 2 by fitting the actuator section 3 into the holes 26a, 26a of the branch sections 26, 26, but the pivot mechanism is not limited thereto.

Since the actuator section 3 is pivotally mounted as described above, the arm section 32 is rotatable.

Therefore, as shown in the side view of Fig. 3, the arm part 3
The reflecting part 33 attached to the main body end face 25 can be moved toward or away from the main body end face part 25, and when the reflecting part 33 comes into contact with the stoppers S, S of the main body end face part 25, , its reflective surface is placed at the intersection of the incident and reflected light beams of the light emitting element 21 and the light receiving element 22, and the sensor reacts. That is, the fourth
As shown in the figure, when the arm part 32 rotates and comes into contact with the stoppers S, the reflective surface of the reflective part 33 is placed at a fixed position with respect to the main body part 2,
The light emitted from the light emitting element 21 passes through the passage hole 23.
is incident on the reflective surface through, and reflected at the intersection,
The reflected light is incident on the light receiving element 22 through the passage hole 24. The reflective portion 33 forms a reflective surface by pasting, vapor depositing, or plating a metal foil with high reflective efficiency. Furthermore, if the reflecting section 33 itself is made of a resin material that reflects light, the operation of the actuator section will be light and optimal.

Furthermore, if a substance with high reflection efficiency, such as white paper or aluminum sheet, is attached to the reflective part, the effect will be further enhanced.

In the above description, stoppers S, S are provided protruding from both outsides of the passage holes 23 and 24 of the end face portion 25 of the main body, and the intersection points of the reflected light beams are placed on the reflective surface by the stoppers S, S. , and is regulated so as not to come into direct contact with the main body portion 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to provide the stoppers S, S on the reflecting portion 33.

As described above, in the photo sensor according to the present invention, an actuator section having a reflecting section is pivotally attached to a main body section having functions of emitting and receiving light. .

Therefore, if the moving angle of the reflecting section is always maintained constant and the reflecting section itself is movable to a predetermined position, it will respond as a sensor by reliably reflecting light.

Moreover, because of the above-described mechanism, the photo sensor itself has a lightweight and compact structure, and the photo sensor according to the present invention has excellent practical effects as a sensor widely used in copying machines and the like.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the photo sensor according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the photo sensor according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a side view showing the operation of the photo sensor according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a photo sensor according to the present invention. 1... Photo sensor, 2... Main body, 21...
Light emitting element, 22... Light receiving element, 3... Actuator part, 31... Pivot part, 33... Reflection part.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are built in at a certain angle, and an end face is provided with a hole through which incident light from the light-emitting element passes and a hole through which reflected light to the light-receiving element passes. and an actuator section provided with a reflecting section that reflects incident light from the light emitting element and makes it incident on the light receiving element, the actuator section including the reflecting section of the main body section. The actuator is pivotally attached to the main body while being disposed on the end face side, and a stopper is provided on the end face or reflective part of the main body, and the protruding length of the stopper restricts the rotation of the actuator. A photo sensor characterized in that an intersection between incident light from a light emitting element and reflected light to a light receiving element is located on a reflective surface of the reflective section.