JPH10321098A - Non-contact switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce time for preparing a complete image and cost by imaging light emitting from an illumination means in a space, and detecting a substance existing in the specified range containing light emitted from an imaged illuminating means. SOLUTION: An image-forming means 2 focuses light emitted from an illumination means 1 and maps an image. The image is formed at the specified position in the air, and a light-emitting surface (a real image) 8 is formed in the air. An operator of an non-contact switch can utilize the light-emitting surface 8 as a target of an operator of a non-contact switch. In the image-forming means 2, a lens element in which a refractive index diffusion rod lens is arranged in a matrix shape is used. A refractive index distribution rod lens is a column cylindrical optical element having a function, transmitting a substance in the specified position as a real image. A non-contact switch has a substance- detecting means, a light-emitting element 3 and a light-receiving element 4 which are arranged as substance-detecting element, and an infrared-emitting diode is utilized in the light-emitting element 3, and a photodiode is utilized in the light-receiving diode 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-contact switch which switches input and output by visually recognizing an image in the air and touching the image in the air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, a touchless switch has been known as a non-contact switch for switching input and output by visually recognizing an air image and touching or bringing a finger into the air image. This is known (for example, see Japanese Patent Application No. 7-313440).

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a conventional touchless switch. The conventional touchless switch, that is, a non-contact switch, has a plate (hereinafter, referred to as an original picture) on which characters and pictures are mapped to the air by the imaging means 2, and the original picture 9 is placed in the air in the real image. 8 as a target (key) for input / output operations.

A conventional touchless switch uses the original picture 9
For example, a transparent sheet (plate) having predetermined characters, pictures, etc. printed thereon could be used. However, in the conventional touchless switch, it is necessary to prepare the original picture 9 and incorporate it as a component of the touchless switch.

[0005] As the illumination means 1 of the conventional touchless switch, various means can be used.
It was desirable to use light emitting diodes (hereinafter also referred to as LEDs) as the lighting means. Because LED
Is less expensive, smaller, has a longer life, and generates less heat than fluorescent lamps or other electric heating lamps or discharge lamps. In addition, LEDs are robust, have a simple control circuit, have an advantage of being easy to control, for example, blinking, and have an advantage of being able to use various luminescent colors.

However, in the conventional touchless switch using the original picture, it is not always suitable to use the LED as the illumination means. This is because keys (targets) displayed in the air are difficult to see, that is, they are not clean.

For example, if a red LED is used as the illumination means, the transparent portion and the red portion of the original picture are illuminated with red and displayed in the air. The black part is displayed in black. The other color portions are displayed in black or a color close thereto. In general, when an LED is used as an illuminating means in a touchless switch, a picture (key) displayed in the air has two colors of the LED emission color and black.
Color. The LED emission colors are red, orange, yellow,
(Yellow) green and the like are common. Therefore, in a conventional touchless switch, when a single-color LED is used as the lighting means, the colors of keys (targets) displayed in the air are red and black, orange and black, yellow and black, or (yellow) green. It means black. As described above, in the conventional touchless switch, when an LED is used as the illumination means, there is a problem that a picture (character) displayed in the air is difficult to see because of the color scheme.

Next, a case in which a two-color switching LED is used as an illumination means of a conventional touchless switch will be described. For example, if the red and (yellow) green LEDs are switched and used, the background of the original picture can be switched between red and green, and characters, pictures or icons can be displayed in black. However, even if the two-color switching LED is used, the key display color is
It is a combination of the light emission color of the LED and black, and it is clear that the picture displayed in the air is difficult to see.

[0009] Even in the conventional touchless switch, if a white LED is used as the illuminating means, the problem that the original picture displayed in the air is difficult to see can be almost solved. However, there is a problem that white LEDs are expensive. This is because in order to produce a white LED, it is necessary to produce a blue-emitting LED, and it is technically difficult to mass-produce a blue-emitting LED.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the problem of a conventional touchless switch (non-contact switch), and has as its object to provide a non-contact switch having a simple structure with a low manufacturing cost. It is to provide a contact switch.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact switch in which it is preferable to use a lighting device provided with an LED as the lighting device.

[0011]

A non-contact switch according to the present invention has solved the above-mentioned problems and is as follows. An illumination unit that includes an imaging unit that forms an image of light emitted from the illumination unit in a space, and detects an object existing in a predetermined range including light from the illumination unit that is imaged in the space; Object detecting means.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the non-contact switch according to the first aspect, the illuminating means is an illuminating means having a light emitting diode.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS When the lighting means is off,
Nothing is displayed in the air. When the object detecting means detects the finger approaching the non-contact switch, the lighting means is turned on. The imaging unit forms an image of the light emitted by the illumination unit in the air. Therefore, a real image, that is, a light emitting surface is formed in the air. The operator of the non-contact switch tries to touch the light emitting surface in the air, thereby inputting the switch and turning off the lighting unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the illuminating means is an LED.
It has. If a plurality of LEDs are used as the illuminating means, an LED for turning on and off each time a switch is input, that is, each time the object detecting means detects an object.
It is also easy to design the number according to the application.

[0015]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. The illuminating unit 1 has a light emitting unit (not shown) installed facing the image forming unit 2. As described later, it is recommended to use an LED as the illuminating means 1. However, other illuminating means, for example, a cold cathode tube or the like may be used.

The imaging means 2 converges and maps light (light rays) emitted from the illumination means 1. That is, an image is formed at a predetermined position in the air. Therefore, a light emitting surface (real image) 8 is formed in the air. The operator of the non-contact switch can use the light emitting surface 8 as a switch operation target. As the imaging means 2, for example, a lens element in which refractive index distribution type rod lenses are arranged in a matrix is used. The gradient index rod lens is a columnar optical element having a function of transmitting an object at a predetermined position as an erect real-size real image.

The non-contact switch has an object detecting means. In FIG. 1, the light emitting element 3 and the light receiving element 4 are provided as the object detecting means. For example, an infrared light emitting diode can be used for the light emitting element 3, and a phototransistor or a photodiode can be used for the light receiving element 4.

The illuminating means 1 is provided on a control board 5. The light emitting element 3 and the light receiving element 4 are respectively wired to the control board 5 and connected to a light emitting element and a light receiving element control circuit (not shown).

The control board 5 has terminals (7a, 7b, 7c)
And can be used for power supply, ground, output, etc. according to the design of those skilled in the art.

In FIG. 1, the construction of the housing 6 is a matter of design choice for those skilled in the art. A plurality of illumination means 1 and imaging means 2 in one housing 6
Alternatively, an object detecting means (light emitting element 3 and light receiving element 4) may be provided. The housing 6 may have a shape such that the light emitting surface 8 is located outside the opening 13 of the housing 6. In this case, the light emitting element 3 and the light receiving element 4 may be provided outside the housing 6, or a reflective light emitting element and a light receiving element may be used.

The non-contact switch according to the present invention can perform a switch function by itself, or can function as a switch having a series of functions by combining two or more switches. When the non-contact switch is used alone, it is only necessary to turn on / off the illuminating means 1 or switch the light emission amount of the illuminating means 1 each time an input is made, that is, every time the object detecting means detects an object. . When two or more non-contact switches are used in combination, the ON / OFF of the lighting means 1 of a certain non-contact switch is performed when an input is made to a predetermined non-contact switch including itself. It should be designed.

In FIG. 1, the light-emitting and light-receiving elements (3, 4) as the object detecting means are of a transmission / blocking type, but may be of a reflection type. Good. Further, a half mirror is provided between the illumination means 1 and the imaging means 2, and light emitted from the light emitting element and reflected by an object (such as a finger) is reflected by the half mirror via the imaging means 2 to receive the light receiving element. May be adopted.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the illumination means includes an LED. The illuminating means may be constituted only by the LED, or the illuminating means may be constituted by combining with other illuminating elements. However, from the viewpoint of cost, it is more advantageous to constitute the illuminating means only by the LED. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the lighting means. When using an LED as a lighting means, one or more light bulb type LEDs
May be used, or a surface-emitting LED module may be used as shown in FIG. Whether the LED module emits one color, two colors, or three or more colors is a design choice for those skilled in the art.

FIG. 2 shows a chip type LED.
(10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) are used as components of the LED module, but the bulb type LE
A person skilled in the art can freely configure the LED module using D.

As shown in FIG. 2, when an LED module is used as the illumination means, the state of surface light emission is almost faithfully reproduced in the air. Therefore, as a target of the switch operation,
A clean and easy-to-read key can be displayed in the air. In FIG. 2, the color plate 11 and the diffusion plate 12 are
This is provided to reduce uneven brightness.

[0026]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects. In order to form a target for operation in the air, only illumination means is required, and no real picture is required, so that the labor and cost for creating the real picture are not required. Also, there is no need to provide a space for incorporating the main picture into the switch. Therefore, it is possible to provide a non-contact switch having a simple configuration with a low manufacturing cost.

Also, what is displayed in the air is the light emitting surface, and characters, pictures, icons, etc. are not displayed. Therefore, the target (key) for operating the switch floating in the air, that is, the light emitting surface is not displayed. It is not difficult to see because of the color scheme. Therefore, it is also possible to provide a non-contact switch in which it is preferable to use an illumination unit including an LED as the illumination unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a lighting unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a conventional touchless switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Illumination means 2 Imaging means 3 Light emitting element 4 Light receiving element 5 Control board 6 Housing 7a, 7b, 7c Terminal 8 Light emitting surface (real image) 9 Original picture 10 Chip type LED 11 Color plate 12 Diffusing plate 13 Opening

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an illuminating unit; and an imaging unit configured to form an image of the light emitted from the illuminating unit in a space. A non-contact switch including an object detection unit that detects an existing object. 2. The non-contact switch according to claim 1, wherein said lighting means is a lighting means provided with a light emitting diode.