KR102314122B1 - Contactless switch apparatus and system including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a contactless switch device which is installed on buttons of a public facility such as an elevator, a common entrance door, and an automatic door and configured to allow a user to select a desired switch without directly touching the switch with his or her finger, and to a system including the same. The contactless switch device comprises: an upper switch cover including at least one first through-hole; a printed circuit board (PCB) installed on an inner side of the upper switch cover, and including at least one second through-hole to dissipate an electric field; at least one contactless switch inserted and coupled to the first through-hole and including an electrode body which emits the electric field and a conductor which is inserted and coupled to the electrode body and expands a divergence region of the electric field; a lower switch cover integrally coupled to the upper switch cover; and a capacitance sensor which is electrically connected to the electrode body, outputs a single pulse to the electrode body to induce the divergence of the electric field, senses a capacitance value charged through the electric field emitted in response to the single pulse as a reference capacitance (Cx), and senses a change in a capacitance of the electric field emitted into the second through-hole of the at least one contactless switch.

Description

Contactless switch apparatus and system including the same}

The present invention relates to a non-contact switch sensing technology, and in particular, a non-contact switch device that is installed in public facilities such as elevators, common entrance doors, and automatic door buttons so that a user can select a desired switch without directly touching the switch with his or her finger, etc. and systems including the same.

In public facilities such as elevators, common entrance doors, and automatic door buttons used by multiple people, buttons for selecting or inputting the number of floors, passwords, operation commands, etc. are installed, which are usually made of mechanical push buttons or touch buttons.

Since the buttons of these public facilities are operated by a large number of unspecified users by mainly touching the buttons with their fingers, there is a possibility that they may be contaminated by bacteria, viruses, harmful substances, etc.

For example, in the case of an elevator, various buttons installed on the left or right wall of the outer door to select up/down movement are selected by physical contact, and many people use their fingers to select the desired number of floors, close or open buttons. It is selected by directly touching and pressing, so there are problems such as spread of bacteria or viruses.

To prevent this, an antibacterial film is attached to the buttons of public facilities, but it takes a certain amount of time for bacteria and viruses to completely die, so there is a possibility of infection if there is a user before that. There is a problem that the shaft surface is worn out.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0378130 (June 2000)

The present invention is to solve the problems described above, and the present invention is installed in public facilities such as elevators, common entrance doors, and automatic door buttons so that the user can effectively select a desired switch without directly touching the switch with his or her finger. An object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact switch and a system including the same.

A non-contact switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes an upper switch cover having at least one first through hole formed therein; a printed circuit board (PCB) installed inside the upper switch cover and having at least one second through hole formed therein so that an electric field can be radiated; at least one non-contact switch including an electrode body fitted into the second through hole and emitting the electric field, and a conductor fitted inside the electrode body and coupled to the electrode body to expand the divergence region of the electric field; a lower switch cover integrally coupled to the upper switch cover; and electrically connected to the electrode body, outputting a single pulse to the electrode body to induce divergence of the electric field, and detecting a capacitance value charged through an electric field emitted in response to the single pulse as a reference capacitance (Cx) and an electrostatic sensor sensing a change in capacitance of an electric field emitted inside the second through hole of the at least one or more non-contact switches, wherein the diameter of the second through hole is larger than the diameter of the first through hole, , the first through-hole is coupled to fit inside the conductor, and the electrostatic sensor is installed inside the upper switch cover or is formed separately outside the upper and lower switch covers.

The electrostatic sensor, after outputting a single pulse to the electrode body, detects a change in capacitance for each non-contact switch, and generates a selection signal for the corresponding non-contact switch when the sensed capacitance value is greater than the reference capacitance (Cx) characterized in that

The lower switch cover further includes; at least one light emitting unit installed at a position corresponding to the non-contact switch, wherein the light emitting unit detects a change in capacitance of any one of the non-contact switches of the at least one non-contact switch by the electrostatic sensor When the corresponding light emitting part is characterized in that it emits a set color.

According to the present invention, it is installed in public facilities such as elevators, common front doors, and automatic door buttons, so that the user can effectively select and input a desired switch without direct contact with the switch.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the risk of infection by operating the switch in a non-contact manner.

In addition, according to the present invention, by blocking selection of a plurality of switches, it is possible to accurately select a switch without a malfunction due to a recognition error.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a non-contact switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a functional block diagram of the non-contact switch device 1 shown in FIG. 1 .
3 and 4 are block diagrams for explaining the principle of operation of the non-contact switch device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a switch recognition error situation in a non-contact switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the entire system including the non-contact switch device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in a variety of different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs It is provided to fully inform the possessor of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

Various aspects and features will be presented by a system that may include a number of devices, components and/or modules, and the like. It is also noted that various systems may include additional devices, components, and/or modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed with respect to the drawings. must be understood and recognized.

As used herein, “embodiment”, “example”, “aspect”, “exemplary”, etc. may not be construed as an advantage or advantage in any aspect or design described above over other aspects or designs. . The terms '~part', 'component', 'module', 'system', 'interface', etc. used below generally mean a computer-related entity, for example, hardware, hardware A combination of and software may mean software.

In the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. have meaning Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in an embodiment of the present invention, an ideal or excessively formal meaning is not interpreted as

In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. When 'including', 'having', 'consisting', etc. mentioned in this specification are used, other parts may be added unless 'only' is used. When a component is expressed in the singular, the case in which the plural is included is included unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Each feature of the various embodiments of the present invention may be partially or wholly combined or combined with each other, and technically various interlocking and driving are possible, as will be fully understood by those skilled in the art, and each embodiment may be independently implemented with respect to each other, It may be possible to implement together in a related relationship.

Hereinafter, a non-contact switch device and a system including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view for schematically explaining a non-contact switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a perspective view schematically showing the overall appearance of a non-contact switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, ( b) is an internal configuration diagram schematically showing a cross section cut along the incision line of A-A'. Although the non-contact switch according to an embodiment of the present invention has been described as being installed on the common front door, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that it can be used as an input device for various devices such as elevators and automatic door buttons as well as the common front door. will be.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B , a non-contact switch device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention corresponds to a plurality of non-contact switches 20 and non-contact switches 20 performing a switch function. It may be configured to include a switch cover 10 having a plurality of through-holes 12 formed therein, and an electrostatic sensor 40 detecting a change in capacitance of the plurality of non-contact switches 20 .

First, the switch cover 10 may include an upper switch cover 11 having at least one first through hole 12 formed therein, and a lower switch cover 13 integrally coupled to the upper switch cover 11 . have.

The upper switch cover 11 has a shape in which the end of the cover is bent inside the rim and the first through hole 12 to have a predetermined thickness, and the lower switch cover 13 has a flat shape of the upper switch cover 11 . It may be configured to be coupled with the bent end. That is, an inner space is formed by combining the bent end of the upper switch cover 11 and the lower switch cover 13, and a printed circuit board (PCB) 30 having a non-contact switch may be provided in the inner space. . For example, a printed circuit board (PCB) 30 may be installed inside the upper switch cover 11 .

And, the plurality of non-contact switches 20 may be at least one, and as shown in Fig. 1 (a), in this embodiment, numbers 1 to 9, 0, *, It can have 12 non-contact switches 20 with each switch function for #.

The plurality of non-contact switches 20 correspond to each of the first through-holes 12 formed in the upper switch cover 11 , and may perform a switch function by radiating an electric field into the first through-hole 12 . have.

In detail, each of the plurality of non-contact switches 20 includes at least one or more second through-holes 31 formed in a printed circuit board (PCB) 30 and the second through-holes 31 are fitted and coupled to each other, and the electric field E ) may include an electrode body 21 , and a conductor 22 fitted inside the electrode body 21 and coupled to expand the divergence region of the electric field E to the inside of the second through hole 31 . have.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the second through-hole 31 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the first through-hole 12, and through this, the first through-hole 12 is formed inside the conductor 22. It can be coupled to fit into the. Through this structure, the printed circuit board 30 may be installed inside the upper switch cover 11 .

And, the electrostatic sensor 40 is electrically connected to the plurality of non-contact switches 20, and outputs a single pulse to the electrode body 21 to induce divergence of the electric field E, and the electric field emitted in response to the single pulse ( The capacitance value charged through E) is sensed and stored as the reference capacitance (Cx), and thereafter, a change in capacitance of the electric field (E) emitted inside the first through hole 12 is detected and selected signal of the non-contact switch. occurs

That is, if there is a non-contact switch in which a change in capacitance is detected among the non-contact switches 20 , the electrostatic sensor 40 recognizes that the non-contact switch is selected by the user and generates a selection signal.

The electrostatic sensor 40 may be integrally installed inside the upper switch cover 11 or separately formed outside the upper and lower switch covers 11 and 13 .

Meanwhile, in an embodiment of the present invention, although not shown, each of the non-contact switches may further include a light emitting unit (not shown) that emits light when selected by the user. The light emitting unit may include red and green LEDs, and when a change in capacitance is detected, a red LED of the corresponding non-contact switch is emitted, and when a change in capacitance of a plurality of non-contact switches is detected, a green LED is emitted for the non-contact switches. It can be implemented to flash and emit light, and when a malfunction occurs, a red LED flashes to emit light.

As described above, according to the non-contact switch device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to select a switch without a user's direct finger contact.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a functional block diagram of the non-contact switch device 1 shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 2 , a non-contact switch device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of non-contact switches 20 and an electrostatic sensor 40 .

The plurality of non-contact switches 20 may be arranged and configured as many as necessary. Each of the plurality of contactless switches 20 is assigned a corresponding command or user selection. For example, a common front door, each of the non-contact switches 20 may be assigned a number, *, #, and the like. The plurality of non-contact switches 20 may be arranged in a grid or arranged in a line as shown in FIG. 1 .

And, the electrostatic sensor 40 is electrically connected to each of the plurality of non-contact switches 20, and outputs a single pulse to each of the plurality of non-contact switches 20 to induce divergence of the electric field E, and respond to the single pulse The capacitance value charged through the emitted electric field (E) is sensed and stored as the reference capacitance (Cx), and the change in the capacitance of the electric field (E) for each of the non-contact switches 20 is detected and the corresponding non-contact switch is selected. generate a signal.

That is, if there is a non-contact switch in which a change in capacitance is detected among the non-contact switches 20 , the electrostatic sensor 40 recognizes that the non-contact switch is selected by the user and generates a selection signal.

3 and 4 are block diagrams for explaining the principle of operation of the non-contact switch device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3 (a) and (b) show a state in which there is no user's selection, and FIGS. 4 (a) and (b) show a state in which the user's selection is recognized, respectively.

3 (a) and (b), each of the plurality of non-contact switches 20 of the non-contact switch device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention by a single pulse output from the electrostatic sensor (40) It emits an electric field (E). In addition, the electrostatic sensor 40 senses the capacitance of each of the plurality of non-contact switches 20 as a reference capacitance Cx. That is, the electrostatic sensor 40 detects only the capacitance Cx charged by the single pulse R when an object (eg, a finger) having a capacitance value is not close to the electric field E range.

Thereafter, referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B , when a user selects a specific non-contact switch by bringing his or her finger 50 close to one of the plurality of non-contact switches 20 , the electrostatic sensor 40 is the non-contact switch of the corresponding non-contact switch. Detect changes in capacitance. At this time, the electrostatic sensor 40 approaches the capacitance Cx charged by a single pulse R according to the proximity of an object (eg, a finger) having a capacitance value Cf within the range of the electric field E. It detects the capacitance value that is the sum of the capacitance values (Cf) of the object. Through this, the electrostatic sensor 40 may recognize the selection of the corresponding non-contact switch and generate a selection signal.

Therefore, the electrostatic sensor 40 detects only the reference capacitance (Cx) when an object (eg, a finger) having a capacitance value within the electric field range is not close, and an object having a capacitance value (Cf) within the electric field range ( For example, when a finger) approaches, the selection of the non-contact switch may be recognized by sensing a capacitance in which the capacitance value Cf of the object close to the reference capacitance Cx is added.

As described above, the non-contact switch device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a change in capacitance of the non-contact switch 20 through the electrostatic sensor 40, thereby recognizing the switch selection without the user's direct finger contact and corresponding A selection signal of the non-contact switch may be generated.

5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a switch recognition error situation in a non-contact switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention. A switch recognition error situation may occur when a user's body or an object approaches a non-contact switch other than the non-contact switch to be selected regardless of the user's intention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , there is a case in which the user's index finger F2 approaches the non-contact switch S1 to be selected from among the plurality of non-contact switches, and the thumb F1 unintentionally approaches the other non-contact switch S2. , and may be mistakenly recognized as having multiple switches selected at the same time.

At this time, the electrostatic sensor 40 of the non-contact switch device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a change in the capacitance of the non-contact switch S1 to be selected as the user's index finger F1 approaches another. Capacitive sensing of the non-contact switch is blocked for a predetermined time, and capacitive sensing of the non-contact switch S1 to be selected is completed and the capacitive sensing of the other non-contact switches is performed again after recognizing the switch selection can Here, the predetermined time may be a time during which generation of a selection signal for the selected non-contact switch is performed.

This configuration is to prevent a recognition error situation in which a plurality of switches are recognized when a user's body or an object is close to another non-contact switch other than the non-contact switch to be selected regardless of the user's intention.

On the other hand, when the forefinger F2 and the thumb F1 approach the non-contact switches S1 and S2 almost simultaneously, the electrostatic sensor 40 detects the capacitance of the two non-contact switches S1 and S2. is simultaneously performed, it is determined as a switch recognition error, and a switch recognition error signal is generated without generating a selection signal for the non-contact switches S1 and S2. When a switch recognition error signal is generated, the light emitting unit may be controlled to emit a set color (eg, blinking light of a green LED) or to output a set alarm sound.

That is, according to the embodiment of the present invention, if the proximity time difference of the fingers F1 and F2 with respect to the non-contact switches S1 and S2 is less than a set threshold time, the electrostatic sensor 40 determines that the two non-contact switches are simultaneously adjacent. As the capacitance sensing for the switches S1 and S2 is performed, a selection signal is not generated. Also, if the proximity time difference between the fingers F1 and F2 to the non-contact switches S1 and S2 is greater than the threshold time, the best First, only the capacitance of the non-contact switch S1 corresponding to the adjacent finger F2 is sensed to generate a selection signal for the non-contact switch S1, and the capacitance detection of the other non-contact switch S2 is not performed.

6 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the entire system including the non-contact switch device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the entire system including the non-contact switch device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a non-contact switch device 1 , a control unit 110 , a light emitting unit 120 , and an alarm unit 130 . ), a wired communication unit 140 , a wireless communication unit 150 , a battery 160 , a regulator 170 , and the like.

The electrostatic sensor 40 of the non-contact switch device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a change in capacitance according to a user's finger proximity to the plurality of non-contact switches 20, When a change in capacitance is detected, a selection signal of the corresponding non-contact switch is generated and transmitted to the control unit 110 .

In addition, when the selection signal of the non-contact switch is transmitted, the controller 110 may control the light emitting unit 120 corresponding to the selected non-contact switch to emit light in a set color. For example, when the selection signal of the non-contact switch is transmitted, the control unit 110 controls the red LED of the light emitting unit 120 corresponding to the non-contact switch to emit light, and in case of a switch recognition error, the green LED of the light emitting unit 120 . can be controlled to flash and emit light.

In addition, when the selection signal of the non-contact switch is transmitted from the electrostatic sensor 40, the command (eg, number, *, #, etc.) assigned to the non-contact switch is recognized, and the command recognition for the non-contact switch is completed. The alarm unit 130 may be controlled to output an alarm sound so that the user can recognize that it has occurred. Here, the alarm sound may include a first alarm sound output when the normal selection of the non-contact switch is completed, and a second alarm sound output when the non-contact switch is recognized incorrectly.

In addition, when the sequential selection of the non-contact switch is completed and the command assigned to the sequentially selected non-contact switch does not match a preset command (eg, common door password), the control unit 110 outputs a third alarm sound. The alarm unit 120 can be controlled

And, the light emitting unit 120, made of red and green LEDs, may be installed to correspond to each of the plurality of non-contact switches 20, and emit light with a color set according to the control of the control unit 110 when the non-contact switch is selected. to visually confirm that the corresponding non-contact switch is selected.

Further, the alarm unit 130 may output a first alarm sound when the normal selection of the non-contact switch is completed under the control of the control unit 110 and output a second alarm sound when the non-contact switch is recognized incorrectly. In addition, when the sequential selection of the non-contact switch is completed and the command assigned to the sequentially selected non-contact switch does not match the preset command (eg, common door password), the alarm unit 130 outputs a third alarm sound. can

In addition, the wired communication unit 140 and the wireless communication unit 150 communicate with the manager terminal for control and management of the system including the contactless switch device 1 . The wireless communication unit 150 may use communication technologies including various known technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC.

In addition, the battery 160 supplies power for driving the system operation, and the regulator 170 adjusts the voltage of the battery 160 to match the driving voltage of the system.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. . Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The protection scope of the present invention should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1. Non-contact switch device 10. Switch cover
11. Upper switch cover 12. First through hole
13. Lower switch cover 20. Non-contact switch
21. Electrode body 22. Conductor
30. Printed circuit board (PCB) 31. Second through hole
40. Electrostatic sensor

Claims (3)

an upper switch cover having at least one first through hole and having one end bent into the first through hole;
a printed circuit board (PCB) installed inside the upper switch cover and having at least one second through hole formed therein so that an electric field can be radiated;
An electrode body fitted and coupled to the inside of the second through hole and emitting the electric field to the inside of the second through hole, the electrode body is fitted and coupled to the inside of the electrode body, and the divergence region of the electric field is moved to the inside of the first through hole at least one non-contact switch comprising an expanding conductor;
a lower switch cover integrally coupled to the upper switch cover; and
It is electrically connected to the electrode body, outputs a single pulse to the electrode body to induce divergence of the electric field, and detects a capacitance value charged through an electric field emitted in response to the single pulse as a reference capacitance (Cx), , an electrostatic sensor for detecting a change in capacitance of the electric field emitted inside the second through hole of the at least one or more non-contact switches;
A diameter of the second through-hole is formed to be larger than a diameter of the first through-hole,
The first through hole is formed by integrally coupling with the lower switch cover while the bent end of the upper switch cover is fitted inside the conductor to cover the inside of the conductor,
The electrostatic sensor is installed inside the upper switch cover or is formed separately outside the upper and lower switch covers, and when a plurality of fingers are close to the at least one non-contact switch, a time difference between the fingers to the non-contact switches is set If it is less than the threshold time, it is determined that the capacitive sensing of the non-contact switches has been performed at the same time, and a selection signal for the non-contact switches is not generated. A selection signal for the non-contact switch is generated by detecting the capacitance of the non-contact switch corresponding to After that, the recognition error is prevented by re-performing the capacitive sensing for other non-contact switches,
The predetermined time is a non-contact switch device, characterized in that the generation of the selection signal to the non-contact switch to which a finger is adjacent is performed. According to claim 1,
The electrostatic sensor, after outputting a single pulse to the electrode body, detects a change in capacitance for each non-contact switch, and generates a selection signal for the corresponding non-contact switch when the sensed capacitance value is greater than the reference capacitance (Cx) Non-contact switch device, characterized in that. 3. The method of claim 2,
The lower switch cover further includes; at least one light emitting unit installed at a position corresponding to the non-contact switch;
The light emitting unit, when the electrostatic sensor detects a change in the capacitance of any one of the non-contact switches among at least one or more non-contact switches, the non-contact switch device, characterized in that for emitting light with a set color corresponding to the light emitting unit.

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