Elevator operating device

Abstract

The elevator operating device comprises: an operating unit having a capacitance sensor; and a control unit that acquires a detection value of the capacitance sensor and determines whether or not the operation unit has been operated on the basis of the detection value, the control unit calculates a detection value change amount per unit time during a period in which the detection value increases, and when the detection value change amount is less than a threshold change amount and the detection value is equal to or greater than a threshold detection value, controls the operation unit to operate on the basis of the detection value. When the detected value change amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value change amount, it is determined that the operation is not performed even if the detected value is equal to or greater than the threshold value detected value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator operating device including an operating unit having an electrostatic capacitance sensor. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a capacitive operating device. This device includes an operating panel, electrodes, a detection unit, a sudden change detection unit, and a contact detection unit. The operating panel forms an operating surface that is touched and operated by the operator's fingertips. The electrodes are attached to the surface of the operating panel opposite the operating surface.

[0003] The detection unit obtains a detection value corresponding to the amount of change in electrostatic capacitance generated between the fingertip and the electrode. The sudden change determination unit determines whether a sudden change in the detection value's change rate occurs during a period in which the detection value's change rate exceeds a predetermined rate. The contact determination unit determines whether a contact operation or a lift-off operation has occurred based on the occurrence of a sudden change.

[0004] When the fingertip is only brought close to the operation surface without touching it, or when the fingertip is stopped and then released, no sudden change occurs. Therefore, the electrostatic capacitance type operation device can accurately determine whether a contact operation or a release operation has occurred.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-130122 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] The aforementioned electrostatic capacitive operating device can also be applied to elevator operating devices. Elevator operating devices are operated by multiple, unspecified operators. Therefore, from a hygienic perspective, such as for infectious disease prevention, it is desirable to operate elevator operating devices in a contactless manner.

[0010] However, in capacitive operating devices that can be operated non-contact, the detection threshold is set lower than in capacitive operating devices that rely on contact operation. This makes false detection more likely due to interference such as shock and vibration. Furthermore, when operating a capacitive operating device non-contact, the aforementioned sudden change phenomenon does not occur. Therefore, there is a problem of difficulty in accurately determining non-contact operations.

[0011] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an elevator operating device capable of determining a non-contact operation with high accuracy.

[0012] Means for solving problems

[0013] The elevator operating device disclosed in the present invention comprises: an operating unit having an electrostatic capacitance sensor; and a control unit, which obtains a detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor and determines whether an operation of the operating unit has been performed based on the detection value, wherein the control unit calculates a change in the detection value per unit time during a period in which the detection value increases, and when the change in the detection value is less than a threshold change, it is determined that the operation has been performed when the detection value becomes above the threshold detection value, and when the change in the detection value is above the threshold change, it is determined that the operation has not been performed even if the detection value becomes above the threshold detection value.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to determine a non-contact operation with high accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the elevator operating device according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of temporal changes in detection values ​​when a contactless operation is performed on the operating unit in the elevator operating device according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of temporal changes in detection values ​​when an impact is applied to the operating unit in the elevator operating device according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the operation determination process executed in the control unit of the elevator operating device according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Implementation method 1.

[0021] The elevator operating device according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the elevator operating device according to this embodiment. Figure 1 The upper side in the figure indicates the operator side, that is, the front side when viewed from the operator. Figure 1 The lower side in the figure represents the side opposite to the operator, that is, the back side as viewed from the operator. The elevator operating device of this embodiment is a mutual capacitance type, electrostatic capacitive touchless button. This embodiment is used, for example, as a call registration button installed at an elevator landing or an operating button installed in an elevator car.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the elevator operating device includes an operating unit 10 , a lighting unit 30 , and a control unit 40 .

[0023] The operating unit 10 includes a button ring 11, a button cover 12, and a capacitance sensor 15. The button ring 11 is formed of, for example, a transparent insulating resin. The button ring 11 is inserted into an opening 21 formed in a panel 20. The panel 20 is formed of metal and is maintained at ground potential.

[0024] The button cover portion 12 is arranged on the inner side of the button ring portion 11. The button cover portion 12 and the button ring portion 11 are exposed to the operator side from the opening portion 21 of the panel 20. The button cover portion 12 has an insulating cover 13 and a conductive cover 14. The insulating cover 13 is formed of, for example, a transparent insulating resin. The conductive cover 14 is provided on the operator side surface of the insulating cover 13. The conductive cover 14 is formed of, for example, an opaque metal. The conductive cover 14 is electrically insulated from the panel 20 by the button ring portion 11. A not shown removed portion is formed in the conductive cover 14. When viewed from the operator side, the removed portion has a shape such as a mark or a number.

[0025] The electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 includes a transmitting electrode 16 and a receiving electrode 17 as a pair of sensor electrodes. Transmitting electrode 16 and receiving electrode 17 are arranged side by side on the surface of the insulating cover 13 opposite the operator. Transmitting electrode 16 and receiving electrode 17 are formed, for example, from a transparent conductive film. Transmitting electrode 16 and receiving electrode 17 are arranged opposite conductive cover 14, respectively, with insulating cover 13 interposed therebetween. Consequently, transmitting electrode 16 and receiving electrode 17 are capacitively coupled to conductive cover 14.

[0026] When the operator's finger 22 approaches the conductive cover 14, capacitance is formed between the finger 22 and the conductive cover 14, causing the capacitance of the capacitance sensor 15 to change. Based on the change in capacitance, the capacitance sensor 15 outputs a detection value. For example, the closer the finger 22 is to the conductive cover 14, the larger the detection value.

[0027] The lighting unit 30 includes a diffuser plate 31 and multiple light sources 32. The diffuser plate 31 is positioned between the multiple light sources 32 and the transmitting electrode 16 and receiving electrode 17. Each light source 32 is, for example, an LED (Light-Emitting Diode). When the light source 32 emits light, it is diffused by the diffuser plate 31, passes through the transmitting electrode 16 or receiving electrode 17 and the insulating cover 13, and then exits toward the operator through the removed portion of the conductive cover 14. As a result, when viewed from the operator's side, the operating unit 10 illuminates in the shape of symbols, numbers, or the like.

[0028] The control unit 40 includes a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The control unit 40 is configured to obtain the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 at each fixed sampling period and, based on the obtained detection value, determine whether the operation unit 10 has been operated. In addition, if the control unit 40 determines that the operation unit 10 has been operated, it is configured to perform necessary registration processing and control the light emission state of the light source 32.

[0029] Next, a description will be given of a temporal change in the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 . Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of temporal changes in detection values ​​when a contactless operation is performed on the operating unit in the elevator operating device according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 The horizontal axis represents time, that is, the number of samples. Figure 2 The vertical axis represents the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15. The detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 is acquired by the control unit 40 at each sampling period. The acquired detection value is stored in the RAM of the control unit 40 for a fixed period of time.

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown, when the operating unit 10 is not being operated, the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 is maintained at approximately the reference value. When the operator's finger approaches the conductive cover 14, performing a non-contact operation of the operating unit 10, the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 increases from the reference value to above the threshold detection value Cth. Hereinafter, the period during which the detection value increases from the reference value to above the threshold detection value Cth may be referred to as an increase period.

[0031] After that, when the non-contact operation is ended because the operator's finger is away from the conductive cover 14, the detection value decreases to be less than the threshold detection value Cth. Figure 2 Although not shown in the figure, when the operator's finger is sufficiently away from the conductive cover 14, the detection value returns to approximately the reference value.

[0032] The control unit 40 calculates the detected value change per unit time ΔC during the increasing period, that is, the slope of the detected value during the increasing period. The detected value change per unit time ΔC during the increasing period is calculated based on, for example, the detected values ​​for a specific number of samples corresponding to time t1. Time t1 can be adjusted as appropriate. The calculated detected value change ΔC is stored in the RAM of the control unit 40 for a fixed period.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of temporal changes in detection values ​​when an impact is applied to the operating unit in the elevator operating device according to the present embodiment. Figure 2The horizontal and vertical axes of Figure 3 The horizontal and vertical axes are the same.

[0034] The electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 of an elevator operating system is often located directly below the operating unit 10, which includes switches, buttons, and the like. Therefore, if an impact or vibration is applied to the operating unit 10, the relative positional relationship between the transmitting electrode 16, the receiving electrode 17, and the conductive cover 14 may shift. If the relative positional relationship between the transmitting electrode 16, the receiving electrode 17, and the conductive cover 14 shifts, the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 changes.

[0035] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated example, when an impact is applied to the operation unit 10 , the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 increases from the reference value to a value equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth over an increasing period. Figure 3 The increase period ratio Figure 2 That is, the detection value change amount ΔC per unit time when the detection value changes due to the influence of disturbance such as impact is greater than the detection value change amount ΔC per unit time when the detection value changes due to non-contact operation of the operation unit 10.

[0036] If the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 changes due to the relative positional relationship between the transmitting electrode 16, the receiving electrode 17 and the conductive cover 14 being offset, the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 will not return to the original reference value even if the operator's finger moves away from the conductive cover 14. Figure 3 In the example shown, the detection value is maintained at or above the threshold detection value Cth for a period of time longer than the threshold time Tth. In this state, it is difficult to accurately determine the operation of the operation unit 10, and malfunctions are likely to occur.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the operation determination process executed by the control unit of the elevator operating device of this embodiment. This operation determination process is repeatedly executed every time the control unit 40 obtains the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15, for example.

[0038] exist Figure 4 In step S1, the control unit 40 determines whether the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 is greater than or equal to the threshold detection value Cth. If the detection value is greater than or equal to the threshold detection value Cth, the control unit 40 proceeds to step S2. If the detection value is less than the threshold detection value Cth, the control unit 40 ends the process.

[0039] In step S2, the control unit 40 determines whether the time during which the detection value remains above the threshold detection value Cth is longer than the threshold time Tth. If the time during which the detection value remains above the threshold detection value Cth is longer than the threshold time Tth, the control unit 40 proceeds to step S3. If the time during which the detection value remains above the threshold detection value Cth is shorter than the threshold time Tth, the control unit 40 terminates the process.

[0040] In step S3, the control unit 40 determines whether the detection value change ΔC per unit time during the increase period is greater than or equal to the threshold change ΔCth. The detection value change ΔC may be calculated during the increase period or after the detection value becomes greater than or equal to the threshold detection value Cth.

[0041] If the detected value change ΔC is less than the threshold change ΔCth, the control unit 40 proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the control unit 40 determines that the operation unit 10 has been operated. The control unit 40 then performs necessary registration processing and controls the light emission state of the light source 32.

[0042] On the other hand, if the detected value change ΔC is greater than the threshold change ΔCth in step S3, the control unit 40 determines that the operation unit 10 has not been operated and ends the process. In other words, even if the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 meets the judgment condition for contactless operation, if the detected value change ΔC during the increase period is greater than the threshold change ΔCth, the control unit 40 determines that the detected value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 has changed due to disturbance such as impact.

[0043] Thus, in this embodiment, when the detected value change ΔC is less than the threshold change ΔCth, it is determined that the operation of the operating unit 10 has been performed when the detected value becomes equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth and the time for which the detected value remains equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth is equal to or greater than the threshold time Tth. On the other hand, when the detected value change ΔC is equal to or greater than the threshold change ΔCth, it is determined that the operation of the operating unit 10 has not been performed even if the detected value becomes equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth and the time for which the detected value remains equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth is equal to or greater than the threshold time Tth.

[0044] In this embodiment, the condition for determining that the operation of the operation unit 10 has been performed is that the detection value is greater than the threshold detection value Cth and the time for which the detection value is maintained at the threshold detection value Cth is greater than the threshold time Tth. However, the condition for determining that the operation of the operation unit 10 has been performed may be simply that the detection value is greater than the threshold detection value Cth. In this case, the Figure 4 The processing of step S2.

[0045] When an elevator operating system is installed in a semi-outdoor environment, interference caused by the installation environment may be easily generated. Therefore, at least one of the threshold time Tth and the threshold change ΔCth may be adjustable. This allows the threshold time Tth and the threshold change ΔCth to be set to appropriate values ​​depending on the installation environment of the elevator operating system.

[0046] The detected value variation ΔC can also be calculated using a value obtained by performing arithmetic processing on the detected value. Examples of the arithmetic processing performed on the detected value include median filtering, main filtering, IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) filtering, and moving average processing.

[0047] As described above, the elevator operating device of this embodiment includes the operating unit 10 and the control unit 40. The operating unit 10 includes the capacitance sensor 15. The control unit 40 obtains the detection value of the capacitance sensor 15 and determines whether the operating unit 10 has been operated based on the detection value.

[0048] The control unit 40 calculates the amount of change in the detected value per unit time during the period of increase in the detected value. If the amount of change in the detected value is less than the threshold amount of change ΔCth, the control unit 40 determines that an operation has been performed when the detected value exceeds the threshold detection value Cth. On the other hand, if the amount of change in the detected value is greater than the threshold amount of change ΔCth, the control unit 40 determines that no operation has been performed, even if the detected value exceeds the threshold detection value Cth.

[0049] The elevator operating device is sometimes subjected to impacts due to the operator's contact operation of the operating unit 10, passengers boarding and alighting the elevator car, the elevator starting and stopping, and passengers colliding with the elevator car wall. When the detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor 15 changes due to interference such as impact, the amount of change in the detection value per unit time becomes larger than when the detection value changes due to non-contact operation of the operating unit 10. Therefore, according to the above structure, it is possible to prevent the erroneous judgment that an operation of the operating unit 10 has been performed when the detection value changes due to interference. Therefore, according to the above structure, non-contact operation can be determined with high precision. As a result, an elevator operating device with high robustness against interference such as impact can be obtained while maintaining high operability. In addition, with the above structure, no hardware changes are required, thus suppressing increases in product costs and product size.

[0050] Furthermore, in the elevator operating device of the present embodiment, the control unit 40 determines that an operation has been performed when the detected value becomes equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth and the detected value remains equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth for a period of time longer than the threshold detection value Tth, if the detected value change amount is less than the threshold change amount ΔCth. On the other hand, the control unit 40 determines that no operation has been performed even if the detected value becomes equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth and the detected value remains equal to or greater than the threshold detection value Cth for a period of time longer than the threshold detection value Tth, if the detected value change amount is equal to or greater than the threshold change amount ΔCth.

[0051] This configuration prevents erroneous determination that an operation on the operating unit 10 has been performed when the relative positional relationship of the electrodes is shifted due to interference. Therefore, the above configuration allows for highly accurate non-contact operation determination. This provides an elevator operating device that is highly robust against interference such as shock while maintaining high operability. Furthermore, the above configuration eliminates the need for hardware modifications, thus minimizing cost increases.

[0052] In the elevator operating device of this embodiment, the threshold time Tth is adjustable. According to this configuration, the threshold time Tth can be set to an appropriate value according to the installation environment of the elevator operating device.

[0053] In the elevator operating device of this embodiment, the threshold change amount ΔCth is adjustable. According to this configuration, the threshold change amount ΔCth can be set to an appropriate value according to the installation environment of the elevator operating device.

[0054] In the elevator operating device of this embodiment, the detection value change amount is calculated using the value after performing arithmetic processing on the detection value. According to this structure, it is possible to remove the specific detection value change caused by external noise, so that non-contact operation can be determined more accurately.

[0055] Description of labels

[0056] 10: Operation part; 11: Button ring; 12: Button cover; 13: Insulation cover; 14: Conductive cover; 15: Capacitive sensor; 16: Transmitting electrode; 17: Receiving electrode; 20: Panel; 21: Opening; 22: Finger; 30: Illumination part; 31: Diffuser; 32: Light source; 40: Control part; Cth: Threshold detection value; Tth: Threshold time; ΔC: Detection value change; ΔCth: Threshold change.

Claims

1. An elevator operating device comprising: an operating portion having an electrostatic capacitance sensor; and a control unit that obtains a detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor and determines whether the operation of the operating unit has been performed based on the detection value; The control unit calculates a detection value change per unit time during a period in which the detection value increases, and when the detection value change is less than a threshold change, determines that the operation has been performed when the detection value becomes greater than a threshold detection value. When the amount of change in the detection value is equal to or greater than the threshold amount of change, the control unit determines that the operation is not performed even if the detection value becomes equal to or greater than the threshold detection value.

2. An elevator operating device comprising: an operating portion having an electrostatic capacitance sensor; and a control unit that obtains a detection value of the electrostatic capacitance sensor and determines whether the operation of the operating unit has been performed based on the detection value; The control unit calculates a detection value change per unit time during a period in which the detection value increases, and when the detection value change is less than a threshold change, determines that the operation has been performed when the detection value becomes greater than a threshold detection value and the time for which the detection value remains greater than the threshold detection value is greater than a threshold time. When the detection value change amount is equal to or greater than the threshold change amount, the control unit determines that the operation is not performed even if the detection value becomes equal to or greater than the threshold detection value and the detection value remains equal to or greater than the threshold detection value for a period of time equal to or greater than the threshold time.

3. The elevator operating device according to claim 2, wherein: The threshold time can be adjusted.

4. The elevator operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The threshold change amount can be adjusted.

5. The elevator operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The detected value variation is calculated using a value obtained by performing arithmetic processing on the detected value.

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