Mailbox and mail collection system

Abstract

To provide a mailbox that enables presence or absence of posting of a mail to be reliably detected with high detection accuracy.SOLUTION: A mailbox 1 of the present invention includes: a box-shaped body part 6 that stores a posted mail 5; a posting port 8 that is formed in a front surface of the body part 6 and through which the mail 5 is posted; a posting path 9 that is formed in the body part 6 and through which the mail 5 posted through the posting port 8 passes; a door body 10 that is rotatably supported by the body part 6 for opening and closing the posting port 8; a first detection device 31 that detects that the door body 10 is in an open posture; and a second detection device 32 that detects the mail 5 passing through the inside of the posting path 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mailbox equipped with a detection function for detecting when mail has been posted, and a mail collection system including the mailbox. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of mailboxes, providing a detection function for detecting the placement of mail in a mailbox is a well-known technology. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a mailbox equipped with an optical sensor that detects objects passing through a mail insertion slot and that determines the presence or absence of mail in the mailbox based on a detection signal from the optical sensor. More specifically, the mailbox of Patent Document 1 has an infrared emitting device and an infrared sensor arranged opposite each other across the mail insertion slot, and determines that mail has been placed through the insertion slot when infrared light emitted from the infrared emitting device and constantly incident on the infrared sensor is interrupted. Patent Document 2 discloses a mailbox equipped with one of the following sensors: a weight sensor that detects the weight of mail; an opening / closing sensor that detects the opening / closing of the mailbox slot; an image sensor that captures images of mail placed in the mailbox; an optical sensor that detects the reflection or interruption of light by mail placed in the mailbox; and an ultrasonic sensor that detects the reflection or interruption of ultrasonic waves by mail placed in the mailbox, and that determines the presence or absence of mail placed in the mailbox based on a detection signal from these sensors. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-255687 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-252934 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In configurations such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, which use a single sensor to detect whether a mail item has been posted, the mailbox determines that the mail item has been posted when the sensor issues an ON signal. However, in configurations such as these, which use a single sensor to detect whether a mail item has been posted, there is a risk that the mailbox may mistakenly determine that the mail item has been posted even if the sensor issues an ON signal due to the intrusion of dust or rainwater, or mischief such as inserting a finger into the insertion slot, and this has the disadvantage of low detection accuracy.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to reliably detect the presence or absence of mail with higher detection accuracy in a mailbox equipped with a detection function capable of detecting the posting status of mail. Another object of the present invention is to reliably detect the presence or absence of mail with higher detection accuracy in a mail collection system including a mailbox equipped with a detection function capable of detecting the status of mail being posted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The mailbox of the present invention comprises a box-shaped main body 6 for storing deposited mail 5, a mail slot 8 formed on the front of the main body 6 through which the mail 5 is deposited, a mail path 9 formed within the main body 6 and through which the mail 5 deposited from the mail slot 8 passes, a door 10 rotatably supported on the main body 6 for opening and closing the mail slot 8, a first detector 31 for detecting when the door 10 is in the open position, a second detector 32 for detecting mail 5 passing through the mail path 9, a communication unit 42 for transmitting data to a center server 3 via a communication network 2, and a control unit 40 for controlling an electrical system including the communication unit 42. When the first detector 31 detects that the door 10 is in the open position and the second detector 32 detects that a mail item 5 has passed through the mail path 9, the control unit 40 activates the communication unit 42 to transmit data to the center server 3 indicating that the mail item 5 has been deposited.

[0007] The control unit 40 is configured to count the number of detections by the second detection device 32 and store the number of detections, and to reset the number of detections stored in the count unit 41 when pressed by the collector upon completion of collection of the mail item 5 by the collector. When the second detection device 32 detects that a mail item 5 has passed through the mail path 9, the control unit 40 checks the number of detections stored by the count unit 41, and if the number of detections by the second detection device 32 stored by the count unit 41 is 1, to operate the communication unit 42 to send data to the center server 3 regarding the fact that the mail item 5 has been posted, and to not operate the communication unit 42 if the number of detections by the second detection device 32 stored in the count unit 41 is 2 or more.

[0008] The second detection device 32 is normally in a sleep state, and is configured to cancel the sleep state of the second detection device 32 when the first detection device 31 detects that the door body 10 has entered the open position.

[0009] A magnet 33 is attached to either the door body 10 or the main body 6, and a magnetic body is formed on the other side of the door body 10 or the main body 6 in a position facing the magnet 33 when the door body 10 is in a closed position, and the first detection device 31 is composed of the magnet 33 and a magnetic sensor 34 attached to the other side of the door body 10 or the main body 6 on which the magnetic body is formed.

[0010] The second detection device 32 is an optical sensor that receives detection light from the mail path 9 and detects the mail 5 passing through the mail path 9.

[0011] The second detection device 32 is an infrared sensor 37 that receives infrared light from the mail path 9 and detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9.

[0012] Door body 10 is configured to be rotatable between a closed position in which it is displaced forward and its front surface blocks mail slot 8, and an open position in which it is displaced rearward from the closed position and opens mail slot 8. A protrusion that protrudes forward and enters mail slot 8 in the closed position is formed on the front surface of door body 10 facing mail slot 8.

[0013] The mail collection system of the present invention is composed of the above-mentioned mailbox 1, a center server 3 connected to the mailbox 1 via a communication network 2, and a terminal device 4 connected to the center server 3 via the communication network 2 and capable of viewing the mailing information collected in the center server 3. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] Like the mailbox 1 of the present invention, which is equipped with a first detection device 31 that detects when the door body 10 that opens and closes the mail slot 8 has reached the open position, and a second detection device 32 that detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9, when the first detection device 31 detects that the door body 10 has reached the open position and the second detection device 32 detects that the mail 5 has passed through the mail path 9, the communication unit 42 transmits data to the center server 3 regarding information that the mail 5 has been posted, so that the mailbox of the present invention has higher detection accuracy than a configuration in which, for example, a detection device that detects only that the door body 10 has reached the open position determines whether or not a mail item 5 has been posted in the mailbox. In other words, in a configuration that detects whether or not mail 5 has been posted by simply detecting that door 10, which opens and closes mail slot 8, has entered the open position, there is a risk of falsely detecting that mail 5 has been posted even if door 10 is pressed with a finger as a tamper or if strong winds push open door 10.However, in the present invention, the presence or absence of mail is detected using both detection devices 31 and 32, so there is no false detection caused by door 10 being inadvertently opened as a tamper, etc., as described above, and it is possible to reliably detect whether or not mail has been posted with higher detection accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram of a mailbox and a mail collection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part of the mailbox. [Figure 3] This is a rear view of the main parts of the mailbox. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are side views of the main parts of a mailbox, in which FIG. 1A shows the door body in an open position, and FIG. 1B shows the door body in a closed position. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mailbox of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mailbox of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a mailbox according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] (First embodiment) Figures 1 to 6 show a mailbox and a mail collection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, front, back, left, right, up, down, and so on refer to the crossed arrows shown in Figures 2 and 3 and the indications of front, back, left, right, up, and down written near each arrow. As shown in Figure 1, the mail collection system is made up of a plurality of mailboxes 1, a center server 3 connected to each mailbox 1 via a communication network 2 and collecting mailing information sent from each mailbox 1, and a terminal device 4 such as a personal computer or smartphone connected to the center server 3 via the communication network 2 and enabling viewing of the mailing information collected by the center server 3.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, each mailbox 1 comprises a box-shaped main body 6 for receiving mail (mailed items) 5 (see Figures 4(a) and (b)), such as postcards or Yu-Pack (registered trademark), a mail slot 8 formed in a front plate 7 of the main body 6, a mail path 9 formed within the main body 6 through which mail 5 posted from the mail slot 8 passes, and a door 10 rotatably supported on the main body 6 for opening and closing the mail slot 8. Upper and lower plates 11 and 12 and left and right plates (not shown) are fixed to the inner surface of the front plate 7, and the mail slot 8 is defined by these upper and lower plates 11 and 12 and left and right plates. In detail, the upper plate 11 is composed of a mounting plate 14 fixed to the inner surface of the front plate 7 so as to fit along the upper edge of the mail slot 8, an upper guide plate 15 extending diagonally downward and rearward from the lower end of the mounting plate 14, and a hinge fixing plate 17 extending upward from the rear end of the upper guide plate 15 to fix a hinge fitting 16 that supports the door body 10. The lower plate 12 is composed of a mounting plate 19 fixed to the inner surface of the front plate 7 so as to fit along the lower edge of the mail slot 8, a lower guide plate 20 extending diagonally upward and rearward from the upper end of the mounting plate 19, and a support plate 21 extending downward from the rear end of the lower guide plate 20 to fix an equipment box 36 that houses an infrared sensor 37, a communication unit 42, etc., which will be described later.

[0018] Mail slot 8 is composed of a mail window 23 opened in front plate 7 of main body 6, a guide area 24 that is partitioned by upper and lower plates 11 and 12 and left and right plates and is tapered in side view and communicates with mail window 23, and a guide opening 25 that is formed at the rear end of guide area 24 and is defined by upper and lower plates 11 and 12 and the rear ends of the left and right plates, and door body 10 is installed to open and close this guide opening 25.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the door body 10 is a flat plate larger than the guide opening 25, and its upper end is supported by a pair of left and right hinge fittings 16, allowing the door body 10 to swing up and down. One hinge plate 27 constituting each hinge fitting 16 is fixed to the hinge fixing plate 17 of the upper plate 11, and the other hinge plate 27 is fixed to the upper end of the door body 10. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 28 denotes a pin constituting the hinge fitting 16, and reference numeral 29 denotes a shaft cylinder formed integrally with the hinge plate 27 and through which the pin 28 is inserted. The door body 10 configured as described above can rotate around the hinge fitting 16 between a closed position (see FIG. 2) in which the guide opening 25 is closed and an open position (see FIG. 4(a)) in which the guide opening 25 is opened, and is normally configured to be in the closed position by its own weight and the action of a magnet 33, which will be described later.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, a plate 10a is fixed to the front surface of the door body 10 at a position facing the guide opening 25. By fixing the plate 10a in this manner, a protrusion 10b is formed in the center of the front surface of the door body 10, protruding forward and entering the guide opening 25 when the door body 10 is in the closed position. When the protrusion 10b is formed on the door body 10 in this manner, the opening stroke of the door body 10 until a gap is formed between the lower end of the protrusion 10b and the edge of the guide opening 25 can be made longer by the forward protrusion dimension of the protrusion 10b. In other words, the swing amount of the door body 10 around the hinge metal fitting 16 until a gap is formed between the lower end of the protrusion 10b and the edge of the guide opening 25 can be made larger by the forward protrusion dimension of the protrusion 10b.

[0021] As described above, mail 5 inserted into main body 6 through mail window 23 passes through guide area 24 and guide opening 25, passes through mail path 9 inside guide opening 25, and falls into main body 6. When passing through guide opening 25, the leading edge (rear end) of mail 5 displaces door body 10 from the closed position (Fig. 2) to the open position (Fig. 4(a)), and after mail 5 passes through guide opening 25, it returns to the closed position (Fig. 4(b)).

[0022] The mailbox 1 according to this embodiment includes a first detector 31 that detects when the door 10 is in the open position and a second detector 32 that detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first detector 31 includes a magnet 33 fixed to the lower left end of the door 10 and a Hall sensor (magnetic sensor) 34 fixed to the upper end of the support plate 21 of the lower plate 12 in a position facing the magnet 33 when the door 10 is in the closed position. As described above, the Hall sensor 34 detects a change in the magnetic field caused by the magnet 33 moving away, allowing the first detector 31 to detect when the door 10 has changed from the closed position to the open position. Furthermore, when the door 10 has been detected as being in the open position, the Hall sensor 34 transmits an ON signal to the control unit 40 (described below).

[0023] The magnet 33 constituting the first detection device 31 not only serves as a detection target for the Hall sensor 34 as described above, but also functions as a maintaining mechanism for maintaining the door body 10 in the closed position. That is, the magnet 33 is magnetically attracted to the support plate 21, which is a magnetic material, so that the door body 10 is normally maintained in the closed position.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, a component box 36 is fixed to the lower end of the lower plate 12, and a second detection device 32 is incorporated within this component box 36. As shown in FIG. 2, the second detection device 32 is composed of an infrared sensor 37 that detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9 by receiving infrared rays from the mail path 9. Specifically, the infrared sensor 37 detects the temperature change in the mail path 9 that occurs as the mail 5 passes through the mail path 9, and detects that the mail 5 has passed through the mail path 9, i.e., that the mail 5 has been posted. The second detection device 32, which is composed of this infrared sensor 37, is normally in a sleep state, and when the first detection device 31 detects that the door body 10 has changed from the closed position to the open position, the sleep state of the second detection device 32 is canceled and the second detection device 32 is configured to detect the temperature change in the mail path 9. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 38 denotes a detection window for the infrared sensor 37. The detection window 38 is positioned in the left-right center of the mail path 9, and the infrared sensor 37 is designed to detect temperature changes in the left-right center of the mail path 9 (the area through which mail 5 passes).

[0025] 1, in addition to the infrared sensor 37, the equipment box 36 is equipped with a control unit 40 that controls the entire mailbox 1 including the equipment box 36, a counting unit 41 that counts the number of detections by the infrared sensor 37 and stores the counted number, a communication unit 42 that transmits data to the center server 3 via the communication network 2, a timing unit 43 that measures time, and a power supply 44 that supplies power to each unit in the equipment box 36. In addition, on the outer surface of the housing of the equipment box 36, there is provided a collection completion button 45 that resets the number of detections stored in the counting unit 41 when pressed by the collector when the collector has completed collection of the mail items 5, as well as a power button (not shown).

[0026] The operation of the mailbox 1 and mail collection system configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 5 and 6. First, when the power button is turned on, the control unit 40 switches the infrared sensor 37, which is the second detection device 32, to sleep mode (sleep state) (S1). From this state, the sleep mode continues until an ON signal is received from the Hall sensor 34. More specifically, the sleep mode continues unless an ON signal is received from the Hall sensor 34 (NO in S2), the operation check time is not reached (NO in S3), and the collection completion button 45 is not pressed (NO in S4). On the other hand, when an ON signal is received from the Hall sensor 34 from the sleep mode state (YES (A) in S2), the control unit 40 cancels the sleep mode of the second detection device 32 (S5), switches the second detection device to the ON mode, and activates the timer unit 43 to start timing (S6). In the on mode, when the infrared sensor 37 detects that a mail item 5 has passed through the mail path 9 (YES in S7), the control unit 40 activates the count unit 41 and increments the count value (n), which is the number of detections stored in the count unit 41 (S8). If the incremented count value is 1 (YES in S9), the control unit 40 activates the communication unit 42 and transmits data indicating that the mail item 5 has been posted to the center server 3 via the communication network 2 (S10). After transmitting the data, the control unit 40 stops the timer 43 to end the timer (S11(B)), and the control unit 40 transitions the second detection device 32 back to sleep mode (S1). If the incremented count value (n) is 2 or greater (NO in S9), the control unit 40 does not activate the communication unit 42 but ends the timer (S11(B)), and transitions the second detection device 32 back to sleep mode (S1).

[0027] If the infrared sensor 37 does not detect any mail 5 even though a predetermined time has elapsed since the sleep mode of the second detection device 32 was released (S5) (NO in S7), the control unit 40 keeps the infrared sensor 37 in on mode until the predetermined time has elapsed (NO in S12), and once the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in S12), the control unit 40 ends timing (S11(B)) and transitions the second detection device 32 back to sleep mode (S1).

[0028] If an ON signal is not received from the hall sensor 34 (NO in S2) and the operation check time arrives (YES in S3), the control unit 40 transmits an operation check signal to the center server 3 (S13). On the other hand, if an ON signal is not received from the hall sensor 34 (NO in S2) and the operation check time has not arrived (NO in S3), and the collection completion button 45 is pressed (YES in S4), the control unit 40 transmits a collection completion signal to the center server 3 (S14) and resets the count value (n) counted in the count unit 41 to zero (S15). If the collection completion button 45 is not pressed (NO in S4), the control unit 40 returns to S2. Similarly, if the collection completion button 45 is pressed (YES in S4) and the operation of transmitting the operation check signal (S13) and the operation of resetting the count value (n) (S15) are performed, the control unit 40 returns to S2.

[0029] As described above, the mailbox 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a first detection device 31 that detects when the door body 10 that opens and closes the mail slot 8 has reached the open position, and a second detection device 32 that detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9.Therefore, compared to a configuration in which, for example, a detection device that detects only when the door body 10 has reached the open position is used to determine whether or not mail 5 has been posted into the mailbox, the mailbox 1 of this embodiment has higher detection accuracy. In other words, in a configuration that detects whether or not mail 5 has been posted by simply detecting that the door body 10 that opens and closes the mail slot 8 has reached the open position, there is a risk of falsely detecting that mail 5 has been posted even if the door body 10 is pressed with a finger as a tamper or if the door body 10 is pushed open by a strong wind.However, in this embodiment, the presence or absence of mail is detected by the second detection device 32 that detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9, so there is no false detection due to the door body 10 being inadvertently opened as a tamper, etc., as described above, and the presence or absence of mail can be reliably detected with higher detection accuracy.

[0030] In the mailbox 1 of this embodiment, the second detection device 32 is normally in a sleep state, and is configured to cancel the sleep state of the second detection device 32 when the first detection device 31 detects that the door body 10 has been placed in an open position.Therefore, since the second detection device 32 is in a sleep state until the door body 10 is placed in an open position by the first detection device 31, the amount of power consumed by the second detection device 32 and, in turn, the mailbox 1 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the second detection device 32 is always in operation.

[0031] The device is equipped with a collection completion button 45 that, when pressed by the collector when the collection of the mail 5 by the collector is completed, resets the number of detections stored in the counting unit 41.When the second detection device 32 detects that the mail 5 has been posted, the counting unit 41 checks the number of detections stored, and if the number of detections by the second detection device 32 stored in the counting unit 41 is 1, the communication unit 42 is activated to send data to the center server 3 regarding the posting of the mail 5.If ​​the number of detections by the second detection device 32 stored in the counting unit 41 is 2 or more, the communication unit 42 is not activated.Therefore, the communication unit 42 is activated and data regarding the posting of the mail 5 is sent to the center server 3 only when the collector completes the collection of the mail 5 and presses the collection completion button 45, and the second detection device 32 performs detection for the first time thereafter. This allows the number of times the communication unit 42 is operated and the operating time of the communication unit 42 to be reduced compared to a configuration in which the communication unit 42 is operated and data is transmitted each time detection is performed by the second detection device 32, thereby reducing the amount of power consumed by the communication unit 42 and even the entire mailbox 1.

[0032] As described above, the mailbox 1 of this embodiment has high detection accuracy while reducing power consumption during detection and transmission of the detection results. Furthermore, mailboxes 1 equipped with such detection functions are used in depopulated areas where the aging and declining population are progressing, and often use an internal battery system powered by a battery built into the mailbox 1. Therefore, if power consumption can be reduced as in the mailbox 1 of this embodiment, the frequency of battery (power source 44) replacement can be reduced, allowing the mailbox 1 to be used for a longer period of time in a maintenance-free state.

[0033] A magnet 33 is attached to the door 10, and a magnetic body is positioned on the main body 6 facing the magnet 33 when the door 10 is in the closed position. This creates a magnetic force between the magnet 33 and the magnetic body when the door 10 is in the closed position, maintaining the door 10 in the closed position. This prevents the door 10 from accidentally opening due to strong winds or other factors, thereby reducing false detections and improving detection accuracy. The first detector 31 is comprised of the magnet 33 and the Hall sensor 34, which reduces failures of the first detector compared to a first detector configured with a microswitch that physically detects the position of the door 10, contributing to improved reliability of the mailbox 1. The magnet 33 can be given the function of maintaining the door 10 in the closed position and the function of being detected by the first detector 31. This reduces the number of parts and suppresses increases in the manufacturing cost of the mailbox 1 compared to a configuration in which each function is provided in separate components.

[0034] The second detection device 32 is an infrared sensor 37 that detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9 by receiving infrared rays from the mail path 9, so that mail 5 can be detected instantly by capturing temperature changes in the mail path 9.

[0035] The reset operation is simple, as the number of detections stored in the counting unit 41 can be reset simply by the collector pressing the collection completion button 45. Furthermore, since the number of detections stored in the counting unit 41 can be reset simply by pressing the collection completion button 45, the reset operation can be performed regardless of the collection time of each mailbox 1, and mailboxes 1 can be used at any collection time. Note that when the collection completion button 45 is pressed by the collector, data related to the number of detections stored in the counting unit 41 may be transmitted to the center server 3 via the communication network 2.

[0036] If the opening stroke of the door body 10 required to form a gap between the door body 10 and the edge of the guide opening 25 is short, a gap will be formed between the door body 10 and the guide opening 25 even if the door body 10 rotates slightly from the closed position. Therefore, if the thickness of the mail item 5 to be posted is small, a slight rotation of the door body 10 from the closed position allows the mail item 5 to enter the mail path 9 through the gap. In this case, the magnetic field change (magnetic field change resulting from the magnet 33 moving away from the Hall sensor 34) associated with the rotation of the door body 10 is small, making it difficult for the first detection device 31 to accurately detect the change in position of the door body 10 (the change to the open position). In other words, if the opening stroke of the door body 10 required to form a gap between the door body 10 and the edge of the guide opening 25 is short, the first detection device 31 may not detect the change in position of the door body 10 even if the mail item 5 has been posted. In contrast, when the protrusion 10b is formed on the front surface of the door body 10 as in the present embodiment, the opening stroke of the door body 10 required for a gap to form between the lower end of the protrusion 10b and the edge of the guide opening 25 can be lengthened by the amount of the protrusion 10b extending forward. Therefore, even when a small piece of mail 5 is posted, the magnetic field change caused by the rotation of the door body 10 is large, and the first detection device 31 can more accurately detect that the door body 10 has entered the open position. As described above, when the protrusion 10b is formed on the front surface of the door body 10, the detection accuracy of the first detection device 31 can be improved. Furthermore, when the protrusion 10b is formed by fixing the plate 10a to the front surface of the door body 10 as in the present embodiment, the detection accuracy can be improved by simply fixing the plate 10a to the existing door body 10, and this is also advantageous in that the increase in cost of the mailbox 1 due to the formation of the protrusion 10b can be suppressed.

[0037] Second Embodiment The mailbox 1 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the second detection device 32 is always in the on mode. That is, unlike the first embodiment, in which the second detection device 32 is normally in the sleep mode and, upon receiving an ON signal from the hall sensor 34 constituting the first detection device 31, the sleep mode of the second detection device 32 is cancelled and the second detection device 32 is switched to the on mode. This is the difference from the first embodiment in that the second detection device 32 is always in the on mode. Another difference from the first embodiment is that, upon receiving an ON signal from both the hall sensor 34 constituting the first detection device 31 and the infrared sensor 37 constituting the second detection device 32, the control unit 40 transmits data to the center server 3. The specific configurations of the two detection devices 31 and 32, the locations where the two detection devices 31 and 32 are installed, and so on are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0038] 7, when the power button is turned on, the control unit 40 sets both the hall sensor 34 constituting the first detection device 31 and the infrared sensor 37 constituting the second detection device 32 to a standby state in an on mode (S20). From this state, if the control unit 40 receives an ON signal from the hall sensor 34 and then an ON signal from the infrared sensor 37 (YES in S21), the control unit 40 activates the count unit 41 to increment the count value (n) that is the number of detections stored in the count unit 41, and if the count value after the increment is 1, the control unit 40 activates the communication unit 42 to transmit data indicating that the mail item 5 has been posted to the center server 3 via the communication network 2 (S22). On the other hand, if the control unit 40 receives an ON signal from the Hall sensor 34 but does not receive an ON signal from the infrared sensor 37, or if the control unit 40 receives an ON signal from the infrared sensor 37 but does not receive an ON signal from the Hall sensor 34 (NO in S21), the control unit 40 will not increment the count value by the count unit 41 or transmit data by the communication unit 42, but will transition both sensors 34 and 37 to an ON mode standby state (S20).

[0039] As described above, in this second embodiment, both sensors 34 and 37 are provided: a hall sensor 34 of the first detection device 31 that detects when the door body 10 that opens and closes the mail slot 8 has reached the open position, and an infrared sensor 37 of the second detection device 32 that detects mail 5 passing through the mail path 9.Only when an ON signal is received from these sensors 34 and 37, it is determined that mail 5 has been posted, and data is sent to the center server 3.Therefore, this configuration has higher detection accuracy than a configuration in which a single sensor detects the posting status of mail 5.

[0040] In the above embodiments, the second detection device is configured with an infrared sensor 37, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be an optical sensor. The configuration of the mailbox 1 is not limited to that shown in the above embodiments. In the above embodiments, the magnet 33 is provided on the door body 10 side and the hall sensor 34 is provided on the main body 6 side, but the present invention is not limited to this and the hall sensor 34 may be provided on the door body 10 side and the magnet 33 on the main body 6 side.

[0041] The mailbox and mail collection system of the present invention can contribute to Goal 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, foster innovation and infrastructural resilience) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 mailbox 2. Communication Network 3. Central server 4 Terminal Devices 5. Mail 6 Main body 8 Mail slot 9 Mailing Route 10 Door body 31 First detection device 32 Second detection device 33 Magnet 34 Magnetic sensor (Hall sensor) 36 Equipment Box 37 Infrared sensor 40 Control Unit 41 Counting section 42 Communications Department 45 Collection completion button

Claims

1. a box-shaped main body (6) in which posted mail (5) is stored; a mail slot (8) formed on the front surface of the main body (6) through which mail (5) is deposited; a mail path (9) formed in the main body (6) through which mail (5) inserted through the mail slot (8) passes; a door body (10) that is rotatably supported on the main body (6) and opens and closes the mail slot (8); a first detection device (31) that detects that the door body (10) is in an open position; a second detection device (32) for detecting mail (5) passing through the mail path (9); a communication unit (42) that transmits data to a center server (3) via a communication network (2); a control unit (40) that controls an electrical system including a communication unit (42); Equipped with This postbox is characterized in that when the first detection device (31) detects that the door body (10) has entered an open position and the second detection device (32) detects that a mail item (5) has passed through the mail path (9), the control unit (40) activates the communication unit (42) to send data to the center server (3) indicating that the mail item (5) has been posted.

2. a counting unit (41) that counts the number of detections by the second detection device (32) and stores the number of detections; a collection completion button (45) that resets the number of detections stored in the counting unit (41) when pressed by the collector upon completion of collection of the mail items (5); Equipped with The control unit (40) is configured to, when the second detection device (32) detects that a mail item (5) has passed through the mail path (9), check the number of detections stored in the counting unit (41), and if the number of detections by the second detection device (32) stored in the counting unit (41) is 1, operate the communication unit (42) to send data to the center server (3) regarding the posting of the mail item (5), and not operate the communication unit (42) if the number of detections by the second detection device (32) stored in the counting unit (41) is 2 or more.

3. A mailbox as described in claim 1, wherein the second detection device (32) is normally in a sleep state, and when the first detection device (31) detects that the door body (10) has been placed in an open position, the sleep state of the second detection device (32) is canceled.

4. A magnet (33) is attached to either the door body (10) or the main body (6), and a magnetic body is formed on the other of the door body (10) or the main body (6) at a position facing the magnet (33) when the door body (10) is in a closed position; A mailbox as described in claim 1, wherein the first detection device (31) is composed of a magnet (33) and a magnetic sensor (34) attached to the other side of the door body (10) or main body (6) on which a magnetic material is formed.

5. 2. A mailbox according to claim 1, wherein the second detection device (32) is an optical sensor that detects mail (5) passing through the mail path (9) by receiving detection light from the mail path (9).

6. 2. A mailbox according to claim 1, wherein the second detection device (32) is an infrared sensor (37) that detects mail (5) passing through the mail path (9) by receiving infrared rays from the mail path (9).

7. The door body (10) is configured to be rotatable between a closed position in which the door body is displaced forward and the front surface thereof blocks the mail slot (8), and an open position in which the door body is displaced rearward from the closed position and opens the mail slot (8), 2. A mailbox as claimed in claim 1, wherein a protrusion (10b) is formed on the front of the door body (10) facing the mail slot (8) and protrudes forward and enters the mail slot (8) when in a closed position.

8. A mailbox (1) according to claim 1, a central server (3) connected to the mailbox (1) via a communication network (2); a terminal device (4) connected to the center server (3) via a communication network (2) and capable of viewing mailing information collected in the center server (3); A mail collection system comprising:

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