Automatic door system, automatic door control evaluation method, and automatic door control evaluation program

Abstract

This technology provides a way to evaluate the impact of opening and closing automatic door systems on the indoor environment. [Solution] The automatic door device includes a door installed in an opening and driven to open and close by a drive unit, and an acquisition unit 70 that acquires the time required for one opening and closing operation, from when the door is in a fully closed state, when it starts to open, through the fully open state, and then stops again in a fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing operation after it has stopped in the fully open state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic door device, an automatic door control evaluation method, and an automatic door control evaluation program.

Background Art

[0002] In an automatic door device, every time the door is driven to open and close so as to open and close an opening, the indoor and outdoor air is exchanged through the opening. As a result, it may affect the indoor environment, such as a decrease in air conditioning efficiency.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, in order to minimize waste of air conditioning energy, a person is detected, the distance to the door is estimated, the moving speed of the detected person is calculated, and the opening and closing timing of the automatic door is determined based on this result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] If it is possible to evaluate the extent to which the opening and closing of the door of an automatic door device affects the indoor environment, it is considered that it can be used to improve the indoor environment. However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, it was not possible to evaluate the influence on the indoor environment due to the opening and closing of the door of the automatic door device.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of evaluating the influence on the indoor environment due to the opening and closing of the door of an automatic door device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, an automatic door device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a door provided in an opening and driven to open and close by a drive unit, and an acquisition unit that acquires the time required for one opening and closing operation when the door is opened and closed, from when the door is in a fully closed state, through the fully open state, and then stopping again in a fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing operation after it has stopped in the fully open state.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is an automatic door control evaluation method. This method is for evaluating the control of an automatic door device provided in an opening and having a door that is opened and closed by a drive unit, and includes the steps of obtaining the time required for one opening and closing operation when the door is opened and closed once, from when the door is in a fully closed state and starts opening, through the fully open state and stopping again in a fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing operation after it has stopped in the fully open state.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is an automatic door control evaluation program. This program is an automatic door control evaluation program for evaluating the control of an automatic door device provided in an opening and having a door that is opened and closed by a drive unit, and is a program that causes a computer to perform the steps of obtaining the time required for one opening and closing operation when the door is opened and closed, from when the door is in a fully closed state and starts opening, through the fully open state and then stops again in a fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing operation after it has stopped in the fully open state.

[0010] Furthermore, any combination of the above, or any substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, apparatus, programs, temporary or non-temporary storage media recording programs, systems, etc., are also valid embodiments of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to evaluate the impact on the indoor environment caused by the opening and closing of doors of an automatic door system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]This is a schematic front view showing an automatic door device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This diagram schematically shows various components that can communicate with each other both inside and outside an automatic door system. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a block diagram that schematically shows the functional configuration of the controller. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of controller operation. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram that schematically shows the functional configuration of the controller related to the first configuration example. [Figure 6] This graph shows an example of how the door position changes over time when a door is opened and closed once. [Figure 7] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of controller operation. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram that schematically shows the functional configuration of the controller related to the second configuration example. [Figure 9] This figure shows the conditions for determining the current state of the door by the determination unit shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] This graph shows an example of how the door position changes over time when a door is opened and closed once. [Figure 11] This graph shows an example of how the door position changes over time when a door is opened and closed once. [Figure 12] This block diagram schematically shows the functional configuration of the controller in the third example configuration of the controller. [Figure 13] This figure shows the conditions for determining the current state of the door in the third configuration example. [Figure 14] This graph shows an example of how the door position changes over time when a door is opened and closed once. [Figure 15] This is a block diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of the controller of an automatic door device according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 16] Figure 15 is a schematic perspective view showing an automatic door device equipped with a detection unit, which is an example of a detection unit. [Figure 17]It is a perspective view schematically showing an automatic door device including a detection unit as another example of the detection unit shown in FIG. 15. [Figure 18] It is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the controller shown in FIG. 15.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Among the embodiments disclosed in this specification, those composed of a plurality of objects may integrate the plurality of objects, and conversely, those composed of one object may be divided into a plurality of objects. Regardless of whether they are integrated or not, they may be configured to achieve the object of the invention.

[0014] Among the embodiments disclosed in this specification, those in which a plurality of functions are provided dispersedly may provide some or all of the plurality of functions in an aggregated manner, and conversely, those in which a plurality of functions are provided in an aggregated manner may be provided such that some or all of the plurality of functions are dispersed. Regardless of whether the functions are aggregated or dispersed, they may be configured to achieve the object of the invention.

[0015] Also, separate components having something in common are distinguished by attaching "first, second", etc. at the beginning of the name, and these are omitted when collectively referred to. Also, terms including ordinals such as first and second are used to explain various components, but this term is only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, and the components are not limited by this term.

[0016] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described with reference to each drawing based on preferred embodiments. In the embodiments and modification examples, the same or equivalent components and members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are appropriately omitted. Also, the dimensions of the members in each drawing are appropriately enlarged or reduced for easy understanding. Also, a part of the members that are not important in explaining the embodiments in each drawing is omitted from the display.

[0017] (First Embodiment) [Overview of automatic door systems] First, an overview of the automatic door device 100 to which the first embodiment of this disclosure applies will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic front view of the automatic door device 100 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The automatic door device 100 mainly comprises a door section 10 including a movable door that is driven to open and close, a controller 20 that controls the entire automatic door device 100, a sensor 30 (collectively referred to as the activation sensor 31 and the protection sensor 32) that detects passersby as an activation device and protection device for the automatic door device 100, a door engine 40 that generates power, and a power transmission section 50 that transmits power to the door section 10. In the following description, the left-right direction in Figure 1 is considered the horizontal direction, and the up-down direction in Figure 1 is considered the vertical direction, but the automatic door device 100 can be installed in any orientation, and its installation direction is not limited to the following examples.

[0018] The door section 10 comprises a first movable door 11L and a second movable door 11R, which are provided to move horizontally, a first fixed door 12L and a second fixed door 12R, which are positioned to overlap with the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R when they are open and serve as fixed parts to close a part of the opening, and a guide mechanism 13 that guides the horizontal movement of the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R. The first movable door 11L, the second movable door 11R, the first fixed door 12L, and the second fixed door 12R are configured in a vertically elongated rectangular shape, with the vertical dimension being larger than the horizontal dimension. When the door section 10 is driven to open, the first movable door 11L, shown on the left in Figure 1, is driven to the left, and the second movable door 11R, shown on the right in Figure 1, is driven to the right. Furthermore, when the door section 10 is driven to close, the first movable door 11L is driven to the right and the second movable door 11R is driven to the left, the opposite of when it is driven to open. Note that the number and shape of the doors constituting the door section 10 are not limited to the above and can be designed as appropriate according to the needs of the installation location. Similarly, the direction of movement of the door section 10 is not limited to the horizontal direction, but may be in an inclined direction from the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R may be collectively referred to as the movable door 11 without distinction. Similarly, the first fixed door 12L and the second fixed door 12R may be collectively referred to as the fixed door 12 without distinction.

[0019] The guide mechanism 13 comprises a running rail 131, door rollers 132, a guide rail 133, and a sway-preventing section 134. The running rail 131 is a columnar rail member that extends horizontally over the entire range of motion of the movable doors 11L and 11R above them. Two door rollers 132 are provided on the upper part of each of the movable doors 11L and 11R, suspending each of the movable doors 11L and 11R from the running rail 131. When each of the movable doors 11L and 11R is driven to open and close horizontally, the door rollers 132 roll along the running rail 131, enabling smooth opening and closing operation. The guide rail 133 is a groove-shaped rail member that extends horizontally over the entire range of motion of the movable doors 11L and 11R below them. The sway-preventing section 134 protrudes from the lower part of the movable doors 11L and 11R and fits into the groove-shaped guide rail 133. When each of the movable doors 11L and 11R is driven to open and close horizontally, the anti-vibration part 134 moves along the guide rail 133, thereby suppressing vibrations of each of the movable doors 11L and 11R in the direction of projection (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1).

[0020] Furthermore, various parameters related to the opening and closing of the door section 10 can be set by the controller 20. For example, the controller 20 can set the opening and closing speed, opening and closing cushion speed, opening and closing cushion distance, opening width, etc. The opening and closing speed is the horizontal speed of the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R, and the direction of the speed of both doors is opposite to each other. It is preferable that the magnitude (speed) of the speed of both doors be the same, but they may be different. In addition, different values ​​may be set for opening and closing during normal opening and closing and at other times. For example, in the case of a so-called reversal, where the drive is switched to opening during the normal closing drive of the door section 10 to emergency avoid trapping a passerby between the closing movable doors 11L and 11R, the speed of the movable doors 11L and 11R during the opening drive may be set to a different value from the speed during normal opening drive. Also, when the door section 10 is driven by temporary power supplied from a battery during an emergency such as a power outage when the normal power supply is unavailable, the opening and closing speeds may be set to different values ​​from those during normal operation.

[0021] The opening / closing cushion speed is a slow speed just before the fully open or fully closed position to mitigate the impact when the door section 10 contacts the stopper at the fully open or fully closed position while being driven. When the controller 20 drives the door section 10 at the opening / closing cushion speed, it drives the door section 10 to open or close at a speed lower than the opening / closing speed. The opening / closing cushion distance is the driving distance at the slow speed just before the fully open or fully closed position. The opening width is typically the horizontal distance between the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R when the door section 10 is fully open. As shown in Figure 1, if W1 is the distance traveled between the fully closed and fully open positions of the first movable door 11L, and W2 is the distance traveled between the fully closed and fully open positions of the second movable door 11R, then the opening width is expressed as W1 + W2. Here, the travel distances W1 and W2 can be set individually within the range that fits within the horizontal dimensions of the automatic door device 100. Furthermore, in emergencies such as power outages when the normal power supply is unavailable, the opening width of the door section 10 when it is driven by temporary power supplied from the battery may be made smaller than under normal conditions to suppress power consumption caused by opening and closing the door section 10 in emergencies.

[0022] Figure 1 shows an example of a sensor 30, which includes an activation sensor 31, an activation device, and a protective sensor 32, a protective device. The activation sensor 31 is a near-infrared sensor installed on the surface of the transom 60 above the door section 10. The activation sensor 31 comprises multiple light-emitting units that project detection light toward the floor surface and multiple light-receiving units that receive reflected light from the floor surface. When an object such as a passerby approaches the automatic door device 100 and blocks the detection light, the amount of light received by the light-receiving units changes, allowing the object to be detected. Hereinafter, when the amount of light received by the light-receiving units of the activation sensor 31 changes significantly depending on the object to be detected, the activation sensor 31 is said to be in a detection state. When detection information from the activation sensor 31 in a detection state is input to the controller 20, the door section 10 opens by driving the door engine 40. The activation sensor 31 is installed on both the indoor side (for example, the front side of the paper in Figure 1) and the outdoor side (for example, the back side of the paper in Figure 1), so that passersby approaching from either side can be detected.

[0023] The activation sensor 31 may also be configured to detect passersby using other methods such as optical sensors, image sensors, or reflection of electromagnetic waves such as microwaves or sound waves such as ultrasound. Furthermore, as shown as 31A in Figure 1, the door section 10 may be driven by a touch switch provided on at least one of the movable doors 11L and 11R, which is operated by a passerby. In addition, in tourist facilities and amusement parks, it is conceivable that the door section 10 may be driven by operation by a facility employee in addition to or instead of detection and operation by passersby. In such cases, the facility employee can drive the door section 10 remotely using an operation panel or an operation terminal that can communicate with the automatic door device 100, which is located away from the door section 10.

[0024] The protective sensor 32 is a photoelectric sensor installed on the first fixed door 12L and the second fixed door 12R of the door section 10. The protective sensor 32 comprises a light-emitting unit installed on one of the first fixed door 12L and the second fixed door 12R, and a light-receiving unit installed on the other. The light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are installed at the same height from the floor, and the light-receiving unit receives light such as infrared rays emitted horizontally from the light-emitting unit. When the door section 10 is open, if a passerby passes through the opening and blocks the light, the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit changes, so the passerby can be detected. Hereinafter, if the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit of the protective sensor 32 changes significantly due to a passerby or other object to be detected, the protective sensor 32 is said to be in a detection state. The primary purpose of the protective sensor 32 is to protect pedestrians during closing operation (closed protection). When the protective sensor 32 detects a pedestrian while the movable doors 11L and 11R are closing, the controller 20 performs inversion control, stopping the closing drive and switching to the opening drive. This prevents pedestrians from being caught in the closing movable doors 11L and 11R. Furthermore, in this closed protection control, the accuracy of pedestrian detection can be improved and safety further enhanced by using detection information from the activation sensor 31 near the trajectory of the door section 10.

[0025] The protective sensor 32 may also be configured to detect passersby using other methods such as optical sensors, image sensors, or reflections of electromagnetic waves such as microwaves or sound waves such as ultrasound. Furthermore, the protective sensor 32 may be installed in a location different from the fixed doors 12L and 12R. For example, it may be installed on the transom 60 using a near-infrared sensor, similar to the activation sensor 31, or it may be installed on the ceiling near the automatic door device 100. Installing multiple such protective sensors 32 would increase costs but dramatically improve safety. Conversely, the activation sensor 31 may also perform the function of the protective sensor 32.

[0026] The door engine 40 comprises a motor drive unit 41, a motor 42, and a drive pulley 43. The motor drive unit 41 is composed of an intelligent power module (IPM) and generates a voltage or current to drive the motor 42 under the control of the controller 20. The motor 42, which serves as a power source for generating rotational power, can be composed of various known motors, but in this embodiment, it is composed of a brushless motor equipped with an encoder using a Hall element, for example. Information on the position of the rotor of the motor 42 detected by the encoder is input to the motor drive unit 41, and a corresponding drive voltage or drive current is applied to the motor 42, thereby generating the desired rotational power. The drive pulley 43, which is rotationally driven by the motor 42, is connected to the rotor of the motor 42 via a gear mechanism (not shown) or the like, and rotates in conjunction with it.

[0027] The power transmission unit 50 transmits power generated by the door engine 40 to the door unit 10, driving the movable doors 11L and 11R to open and close. The power transmission unit 50 includes a power transmission belt 51, a driven pulley 52, and a connecting member 53. The power transmission belt 51 is an annular timing belt with numerous teeth formed on its inner circumference, and is wrapped around the drive pulley 43 on the right side of Figure 1 and around the driven pulley 52 on the left side of Figure 1. In this state, the horizontal dimension of the power transmission belt 51 is equal to the horizontal distance between the drive pulley 43 and the driven pulley 52, and is also approximately the same as the horizontal dimension of the range of motion of the movable doors 11L and 11R. When the drive pulley 43 rotates due to the motor 42, the driven pulley 52 rotates in conjunction via the power transmission belt 51.

[0028] The connecting member 53 connects the movable doors 11L and 11R to the power transmission belt 51, respectively, and drives them to open and close. Here, one movable door is connected to the upper side of the power transmission belt 51, and the other movable door is connected to the lower side of the power transmission belt 51. In the example shown in Figure 1, when the power transmission belt 51 rotates counterclockwise, the first movable door 11L moves to the left and the second movable door 11R moves to the right, resulting in an opening operation. When the power transmission belt 51 rotates clockwise, the first movable door 11L moves to the right and the second movable door 11R moves to the left, resulting in a closing operation.

[0029] In the automatic door device 100 configured as described above, when the activation sensor 31 detects a passerby, the door engine 40 generates counterclockwise rotational power under the control of the controller 20, driving the door section 10 to open. Furthermore, if no passerby is detected for a predetermined period of time after the door has been opened, the door engine 40 generates clockwise rotational power under the control of the controller 20, driving the door section 10 to close. If the protection sensor 32 or the activation sensor 31 detects a passerby during the closing drive, the controller 20 performs inversion control, switching from closing drive to opening drive.

[0030] Figure 2 schematically shows various components that can communicate with each other inside and outside the automatic door system 100. The automatic door system 100 is equipped with a bus 2 to which each component is connected and to which data communication takes place. Bus 2 is configured according to an arbitrary communication standard, such as CAN (Controller Area Network). CAN is designed to allow components to communicate with each other without going through a host computer and is widely used for transmitting control information in various systems, not just automatic door systems. Each component connected to bus 2 can transmit information to other components via bus 2 and can selectively receive the information it needs from the information transmitted to bus 2 by other components.

[0031] Each functional block shown in Figure 2 and other diagrams can be implemented in hardware terms using electronic elements and mechanical parts, such as the CPU of a computer, and in software terms using computer programs, etc. However, here we depict functional blocks that are realized through the coordination of these elements. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways through combinations of hardware and software.

[0032] Figure 2 illustrates the following components connected to bus 2: controller 20, activation sensor 31, protection sensor 32, electric lock controller 35, and external interface 36. Additionally, the following components connected to the external interface 36 are illustrated: touch switch 31A, control panel 33, authentication device 34, and display device 37. All of these components constitute the automatic door system 100. Note that this figure is an illustrative list of components that may be connected to bus 2 or the external interface 36, and includes components not shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, the components to be installed in the actual automatic door system 100 can be selected according to the purpose, and it is not necessary to install all the components shown. For example, in an automatic door system 100 that drives the door section 10 solely by detecting and operating pedestrians, there is no need to install a control panel 33 for operation by staff. Conversely, in an automatic door system 100 used in tourist facilities or amusement parks where the door section 10 is driven solely by staff, there is no need to install the activation sensor 31 or touch switch 31A for detecting and operating pedestrians. However, the controller 20, which controls the entire automatic door system 100, is often an essential component.

[0033] Of the components shown in the diagram, the controller 20, activation sensor 31, touch switch 31A, and protection sensor 32 have been described above and will not be explained further. The control panel 33 is a control panel operated by facility staff in tourist facilities, amusement parks, etc., to drive the door section 10. For example, in an attraction where users move between different rooms at predetermined intervals, the staff can operate the control panel 33 in accordance with the timing of the movement to control the opening and closing of the door section 10 in each room, allowing users to move smoothly. The control panel 33 may be permanently installed in the facility or it may be portable by the staff. Alternatively, the functions of the control panel 33 may be implemented in an information and communication device such as a tablet terminal or smartphone that can communicate with the controller 20 etc. via an external interface 36, which will be described later.

[0034] The authentication device 34 authenticates persons who should be permitted to pass through in places requiring a high level of security, such as the entrances to apartment buildings and offices. Authentication methods include password authentication by entering information on a keypad located near the door 10, and biometric authentication using the passerby's biometric information, such as fingerprints. If authentication by the authentication device 34 is successful, the controller 20 drives the door 10 to open, allowing the passerby to pass through the automatic door system 100. If authentication by the authentication device 34 fails, even if the activation sensor 31 has detected a passerby, the controller 20 will not drive the door 10 to open, thus preventing unauthorized passage by unauthenticated persons.

[0035] The electric lock controller 35 controls the electric lock 35A that locks the automatic door device 100. The electric lock 35A includes, for example, a solenoid that generates a driving force according to the energized state, as a lock driving means for driving the lock between the locked position and the unlocked position.

[0036] The external interface 36 inputs and outputs signals to and from various external devices outside the automatic door system 100 via wired or wireless connections. Examples of external devices include the touch switch 31A, control panel 33, authentication device 34, and display device 37 mentioned above, as well as external device 36A. Examples of external device 36A include work terminals such as adjusters used by workers who visit the site for installation or maintenance of the automatic door system 100, and remote servers or computers connected via public information and communication networks such as the Internet. Input operations on such external device 36A allow for control of each component of the automatic door system 100 and various settings such as parameter adjustments. Furthermore, the external device 36A can read information from each component of the automatic door system 100 and associated memories to perform status diagnosis and maintenance on the automatic door system 100. As mentioned above, bus 2 within the automatic door device 100 is configured according to the CAN standard. However, if communication between the external device 36A and the external interface 36 is performed using a different standard, such as Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi®, the external interface 36 functions as a protocol converter, converting signals based on one standard to signals based on the other standard.

[0037] The display device 37 displays an image based on an image signal received from other components or an external device 36A. The display device 37 may be installed on the surface of, for example, fixed doors 12L, 12R, movable doors 11L, 11R, etc., or near the door section 10, or in a location away from the door section 10, for example, in a backyard within the same building as the automatic door device 100 where its management is performed.

[0038] Of the components of the automatic door system 100 exemplified above, the components connected to bus 2, namely the controller 20, activation sensor 31, protection sensor 32, electric lock controller 35, and external interface 36, can communicate with each other via bus 2, which conforms to the CAN standard. In other words, each component incorporates a CAN transceiver and a CAN controller for CAN communication. In addition to these, the external interface 36 has a protocol conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between the communication standard used by the touch switch 31A, operation panel 33, authentication device 34, display device 37, and external device 36A and the CAN standard. As a result, the components connected to the external interface 36 can communicate with the other components of the automatic door system 100 via bus 2.

[0039] [Controller Outline Configuration] Next, the operation of the controller 20 of the automatic door device 100 will be described in detail. Figure 3 is a block diagram that schematically shows the functional configuration of the controller 20. Below, the information acquisition and processing of the acquired information, which are among the operations performed by the controller 20, will be described. As mentioned above, the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R are doors that can move to open and close the opening. Hereafter, when simply referred to as "door," it means at least one of the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R. In addition, the door engine 40 and the power transmission unit 50 constitute the drive unit that drives the door to open and close. Hereafter, when simply referred to as "drive unit," it means the door engine 40 and the power transmission unit 50.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the controller 20 comprises an acquisition unit 70, an evaluation unit 72, and a storage unit 74. The acquisition unit 70 acquires the time for one door opening / closing and the open state time when the door is opened and closed once. The time for one door opening / closing is the time the door operates from when it is in the fully closed state and starts opening, through the fully open state, until it stops again in the fully closed state. The open state time is the time it takes for the door to start closing after it has stopped in the fully open state when it is opened and closed once. The open state time is a portion of the time for one door opening / closing. Details of how the acquisition unit 70 acquires each time will be described later.

[0041] The evaluation unit 72 generates evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening provided by the automatic door device 100 based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70. The evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72 includes at least information evaluating the contribution of the door's opening and closing time to the degree of opening, and the contribution of the open state time to the degree of opening. For example, when the door is not fully open, the degree of opening is smaller than when the door is fully open. Therefore, the evaluation information regarding the degree of opening can be created assuming that the contribution of time other than the open state time within a door's opening and closing time is smaller than the contribution of the open state time. Specific examples of the calculation of evaluation information will be described later. The evaluation information regarding the degree of opening can be used to evaluate the impact of the opening and closing of the automatic door device 100 on the indoor environment, such as air conditioning efficiency, air quality, and noise due to air circulation between indoors and outdoors.

[0042] The storage unit 74 stores various information, control programs, etc., used by the controller 20. The information stored in the storage unit 74 includes, for example, calculation formulas, coefficients, and other information used by the evaluation unit 72 when generating evaluation information. The storage unit 74 may also store at least one of the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70 and the information generated by the evaluation unit 72. The storage unit 74 is configured to include, for example, non-volatile memory.

[0043] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the controller 20. The acquisition unit 70 acquires information including the door opening / closing time and the open state time when the door is opened and closed once (S10). The evaluation unit 72 generates evaluation information based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70 (S12). The storage unit 74 stores the evaluation information and terminates the process.

[0044] The basic configuration of controller 20 has been described above. Below, we will describe some configuration examples for controller 20.

[0045] [First example of controller configuration] Figure 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of controller 20A according to a first configuration example of controller 20. As shown in Figure 5, controller 20A comprises a timing unit 76, an acquisition unit 70A, an evaluation unit 72A, and a storage unit 74A. The acquisition unit 70A comprises a door position acquisition unit 78 and a time acquisition unit 80.

[0046] The timing unit 76 transmits a signal to the door position acquisition unit 78 at predetermined intervals. The timing unit 76 may include, for example, a clock oscillator and transmit a clock signal generated at predetermined intervals to the door position acquisition unit 78.

[0047] The door position acquisition unit 78 acquires door position information at predetermined time intervals in response to a signal from the timing unit 76. The door position acquisition unit 78 may acquire door position information based, for example, on information about the rotor position of the motor 42 detected by an encoder included in the motor 42. The predetermined time interval at which the door position acquisition unit 78 acquires door position information is, for example, every 100 milliseconds. Since it usually takes several seconds for the door to open and close once, for example, several dozen samples are taken per opening and closing. In addition, the acquisition of position information may be at a constant period or irregularly.

[0048] Figure 6 is a graph showing an example of the time change in the door position when the door is opened and closed once. In Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the door position. In Figure 6, the actual time-changing door position is shown by a dashed line, and the door position information acquired by the door position acquisition unit 78 at predetermined time intervals is shown by a solid line. Note that how the door operates when it is opened and closed once, that is, how the door accelerates and decelerates, is not limited to the example shown in Figure 6, and the door may operate according to any known operating procedure.

[0049] First, let's explain the actual change in the door position over time. As shown in Figure 6, when the door starts opening from the fully closed position, it opens at a constant speed, decelerating as it approaches the fully open position until it reaches that position. Once the door reaches the fully open position, it maintains that position for a predetermined time, and then starts closing. After the closing operation begins, the door closes at a constant speed, decelerating as it approaches the fully closed position until it returns to the fully closed position and completes one opening and closing operation. Here, immediately after starting the opening operation from the fully closed position, and immediately after starting the closing operation from the fully open position, the door accelerates to a specified speed, drives at a constant speed once it reaches the specified speed, decelerates before stopping at the fully open or fully closed position to reach a cushion speed, drives at a constant speed, then decelerates further to stop at the fully open or fully closed position, but for simplicity, this is omitted from the illustration.

[0050] Next, the door position information acquired by the door position acquisition unit 78 will be explained. As shown in Figure 6, during the door opening operation, the door position acquisition unit 78 acquires position information of the door as it gradually approaches the fully open state by acquiring the door position information at predetermined time intervals. In the fully open state, the door position acquisition unit 78 repeatedly acquires position information of the same position by acquiring the door position information at predetermined time intervals. During the door closing operation, the door position acquisition unit 78 acquires position information of the door as it gradually approaches the fully closed state by acquiring the door position information at predetermined time intervals.

[0051] The timing at which the door position acquisition unit 78 acquires door position information may be aligned with the start of each sampling time, or it may be aligned with the end of each sampling time. The door position acquisition unit 78 may also calculate the average value of the position information acquired at the start of each sampling time and the position information acquired at the end of each sampling time.

[0052] Let's return to the explanation of Figure 5. As described above, the acquisition unit 70A can acquire information such as whether the door is in the process of opening, whether the door is stopped in the fully open position, and whether the door is in the process of closing, based on the door position information acquired by the door position acquisition unit 78 at predetermined time intervals. In other words, in this configuration example, the time acquisition unit 80 can indirectly acquire the time it takes for the door to open and close, the time it takes for the door to open, the time it takes for the door to close, and the time it remains open when the door opens and closes once. Here, the opening time is the time it takes for a door that is in the fully closed position to start opening and stop in the fully open position, and the closing time is the time it takes for a door that is in the fully open position to start closing and stop in the fully closed position.

[0053] The evaluation unit 72A generates evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70A. The evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening generated by the evaluation unit 72 may be calculated by multiplying the opening width based on the position information of each door acquired by the door position acquisition unit 78 by a predetermined time at predetermined intervals, and summing these values ​​for the total time it takes for the door to open and close once. In that case, the evaluation information can be expressed as, for example, Σ(time i × opening width i). Here, i is from 1 to n, and n may be a value obtained by dividing the time required for the door to open and close once by a predetermined time. The evaluation information may also be expressed as, for example, Σ(time i × opening width i / opening width in the fully open state). In this case, the obtained evaluation information can be treated as information corresponding to how long the fully open state was maintained.

[0054] The memory unit 74A may be the same as the memory unit 74 described above.

[0055] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the controller 20A. The controller 20A determines whether or not the door has started to open from a fully closed state (S20). If the controller 20A determines that the door has not started to open from a fully closed state (N in S20), it terminates the process. On the other hand, if the controller 20A determines that the door has started to open from a fully closed state (Y in S20), it proceeds to the process in step S22. The determination process in step S20 may be based on, for example, the door position information acquired by the door position acquisition unit 78, or it may use a configuration similar to that of the fully closed signal acquisition unit 82, etc., which will be described in the second configuration example later.

[0056] The controller 20A determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed based on signals from the timing unit 76, etc. (S22). The determination in step S22 is repeated until the predetermined time has elapsed (N in S22), and once the predetermined time has elapsed (Y in S22), the door position acquisition unit 78 acquires the door position information (S24).

[0057] If the door is not fully closed (N in S26), the controller 20A returns to the process in step S22. That is, the door position acquisition unit 78 acquires door position information at unit time intervals until the door is fully closed (S24). When the door is fully closed (Y in S26), the evaluation unit 72A generates evaluation information (S28) and terminates the process.

[0058] Note that the determination process in step S20 does not necessarily have to be performed. In other words, the door position acquisition unit 78 may acquire door position information at predetermined intervals regardless of whether the door has started to open. However, if the door position acquisition unit 78 starts acquiring door position information only when the door has started to open from a fully closed state, the processing burden on the controller 20A can be reduced.

[0059] In step S26, if the door temporarily becomes fully closed due to a reversal operation or the like, as described later, the controller 20A may determine that the door is not fully closed because the opening and closing of the door has not been completed.

[0060] [Second example of controller configuration] Figure 8 is a block diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of controller 20B according to a second configuration example of controller 20. As shown in Figure 8, controller 20B includes an acquisition unit 70B, a determination unit 86, a door state reflection unit 88, an evaluation unit 72B, and a storage unit 74B. The acquisition unit 70B includes a fully closed signal acquisition unit 82, a fully open signal acquisition unit 84, and a time acquisition unit 80.

[0061] The fully closed signal acquisition unit 82 acquires a signal indicating that the door is in a fully closed state (hereinafter also referred to as the "fully closed signal"). The fully closed signal is not particularly limited, but may be a signal from, for example, a contact sensor that detects when the door is in a fully closed state.

[0062] The fully open signal acquisition unit 84 acquires a signal indicating that the door is in a fully open state (hereinafter also referred to as the "fully open signal"). The fully open signal is not particularly limited, but may be a signal from, for example, a contact sensor that detects when the door is in a fully open state.

[0063] The time acquisition unit 80 acquires the time taken for one door to open and close, the time taken for the door to open, the time taken for the door to close, and the time taken when the door is opened and closed, based on signals from at least one of the fully closed signal acquisition unit 82 and the fully open signal acquisition unit 84.

[0064] The determination unit 86 determines whether the door is fully open, fully closed, in the process of opening, or in the process of closing, based on signals from at least one of the fully closed signal acquisition unit 82 and the fully open signal acquisition unit 84. Details of the determination made by the determination unit 86 will be described later.

[0065] The determination unit 86 further determines whether the door has performed a reversal operation. A reversal operation is an operation that switches from one state, either an open operation or a closed operation, to the other state. In this embodiment, a reversal operation is performed when the protective sensor 32 detects the door during the closing operation, and the opening operation is performed until the door becomes fully open again or the protective sensor 32 is no longer detected. The reversal operation is an operation associated with the reversal control described above.

[0066] In this configuration example, the time acquisition unit 80 also acquires the reversal state time when the determination unit 86 determines that the door has reversed. Here, the reversal state time is the time from when the door, which is in the open state, starts closing, reverses, and returns to the open state, or from when the door, which is in the closed state, starts opening, reverses, and returns to the closed state. In other words, the reversal state time can also be said to be the time it took for the door to start moving immediately before the reversal operation and stop immediately after the reversal operation.

[0067] The evaluation unit 72B generates evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70B and the determination of the determination unit 86. Details of the evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72B will be described later.

[0068] The door state reflection unit 88 corrects the evaluation information according to the duration of each door state, such as the open state time, opening operation time, closing operation time, and the duration of the reversed state (i.e., reversed state time). The door state reflection unit 88 may also correct the evaluation information if the determination unit 86 determines that a reversed operation has occurred. The door state reflection unit 88 may also correct the evaluation information if the determination unit 86 determines that at least one of the opening operation and the closing operation is in progress. Details of the correction of evaluation information by the door state reflection unit 88 will be described later.

[0069] Figure 9 shows the conditions for determining the current state of the door by the determination unit 86. Figure 10 is a graph showing an example of the time change in the door position when the door is opened and closed once. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, if the fully closed signal is OFF and the fully open signal is ON, the determination unit 86 determines that the current state is fully open. If the fully closed signal is ON and the fully open signal is OFF, the determination unit 86 determines that the current state is fully closed.

[0070] As shown in Figure 9, when both the fully closed signal and the fully open signal are OFF, the determination unit 86 determines the current state of the door based on the state of the door immediately before and the state of the door immediately after. If the state of the door immediately before was fully closed and the state of the door immediately after was fully open, the current state of the door is in a transition from fully closed to fully open, so the determination unit 86 determines that it is in the process of opening. If the state of the door immediately before was fully open and the state of the door immediately after was fully closed, the current state of the door is in a transition from fully open to fully closed, so the determination unit 86 determines that it is in the process of closing.

[0071] If both the state of the door immediately before and the state of the door immediately after are fully open, the determination unit 86 determines that it is in a reversed state. Figure 11 is a graph showing an example of the time change of the door position when the door is opened and closed once. As shown in Figure 11, if both the state of the door immediately before and the state of the door immediately after are fully open, a reversed operation occurs during the closing operation from the fully open state, and the door becomes fully open again. Therefore, the state between the immediately before fully open state and the immediately after fully open state can be said to be a reversed state. Similarly, as shown in Figure 9, if both the state of the door immediately before and the state of the door immediately after are fully closed, the determination unit 86 may also determine that it is a reversed state.

[0072] As described above, when both the fully closed signal and the fully open signal are OFF, the determination unit 86 determines the current state of the door based on the state of the door immediately before and the state of the door immediately after. Therefore, the storage unit 74B stores information about the state of the door immediately before at least temporarily. The storage unit 74B may be otherwise the same as the storage unit 74 described above. Also, since the current state of the door is defined based on the state of the door immediately after, the current state of the door is determined retrospectively. In other words, the determination unit 86 determines the "current state of the door," which is in the past at the time of determination, based on the state of the door immediately before and the state of the door immediately after.

[0073] The door state reflection unit 88 corrects the evaluation information by summing up the values ​​obtained by multiplying the duration of each door state by a coefficient corresponding to each state (hereinafter referred to as the "correction value"). In the example shown in Figure 10, the door state reflection unit 88 can correct the evaluation information as: duration of the fully open state + duration during the opening operation × first correction value + duration during the closing operation × second correction value. Here, the first correction value is, for example, 0.5 or more and less than 1, and the second correction value is, for example, 0.5 or less and greater than 0. The reason the first correction value is set to 0.5 or more is that the opening speed decreases during the opening operation, so the average degree of opening during the opening operation is closer to the fully open state than the fully closed state. Similarly, the reason the second correction value is set to 0.5 or less is that the opening speed decreases during the closing operation, so the average degree of opening during the closing operation is closer to the fully closed state than the fully open state.

[0074] In the example shown in Figure 11, the door state reflection unit 88 can correct the evaluation information as follows: duration of fully open state + duration of opening operation × first correction value + duration of closing operation × second correction value + inversion state time × third correction value. Here, the third correction value is, for example, 0.5 or more and less than 1. The reason the third correction value is set to 0.5 or more is that in the inversion state from fully open to fully open state, the average degree of opening of the opening is closer to the fully open state than to the fully closed state. For the same reason, in the inversion state from fully closed state to fully closed state, the third correction value may be, for example, 0.5 or less and 0 or more.

[0075] Furthermore, for example, in the inversion state from a fully open state to a fully open state, the longer the inversion state time, the closer it gets to the fully closed state, so the third correction value may be made smaller. On the other hand, in the inversion state from a fully closed state to a fully closed state, the longer the inversion state time, the closer it gets to the fully open state, so the third correction value may be made larger.

[0076] The first to third correction values ​​may be fixed values ​​set in advance, or they may be variable values ​​calculated. If at least one of the first to third correction values ​​is a variable value, it may be calculated using, for example, the door opening / closing speed, opening / closing cushion speed, opening / closing cushion distance, etc., set in the controller 20. In the above example, the door state reflection unit 88 corrects the evaluation information based on the inversion state time, but it is not limited to this, and for example, the evaluation information may be corrected based on the fact that an inversion operation occurred, regardless of the inversion state time.

[0077] In the example described above, the determination unit 86 was described as determining whether or not a reversal operation has occurred based on the fully closed signal, the fully open signal, the state of the door immediately before, and the state of the door immediately after. However, the determination unit 86 may also determine whether or not a reversal operation has occurred based on, for example, a detection signal on the trajectory of the door portion 10 of the activation sensor 31, which functions as a protective sensor 32 during the opening and closing operation of the door.

[0078] If the difference between the opening speed and the opening cushion speed is large, the first correction value may be increased. Similarly, if the opening cushion distance is long, the first correction value may also be increased. On the other hand, if the difference between the closing speed and the closing cushion speed is large, the second correction value may be decreased. Similarly, if the closing cushion distance is long, the second correction value may also be decreased.

[0079] In the first configuration example shown in Figure 5, the acquisition unit 70A can acquire information on whether the door is in a reversed state or not, based on the door position information acquired by the door position acquisition unit 78 at predetermined time intervals. In other words, in the first configuration example, the time acquisition unit 80 can indirectly acquire the time the door is in a reversed state when it is opened and closed once. Therefore, if a determination unit 86 is provided in the first configuration example, it will determine whether the door has performed a reversed operation based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70A.

[0080] [Third example of controller configuration] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of controller 20C according to a third configuration example of controller 20. As shown in Figure 12, controller 20C comprises an acquisition unit 70C, an evaluation unit 72C, and a storage unit 74C. The acquisition unit 70C comprises a fully closed signal acquisition unit 82, a fully open signal acquisition unit 84, and a time acquisition unit 80.

[0081] The fully closed signal acquisition unit 82 and the fully open signal acquisition unit 84 are the same as those in the second configuration example, so their explanation will be omitted. The time acquisition unit 80 acquires the time for one door opening / closing and the time for the open state when the door is opened and closed once, based on signals from at least one of the fully closed signal acquisition unit 82 and the fully open signal acquisition unit 84. This configuration example differs from the first and second configuration examples in that the time acquisition unit 80 acquires the time for one door opening / closing without distinguishing between the opening operation time and the closing operation time, and does not consider whether or not there is a reversal operation.

[0082] The evaluation unit 72C generates evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70C. Details of the evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72C will be described later.

[0083] The memory unit 74C may be the same as the memory unit 74 described above. In this configuration example, unlike the second configuration example, it is not necessary to temporarily store the state of the door immediately before opening.

[0084] Figure 13 is a diagram showing the conditions for determining the current state of the door in the third configuration example. Figure 14 is a graph showing an example of the time change of the door position when the door is opened and closed once. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, if the fully closed signal is OFF and the fully open signal is ON, the controller 20C determines that the current state of the door is fully open. If the fully closed signal is ON and the fully open signal is OFF, the controller 20C determines that the current state of the door is fully closed. If both the fully closed signal and the fully open signal are OFF, the controller 20C determines that the current state of the door is operating.

[0085] The evaluation unit 72C may use the following as evaluation information: for example, duration of the fully open state + duration of operation × fourth correction value. Here, the fourth correction value is, for example, approximately 0.5. The reason the fourth correction value is set to approximately 0.5 is that, in this configuration example, there is no distinction between the door opening operation and the closing operation, so it can be estimated that the average degree of opening of the opening is approximately in the middle between the fully open state and the fully closed state.

[0086] As described above, the automatic door device 100 of this embodiment includes a door provided in an opening and driven to open and close by a drive unit, and an acquisition unit 70 that acquires the time required for one opening and closing operation when the door is opened and closed, from when it is in a fully closed state, through the fully open state, and then stopping again in a fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing operation after it has stopped in the fully open state. As a result, the automatic door device 100 can acquire the time required for one opening and closing operation and the time required for the door to be opened and closed, respectively, when the door is opened and closed, so that the degree of opening of the opening can be evaluated, for example, based on the contribution of the time required for one opening and closing operation and the contribution of the time required for the door to be open.Therefore, according to this embodiment, the impact on the indoor environment due to the opening and closing of the door of the automatic door device 100 can be evaluated.

[0087] In the automatic door device 100 of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 70 may acquire, as one opening / closing time, the opening operation time required from when the door in the fully closed state starts opening until it stops in the fully open state, and the closing operation time required from when the door in the fully open state starts closing until it stops in the fully closed state. As a result, the automatic door device 100 can acquire the opening operation time and the closing operation time as one opening / closing time, and for example, the degree of opening can be evaluated based on the contribution of the opening operation time, the contribution of the closing operation time, and the contribution of the open state time.

[0088] In the automatic door device 100 of this embodiment, the acquisition unit 70 may further acquire door position information at predetermined time intervals. As a result, the automatic door device 100 can acquire information regarding the degree of opening at predetermined time intervals, and thus evaluate the degree of opening more directly.

[0089] The automatic door device 100 of this embodiment may further include a determination unit 86 that determines whether or not the door has performed a reversal operation, switching from one state of open operation to the other state of closed operation. This allows the automatic door device 100 to evaluate the effect of the presence or absence of a reversal operation on the degree to which the opening is opened.

[0090] In the automatic door device 100 of this embodiment, if the acquisition unit 70 determines that a reversal operation has occurred, it may further acquire the reversal state time required from the start of the reversal operation until it stops immediately after the reversal operation. This allows the automatic door device 100 to evaluate the degree of opening in more detail based on the reversal state time.

[0091] The automatic door device 100 of this embodiment may further include an evaluation unit 72 that generates evaluation information regarding the degree of opening based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70. This allows the automatic door device 100 to evaluate, for example, the impact on the indoor environment based on the evaluation information regarding the degree of opening.

[0092] The automatic door device 100 of this embodiment may further include a door state reflection unit 88 that corrects evaluation information according to the duration of each door state. As a result, the automatic door device 100 corrects the evaluation information according to the duration of each door state, thereby improving the accuracy of the evaluation information.

[0093] (Second Embodiment) The following describes a second embodiment of this disclosure. In the drawings and description of the second embodiment, components and members that are the same or equivalent as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Descriptions that overlap with those of the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the configurations that differ from those of the first embodiment.

[0094] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the controller 20D of the automatic door device according to this embodiment. The automatic door device according to this embodiment differs from the automatic door device 100 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a controller 20D instead of the controller 20 shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, the automatic door device of this embodiment includes a detection unit 90.

[0095] As shown in Figure 15, the controller 20D includes an acquisition unit 70D, a detection state reflection unit 88A, an evaluation unit 72D, and a storage unit 74D.

[0096] The detection unit 90 detects objects such as passersby located near the opening of the automatic door device. The detection unit 90 has a detection area near the opening of the automatic door device. The detection unit 90 detects objects within the detection area. The detection area includes a doorway area for detecting people or objects on the door's trajectory.

[0097] Figure 16 is a schematic perspective view showing an automatic door device 100A equipped with a detection unit 90A as an example of a detection unit 90. The detection unit 90A is an area sensor provided on the surface of the transom 60 above the door section 10. As the area sensor, a near-infrared sensor, such as the activation sensor 31 (see Figure 1) of the first embodiment, may be used. The detection unit 90A comprises a plurality of light-emitting units that project detection light toward the floor surface and a plurality of light-receiving units that receive reflected light from the floor surface. When an object such as a passerby approaches the automatic door device 100A and blocks the detection light, the amount of light received by the light-receiving units changes, so the detection unit 90A can detect the object.

[0098] The detection area 92A of the detection unit 90A has multiple detection spots 94 in the direction of the door's trajectory. The detection unit 90A detects an object at each of the multiple detection spots 94. Although Figure 16 only shows some of the detection spots 94 that are close to the door 10, the detection spots 94 may be present throughout the entire detection area 92A. In this example, a doorway area 96 is formed by a collection of some of the detection spots 94 that are close to the door 10.

[0099] Returning to Figure 15, a second example of the detection unit 90 is a beam sensor having a detection axis extending near the aperture. The beam sensor detects objects that obstruct the detection axis. A photoelectric sensor may also be used as the beam sensor.

[0100] Figure 17 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic door device 100B equipped with a detection unit 90B as another example of the detection unit 90. The detection unit 90B is a beam sensor having a detection axis extending near the opening of the automatic door device 100B. The beam sensor detects objects that obstruct the detection axis. A photoelectric sensor may be used as the beam sensor. In this example, the detection unit 90B is a photoelectric sensor provided on the first fixed door 12L and the second fixed door 12R of the door unit 10. The detection unit 90B comprises a light-emitting unit provided on one of the first fixed door 12L and the second fixed door 12R, and a light-receiving unit provided on the other. The light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are provided at the same height from the floor, and the light-receiving unit receives light such as infrared rays (hereinafter referred to as "detection axis 92B") emitted horizontally from the light-emitting unit. When the door section 10 is open, if an object such as a passerby passes through the opening and obstructs the detection axis 92B, the amount of light received by the light receiving section changes, allowing the object to be detected.

[0101] In this example, the detection axis 92B is both the detection area and the doorway area. In other words, the entire detection area of ​​the detection unit 90B is the doorway area.

[0102] Returning to Figure 15, the acquisition unit 70D acquires information of the detection result from the detection unit 90. The acquisition unit 70D outputs the acquired detection result information to the detection state reflection unit 88A. The acquisition unit 70D may further have the same functions as the acquisition unit 70 of the first embodiment.

[0103] The evaluation unit 72D generates evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70D. The evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72D may be the same as the evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72 in the first embodiment.

[0104] The detection state reflection unit 88A corrects the evaluation information according to the detection result by the detection unit 90. For example, if the detection unit 90 detects something in the doorway area while the door is opening and closing once, the detection state reflection unit 88A corrects the evaluation information so that the evaluation of the degree of opening is lowered. This corrects the evaluation information according to the detection state in the doorway area, which has a large impact on the degree of opening, thus improving the accuracy of the evaluation information. Furthermore, when the detection unit 90A is used as the detection unit 90, the detection state reflection unit 88A changes the degree of correction of the evaluation information according to the number of detection spots 94 that have been detected. The detection state reflection unit 88A may also have functions similar to the door state reflection unit 88 of the first embodiment.

[0105] The correction of evaluation information by the detection state reflection unit 88A will now be explained. The detection state reflection unit 88A corrects the evaluation information so that the evaluation of the degree of opening is lowered when the detection unit 90 enters a detection state during one opening and closing of the door. Specifically, when the detection unit 90 detects an object from the time the door, which is in the fully closed state, starts opening, passes through the fully open state, and stops again in the fully closed state, the detection state reflection unit 88A corrects the evaluation information by multiplying the value of the evaluation information by a correction value of less than 1. The degree of opening is lower when the detection unit 90 detects an object near the opening compared to when the detection unit 90 does not detect an object near the opening, because the opening of the opening is hindered by the object. Therefore, as described above, when the detection unit 90 detects an object, the accuracy of the evaluation information regarding the degree of opening can be further improved by the detection state reflection unit 88A multiplying the value of the evaluation information by a correction value of less than 1.

[0106] The detection state reflection unit 88A may calculate a smaller correction value as the proportion of the object detection time by the detection unit 90 to the total opening / closing time increases. This can further improve the accuracy of the evaluation information.

[0107] Furthermore, when using the detection unit 90A as the detection unit 90, the detection state reflection unit 88A may calculate a smaller correction value if there are many detection spots 94 where objects are detected. A larger number of detection spots 94 where objects are detected indicates a higher probability that large objects or many objects are located near the opening. Therefore, the above configuration can further improve the accuracy of the evaluation information.

[0108] The storage unit 74D stores the evaluation information after correction by the detection state reflection unit 88A. The storage unit 74D may further have the same functions as the storage unit 74 in the first embodiment.

[0109] Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the controller 20D. In this example, an example in which the detection unit 90A is used as the detection unit 90 is described. The controller 20D determines whether or not the door has started to open from a fully closed state (S40). If the controller 20D determines that the door has not started to open from a fully closed state (N in S40), it terminates the process. On the other hand, if the controller 20D determines that the door has started to open from a fully closed state (Y in S40), it proceeds to the process in step S42. The determination process in step S40 may be the same as the determination process in step S20 in the first embodiment.

[0110] The controller 20D determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed based on the signal from the timing unit 76 described in the first embodiment (S42). The determination in step S42 is repeated until the predetermined time has elapsed (N in S42), and when the predetermined time has elapsed (Y in S42), the acquisition unit 70D acquires information on the number of detection spots 94 in which objects are detected by the detection unit 90A (S44).

[0111] If the door is not fully closed (N in S46), the controller 20A returns to the process in step S42. That is, until the door is fully closed, the acquisition unit 70D acquires information on the number of detection spots 94 at unit time intervals (S44). When the door is fully closed (Y in S46), the detection state reflection unit 88A generates a correction value (S48). Specifically, the detection state reflection unit 88A generates a correction value based on the number of detection spots 94 at unit time intervals acquired in step S44.

[0112] The detection state reflection unit 88A corrects the evaluation information by multiplying the value of the evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72D by the correction value generated in step S48 (S50). The evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72D may be the same as that described in the first embodiment. The storage unit 74D stores the corrected evaluation information (S52) and terminates the process.

[0113] In step S46, if the door temporarily becomes fully closed due to a reversal operation or the like, as described later, the controller 20D may determine that the door is not fully closed because the opening and closing of the door has not been completed.

[0114] As described above, the automatic door device of this embodiment further includes, in addition to the components of the automatic door device 100 of the first embodiment, a detection unit 90 that detects objects located near the opening, and a detection state reflection unit 88A that corrects evaluation information according to the detection results of the detection unit 90. This makes it possible to reflect the influence of objects present near the opening on the degree of opening of the opening in the evaluation information, thereby further improving the accuracy of the evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening.

[0115] In the automatic door device of this embodiment, the detection unit 90 detects an object at each of the multiple detection spots 94 near the opening, and the detection state reflection unit 88A may change the degree of correction of the evaluation information according to the number of detection spots 94 that have detected an object. This makes it possible to reflect in the evaluation information the influence that the size and number of objects detected near the opening have on the degree of opening of the opening, thereby further improving the accuracy of the evaluation information.

[0116] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. The embodiments described above are merely examples of how to implement the present invention. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes, such as changes, additions, and deletions of components, are possible as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims. In the embodiments described above, such design changes are described with notations such as "of the embodiments" or "in the embodiments," but design changes may also be permitted in contents without such notations.

[0117] Any combination of the embodiments and modifications described above is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiments resulting from these combinations possess the combined effects of the respective embodiments and modifications.

[0118] For example, while the evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72 was exemplified as evaluation information for the case where a door is opened and closed once, the evaluation unit 72 may also generate evaluation information at regular intervals. For example, by generating evaluation information every hour and generating information showing the time progression of the evaluation information, it is possible to grasp the time changes in the evaluation information.

[0119] The controller 20 does not necessarily have an evaluation unit 72. In this case, the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70 may be stored in the storage unit 74. Alternatively, the controller 20 does not necessarily have a storage unit 74. In this case, at least one of the information acquired by the acquisition unit 70 and the evaluation information generated by the evaluation unit 72 may be output to the outside via communication means or the like.

[0120] The information acquired by the acquisition unit 70 may be output to an external management system via communication means or the like, and evaluation information may be generated by the evaluation unit 72 provided in the management system and stored in the storage unit 74. Furthermore, the generated evaluation information may be corrected by the respective reflection units 88 and 88A provided in the management system.

[0121] In the first embodiment, a protective sensor 32 was described as being provided for closed protection, but a protective sensor may also be provided for protecting people in the vicinity of the automatic door device 100 during the opening operation (open protection). If a protective sensor having a detection area in the direction of travel detects a person or object during the door opening operation, the controller 20 slows down the door or stops the opening drive to stop the door.

[0122] In embodiments equipped with an open protection sensor, if the door reverses direction due to detection by the open protection sensor during the door opening operation, the closing operation until the open protection sensor no longer detects anything may be performed at a slower speed than the normal closing operation. After a certain period of time or a certain distance, the door may stop or be controlled to return to a fully closed state regardless of the detection status of the open protection sensor.

[0123] In the first embodiment, the reversal operation is performed by detection by a protective sensor, but the reversal operation may also be performed when an overload is detected due to contact with a door or the like.

[0124] In the embodiments disclosed herein, those in which multiple functions are provided in a distributed manner may have some or all of those multiple functions integrated into a single unit, and conversely, those in which multiple functions are integrated may have some or all of those functions provided in a distributed manner. Whether the functions are integrated or distributed, the configuration should be such that the objective of the invention can be achieved. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0125] 10...Door unit, 20...Controller, 70...Acquisition unit, 72...Evaluation unit, 74...Storage unit, 76...Timer unit, 86...Determination unit, 88...Door state reflection unit, 88A...Detection state reflection unit, 90...Detection unit, 94...Detection spot, 100...Automatic door device.

Claims

1. A door provided in the opening, which is driven to open and close by a drive unit, An acquisition unit that acquires the time required for one opening and closing operation of the door, from when the door is in the fully closed state, when it starts to open, through the fully open state, and then stops again in the fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing operation from when it stops in the fully open state. An automatic door system equipped with the following features.

2. The acquisition unit acquires, as the opening operation time, the time required from when the door in the fully closed state starts the opening operation until it stops in the fully open state, and the time required from when the door in the fully open state starts the closing operation until it stops in the fully closed state. The automatic door device according to claim 1.

3. The acquisition unit further acquires the door's position information at predetermined intervals. The automatic door device according to claim 1.

4. The automatic door device according to claim 2, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether or not the door has performed a reversal operation, switching from one state of opening or closing to the other state.

5. If the acquisition unit determines that the reversal operation has occurred, it further acquires the reversal state time required from the start of the operation immediately before the reversal operation until the stop immediately after the reversal operation. The automatic door device according to claim 4.

6. The system further includes an evaluation unit that generates evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit. The automatic door device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The automatic door device according to claim 6, further comprising a door state reflecting unit that corrects the evaluation information according to the duration of each state of the door.

8. A detection unit having a detection area near the aforementioned opening, A detection state reflection unit corrects the evaluation information according to the detection result from the detection unit, The automatic door device according to claim 6, further comprising:

9. The detection area includes a doorway area for detecting a person or object on the door's track. The detection state reflection unit corrects the evaluation information such that the evaluation of the degree of opening of the opening becomes lower when the detection unit detects a state in the doorway area while the door is opening and closing once. The automatic door device according to claim 8.

10. The detection area has a plurality of detection spots in the direction of the door's trajectory. The detection state reflection unit changes the degree of correction of the evaluation information according to the number of detection spots that have entered the detection state. The automatic door device according to claim 8.

11. A method for evaluating the control of an automatic door system that includes a door provided in an opening and driven to open and close by a drive unit, An automatic door control evaluation method, comprising the steps of obtaining the time required for one opening and closing operation when the door is opened and closed, from the time the door starts opening from the fully closed state, through the fully open state, and then stops again in the fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing from the time it stops in the fully open state.

12. The step further includes generating evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening based on the acquired information, The automatic door control evaluation method according to claim 11.

13. The further step includes correcting the evaluation information according to the duration of each state of the door. The automatic door control evaluation method according to claim 12.

14. The steps include: acquiring the detection result of a detection unit having a detection area near the aforementioned opening; The further step includes correcting the evaluation information in accordance with the detection result, The automatic door control evaluation method according to claim 12 or 13.

15. The detection area includes a doorway area for detecting a person or object on the door's track. The steps include: acquiring the detection result of the detection unit in the doorway area; The further step includes correcting the evaluation information such that the evaluation of the degree of opening of the opening is reduced if the detection unit detects a state in the doorway area while the door is opened and closed once. The automatic door control evaluation method according to claim 14.

16. An automatic door control evaluation program for evaluating the control of an automatic door system that includes a door installed in an opening and driven to open and close by a drive unit, wherein the computer... The steps include obtaining the time required for one opening and closing operation of the door, from when the door is in the fully closed state, when it starts to open, through the fully open state, and then stopping again in the fully closed state, and the time required for the door to start closing operation after it has stopped in the fully open state. An automatic door control evaluation program for executing this process.

17. On the computer, A step of generating evaluation information regarding the degree of opening of the opening based on the acquired information, An automatic door control evaluation program according to claim 16 for further execution.

18. On the computer, A step of correcting the evaluation information according to the duration of each state of the door, The automatic door control evaluation program according to claim 17 for further execution.

19. On the computer, The steps include: acquiring the detection result of a detection unit having a detection area near the aforementioned opening; A step of correcting the evaluation information according to the detection result, An automatic door control evaluation program according to claim 17 or 18 for further execution.

20. The detection area includes a doorway area for detecting a person or object on the door's track. On the computer, The steps include: acquiring the detection result of the detection unit in the doorway area; The steps include correcting the evaluation information so that the evaluation of the degree of opening of the opening becomes lower when the detection unit detects a state in the doorway area while the door is opened and closed once, An automatic door control evaluation program according to claim 19 for further execution.

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