Transmitter

Abstract

To provide a transmitter that allows for easy identification of whether or not it is the transmitter to be restored, even from a moving vehicle, when restoring a transmitter used for reporting. [Solution] The transmitter 1 according to the present invention comprises a push-button switch 3 and a protective plate 7 provided in front of the push-button switch 3 to protect the push-button switch 3 and to allow the push-button switch 3 to be pressed down. The protective plate 7 is made of a light-transmitting material and further comprises a light-emitting part provided on the front of the push-button switch 7 that emits light, and a light-emitting state switching means that can switch the light-emitting state of the light-emitting part. The light-emitting state switching means is characterized in that it switches the light-emitting state of the light-emitting part in conjunction with the pressing down operation.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transmitter installed in a tunnel such as an automobile road. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, transmitters are provided as emergency equipment in tunnels such as automobile roads. The transmitter is a notification device for informing a disaster prevention receiving panel or the like that a fire has occurred in a tunnel, and includes a push-button switch and a resin or glass protective plate provided on the front side of the switch. When making a notification, by pushing the protective plate firmly to dislodge it from the mounting frame, or crushing the protective plate and pressing the switch located behind the protective plate, a fire signal can be transmitted to the disaster prevention receiving panel or the like.

[0003] During periodic inspections, the above-described transmitter requires removing the protective plate, then pressing the switch to check operation, and then reattaching the protective plate, which has made inspection work time-consuming. Furthermore, if the removed protective plate falls onto the roadway of the tunnel or the like, it is difficult to recover and may lead to an accident, so it has been necessary to handle the protective plate with the utmost care.

[0004] In view of this, Patent Document 1 discloses a tunnel transmitter that can reduce such labor during inspection. In the transmitter 1 of Patent Document 1, when the push button unit 7 is pushed inward, the push button switch unit 8 is pressed, and a fire signal is transmitted to a disaster prevention receiver or the like, and the push button unit 7 also functions as the aforementioned protective plate.

[0005] The transmitter 1 also includes a biasing member 9 that biases the push button unit 7 in a direction opposite to the pushing direction, a holding means 3 that holds the pushed state of the push button unit 7, and a releasing means 4 that releases the holding state of the holding means 3. When the push button portion 7 is pressed against the biasing force of the biasing member 9, the hooked portion 6 of the push button portion 7 engages with the hooked portion 10 of the holding means 3, and the pressed state is maintained. This held state can be released by the release means 4, and when the release means 4 is operated, the biasing member 9 returns the push button portion 7 to its original state.

[0006] The transmitter described in Patent Document 1 eliminates the need to remove and reattach protective plates during inspection, thus significantly improving the efficiency of inspection work. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-124237 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] When the transmitter described in Patent Document 1 is actually used for reporting, the push button portion of the transmitter is held in place by the holding mechanism, so a recovery operation is performed to return it to its original state. In the recovery operation, a worker goes to the installation location of the transmitter to be recovered and operates the release mechanism of the transmitter to release the holding state.

[0009] In the case of long-distance tunnels, it takes time for workers to travel on foot along inspection paths and other passages, so it is necessary to identify the transmitters that need to be restored from among the many transmitters installed inside the tunnel while moving by vehicle. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to determine whether or not a transmitter is one that needs to be restored, i.e., a transmitter whose push button is still pressed, even from a distance of some distance (specifically, the distance from a moving vehicle to a transmitter installed near the tunnel wall).

[0010] However, the aforementioned transmitter was difficult to distinguish from a moving vehicle because the only difference in appearance between its normal state and the state in which the push button was pressed was a slight displacement of the push button.

[0011] Therefore, determining whether a transmitter was one that needed to be restored required temporarily stopping the vehicle in an emergency parking area or similar location to examine the transmitter from a close distance, which was time-consuming. Furthermore, in tunnels without emergency parking areas, lane closures were necessary, which added to the overall time required.

[0012] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a transmitter that can be easily identified as the transmitter to be restored, even from a moving vehicle, when restoring a transmitter that was used for making a notification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] (1) The transmitter according to the present invention comprises a push-button switch and a protective plate provided in front of the push-button switch to protect the push-button switch and to allow the push-button switch to be pressed down, The protective plate is made of a light-transmitting material. The push-button switch further comprises a light-emitting part provided on the front surface of the push-button switch, and a light-emitting state switching means capable of switching the light-emitting state of the light-emitting part. The light emission state switching means is characterized by switching the light emission state of the light emission unit in conjunction with the downward operation.

[0014] (2) In addition, in the device described in (1) above, the light emission state switching means is characterized by switching the light emission unit from a state in which it is not emitting light to a state in which it is emitting light, or from a state in which it is emitting light to a state in which it is not emitting light.

[0015] (3) Further, in the device according to (1) above, the light emission state switching means switches the light emitting unit from a continuous light emission state to an intermittent light emission state.

[0016] (4) Further, in the device according to (1) above, the light emission state switching means switches the light emitting unit from a non-light-emitting state to a continuous light emission state, or switches from a continuous light emission state to a non-light-emitting state, and further, when a failure of the push button switch is detected while the light emitting unit is in the continuous light emission state, the light emitting unit is switched from the continuous light emission state to the intermittent light emission state to notify the failure of the push button switch. Effects of the Invention

[0017] In the present invention, a light emitting unit is provided on the front surface of the push button switch, and the light emission state of the light emitting unit is switched in conjunction with the pressing operation of the transmitter, so that during restoration work, the transmitter to be restored can be easily found even from a moving vehicle. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a cross-sectional view (corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3) showing the state before the pressing operation of the transmitter according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the transmitter in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a front view showing the external appearance of the transmitter in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a side view showing the external appearance of the transmitter in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view showing the state after the pressing operation of the transmitter in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of the transmitter showing a state where a cover member is attached. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an installation example of the transmitter. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] A transmitter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In the following description, the front of the transmitter 1 is defined based on the state where the transmitter 1 is installed in a fire hydrant device or the like (see FIG. 7), and the side where the protection plate 7 and the attachment member 57 are provided is defined as the front. That is, in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1 and 5, the upper side in the drawings is the front of the transmitter 1, and the lower side is the rear.

[0020] The transmitter 1 of the present embodiment is a push-button type notification device provided in a tunnel such as an automobile road and used for notification in case of fire. The transmitter 1 includes a push button switch 3 capable of transmitting a fire signal, an operation unit 5 for pressing down the push button switch 3, a holding means (stopper 37 described later) for holding the pressed-down state of the protection plate 7, and a release means (release lever 43 described later) for releasing the held state by the holding means. Each configuration will be described below.

[0021] <Push Button Switch> As shown in FIG. 1, the push button switch 3 includes a button portion 9 provided on a front surface of the push button switch 3, a cylindrical portion 10 extending rearward from the button portion 9, and a button guide portion 11 provided so as to surround the button portion 9 and the cylindrical portion 10 and guiding movement of the button portion 9. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the push button switch 3 further includes a normally open contact unit 13 configured to switch between an ON state and an OFF state by operation of the button portion 9, a normally closed contact unit 15, and an illumination unit 17. Electric power is supplied to the normally open contact unit 13, the normally closed contact unit 15, and the illumination unit 17 from a disaster prevention receiver panel installed near the tunnel portal, a signal converter (both not shown), and the like.

[0022] The button portion 9 is made of a translucent resin material and emits light when it receives light from the light source 25 of the illumination unit 17, which will be described later. This button portion 9 corresponds to the light-emitting portion of the present invention.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the normally closed contact unit 15 and the illumination unit 17 are connected to the rear end of the button guide section 11 via the unit base 19, and the normally open contact unit 13 is connected to the illumination unit 17. Each of the normally open contact unit 13, normally closed contact unit 15, and illumination unit 17 is provided with two terminal screws 21, and each terminal screw 21 is connected to a fixed contact 23 made of a conductive plate. Furthermore, the normally open contact unit 13, the normally closed contact unit 15, and the illumination unit 17 are equipped with movable contacts (not shown) made of conductive plates, which are linked to the movement of the button portion 9.

[0024] In the normally open contact unit 13, before the button portion 9 is pressed down, the movable contact and the fixed contact 23 are separated, and no current flows between the two contacts, resulting in an OFF state. When the button 9 is pressed down, the movable contact of the normally open contact unit 13 moves and makes contact with the fixed contact 23, and current flows between the two contacts, creating an ON state. When the normally open contact unit 13 is turned ON, a fire signal is transmitted to the aforementioned fire prevention receiving panel.

[0025] On the other hand, in the normally closed contact unit 15, the movable contact and the fixed contact 23 are in contact before the button 9 is pressed down, and the unit is in the ON state. When button 9 is pressed down, the movable contact of the normally closed contact unit 15 moves away from the fixed contact 23, turning it to the OFF state.

[0026] The illumination unit 17 has the same configuration as the normally open contact unit 13, and further includes a light source 25 (e.g., an LED) inside (see Figure 1). Similar to the normally open contact unit 13, the illumination unit 17 is in the OFF state before the button 9 is pressed down, and in the ON state when the button 9 is pressed down. The light source 25 lights up when the unit is in the ON state. In Figures 1 and 5, the light source 25 that is off is shown in white, and the light source 25 that is on is shown in gray. The mechanism for switching the illumination unit 17 ON / OFF, specifically the mechanism that brings the movable contact and the fixed contact 23 into contact or separates them in accordance with the operation of the button 9, corresponds to the light emission state switching means of the present invention.

[0027] The front surface of the illumination unit 17 and the parts of the unit base 19 that are illuminated by the light from the light source 25 are provided with through holes (only the through hole 19a of the unit base 19 is shown) to allow the light from the light source 25 to pass through, so that the light from the light source 25 is irradiated into the inside of the cylindrical part 10.

[0028] <Operation section> The operating unit 5 includes a protective plate 7 provided in front of the push-button switch 3, a guide portion 27 provided on the outer circumference of the protective plate 7 and extending in the direction of the downward operation of the protective plate 7, a cylindrical member 29 provided so as to surround the protective plate 7 and the guide portion 27, a coil spring 31 provided on the back side of the protective plate 7, and a case 33 that houses these components.

[0029] The protective plate 7 is a resin component that is translucent, similar to the button portion 9, and protects the push-button switch 3 from water sprayed from tunnel cleaning vehicles and dust floating in the tunnel, while also allowing the push-button switch 3 to be pressed down and operated. The protective plate 7 is constantly biased upward by a coil spring 31, and the biasing force of the coil spring 31 is set to be stronger than the pressure received from the water sprayed by the tunnel cleaning vehicle, so that the protective plate 7 is not pushed down by the water spray pressure.

[0030] The protective plate 7 has a cylindrical switch contact portion 35 on its back side that presses against the button portion 9. When the protective plate 7 is pressed against the biasing force of the coil spring 31, the switch contact portion 35 presses against the button portion 9, causing the button portion 9 to be pushed down (see Figure 5).

[0031] <Holding means> The transmitter 1 is provided with a rotatable stopper 37 as a holding means for maintaining the depressed state of the protective plate 7. The stopper 37 has a locking portion 41 that can lock onto a locked portion 39 provided on the guide portion 27, and the locked portion 41 locks onto the locked portion 39 to maintain the depressed state of the protective plate 7. A biasing means (not shown) is provided on the rotation axis of the stopper 37, which biases the locking portion 41 toward the locked portion 39.

[0032] <Cancellation means> The stopper 37 is provided with a release lever 43 as a release means for releasing the holding state by the holding means. When the locking portion 41 and the locked portion 39 are locked together, pulling the release lever 43 against the biasing means described above releases the locking of the locking portion 41 and the locked portion 39, and the coil spring 31 returns the protective plate 7 to its original state.

[0033] A rubber cover member 45 is attached to the transmitter 1 described above so as to cover the normally open contact unit 13, normally closed contact unit 15, illumination unit 17, and unit base 19 of the push button switch 3 (see Figure 6). As shown in Figure 7, the transmitter 1, to which the cover member 45 is attached, is installed in a fire hydrant device 47 located inside the tunnel.

[0034] The fire hydrant system 47 in Figure 7 houses valves such as fire hydrant valves, fire hoses, fire extinguishers, etc., and has a fire hydrant door 49 located in front of the section that houses the valves and fire hoses, and a fire extinguisher door 51 located in front of the section that houses the fire extinguishers. Between the fire hydrant door 49 and the fire extinguisher door 51, there is a door 55 for installing an indicator light 53 and a transmitter 1, and on the back side of this door 55, there is a stud (not shown) for installing the transmitter 1.

[0035] A pair of upper and lower mounting members 57 are provided on the edge of the case 33 (see Figure 6), and the transmitter 1 is installed by fixing these mounting members 57 to the studs mentioned above. The door 55 for the notification device is provided with an opening that is approximately the same shape as the protective plate 7, and in the installed state, the protective plate 7 of the transmitter 1 is exposed to the outside through this opening. The operator can press down the push button switch 3 located inside the transmitter 1 by pressing the surface of the protective plate 7 exposed through the opening with their finger.

[0036] Next, the operation of the transmitter 1 in this embodiment will be described. In the state shown in Figure 1, before the push-down operation, the illumination unit 17 is in the OFF state and the light source 25 is off. When the protective plate 7 is pressed, the button portion 9 of the push-button switch 3 is pressed down, as shown in Figure 5, and the stopper 37 holds the protective plate 7 in the pressed-down state. At this time, the normally open contact unit 13 turns ON and transmits a fire signal to the disaster prevention receiving panel (not shown) installed near the tunnel entrance. The illumination unit 17 also turns ON and the light source 25 lights up.

[0037] The light emitted by the light source 25 is radiated into the cylindrical part 10 through the through hole 19a of the unit base 19. When light is radiated into the cylindrical part 10, the button part 9 lights up, and the light emitted from the button part 9 is radiated to the outside through the protective plate 7.

[0038] As described above, in this embodiment, the button portion 9 does not emit light before the transmitter 1 is pressed down, and the button portion 9 emits light after the press down operation. The light emitted from the button portion 9 is visible from the outside through the protective plate 7.

[0039] In conventional transmitters with a holding mechanism, the only difference in appearance before and after the transmitter was a slight displacement of the protective plate, making it difficult to locate the transmitter to be restored from a moving vehicle. In contrast, in this embodiment, the transmitter 1 is designed so that the button 9 lights up when pressed down, making it clear that a press has been made, and allowing the transmitter 1 to be recovered to be easily located even from a moving vehicle.

[0040] The above description illustrates an example in which the button portion 9 switches from a non-illuminated state to an illuminated state by pressing down the transmitter 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by configuring the illumination unit 17 in the same way as the normally closed contact unit 15, that is, so that it is ON before the button portion 9 is pressed down and OFF after it is pressed down, the button portion 9 can be made to light up before the operation of pressing down the transmitter 1, and not to light up after the operation of pressing down the button portion 9. In this case as well, since it is clearly evident that a downward operation has been performed, the same effect as in the embodiment can be expected.

[0041] Furthermore, the state in which the button section 9 is illuminated includes not only the state in which the button section 9 is illuminated continuously (continuous illumination state), but also the state in which it is illuminated intermittently (flashing illumination state). Therefore, by using an illumination unit 17 in which the light source 25 is configured to blink, the transmitter 1 can be configured so that the button portion 9 switches from a non-illuminating state to a blinking illumination state in conjunction with the pressing operation.

[0042] There are no particular restrictions on the method of flashing the light source 25, but for example, electricity may be supplied intermittently from a disaster prevention receiving panel or the like to the illumination unit 17. In this way, when the illumination unit 17 is in the ON state, electricity is intermittently supplied to the light source 25, causing the light source 25 to blink, and thus the button section 9 will blink and light up.

[0043] Furthermore, in this invention, switching the light-emitting state of the light-emitting unit includes not only switching from the light-emitting state (including continuous and blinking) to a non-light-emitting state, and from a non-light-emitting state to a light-emitting state, but also switching from a continuous light-emitting state to a blinking light-emitting state. When switching from non-emitting to flashing emission, or from continuous emission to flashing emission, using the method described above, the control unit for intermittently supplying electricity from the disaster prevention receiving panel corresponds to the emission state switching means of the present invention.

[0044] Furthermore, the transmitter 1 of this embodiment can also be provided with an additional function to notify of a malfunction of the push-button switch 3. Specifically, the push-button switch 3 is configured to be in a non-illuminated state before being pressed down, and to be in a continuously illuminated state after being pressed down. Furthermore, when a malfunction of the push-button switch 3 is detected, the button section 9 is configured to blink. Here, a malfunction of the push-button switch 3 refers to an electrical abnormality such as a broken wire in the normally open contact unit 13 or the normally closed contact unit 15, or a short circuit due to water ingress. This malfunction notification function will be explained below with specific examples.

[0045] [Table 1]

[0046] Table 1 shows the light emission pattern of the button section 9 (light-emitting section) in the transmitter 1 of the embodiment. As mentioned above, the electricity supplied from the disaster prevention receiver panel to the transmitter 1 is not supplied to the light source 25 of the illumination unit 17 before the push-down operation, but is supplied to the light source 25 after the push-down operation. Furthermore, it is assumed that some kind of wiring is connected to the terminal screws 21 of both the normally open contact unit 13 and the normally closed contact unit 15, so that their ON / OFF states can be detected.

[0047] In the state before the press-down operation, as shown in Normal Pattern 1 of Table 1, the normally open contact unit 13 is in the OFF state, the normally closed contact unit 15 is in the ON state, and the illumination unit 17 is in the OFF state, so the button part 9 is not emitting light. When the transmitter 1 is pressed down, the normally open contact unit 13 switches to the ON state, the normally closed contact unit 15 switches to the OFF state, and the illumination unit 17 switches to the ON state, as shown in normal pattern 2 of Table 1. When the illumination unit 17 is turned ON, electricity is supplied to the light source 25, causing the button section 9 to continuously emit light. As described above, when the illumination unit 17 is ON, the normally open contact unit 13 is ON and the normally closed contact unit 15 is OFF. If any other state is detected, the button unit 9 will flash to indicate the abnormality.

[0048] For example, if an abnormality such as a broken wire occurs inside the normally open contact unit 13, even if the transmitter 1 is pressed down, the normally open contact unit 13 may remain in the OFF state and not change, as shown in abnormality pattern 1 in Table 1. If the illumination unit 17 is in the ON state but the normally open contact unit 13 is in the OFF state, the power supplied from the disaster prevention receiving panel to the transmitter 1 is switched from continuous supply to intermittent supply. As a result, electricity is intermittently supplied to the light source 25, causing the button section 9 to flash and light up.

[0049] Furthermore, if a short circuit occurs inside the normally closed contact unit 15 due to water ingress, the normally closed contact unit 15 may remain in the ON state and not change even when the transmitter 1 is pressed down, as shown in abnormal pattern 2 in Table 1. If the illumination unit 17 is ON, but the normally closed contact unit 15 is also ON, the power supplied from the disaster prevention receiving panel to the transmitter 1 is switched from continuous supply to intermittent supply. As a result, electricity is intermittently supplied to the light source 25, causing the button section 9 to flash and light up.

[0050] As described above, when the illumination unit 17 is in the ON state, if the normally open contact unit 13 or the normally closed contact unit 15 is in an abnormal state, the abnormality can be notified by flashing the button unit 9. Thus, it is also possible to provide the above-mentioned fault notification function as an additional function of the transmitter 1.

[0051] Furthermore, the button section 9 can only be made to flash when the illumination unit 17 is ON; therefore, in the above example, an abnormality can be indicated after the button is pressed down. Furthermore, by configuring the illumination unit 17 in the same way as the normally closed contact unit 15, if the illumination unit 17 is in the ON state before the push-down operation, it becomes possible to signal an abnormality in the state before the push-down operation.

[0052] The above describes an example in which a malfunction is indicated by flashing the button 9. As a variation, the LED used in the illumination unit 17 may be a multi-color LED, and the color of the button 9's illumination may be changed between normal operation and malfunction. For example, as shown in Normal Pattern 2 in Table 1, the LED lights up red when the normally open contact unit 13 and normally closed contact unit 15 are in a normal state, and the LED lights up yellow when the normally open contact unit 13 or normally closed contact unit 15 is in an abnormal state, as shown in Abnormal Patterns 1 and 2 in Table 1. As a result, when the illumination unit 17 is in the ON state, if the normally open contact unit 13 or the normally closed contact unit 15 is in an abnormal state, the button part 9 will emit light in a different color than usual to notify the abnormality.

[0053] As described above, in this embodiment, the light emission state of the button portion 9 of the transmitter 1 switches in conjunction with the pressing operation, making it easy to determine whether or not it is the transmitter 1 that has been pressed down. This makes it easier to locate the transmitter 1 to be restored from a moving vehicle during the restoration process after the transmitter 1 has been used to make a notification, thereby shortening the time required for the restoration work.

[0054] Furthermore, by incorporating an illuminated push-button switch 3, it becomes possible to provide an additional function: a fault notification function that alerts the user to a malfunction of the push-button switch 3.

[0055] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the light source 25 is provided inside the illumination unit 17, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the light source may be provided outside the illumination unit 17. For example, an LED lamp or the like, which serves as a light source, may be installed inside the cylindrical portion 10, and this LED lamp may be electrically connected to the illumination unit 17. In this case as well, when the illumination unit 17 is turned ON by the push-down operation, electricity is supplied to the LED lamp and the LED lamp lights up, so the same effect as in the embodiment can be obtained. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 1 Transmitter 3. Push button switch 5 Control section 7 Protective plate 9 Button section 10. Cylindrical part 11 Button guide section 13. Normally Open Contact Unit 15. Normally Closed Contact Unit 17 Illumination Unit 19 Unit Base 19a Through hole 21 Terminal screws 23 Fixed contacts 25 light sources 27 Guide Section 29. Cylindrical member 31 Coil spring 33 cases 35 Switch contact area 37 Stopper 39 Locked part 41 Locking part 43 Release Lever 45 Cover component 47. Fire hydrant system 49 Fire hydrant door 51 Fire extinguisher door 53 Indicator light 55 Door for alarm equipment 57 Mounting components

Claims

1. A transmitter comprising a push-button switch and a protective plate provided in front of the push-button switch to protect the push-button switch and to allow the push-button switch to be pressed down, The protective plate is made of a light-transmitting material. The push-button switch further comprises a light-emitting part provided on the front surface of the push-button switch, and a light-emitting state switching means capable of switching the light-emitting state of the light-emitting part. The light emission state switching means is characterized by switching the light emission state of the light emission unit in conjunction with the downward operation.

2. The transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that the light emission state switching means switches the light emission unit from a state in which it is not emitting light to a state in which it is emitting light, or from a state in which it is emitting light to a state in which it is not emitting light.

3. The transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that the light emission state switching means switches the light emission unit from a state in which it emits light continuously to a state in which it emits light intermittently.

4. The light-emitting state switching means switches the light-emitting unit from a state in which it is not emitting light to a state in which it is continuously emitting light, or from a state in which it is continuously emitting light to a state in which it is not emitting light, and further, when a malfunction of the push-button switch is detected while the light-emitting unit is continuously emitting light, the light-emitting unit switches from a state in which it is continuously emitting light to a state in which it is intermittently emitting light to notify the malfunction of the push-button switch, as described in claim 1.

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