Non-contact switch and its control system

Abstract

To provide a non-contact switch and a control system thereof.SOLUTION: A non-contact switch control system includes a plurality of non-contact switches, each non-contact switch including an infrared light module including: a first switch module having a first switch state; an irradiation unit connected to the first switch module and for irradiating infrared light based on the first switch state; a receiving unit for receiving reflected infrared light; a brightness sensing unit for generating brightness information from ambient light; a second switch module having a second switch state; and a processing unit respectively connected to the plurality of non-contact switches and for controlling the second switch state of the second switch module of the plurality of non-contact switches based on the reflected light and the brightness information of each non-contact switch.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a non-contact switch and its control system, and more particularly to a non-contact switch having a function that can be used for cleaning work and its control system. [Background technology]

[0002] Non-contact products can avoid the risk of virus infection through contact, but they require cleaning between uses due to factors such as ash dust.

[0003] When cleaning personnel clean current non-contact switches (e.g., floating touch switches, etc.), the need for cleaning often results in the non-contact switches being accidentally touched and activated unnecessarily frequently during the cleaning process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To this end, the present invention provides a non-contact switch and a non-contact switch control system. The non-contact switch control system includes a plurality of non-contact switches and a processing unit. The non-contact switch can irradiate infrared light by an irradiating unit of an infrared light module, and then receive reflected infrared light via a receiving unit, and generate brightness information from ambient light via a brightness sensing unit. The processing unit can control a first switch state of a first switch module based on the brightness information generated from ambient light via the brightness sensing unit, thereby controlling whether or not infrared light is irradiated from the irradiating unit, and can also control a second switch state of a second switch module of the plurality of non-contact switches based on reflected infrared light received by the receiving unit.

[0005] The non-contact switch provided by the present invention comprises an infrared light module having a first switch state, an irradiation unit connected to the first switch module for irradiating infrared light based on the first switch state, a receiving unit for receiving reflected infrared light, a brightness sensing unit for generating brightness information from ambient light, a second switch module having a second switch state, and a processing unit connected to the infrared light module, the brightness sensing unit, and the second switch module for controlling the second switch state based on the reflected light and the brightness information.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-contact switch further comprises a memory unit connected to a processing unit for storing a control program, the luminance information includes first luminance information and second luminance information, the control program is used to perform a difference calculation based on the first luminance information and the second luminance information to generate luminance difference information, and the processing unit is further used to execute the control program and control a second switch state based on the luminance difference information.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing unit of the non-contact switch further generates a pulse signal according to the brightness difference information, and the second switch module is further used for receiving the pulse signal.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-contact switch further comprises a light source for generating ambient light.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first switch state and the second switch state of the non-contact switch respectively comprise an open state and a short state.

[0010] The non-contact switch control system provided by the present invention comprises a plurality of non-contact switches, each of which comprises an infrared light module including: a first switch module having a first switch state; an irradiation unit connected to the first switch module for irradiating infrared light based on the first switch state; a receiving unit for receiving reflected light of the infrared light; a brightness sensing unit for generating brightness information from ambient light; a second switch module having a second switch state; and a processing unit connected to each of the plurality of non-contact switches for controlling a second switch state of the second switch module of the plurality of non-contact switches based on the reflected light and brightness information of each non-contact switch.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-contact switch control system further includes a memory unit connected to a processing unit for storing a control program, the brightness information includes first brightness information and second brightness information, the control program is used to perform a difference calculation based on the first brightness information and the second brightness information to generate brightness difference information, and the processing unit executes the control program, and is further used to control a second switch state of a second switch module of the multiple non-contact switches based on the brightness difference information.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing unit of the non-contact switch control system further generates a pulse signal according to the brightness difference information, and a plurality of non-contact switches are further used to receive the pulse signal.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-contact switch control system further comprises a light source for generating ambient light.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first switch state and the second switch state of the non-contact switch control system respectively comprise an open state and a short state.

[0015] In summary, the non-contact switch and its control system of the present invention can detect ambient light by the brightness sensor, and when a cleaner cleans the non-contact switch, the present invention can be set to a cleaning mode, so that infrared light is temporarily not emitted from the irradiation unit in the infrared light module until the cleaning work is completed. Due to the above structure, the non-contact switch will not be activated by the cleaner accidentally touching it during the cleaning process. For example, the present invention can be applied to an elevator system, and while the cleaner is performing cleaning work, the non-contact switch of the present invention will not be accidentally touched and activated by the cleaning work. Therefore, when the present invention is applied to an elevator system, it is possible to reduce unnecessary elevator call operations, and has technical effects such as saving power and shortening the waiting time of users.

[0016] In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more clearly comprehensible, the following detailed description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a non-contact switch provided by an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by a further embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by a further embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of a non-contact switch provided by one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention includes an infrared module IRM, a processing unit PU, a brightness sensing unit BSU, a memory unit SU, and a second switch module SWM2. The infrared module IRM includes an illumination unit EU, a first switch module SWM1, and a receiving unit RU. The first switch module SWM1 is connected to the illumination unit EU and the processing unit PU, and the processing unit PU is connected to the brightness sensing unit BSU, the memory unit SU, the receiving unit RU, and the second switch module SWM2.

[0020] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention can generate luminance information from the ambient light by the luminance sensing unit BSU, and then the processing unit PU controls the first switch state of the first switch module SWM1 according to the luminance information, and also controls the illumination unit EU according to the first switch state of the first switch module SWM1, so as to determine whether the illumination unit EU emits infrared light (turns on the infrared light) or does not emit infrared light (turns off the infrared light). The processing unit PU can control the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2 according to the reflected light of the infrared light. For example, when the illumination unit EU emits infrared light and reflects it off an object, and the receiving unit RU receives the reflected light of the infrared light, the processing unit PU can control the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2, and the second switch state can be set to an open state or a short state. When the receiving unit RU does not receive the reflected infrared light, the processing unit PU can control the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2, and set the second switch state to a short state or an open state (that is, in this embodiment, the second switch state is different depending on whether the receiving unit RU receives the reflected light or not). In addition, in this embodiment, the second switch module SWM2 of the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention can be further connected to another external circuit, and the external circuit can be controlled by the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2. From the above, the processing unit PU of the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention can control the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2 based on the reflected infrared light irradiated by the irradiating unit EU and the brightness information generated by the brightness sensing unit BSU, and thereby further control the external circuit.

[0021] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention includes an infrared module IRM, which includes a first switch module SWM1, an irradiator EU, and a receiver RU.

[0022] The first switch module SWM1 is a device used as a switch in a circuit, and is a device for switching the irradiation state of the irradiation unit EU and controlling whether the irradiation unit EU irradiates infrared light. The first switch module SWM1 has a first switch state. The first switch state refers to the state of the switch in the circuit of the first switch module SWM1, and can include, for example, an open state and a short state. The processing unit PU can control whether the irradiation unit EU irradiates infrared light by sending a control signal to switch the first switch state of the first switch module SWM1. For example, the first switch module SWM1 may be a multi-stage changeover switch (opening or shorting a circuit), a transistor switch (controlling the voltage or current to cause the transistor to operate in the cutoff region or saturation region, and when the transistor operates in the cutoff region, the first switch state is regarded as the open state of the present invention, and when the transistor operates in the saturation region, the first switch state is regarded as the short state of the present invention), or a logic circuit, but the present invention is not limited to these, and any device that can control whether the irradiation unit EU irradiates infrared light by switching the first switch state can be used as the first switch module SWM1 of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments listed here.

[0023] The illuminating unit EU is a device connected to the first switch module SWM1 and for illuminating infrared light based on the first switch state of the first switch module SWM1. For example, the illuminating unit EU may be an infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED). The illuminating unit EU can detect whether an object (or a human body, such as a finger) is approaching the non-contact switch NCSW in a manner that cannot be visually identified by the human eye. When an object approaches, the infrared light from the illuminating unit EU is reflected by the object, and then the receiving unit RU receives the reflected infrared light, and the processor PU can control the second switch module SWM2 based on the reflected infrared light.

[0024] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention includes a luminance sensing unit BSU, which is connected to the processing unit PU and is a device for generating luminance information from ambient light. For example, the luminance sensing unit BSU may be a device such as a photoresist, a phototransistor, or a photodiode that can directly or indirectly obtain luminance information of the environment in which the non-contact switch NCSW is installed (in one embodiment, the luminance sensing unit BSU generates luminance information from ambient visible light). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any device that can directly or indirectly obtain luminance information of the environment in which the non-contact switch NCSW is installed may be used as the luminance sensing unit BSU of the present invention.

[0025] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention includes a second switch module SWM2, which is connected to the processing unit PU and serves as a switch in a circuit. The second switch module SWM2 has a second switch state. The second switch state refers to the switch state of the second switch module SWM2 in the circuit, and may include, for example, an open state and a short state. The processing unit PU can send a control signal to switch the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2. The second switch module SWM2 can be connected to another external circuit, and the processing unit PU can control the external circuit according to the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2. For example, the second switch module SWM2 may be a multi-stage changeover switch (opening or shorting a circuit), a transistor switch (controlling the voltage or current to cause the transistor to operate in the cutoff region or saturation region, and when the transistor operates in the cutoff region, the first switch state is regarded as the open state of the present invention, and when the transistor operates in the saturation region, the first switch state is regarded as the short state of the present invention), or a logic circuit, but the present invention is not limited to these, and any device that can control an external circuit by changing the state of a switch can be used as the second switch module SWM2 of the present invention.

[0026] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention includes a processing unit PU, and the processing unit PU refers to a device used as a processing core of a device connected to the infrared light module IRM, the brightness sensing unit BSU, and the second switch module SWM2, for controlling the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2 based on the reflected light and brightness information of the infrared light. For example, the processing unit PU may be a one-chip microcomputer (MCU), a CPU, or other devices having similar functions. The types of processing units listed are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Any device that can control the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2 based on the reflected light and brightness information of the infrared light can be used as the processing unit PU of the present invention.

[0027] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention includes a memory unit SU, which is connected to the processing unit PU and refers to a device for storing a control program. In one embodiment, the luminance information generated by the luminance sensing unit BSU may further include first luminance information and second luminance information. The first luminance information refers to luminance information generated at a first time point (or may be called an earlier time point), and the second luminance information refers to luminance information generated at a second time point (or may be called a later time point). The processing unit PU may further execute a control program for performing a difference calculation based on the first luminance information and the second luminance information and generating luminance difference information. For example, the processing unit PU may generate luminance difference information by performing a difference calculation between a value of the first luminance information generated at a first time point and a value of the second luminance information generated at a second time point. According to the magnitude of the numerical value of the brightness difference information, when the surrounding brightness changes suddenly (for example, when the brightness information generated by the brightness sensing unit BSU suddenly becomes extremely low), the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention switches the non-contact switch NCSW to a cleaning mode and temporarily stops the irradiation unit EU from irradiating infrared light, thereby preventing the non-contact switch NCSW from malfunctioning. For example, the storage unit SU may be a non-volatile memory, a memory card, a register, etc., or other devices having similar functions. The types of storage devices listed are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and all storage devices having similar functions can be used as the storage unit SU of the present invention. In this embodiment, the processing unit PU is further used to execute a control program and control the second switch state of the second switch module SWM2 based on the brightness difference information. In one embodiment, the processing unit PU can further generate a pulse signal based on the brightness difference information, and the second switch module SWM2 receives the pulse signal and further uses it to control the second switch module SWM2.

[0028] In one embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW of the present invention may further include a light source for generating ambient light. In one embodiment, the light source is an external light source provided by the environment, such as a light source of the environment in which the non-contact switch NCSW is installed. In one embodiment, the light source is installed inside the non-contact switch NCSW and connected to the processing unit PU (not shown) for providing stable ambient light when the brightness of the surroundings in which the non-contact switch NCSW is installed is too dark or unstable.

[0029] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] The present invention provides multiple embodiments. In each embodiment of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used to indicate that the function of the member or device is the same as that of the other embodiments. Therefore, in each embodiment of the present invention, the same functions will not be described repeatedly, and only the differences from other embodiments will be described. In addition, the matters mentioned in each embodiment can be rearranged and combined as long as there is no contradiction, and can be applied to each embodiment. The present invention is not limited to the listed embodiments.

[0031] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch control system includes a non-contact switch NCSW, a processing unit PU, a brightness sensing unit BSU, and a memory unit SU. The non-contact switch NCSW includes an infrared module IRM and a second switch module SWM2. The infrared module IRM includes an illumination unit EU, a first switch module SWM1, and a receiving unit RU. The first switch module SWM1 is connected to the illumination unit EU and the processing unit PU, and the processing unit PU is connected to the brightness sensing unit BSU, the receiving unit RU, the memory unit SU, and the second switch module SWM2.

[0032] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW may further include a second switch module SWM2, and the processing unit PU may be connected to multiple non-contact switches NCSW according to the connection method of Fig. 2. This embodiment provides a connection method of the present invention, and takes as an example a method of connecting a non-contact switch control system to a single non-contact switch NCSW.

[0033] Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by another embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch control system includes a plurality of non-contact switches NCSW, a processing unit PU, a brightness sensing unit BSU, and a memory unit SU. Each non-contact switch includes an infrared module IRM and a second switch module SWM2. The infrared module IRM includes an illumination unit EU, a first switch module SWM1, and a connection unit RU. The processing unit PU is connected to the plurality of non-contact switches NCSW, the brightness sensing unit BSU, and the memory unit SU. This embodiment provides another connection method of the present invention, and takes as an example a method of connecting the non-contact switch control system to a plurality of non-contact switches NCSW.

[0035] Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by another embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch NCSW can further include a brightness sensing unit BSU, and the processing unit PU can be connected to multiple non-contact switches NCSW through the connection method shown in Figure 4. This embodiment provides another connection method of the present invention, and takes as an example a method of connecting a non-contact switch control system to a single non-contact switch NCSW.

[0037] Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a block diagram of a non-contact switch control system provided by another embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] In this embodiment, the non-contact switch control system includes a plurality of non-contact switches NCSW, a processing unit PU, and a memory unit SU. Each non-contact switch includes an infrared module IRM, a brightness sensing unit BSU, and a second switch module SWM2. The infrared module IRM includes an illumination unit EU, a first switch module SWM1, and a receiving unit RU. The processing unit PU is connected to the plurality of non-contact switches NCSW, the brightness sensing unit BSU, and the memory unit SU. This embodiment provides another connection method of the present invention, and takes as an example a method of connecting the non-contact switch control system to a plurality of non-contact switches NCSW.

[0039] In summary, the non-contact switch and its control system of the present invention can detect ambient light by the brightness sensor. When a cleaner is cleaning the non-contact switch, the present invention can be put into a cleaning mode and temporarily set to not emit infrared light from the irradiation unit in the infrared light module until the cleaning work is completed. The above structure prevents the non-contact switch of the present invention from being accidentally touched and activated when the cleaner is performing the cleaning work. For example, the present invention can be applied to an elevator system, and since the non-contact switch of the present invention will not be accidentally touched and activated while the cleaner is performing the cleaning work, in the application example to the elevator system, unnecessary elevator call operations can be reduced, and technical effects such as power saving and shortening of waiting time for users can be obtained.

[0040] The present invention has been disclosed above using examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] IRM: Infrared module EU: Irradiation section RU: Receiver PU: Processing unit BSU: Brightness sensor unit SU: Storage section SWM1: First switch module SWM2: Second switch module NCSW: Non-contact switch

Claims

1. A non-contact switch, an infrared light module including: a first switch module having a first switch state; an irradiation unit connected to the first switch module, for irradiating infrared light based on the first switch state; and a receiving unit for receiving reflected light of the infrared light; a luminance sensor for generating luminance information from ambient light; a second switch module having a second switch state; a processing unit connected to the infrared light module, the brightness sensing unit, and the second switch module, for controlling the second switch state based on the reflected light and the brightness information; The non-contact switch is switched to a cleaning mode based on luminance difference information in the luminance information, and controls the irradiation unit not to irradiate infrared rays. A non-contact switch characterized by:

2. A storage unit connected to the processing unit and configured to store a control program, the luminance information includes first luminance information and second luminance information; the control program is used for performing a difference calculation based on the first luminance information and the second luminance information to generate the luminance difference information, The non-contact switch according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further used for executing the control program and controlling the second switch state based on the luminance difference information.

3. The non-contact switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing unit further generates a pulse signal according to the brightness difference information, and the second switch module is further used for receiving the pulse signal.

4. 2. The non-contact switch of claim 1, further comprising a light source for generating the ambient light.

5. 2. The non-contact switch of claim 1, wherein the first switch state and the second switch state comprise an open state and a short state, respectively.

6. A plurality of non-contact switches, each of the non-contact switches comprising: an infrared light module including: a first switch module having a first switch state; an irradiation unit connected to the first switch module, for irradiating infrared light based on the first switch state; and a receiving unit for receiving reflected light of the infrared light; a luminance sensor for generating luminance information from ambient light; a second switch module having a second switch state; The plurality of non-contact switches comprising: a processing unit connected to each of the plurality of non-contact switches, for controlling the second switch state of the second switch module of each of the non-contact switches based on the reflected light and the brightness information of each of the non-contact switches; Equipped with Each of the non-contact switches is switched to a cleaning mode based on the brightness difference information in each of the brightness information, and each of the irradiation units is controlled not to irradiate infrared rays. A non-contact switch control system comprising:

7. A storage unit connected to the processing unit and configured to store a control program, Each of the luminance information includes first luminance information and second luminance information, the control program is used to perform a difference calculation for each piece of luminance information based on the first luminance information and the second luminance information to generate the luminance difference information; 7. The non-contact switch control system according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit is further used to execute the control program and, for each of the non-contact switches, control the second switch state of the second switch module based on the luminance difference information.

8. The non-contact switch control system according to claim 6, characterized in that the processing unit generates a pulse signal according to each of the luminance difference information, and each of the non-contact switches is further adapted to receive the pulse signal.

9. 7. The non-contact switch control system of claim 6, further comprising a light source for generating the ambient light.

10. A non-contact switch control system as described in claim 6, characterized in that the first switch state and the second switch state in each of the non-contact switches respectively comprise an open state and a short state.

Images