Perceptron

Abstract

To provide a display structure of a sensor capable of suppressing a manufacturing cost while enhancing designability and commodity value by securing visibility of an indicator lamp from any direction.SOLUTION: A sensor includes: a housing; a sensing unit that projects from inside of the housing to outside thereof and senses a physical quantity; a protective member that surrounds the sensing unit; and a luminous body that emits light when the sensing unit senses a predetermined amount of the physical quantity. The protective member is opposed to the luminous body and transmits light from the luminous body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a detector, and more particularly to a detector for detecting heat, flame, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the indicator light of a detector only lights up in one place, so the indicator light may be hidden by the head and cannot be seen from certain directions. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a flame detector in which an operation indicator light is provided separately on the bottom surface of the head, making the operation indicator light visible from any direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-180273 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in recent years, inconspicuous sensors or designs that do not make the sensor stand out are popular, and providing a separate operation indicator as in Patent Document 1, for example, reduces the sensor's design quality. In addition, the number of parts increases, resulting in additional manufacturing costs.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an indicator structure for a sensor that can ensure visibility of the indicator light from any direction, improve design, and reduce manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides: A housing and A sensing unit protruding from inside the housing to outside the housing; A protective member that surrounds the sensing unit; The sensing unit includes a light emitting body that emits light when sensing, the protective member is disposed at a position facing the light emitter and transmits light from the light emitter; A detector characterized by Here, examples of objects or physical quantities sensed by the sensing unit include, but are not limited to, heat and flame.

[0007] In the detector of the present invention, it is preferable that the protective member has an outer surface which is textured.

[0008] In the detector of the present invention, it is preferable that the protective member is a milky white resin member.

[0009] In the sensor of the present invention, it is preferable that the protective member has a light transmittance of 10% to 90%.

[0010] In addition, in the sensor of the present invention, it is preferable that the protective member is a one-piece molded product including a light-guiding section facing the light-emitting body, a pillar section extending from the light-guiding section along the sensing section, and an annular section arranged at the tip of the pillar section. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display structure for a sensor that can ensure visibility of the indicator light from any direction, thereby improving design and commercial value, while also reducing manufacturing costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of a sensor 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 5A and 5B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of a protective member 4. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Representative embodiments of a sensor according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these drawings. In addition, since the drawings are for conceptually explaining the present invention, the dimensions, ratios, and numbers may be exaggerated or simplified for ease of understanding.

[0014] The detector 1 is attached to a ceiling, a wall surface, etc., and detects heat, flames, etc. Here, a heat detector is assumed as the detector 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. 1(A) and (B), the detector 1 includes a housing 2, a detector unit 3, a protective member 4, and a light emitter 5. The detector 1 is installed so that the detector unit 3 and the protective member 4 face the monitoring area.

[0015] The housing 2 contains various components such as the light emitter 5 and the substrate 6. The outer surface of the housing 2 (the surface from which the sensing unit 3 protrudes) is flat so as not to impede the visibility of the protective member 4. The substrate 6 is, for example, a printed wiring board, and in addition to the light emitter 5, is equipped with electronic components (not shown) such as a processor or a microcontroller.

[0016] The sensing unit 3 senses a certain physical quantity and is provided so as to protrude from inside the housing 2 to the outside of the housing 2 in order to detect heat and the like from the monitored area.

[0017] A thermistor can be suitably used as the sensing unit 3, and in this case, heat is assumed to be the physical quantity to be sensed. The monitored area is monitored by utilizing the fact that the electrical resistance of the thermistor changes with heat. The sensing result of the sensing unit 3 is transmitted to a processor or microcontroller (not shown) on the substrate 6 and is used to control the light emitter 5.

[0018] The light-emitting body 5 is an indicator light that emits light when the sensing unit 3 senses a predetermined amount of the physical quantity. In this embodiment, the light-emitting body 5 is disposed inside the housing 2, but the light-emitting body 5 may be disposed outside the housing 2.

[0019] A light emitting diode (LED) is preferably used as the light emitting body 5, but is not limited thereto. There is no limitation on the color of the light emitted by the light emitting body 5, but considering that the indicator light has a warning function, red light is preferable. Moreover, the light emitting body 5 may have a size of, for example, about 1.6 mm x 0.6 mm.

[0020] The protective member 4 is a member protruding from the housing 2, and surrounds and protects the sensing unit 3. The protective member 4 is transparent or translucent, and is disposed so as to face the light-emitting body 5 (see FIG. 1(B)), allowing light from the light-emitting body 5 to pass through.

[0021] The protective member 4 may have an outer surface that has been subjected to a textured finish. The protective member 4 may also be a resin member colored milky white. In either case, the protective member 4 preferably has a light transmittance of 10% to 90%.

[0022] The material for the protective member 4 is preferably a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate resin, but is not limited to this, and ABS, PC / ABS, etc. may also be used.

[0023] The protective member 4 can be constructed as a one-piece molded product including a light-guiding portion 41 facing the light-emitting body 5, a pillar portion 42 extending from the light-guiding portion 41 along the sensing portion 3, and a ring-shaped portion 43 disposed at the tip of the pillar portion 42 (see Figures 2(A) and (B)).

[0024] Light guiding section 41 has an annular or cylindrical shape, and sensing section 3 is inserted into the inside of light guiding section 41. A part of light guiding section 41 faces light emitter 5 (see FIG. 1(B)). Pillar portion 42 extends from light guiding portion 41 along sensing portion 3 to protect sensing portion 3. Moreover, pillar portion 42 is preferably composed of a plurality of (e.g., four) pillars arranged at approximately equal intervals along annular portion 43 so as not to impede sensing of heat and the like by sensing portion 3. The annular portion 43 is disposed at a position farther from the housing 2 than the tip of the sensing portion 3 in order to protect the sensing portion 3 .

[0025] From the perspective of ease of assembly, it is desirable that the light emitter 5 and the protection member 4 (light guide portion 41) be arranged with a slight gap therebetween. However, in order to supply a sufficient amount of light from the light emitter 5 to the protection member 4, the distance D from the light emitter 5 is preferably 0.0 mm < D < 1.0 mm.

[0026] In such a sensor 1, when the sensing portion 3 senses a predetermined physical quantity (for example, heat), the light emitter 5 lights up. The light from the light emitter 5 passes through the protection member 4 and exits to the outside of the protection member 4. As a result, from the outside, it appears that the protection member 4 is emitting light. The protection member 4 occupies a larger range than when lit and is visible from all directions. That is, the visibility of the indicator light is improved.

[0027] Further, in the sensor 1, instead of using a light guide for guiding the light from the light emitter 5, the light from the light emitter 5 is transmitted through the protection member 4, causing the entire protection member 4 to emit light. That is, the protection member 4 has both the protection function of the sensing portion 3 and the function as an indicator light. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced compared to the case where the protection of the sensing portion and the indicator light are configured as separate members, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

[0028] Also, in the sensor 1, since there is no separate operation indicator light as in, for example, Patent Document 1, it does not stand out too much or make too strong a claim. Therefore, the design quality of the sensor can be enhanced.

[0029] As described above, representative embodiments of the present invention have been explained, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various design changes are possible and are also included in the present invention.

[0030] In this embodiment, a heat sensor is assumed as the sensor 1, but the sensor 1 may be a smoke sensor, a flame sensor, or the like.

[0031] Also, in this embodiment, the light emitter 5 is arranged inside the housing 2, but the light emitter 5 may be arranged outside the housing 2.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0032] 1 sensor 2. Chassis 3 Sensing part 4 Protective materials 5. Luminous Object

Claims

1. A housing and A sensing unit protruding from inside the housing to outside the housing; A protective member that surrounds the sensing unit; A single light emitter that emits light when the sensing unit detects the light; the protective member is disposed at a position facing the light-emitting body, transmits light from the light-emitting body, and is configured as an integrally molded product including a light-guiding section facing the light-emitting body, a column section extending substantially perpendicularly from the light-guiding section along the sensing section, and an annular section disposed at the tip of the column section; A detector characterized by:

2. the protective member having an outer surface that is textured; 2. The detector of claim 1 .

3. The protective member is a milky white resin member; 3. A detector as claimed in claim 1 or 2.

4. The protective member has a light transmittance of 10% to 90%; The sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that

5. The light emitting body and the protective member are disposed with a gap therebetween; The sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that

6. The gap distance D between the light-emitting body and the protective member satisfies 0.0 mm < D < 1.0 mm.

6. The detector according to claim 5,

Images