Test Equipment

Abstract

To facilitate an operation test of a fire sensor attached at a high position.SOLUTION: A testing device comprises: a housing having an opening that for covering a fire sensor inside it; a rod-like support part with one end attached to the housing and the other end serving a grip for a user of the testing device; a simulated-fire generation unit that generates a simulated fire; an image capturing unit that captures an image of the fire sensor; a force generation unit that generates a force for adjusting a posture of the housing; and a control unit that controls the force generation unit on the basis of an image captured by the image capturing unit and adjusts the posture of the housing so as to orient the opening of the housing toward the fire sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a test apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Fire detectors for detecting fires are installed on ceilings, walls, etc. of buildings. Periodic inspections of fire detectors are required by the Fire Service Act, and the inspections include appearance tests to check for external damage, dirt, etc., and operation tests using test equipment that actually gives smoke and heat from a simulated fire. Generally, fire detectors are attached to high places such as ceilings or ceiling beams, so workers operate an operating rod with a test device attached to the tip to appropriately position the test device on the fire detector and perform operation tests (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-183693 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Such fire detectors may be installed, for example, at a position about 20 m above the floor. Therefore, the worker must hold one end of an operating rod that is about 10 to 20 m long, and properly position the test device at the other end of the operating rod on the fire detector. In this case, the weight and bending of the operating rod, arm tremors, etc. cause the test device to shake, making it difficult to properly adjust the position of the test device, which places a heavy burden on the worker.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and has an object to make it possible to easily perform an operation test of a fire detector that is installed in a high position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test apparatus for testing the operation of a fire detector, the test apparatus comprising: a housing having an opening for covering the fire detector inside, a rod-shaped support part having one end attached to the housing and the other end for being held by a user of the test apparatus, a pseudo-fire generating part provided inside the housing for generating a pseudo-fire, an imaging part provided inside the housing for capturing an image of the fire detector, a force generating part for generating a force to adjust the attitude of the housing, and a control part for controlling the force generating part based on the image captured by the imaging part to adjust the attitude of the housing so that the opening of the housing faces the fire detector.

[0007] The force generating unit may have a rotating disk and a motor that rotates the rotating disk, and the control unit may control the motor to increase or decrease the rotational speed of the rotating disk, thereby changing the direction and magnitude of the force generated by the force generating unit and adjusting the posture of the housing.

[0008] The force generating section may include two rotating disks whose rotation planes are perpendicular to an opening plane of the opening of the housing and perpendicular to each other.

[0009] The force generating unit may have a rotating disk and an actuator that changes the inclination of the rotation plane of the rotating disk, and the control unit may control the actuator to change the inclination of the rotation plane of the rotating disk, thereby changing the direction and magnitude of the force generated by the force generating unit and adjusting the posture of the housing.

[0010] The rotating disk of the force generating section may have a rotation plane that is parallel to an opening plane of the opening of the housing.

[0011] The fire detector is provided on a ceiling surface, and the control unit may control the force generating unit to generate forces parallel to the ceiling surface and in at least two different directions when the opening of the housing is directed toward the ceiling surface.

[0012] The control unit may adjust the attitude of the housing so that the fire detector is positioned within a predetermined range in the image captured by the imaging unit.

[0013] The fire detector may further include an operation detection unit that determines whether the fire detector has operated normally, and the control unit may transmit a control signal to the pseudo-fire generation unit for stopping the generation of a pseudo-fire in response to the operation detection unit determining that the fire detector has operated normally. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily carry out an operation test of a fire detector that is installed at a high position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a typical usage scene of a test device 100 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] An example of the configuration of a test device 100 according to this embodiment is shown together with a fire detector 10. [Diagram 3] 2 shows an example of the configuration of a housing 120 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 shows a first configuration example of a force generating section 200 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 shows a first configuration example of a control unit 160 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 shows a second configuration example of the force generating section 200 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a gyro effect. [Figure 8] 2 shows a second configuration example of the control unit 160 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 shows a third configuration example of the force generating section 200 according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] <Overview of the embodiment> 1 is a diagram showing a typical usage scene of the test device 100 according to the present embodiment. The test device 100 is a device suitable for testing a fire detector 10 installed at a high place such as a ceiling. A user U carries out the test by holding a rod-shaped support part 110 which serves as a handle for the user U.

[0017] The test device 100 covers the fire detector 10 with the housing 120 and tests the operation of the fire detector 10. The test device 100 generates a force for adjusting the attitude of the housing 120, and adjusts it so that the upper surface of the housing 120 faces the fire detector 10. According to such a test device 100, the user U can move the housing 120 of the test device 100 near the fire detector 10, and the position of the housing 120 can be automatically adjusted so that the housing 120 can cover the fire detector 10. This allows the user U to easily perform an operation test of the fire detector 10. Such a test device 100 will be described next.

[0018] <Configuration example of test device 100> FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the test device 100 according to this embodiment together with the fire detector 10. The fire detector 10 is provided on a ceiling surface 12. The ceiling surface 12 is an example of a ceiling provided in an office building, a factory, a school, a warehouse, a house, etc. The fire detector 10 may be provided on a wall surface, or may be provided outdoors. In this embodiment, three orthogonal axes are shown as an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The test device 100 includes a support unit 110, a housing 120, and a force generating unit 200.

[0019] The support unit 110 is a rod-shaped member having one end attached to the housing 120 and the other end to be held by a user U of the test device 100. It is desirable that the length of the support unit 110 is adjusted according to the height to the position where the fire detector 10 is attached. The support unit 110 may be used with a length of, for example, 10 m to 20 m. The support unit 110 may be formed by joining a plurality of rod-shaped members.

[0020] The housing 120 has an opening 122 for covering the fire detector 10 therein and a member for performing an operation test. Fig. 2 shows an example in which the opening 122 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 120 that is approximately parallel to the XY plane. In this case, the user U holds the handle of the support part 110 in his / her hand, and when the position of the housing 120 in the X direction and the Y direction approximately coincides with the position of the fire detector 10, the user U can cover the fire detector 10 with the housing 120 by moving the housing 120 upward (in the +Z direction).

[0021] The force generating unit 200 generates a force for adjusting the attitude of the housing 120. In the example of Fig. 2, it is preferable that the force generating unit 200 generates forces in two directions substantially parallel to the XY plane, such as the X direction and the Y direction. Alternatively, the force generating unit 200 may generate forces in one direction or three or more directions substantially parallel to the XY plane.

[0022] <An example of a perspective view of the housing 120> Fig. 3 shows an example of a perspective view of the housing 120 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 shows an example of members inside the housing 120 from the opening 122 of the housing 120. A pseudo-fire generating unit 130, a fan 140, and an imaging unit 150 are provided inside the housing 120.

[0023] The pseudo-fire generating unit 130 generates a pseudo-fire. For example, the pseudo-fire generating unit 130 generates pseudo-smoke by continuously pouring liquid paraffin into an ultrasonic vibrator in small amounts. The pseudo-fire generating unit 130 may also generate pseudo-smoke by sealing liquid paraffin in a cylinder pressurized with nitrogen or the like and spraying it by operating a valve button on the cylinder. The pseudo-fire generating unit 130 may also have a heater.

[0024] The fan 140 rotates to blow air, thereby sending the simulated smoke generated by the simulated fire generating unit 130 to the fire detector 10. In addition, if the simulated fire generating unit 130 has a heater, the fan 140 may spray the heat generated by the simulated fire generating unit 130 as hot air toward the fire detector 10.

[0025] The imaging unit 150 is a camera that captures an image of the fire detector 10. The imaging unit 150 captures an image for identifying the relative position of the housing 120 with respect to the fire detector 10. For example, when the housing 120 is in an appropriate position that can cover the fire detector 10, the arrangement, angle of view, and the like of the imaging unit 150 are determined in advance so that the fire detector 10 is located approximately in the center of the image captured by the imaging unit 150. As a result, by detecting the distance between the position of the fire detector 10 and the center in the image captured by the imaging unit 150, the amount of positional deviation from the appropriate position of the housing 120 to the current position of the housing 120 can be identified.

[0026] In addition to these, the housing 120 is provided with a control unit 160 (not shown). The control unit 160 controls the pseudo fire generating unit 130, the fan 140, and the imaging unit 150 to execute a test of the fire detector 10. The control unit 160 also controls the force generating unit 200 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 150. The control unit 160 will be described later.

[0027] <First Configuration Example of Force Generating Unit 200> 4 shows a first configuration example of the force generating unit 200 according to this embodiment. The force generating unit 200 of the first configuration example generates a force for adjusting the attitude of the housing 120 by using a reaction wheel. The force generating unit 200 has a rotating disk 210, a motor (not shown) that rotates the rotating disk 210, and a motor drive circuit (not shown) that drives the motor. The force generating unit 200 has one or more combinations of the rotating disk 210, the motor, and the motor drive circuit.

[0028] It is desirable that the force generating unit 200 has two rotating disks 210 that are perpendicular to the opening surface of the opening 122 of the housing 120 and have two mutually orthogonal surfaces as rotation planes. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the force generating unit 200 has a first rotating disk 210a that generates a force in the X-axis direction and a second rotating disk 210b that generates a force in the Y-axis direction. Note that arrows indicate examples of the rotation directions of the first rotating disk 210a and the second rotating disk 210b.

[0029] The first rotating disk 210a rotates about a rotation axis that is approximately parallel to the Y axis. The rotation direction of the first rotating disk 210a may be clockwise, or alternatively, may be counterclockwise. For example, when the first rotating disk 210a rotates at a constant angular velocity, the force generated by the first rotating disk 210a is almost zero. Here, it is assumed that the first rotating disk 210a rotates clockwise.

[0030] From this state, when the angular velocity of the first rotating disk 210a increases, the first rotating disk 210a generates a force in the -X direction due to the counter torque. In other words, the force generating unit 200 generates a force that moves the housing 120 in the -X direction. Also, when the angular velocity of the first rotating disk 210a decreases, the first rotating disk 210a generates a force in the +X direction due to the counter torque. In other words, the force generating unit 200 generates a force that moves the housing 120 in the +X direction.

[0031] The second rotating disk 210b rotates about a rotation axis that is approximately parallel to the X-axis. The second rotating disk 210b may rotate clockwise, as with the first rotating disk 210a, or may rotate counterclockwise instead. When the second rotating disk 210b rotates at a constant angular velocity, the force generated by the second rotating disk 210b is almost zero. Here, it is assumed that the second rotating disk 210b rotates counterclockwise.

[0032] From this state, when the angular velocity of the second rotating disk 210b increases, the second rotating disk 210b generates a force in the -Y direction due to the counter torque. In other words, the force generating unit 200 generates a force that moves the housing 120 in the -Y direction. Also, when the angular velocity of the second rotating disk 210b decreases, the second rotating disk 210b generates a force in the +Y direction due to the counter torque. In other words, the force generating unit 200 generates a force that moves the housing 120 in the +Y direction.

[0033] The control unit 160 controls the motor of the force generating unit 200 to increase or decrease the rotation speed of the rotating disk 210, thereby changing the direction and magnitude of the force generated by the force generating unit 200 and adjusting the attitude of the housing 120. Note that the control unit 160 may stop the rotating disk 210 in a steady state, or may start the rotation of the rotating disk 210 in a direction corresponding to the direction in which the counter torque is generated when executing control of the force generating unit 200. In this case, the control unit 160 may reverse the rotation direction depending on the direction in which the counter torque is generated. Such a control unit 160 will be described next.

[0034] <First Configuration Example of Control Unit 160> Fig. 5 shows a first configuration example of the control unit 160 according to this embodiment. The control unit 160 has an image acquisition unit 161, a storage unit 162, a fire detector detection unit 163, and a drive signal generation unit 164. Fig. 5 further shows, together with the control unit 160, a first motor drive circuit 220a that drives a motor that rotates the first rotating disk 210a, a second motor drive circuit 220b that drives a motor that rotates the second rotating disk 210b, and an operation detection unit 230.

[0035] The image acquiring section 161 acquires images captured by the imaging section 150. The image acquiring section 161 acquires images captured by the imaging section 150 at regular intervals, for example. The image acquiring section 161 may store the acquired images in the storage section 162.

[0036] The storage unit 162 may store intermediate data, calculation results, thresholds, reference values, parameters, etc. that are generated (or used) by the test apparatus 100 during the operation of the test apparatus 100. In addition, the storage unit 162 may supply the stored data to a request source in response to a request from each unit in the test apparatus 100.

[0037] The fire detector detection unit 163 detects the fire detector 10 from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 161. The fire detector detection unit 163 detects the fire detector 10 by executing predetermined image processing. The fire detector detection unit 163 also detects the relative position of the fire detector 10 in the image captured by the imaging unit 150. For example, the fire detector detection unit 163 identifies the distance and direction from a predetermined area or a predetermined range in the image captured by the imaging unit 150 to the fire detector 10.

[0038] Here, the predetermined position is, for example, the center of the image. The predetermined range is, for example, an area inside a circle having a predetermined radius centered at the center of the image. The predetermined area in the image or the distance from the predetermined range to the fire detector 10 may be the distance on the image plane in the captured image. For example, the number of pixels in the X direction and the Y direction from the center of the captured image to the image of the fire detector 10 may be detected as an index of distance. Note that the actual distance on the ceiling surface 12 corresponding to one pixel in the captured image may be measured in advance, and the fire detector detection unit 163 may convert the actual distance corresponding to the detected number of pixels.

[0039] The drive signal generating unit 164 generates a control signal for driving a motor. The drive signal generating unit 164 generates the control signal so that the fire detector 10 is located within a predetermined range of the image captured by the imaging unit 150. The drive signal generating unit 164 generates a control signal for moving the housing 120 so that the distance from the predetermined area or the predetermined range specified by the fire detector detection unit 163 to the fire detector 10 becomes smaller, for example.

[0040] For example, consider a case where the fire detector detection unit 163 has determined that the center of the fire detector 10 is imaged at a position shifted 200 pixels in the +X direction and 150 pixels in the -Y direction from the center of the image. In this case, the drive signal generation unit 164 generates a first control signal that moves the housing 120 in the +X direction by a distance corresponding to 200 pixels. The drive signal generation unit 164 also generates a second control signal that moves the housing 120 in the -Y direction by a distance corresponding to 150 pixels.

[0041] The drive signal generating unit 164 calculates, for example, the magnitude of the force to be generated to move the housing 120 by a predetermined distance, the period during which the force is generated, and the like, using a function calculated in advance, and generates a control signal corresponding to the calculation result. The drive signal generating unit 164 may also use a table that specifies in advance the correspondence between the moving distance of the housing 120 and the magnitude of the force to be generated to move the housing 120, the period during which the force is generated, and the like. In this case, it is desirable that the storage unit 162 stores information about the table. This allows the drive signal generating unit 164 to read out the information about the table from the storage unit 162 and generate a control signal corresponding to the distance to move the housing 120.

[0042] The drive signal generating unit 164 supplies the generated control signal to the motor drive circuit 220. For example, the drive signal generating unit 164 supplies the generated first control signal to the first motor drive circuit 220a and supplies the generated second control signal to the second motor drive circuit 220b. As a result, the control unit 160 controls the force generating unit 200 to generate forces parallel to the ceiling surface and in at least two different directions when the opening 122 of the housing 120 faces the ceiling surface.

[0043] Then, the control unit 160 adjusts the attitude of the housing 120 so that the fire detector 10 is located within a predetermined range of the image captured by the imaging unit 150. The control unit 160 adjusts the attitude of the housing 120, for example, every time the imaging unit 150 captures an image of the fire detector 10. Note that, when the fire detector 10 is located within a predetermined range in the image captured by the imaging unit 150, the control unit 160 rotates the rotating disk 210 at a constant speed. In this way, the control unit 160 controls the force generating unit 200 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 150, and can adjust the attitude of the housing 120 so that the opening 122 of the housing 120 faces the fire detector 10.

[0044] The above control unit 160 may be configured with a CPU or the like. For example, when a computer functions as the control unit 160, the storage unit 162 may store information such as an OS (Operating System) that causes the computer to function, and programs. The storage unit 162 may also store various information including a database that is referenced when the program is executed. For example, the computer functions as the image acquisition unit 161, the fire detector detection unit 163, and the drive signal generation unit 164 by executing the program stored in the storage unit 162.

[0045] The storage unit 162 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various programs and various tables executed by a computer, etc., and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that serves as a working area. The storage unit 162 may also include a large-capacity storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0046] As described above, the test device 100 can adjust the attitude of the housing 120 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 150. According to such a test device 100, the user U holds the support unit 110 and moves the housing 120 close to the fire detector 10 to a position where the imaging unit 150 can capture an image of the fire detector 10, thereby quickly adjusting the position of the housing 120 to an appropriate position. Therefore, even when inspecting a fire detector 10 installed at a high altitude of, for example, more than 10 m, the user U can easily perform an operation test of the fire detector 10 without having to hold the support unit 110 and delicately manipulate the position of the housing 120.

[0047] When the fire detector 10 detects the occurrence of a fire, it notifies the outside of the occurrence of the fire by using communication or the like. Therefore, the test device 100 can determine whether or not the fire detector 10 has operated normally by further providing an operation detection unit 230. The operation detection unit 230 has, for example, a receiver that receives a transmission signal for notifying that the fire detector 10 has detected the occurrence of a fire. For example, when the fire detector 10 is activated in response to the generation of smoke or heat after the control unit 160 adjusts the attitude of the housing 120, the operation detection unit 230 determines that the fire detector 10 has operated normally.

[0048] Furthermore, if the fire detector 10 does not activate even when smoke or heat is generated after the control unit 160 adjusts the attitude of the housing 120, the activation detection unit 230 may determine that the fire detector 10 is not operating normally. Note that the control unit 160 may transmit a control signal for stopping the generation of a simulated fire to the simulated fire generation unit 130 in response to the determination by the activation detection unit 230 that the fire detector has activated normally. This allows the testing device 100 to quickly move on to the test operation of the next fire detector 10.

[0049] There is a fire detector 10 that, when it detects the occurrence of a fire, lights up an operation confirmation light to notify the occurrence of a fire. When testing such a fire detector 10, the test device 100 may determine whether or not the fire detector 10 has operated normally based on an image captured by the imaging unit 150. For example, the fire detector detection unit 163 performs image analysis to determine whether or not the operation confirmation light of the detected fire detector 10 is illuminated. This allows the control unit 160 to operate as the operation detection unit 230.

[0050] The above description has been given of an example of the test apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment in which the force generating unit 200 generates a force for adjusting the attitude of the housing 120 using a reaction wheel, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The force generating unit 200 may generate a force for adjusting the attitude of the housing 120 using a gyro effect. Such a force generating unit 200 will now be described.

[0051] <Second Configuration Example of Force Generating Unit 200> Fig. 6 shows a second configuration example of the force generating section 200 according to this embodiment. Fig. 6(A) shows the appearance of the force generating section 200 of the second configuration example, and Fig. 6(B) shows an example of the internal configuration of the force generating section 200 of the second configuration example. The force generating section 200 of the second configuration example has a rotating disk 210, an actuator 240, a motor 212 that rotates the rotating disk 210, a motor drive circuit 220 that drives the motor, and an actuator drive circuit 250 that drives the actuator.

[0052] The rotating disk 210 of the force generating unit 200 rotates about a plane of rotation that is approximately parallel to the opening plane of the opening 122 of the housing 120. The actuator 240 changes the inclination of the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210. Fig. 6 shows an example in which the force generating unit 200 has a first actuator 240a for generating a force in the X-axis direction and a second actuator 240b for generating a force in the Y-axis direction. An example of the rotation direction of the rotating disk 210 is shown by an arrow.

[0053] Furthermore, the first actuator drive circuit 250a drives the first actuator 240a, and the second actuator drive circuit 250b drives the second actuator 240b. The first actuator 240a and the second actuator 240b apply a force in the +Z direction or the -Z direction of the rotating disk 210 to tilt the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210.

[0054] Generally, when no external force is applied to a rotating body, the rotating body rotates on its axis, and the faster the rotation speed, the less the body tends to change its attitude. When a force is applied to the axis of rotation of a rotating body, a force is generated that tilts the rotating body in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the axis of rotation and the applied force (gyro effect).

[0055] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining such a gyro effect. For example, consider a rotating disk 210 that rotates around the origin with the XY plane as the rotation plane. Then, consider a case where a force is applied to the rotating disk 210 so as to tilt the rotation axis in the Y direction, as shown as a first direction in Fig. 7, and the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 is tilted from the XY plane to the XY' plane. In this case, as shown as a second direction in Fig. 7, an X-direction force is generated that tilts the rotation axis in the X direction.

[0056] In this way, the tilt of the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 can be performed, for example, by applying a force to the rotating disk 210 in the Z direction from a point on the Y axis. Therefore, the first actuator 240a is provided on the Y axis when the rotation axis of the rotating disk 210 is taken as the origin. The first actuator 240a applies a force to the rotating disk 210 in the +Z direction or the -Z direction from a point on the Y axis, thereby tilting the rotation axis of the rotating disk 210 in the +Y direction or the -Y direction to tilt the rotation plane. The force generating unit 200 can generate a force in the -X direction or the +X direction by driving the first actuator 240a in this way.

[0057] Similarly, when a force is applied to the rotating disk 210 from a point on the X-axis in the Z direction to tilt the rotation axis in the X direction with the XY plane as the rotation plane and the rotating disk 210 rotating around the origin, a force in the Y direction is generated to tilt the rotation axis in the Y direction. Therefore, the second actuator 240b is provided on the X-axis when the rotation axis of the rotating disk 210 is the origin. The second actuator 240b applies a force to the rotating disk 210 from a point on the X-axis in the +Z direction or the -Z direction, tilting the rotation axis of the rotating disk 210 in the +X direction or the -X direction to tilt the rotation plane. The force generating unit 200 can generate a force in the +Y direction or the -Y direction by driving the second actuator 240b in this manner.

[0058] The greater the inclination angle of the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 and the faster the rotation speed of the rotating disk 210, the greater the magnitude of the force generated by the force generating unit 200. The control unit 160 controls the actuator 240 of the force generating unit 200 described above to change the inclination of the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210, thereby changing the direction and magnitude of the force generated by the force generating unit 200 and adjusting the attitude of the housing 120. Such a control unit 160 will be described next.

[0059] <Second Configuration Example of Control Unit 160> Fig. 8 shows a second configuration example of the control unit 160 according to this embodiment. In the control unit 160 of the second configuration example, parts that operate substantially the same as those of the control unit 160 of the first configuration example shown in Fig. 5 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. The control unit 160 of the second configuration example has an image acquisition unit 161, a storage unit 162, a fire sensor detection unit 163, and a drive signal generation unit 164.

[0060] Figure 8 further shows, together with the control unit 160, a motor drive circuit 220 that drives the motor that rotates the rotating disk 210, a first actuator drive circuit 250a that drives the first actuator 240a, a second actuator drive circuit 250b that drives the second actuator 240b, and an operation detection unit 230.

[0061] The drive signal generating unit 164 in the second configuration example generates a control signal for driving the motor to rotate at a uniform speed. The drive signal generating unit 164 supplies the generated control signal to the motor driving circuit 220 to rotate the rotating disk 210 at a predetermined constant angular velocity. Then, the drive signal generating unit 164 generates a control signal for controlling the actuator 240 so that the fire detector 10 is located within a predetermined range of the image captured by the imaging unit 150.

[0062] The drive signal generating unit 164 calculates, for example, an angle at which the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 is tilted in order to move the housing 120 by a predetermined distance, using a function or the like calculated in advance. Then, the drive signal generating unit 164 generates a control signal for the actuator 240 to tilt the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 by the calculated angle.

[0063] Alternatively, the drive signal generating unit 164 may use a table that specifies in advance the correspondence between the moving distance of the housing 120 and the angle by which the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 is tilted. In this case, the storage unit 162 stores the information of the table, and the drive signal generating unit 164 reads out the information of the table and generates a control signal that corresponds to the distance by which the housing 120 is moved.

[0064] The drive signal generating unit 164 generates, for example, a first control signal that drives the first actuator 240a to move the housing 120 in the X direction. Then, the drive signal generating unit 164 supplies the generated first control signal to the first actuator driving circuit 250a. The drive signal generating unit 164 also generates a second control signal that drives the second actuator 240b to move the housing 120 in the Y direction. Then, the drive signal generating unit 164 supplies the generated second control signal to the second actuator driving circuit 250b.

[0065] As a result, the control unit 160 adjusts the attitude of the housing 120 so that the fire detector 10 is located within a predetermined range of the image captured by the imaging unit 150. As described above, the control unit 160 of the second configuration example, like the control unit 160 of the first configuration example, can control the force generating unit 200 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 150 and adjust the attitude of the housing 120 so that the opening 122 of the housing 120 faces the fire detector 10.

[0066] The force generating unit 200 of the second configuration example above has been described as an example in which the actuator 240 applies force to the rotating disk 210 to tilt the rotation plane, but is not limited to this. The force generating unit 200 of the second configuration example may be configured to generate force by the gyro effect, and for example, the actuator 240 may change the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating disk 210.

[0067] 9 shows a third configuration example of the force generating unit 200 according to this embodiment. The force generating unit 200 of the third configuration example is known as a two-degree-of-freedom CMG (Control Moment Gyros). Like the force generating unit 200 of the second configuration example, the force generating unit 200 of the third configuration example has a rotating disk 210 that rotates at a constant angular velocity, and is configured to support the rotating disk 210 with two gimbal mechanisms 260.

[0068] For example, the inner gimbal mechanism 260 can tilt the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 around the Y axis. In this case, the first actuator 240a is provided inside the inner gimbal mechanism 260, and generates a force in the Y direction by moving the rotation axis of the rotating disk 210 in the X direction.

[0069] Furthermore, the outer gimbal mechanism 260 can tilt the rotation plane of the rotating disk 210 around the X-axis. In this case, the second actuator 240b is provided inside the outer gimbal mechanism 260, and generates a force in the X-direction by moving the rotation axis of the rotating disk 210 in the Y-direction.

[0070] As described above, the force generating section 200 of the third configuration example, like the force generating section 200 of the second configuration example, can generate forces parallel to the ceiling surface and in at least two different directions when the opening 122 of the housing 120 faces the ceiling surface. Then, like the force generating section 200 of the second configuration example, the control section 160 can control the force generating section 200 of the third configuration example to adjust the attitude of the housing 120 so that the opening 122 of the housing 120 faces the fire detector 10.

[0071] Although the test apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above as an example in which the control unit 160 is provided in the housing 120, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a mobile terminal carried by the user U may function as the control unit 160. In this case, the test apparatus 100 further includes, for example, a communication unit that communicates with the mobile terminal and transmits data of an image captured by the imaging unit 150 to the mobile terminal.

[0072] The portable terminal generates a control signal to be supplied to the force generating unit 200 based on the received image data, and transmits the generated control signal to the test apparatus 100. This enables the test apparatus 100 to adjust the attitude of the housing 120 by generating a force from the force generating unit 200 based on the received control signal.

[0073] The mobile terminal may also receive a transmission signal for notifying that the fire detector 10 has detected the occurrence of a fire. In the case of the fire detector 10 that notifies the occurrence of a fire by illuminating an operation confirmation light, the mobile terminal may determine whether or not the operation confirmation light of the fire detector 10 is illuminating by performing image analysis on the acquired image data. This allows the user U to check the test result of the fire detector 10 on the mobile terminal at hand. The user U may also instruct the test device 100 to start or stop the test from the mobile terminal.

[0074] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination combines the effect of the original embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 Fire detector 12 Ceiling surface 100 Test Equipment 110 Support part 120 Case 122 Opening 130 Simulated fire outbreak section 140 Fans 150 Imaging unit 160 Control section 161 Image acquisition unit 162 Storage section 163 Fire detector detection section 164 Drive signal generator 200 Force generating unit 210 Rotating Disc 212 Motor 220 Motor drive circuit 230 Operation detection unit 240 Actuator 250 Actuator Drive Circuit 260 Gimbal Mechanism

Claims

1. A test device for testing the operation of a fire detector, comprising: A housing having an opening for covering the fire detector therein; a rod-shaped support part having one end attached to the housing and the other end to be held by a user of the test device; a pseudo-fire generating unit provided inside the housing and configured to generate a pseudo-fire; An imaging unit provided inside the housing for imaging the fire detector; a force generating unit that generates a force for adjusting the attitude of the housing; a control unit that controls the force generating unit based on the image captured by the imaging unit to adjust the attitude of the housing so that the opening of the housing faces the fire detector; A test apparatus comprising:

2. the force generating unit includes a rotating disk and a motor that rotates the rotating disk, the control unit controls the motor to increase or decrease the rotation speed of the rotating disk, thereby changing the direction and magnitude of the force generated by the force generating unit to adjust the attitude of the housing.

2. The test device of claim 1.

3. 3. The testing device according to claim 2, wherein the force generating section has two rotating disks whose rotation planes are perpendicular to an opening plane of the opening of the housing and perpendicular to each other.

4. the force generating unit includes a rotating disk and an actuator that changes the inclination of the rotation plane of the rotating disk, the control unit controls the actuator to change the inclination of the rotation plane of the rotating disk, thereby changing the direction and magnitude of the force generated by the force generating unit to adjust the attitude of the housing.

2. The test device of claim 1.

5. The testing device according to claim 4 , wherein the rotating disk of the force generating section has a rotation plane that is parallel to an opening plane of the opening of the housing.

6. The fire detector is provided on a ceiling surface, the control unit controls the force generating unit to generate forces in at least two different directions parallel to the ceiling surface when the opening of the housing is directed toward the ceiling surface; A test device according to any one of claims 3 to 5.

7. The test device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit adjusts the attitude of the housing so that the fire detector is positioned within a predetermined range of the image captured by the imaging unit.

8. The fire detector further includes an operation detection unit that determines whether the fire detector has normally operated. The control unit transmits a control signal to the pseudo fire generation unit to stop the generation of the pseudo fire in response to the determination by the operation detection unit that the fire detector has normally operated. A test device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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