Automatic opening and closing device

Abstract

To provide an automatic opening / closing device capable of highly accurately detecting a human body.SOLUTION: The automatic opening / closing device has an exciter 10, an excitation electrode 11, a conductive mat 12, a detection electrode 13, a detector 14, and a controller 15. The excitation electrode 11 forms an electromagnetic field nearby by an electric signal output from the exciter 10, and further forms an electromagnetic field near the conductive mat 12 electrically connected to the excitation electrode 11. The detection electrode 13 detects the electromagnetic field near the detection electrode 13 as an electric signal. The detector 14 multiplies the electric signal from the detection electrode 13 by the electric signal from the exciter 10 to generate and output a detection signal. The controller 15 controls opening / closing of a lid 2 of a garbage box 1 on the basis of a change amount of the detection signal from the detector 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic opening and closing device that detects a human body using an electromagnetic field and automatically opens and closes a lid, door, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known devices that automatically open and close doors and lids by detecting the human body without contact. A widely known method for such devices is to detect the human body by reflecting infrared light.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a trash can with a reflective infrared sensor on the lid frame, which detects when a human hand or other object enters the infrared radiation area and opens the lid using a motor. It also describes a system that detects when the human hand subsequently leaves the infrared radiation area and closes the lid using a spring. It also describes a system that automatically closes the lid several seconds after it is opened, regardless of human detection, in case an obstacle is placed around the trash can and the lid is left open. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-335822 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventional automatic opening and closing devices use infrared sensors to detect the approach of a human body, which can cause the lid to open if a person approaches without intending to throw away trash, or if a pet or other non-human object approaches. Furthermore, the infrared sensor's response is poor if the person is wearing black gloves, and it may not be able to detect a person.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automatic door-opening / closing device that can detect with high accuracy a person who intends to open or close a door. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is an automatic opening and closing device that detects a person in an object having an opening and closing part that can be opened and closed, and automatically opens and closes the opening and closing part, characterized in that it comprises: an oscillator that generates an electrical signal of a frequency that can excite a person; an excitation electrode that is excited by the electrical signal from the oscillator and generates an electromagnetic field; a conductive mat electrically connected to the excitation electrode; a detection electrode that detects the electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electrical signal from the oscillator and the electrical signal from the detection electrode to output a detection signal that is a DC signal; and a control device that controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing part based on fluctuations in the detection signal from the detector.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is an automatic opening and closing device that detects a person in an object having an opening and closing part that can be opened and closed, and automatically opens and closes the opening and closing part, characterized in that it comprises: an oscillator that generates an electrical signal of a frequency that can excite a person; an excitation electrode that is excited by the electrical signal from the oscillator and generates an electromagnetic field; a conductive mat; a detection electrode that is electrically connected to the conductive mat and detects the electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electrical signal from the oscillator by the electrical signal from the detection electrode and outputs a detection signal that is a DC signal; and a control device that controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing part based on fluctuations in the detection signal from the detector.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is an automatic opening and closing device that detects a person in an object having an opening and closing part that can be opened and closed, and automatically opens and closes the opening and closing part, characterized in that it comprises: an oscillator that generates an electrical signal of a frequency that can excite a person; a conductive mat that is excited by the electrical signal from the oscillator and generates an electromagnetic field; a detection electrode that detects the electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electrical signal from the oscillator by the electrical signal from the detection electrode and outputs a detection signal that is a DC signal; and a control device that controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing part based on fluctuations in the detection signal from the detector.

[0010] A fourth aspect of the present invention is an automatic opening and closing device that detects a person in an object having an opening and closing part that can be opened and closed, and automatically opens and closes the opening and closing part, characterized in that it has: an oscillator that generates an electrical signal of a frequency that can excite a person; an excitation electrode that is excited by the electrical signal from the oscillator and generates an electromagnetic field; a conductive mat that detects the electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electrical signal from the oscillator and the electrical signal from the conductive mat to output a detection signal that is a DC signal; and a control device that controls the opening and closing of the opening and closing part based on fluctuations in the detection signal from the detector.

[0011] In a first aspect of the present invention, the object may be a trash can, the opening / closing part may be a lid, the excitation electrode may be arranged on the bottom surface of the trash can, the detection electrode may be arranged near the lid, and the trash can may be placed on a conductive mat.

[0012] In a second aspect of the present invention, the object may be a trash can, the opening / closing part may be a lid, the detection electrode may be arranged on the bottom surface of the trash can, the excitation electrode may be arranged near the lid, and the trash can may be placed on a conductive mat.

[0013] In a third aspect of the present invention, the object and the opening / closing part may be a door, the conductive mat may be placed near the opening of the door, and the detection electrode may be placed near the center of the door.

[0014] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the object and the opening / closing part may be a door, the conductive mat may be placed near the opening of the door, and the excitation electrode may be placed near the center of the door.

[0015] In the present invention, a plurality of conductive mats may be provided, and the plurality of conductive mats may be arranged in a stacked manner, making it possible to easily set the human detection range. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the automatic opening and closing device of the present invention, a human body can be detected with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an automatic opening and closing device for a trash can according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the automatic opening and closing device for a trash can according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of conductive mats 12 are arranged. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the automatic opening and closing device for a trash can according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram showing the operation of the lid 2 of the trash can 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an automatic door opening and closing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram showing the operation of the door 5. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the automatic opening and closing device for a trash can according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the automatic opening and closing device for a trash can according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an automatic opening / closing device for a trash can according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the automatic opening / closing device according to the first embodiment includes an exciter 10, an excitation electrode 11, a conductive mat 12, a detection electrode 13, a detector 14, and a control device 15.

[0020] The exciter 10 is a device that outputs an electrical signal of a predetermined frequency. The frequency of the electrical signal may be any frequency that can excite a person, for example, 1 to 100 MHz. The exciter 10 is connected to the detector 14 and the excitation electrode 11, and a portion of the electrical signal output from the exciter 10 is input to the detector 14, and the other portion is input to the excitation electrode 11. The exciter 10 may be disposed inside or outside the trash can 1.

[0021] The excitation electrode 11 generates an electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the excitation electrode 11 based on an electrical signal from the exciter 10. The excitation electrode 11 is disposed at the bottom inside the trash can 1. It may be located inside or outside the trash can 1 as long as it can be electrically connected to the conductive mat 12. The material of the excitation electrode 11 may be any conductive material. The shape and size of the excitation electrode 11 may be any size as long as it can generate an electromagnetic field.

[0022] The conductive mat 12 is electrically connected to the excitation electrode 11 and spreads the electromagnetic field generated by the excitation electrode 11 in the vicinity of the conductive mat 12. The conductive mat 12 excites a person standing on the conductive mat 12 with the electromagnetic field, causing the electromagnetic field to surround the person. The conductive mat 12 is in the form of a sheet and is laid on the floor near the trash can 1. The area on the conductive mat 12 is the area where people can be detected. The electrical connection between the conductive mat 12 and the excitation electrode 11 may be direct, or may be a spatially separated electrical connection such as capacitive coupling or inductive coupling. The shape and size of the conductive mat 12 in a plan view are determined according to the desired area for person detection. The conductive mat 12 may be made of any conductive material. The thickness of the conductive mat 12 is also arbitrary. The conductive mat need not be placed on the floor, but may be placed anywhere within the area where people are desired to be detected. For example, it may be placed on a desk or the seat of a chair.

[0023] The excitation electrode 11 may be placed on the bottom surface of the trash can 1, and the trash can 1 may be placed on the conductive mat 12, thereby electrically connecting the excitation electrode 11 and the conductive mat 12 (see FIG. 2). In this way, the electrical connection between the excitation electrode 11 and the conductive mat 12 can be easily established by simply placing the trash can 1 on the conductive mat 12.

[0024] Alternatively, multiple conductive mats 12 may be prepared and arranged so that they overlap. Because the conductive mats 12 are conductive, they can be electrically connected to each other simply by overlapping them, thereby expanding the range in which the electromagnetic field is formed. Therefore, by combining multiple conductive mats 12, the area in which people are detected can be easily controlled. For example, as shown in Figure 3, two rectangular conductive mats 12 may be overlapped in an L-shape with their long sides perpendicular to each other.

[0025] The exciter 10 and the conductive mat 12 may be directly connected without providing the excitation electrode 11 (see FIG. 4). In other words, the conductive mat 12 may also serve as the excitation electrode 11. This simplifies the device configuration. In this case, however, the trash can 1 and the conductive mat 12 are integrated, so in terms of freedom of placement, such as changing the placement of the trash can 1, it is preferable to provide the excitation electrode 11 and the conductive mat 12 separately as in the first embodiment.

[0026] The detection electrode 13 detects the electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the detection electrode 13 and outputs the detected field as an electrical signal. The detection electrode 13 is arranged in a ring shape on the upper part of the outer side surface of the trash can 1. The position of the detection electrode 13 is not limited to this, and may be any position that can detect when a person approaches the trash can, such as near the lid 2 of the trash can 1. For example, the detection electrode 13 may be arranged on the top surface of the trash can 1. The material of the detection electrode 13 may be any conductive material. The shape and size of the detection electrode 13 may be any size that can detect the electromagnetic field surrounding a person and convert it into an electrical signal. In the first embodiment, the detection electrode 13 is arranged in a ring shape on the outer side surface of the trash can 1, so that a person can be detected regardless of the orientation of the trash can 1.

[0027] Detector 14 is connected to detection electrode 13 and exciter 10. Detector 14 is a device that multiplies the electrical signal from detection electrode 13 by the electrical signal from exciter 10 to generate and output a difference frequency signal (hereinafter referred to as detection signal). Here, detection electrode 13 detects the electromagnetic field formed by conductive mat 12, and since this electromagnetic field is formed by the electrical signal from exciter 10, the frequency of the electrical signal from detection electrode 13 is the same as the frequency of the electrical signal from exciter 10. Therefore, the difference frequency between the electrical signal from detection electrode 13 and the electrical signal from exciter 10 is 0, and the detection signal is a DC signal.

[0028] The control device 15 is connected to the detector 14 and opens and closes the lid 2 of the trash can 1 based on a detection signal from the detector 14. For example, a motor may be provided so that the lid 2 opens and closes in response to the rotation of the motor, and the rotation of the motor may be controlled by the control device 15 to open and close the lid 2. The exciter 10, the detector 14, and the control device 15 may be integrated into one electronic circuit component.

[0029] Next, the operation of the automatic opening and closing device of the first embodiment will be described.

[0030] In the automatic opening and closing device of the first embodiment, an electromagnetic field is formed in the vicinity of the excitation electrode 11 by an electric signal output from the exciter 10, and further an electromagnetic field is formed in the vicinity of the conductive mat 12 electrically connected to the excitation electrode 11. The detection electrode 13 detects the electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the detection electrode 13 as an electric signal. Then, the detector 14 multiplies the electric signal from the detection electrode 13 by the electric signal from the exciter 10 to generate and output a detection signal.

[0031] When a person who wants to throw away trash approaches trash can 1 and steps on conductive mat 12, the person is excited and becomes enveloped in an electromagnetic field (see FIG. 5). When the person enveloped in the electromagnetic field approaches detection electrode 13 near lid 2 of trash can 1, the electromagnetic field near detection electrode 13 changes. As a result, the detection signal output by detector 14 changes.

[0032] On the other hand, even if a person approaches trash can 1, if the person is not standing on conductive mat 12, the person is not surrounded by an electromagnetic field, so the electromagnetic field near detection electrode 13 does not change and the detection signal does not fluctuate. Also, even if a person stands on conductive mat 12, if the person does not bring their hands or the like close to detection electrode 13, the electromagnetic field fluctuation near detection electrode 13 is small and the fluctuation in the detection signal is also small. Also, if an object stands on conductive mat 12, the object usually does not surround itself with an electromagnetic field, so the electromagnetic field fluctuation near detection electrode 13 is small.

[0033] Therefore, by detecting the fluctuation of the detection signal, it is possible to detect only people who are about to throw trash in the trash can 1, and not to detect people or objects that have no intention of throwing trash.

[0034] Control device 15 controls the opening and closing of lid 2 of trash can 1 based on the amount of change in the detection signal from detector 14. For example, if the difference between the voltage value of the current detection signal and the voltage value of the detection signal when nothing is placed on conductive mat 12 exceeds a threshold value, it is assumed that someone is about to throw away trash in trash can 1, and lid 2 of trash can 1 is opened (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, if the difference in voltage value falls below the threshold value, it is assumed that the person has finished throwing away trash and has left, and lid 2 of trash can 1 is closed.

[0035] As described above, the automatic trash can opening / closing device of the first embodiment can operate so that the lid 2 of the trash can 1 automatically opens and closes in response only to people who intend to throw away trash, and can operate so that the lid 2 does not open or close in response to people, pets, objects, etc. who do not intend to throw away trash. In this way, the lid 2 of the trash can 1 can be automatically opened and closed with high accuracy without contact. In addition, the range of person detection can be easily controlled by the range of the conductive mat 12.

[0036] (Second embodiment) Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of an automatic door opening / closing device of a second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the automatic door opening / closing device of the first embodiment is applied to the automatic opening and closing of a door 5 instead of the opening and closing of a lid 2 of a trash can 1. As shown in Fig. 6, a conductive mat 12 is laid on the floor near the entrance of the door 5, and a detection electrode 13 is placed near the center of the door 5. In addition, the excitation electrode 11 is omitted, and the exciter 10 and the conductive mat 12 are directly connected, so that the conductive mat 12 also serves as the excitation electrode 11.

[0037] In the second embodiment, the conductive mat 12 also serves as the excitation electrode 11, but similar to the first embodiment, the excitation electrode 11 and the conductive mat 12 may be provided separately. However, unlike the trash can 1, in the second embodiment, it is not considered that the arrangement of the door 5 will be changed, so there is no problem in simplifying the configuration by omitting the excitation electrode 11.

[0038] The automatic opening and closing device of this second embodiment operates as follows to automatically open and close the door 5. When a person stands on the conductive mat 12 laid at the entrance of the door 5, the person is excited and an electromagnetic field is generated around the person. Furthermore, when the person holds out their hand or the like near the detection electrode 13 of the door 5, the electromagnetic field around the person fluctuates due to the electromagnetic field generated around the person (see FIG. 7). As a result, the detection signal from the detection electrode 13 fluctuates. The control device 15 detects this fluctuation in the detection signal and controls the door 5 to open.

[0039] On the other hand, when no person is standing on the conductive mat 12, or when a person is standing on the conductive mat 12 but does not bring their hands or the like close to the detection electrode 13, the electromagnetic field fluctuation near the detection electrode 13 is small, and the fluctuation in the detection signal is also small. Therefore, when the fluctuation in the detection signal is small, the control device 15 controls the door 5 to remain closed.

[0040] As described above, the automatic door opening / closing device of the second embodiment can be operated so that the door 5 automatically opens and closes in response to only those who intend to open the door 5, and can be operated so that the door 5 remains closed without responding to those who simply pass in front of the door 5 but do not intend to open it.

[0041] Although the first embodiment uses the automatic opening and closing device of the present invention to automatically open and close the lid 2 of the trash can 1, and the second embodiment uses the automatic opening and closing device of the present invention to automatically open and close the door 5, the present invention is not limited to these automatic opening and closing applications and can be used to open and close any object that has an openable and closable opening and closing part. For example, the present invention can also be used to open and close a window.

[0042] In the first and second embodiments, the positions of the excitation electrode 11 and the detection electrode 13 may be interchanged, and the detection electrode 13 may be electrically connected to the conductive mat 12. In this case, the operation can be the same as in the first and second embodiments. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the positions of the excitation electrode 11 and the detection electrode 13 are interchanged in the first embodiment. Furthermore, even when the positions of the excitation electrode 11 and the detection electrode 13 are interchanged in this way, the conductive mat 12 may be directly connected to the detector 14, and the conductive mat 12 may also serve as the detection electrode 13 (see FIG. 9).

[0043] In addition, although the first and second embodiments are normally closed and open when a person is detected, the present invention can also be applied to other opening and closing operations. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where the door is normally open and closes when a person is detected. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] The present invention can be used as a device for automatically opening and closing trash cans, doors, etc. without contact. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10: Exciter 11: Excitation electrode 12: Conductive mat 13: Detection electrode 14: Detector 15: Control device

Claims

1. An automatic opening / closing device that detects a person and automatically opens and closes an opening / closing part of an object that has an opening / closing part, an oscillator that generates an electrical signal at a frequency capable of exciting a person; an excitation electrode that is excited by an electric signal from the oscillator to generate an electromagnetic field; a conductive mat electrically connected to the excitation electrode; a detection electrode that detects an electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electric signal from the oscillator by the electric signal from the detection electrode and outputs a detection signal that is a DC signal; a control device that controls opening and closing of the opening / closing unit based on a variation in the detection signal from the detector; An automatic opening and closing device comprising:

2. An automatic opening / closing device that detects a person and automatically opens and closes an opening / closing part of an object that has an opening / closing part, an oscillator that generates an electrical signal at a frequency capable of exciting a person; an excitation electrode that is excited by an electric signal from the oscillator to generate an electromagnetic field; A conductive mat; a detection electrode electrically connected to the conductive mat, which detects an electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electric signal from the oscillator by the electric signal from the detection electrode and outputs a detection signal that is a DC signal; a control device that controls opening and closing of the opening / closing unit based on a variation in the detection signal from the detector; An automatic opening and closing device comprising:

3. An automatic opening / closing device that detects a person and automatically opens and closes an opening / closing part of an object that has an opening / closing part, an oscillator that generates an electrical signal at a frequency capable of exciting a person; a conductive mat that is excited by an electric signal from the oscillator to generate an electromagnetic field; a detection electrode that detects an electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electric signal from the oscillator by the electric signal from the detection electrode and outputs a detection signal that is a DC signal; a control device that controls opening and closing of the opening / closing unit based on a variation in the detection signal from the detector; An automatic opening and closing device comprising:

4. An automatic opening / closing device that detects a person and automatically opens and closes an opening / closing part of an object that has an opening / closing part, an oscillator that generates an electrical signal at a frequency capable of exciting a person; an excitation electrode that is excited by an electric signal from the oscillator to generate an electromagnetic field; a conductive mat that detects an electromagnetic field and outputs an electrical signal; a detector that multiplies the electric signal from the oscillator by the electric signal from the conductive mat and outputs a detection signal that is a DC signal; a control device that controls opening and closing of the opening / closing unit based on a variation in the detection signal from the detector; An automatic opening and closing device comprising:

5. the object is a trash can, the opening and closing part is a lid, the excitation electrode is disposed on the bottom surface of the trash can; the detection electrode is disposed near the lid; The trash can is placed on the conductive mat.

2. The automatic opening and closing device according to claim 1.

6. the object is a trash can, the opening and closing part is a lid, the detection electrode is disposed on the bottom surface of the trash can; the excitation electrode is disposed near the lid; The trash can is placed on the conductive mat.

3. The automatic opening and closing device according to claim 2.

7. the object and the opening / closing part are doors, the conductive mat is disposed near the doorway, The detection electrode is disposed near the center of the door.

4. The automatic opening and closing device according to claim 3.

8. the object and the opening / closing part are doors, the conductive mat is disposed near the doorway, The excitation electrode is disposed near the center of the door.

5. The automatic opening and closing device according to claim 4.

9. 9. The automatic opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the conductive mats are disposed in a stacked manner.

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