Automatic door system, control method for automatic door system, control program for automatic door system

Abstract

To provide a technique for an automatic door device which can appropriately adjust overlapping use of rooms accessed from a plurality of doors with a simple structure.SOLUTION: An automatic door device 100 of one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of drive units 56A and 56B for opening and closing a plurality of doors 20A and 20B provided in the private room, respectively, a plurality of outer instruction input units that are provided outside the private room and receive instructions to open or close the corresponding door among the plurality of doors 20A and 20B, a plurality of inner instruction input units that are provided inside the private room and receive instructions to open or close the corresponding door among the plurality of doors 20A and 20B, and a control unit 52 that controls the driving unit based on instruction inputs from the plurality of outer instruction input units and the plurality of inner instruction input units. When an open instruction is input from any one of the plurality of outer instruction input units, the control unit 52 invalidates the input of the open instruction from the outer instruction input units other than the one outer instruction input unit and the inner instruction input unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic door device, a control method for an automatic door device, and a control program for an automatic door device.

Background Art

[0002] Automatic doors provided at a plurality of entrances of one room are known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a washroom shared by a plurality of large rooms. In this washroom, doors that open when a person is detected are provided between each large room and the washroom. This door includes an entrance confirmation means for detecting a person entering the washroom and an exit confirmation means for detecting a person exiting the washroom from the large room. When the entry into the washroom is confirmed, the opening operation of this door is restricted, and when the exit from the large room is confirmed, the restriction is released.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The inventor has obtained the following recognition regarding an automatic door device having a plurality of doors in one room. <000002*9*> For example, a room may have multiple entrances, such as a shared meeting room or a shared restroom, and this room may be shared by different groups of users, each using a different entrance. In the automatic door described in Patent Document 1, the opening operation is not restricted until the entry confirmation means confirms entry into the restroom, and during this time, the other door may also be opened. For example, if someone tries to enter by opening one door, and the other doors are also opened, it becomes unclear which user should have priority, which could lead to confusion. Furthermore, this automatic door requires entry confirmation means and exit confirmation means as essential components, making its configuration complex.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of these problems, and one of its objectives is to provide a technology for an automatic door device that can appropriately adjust the overlapping use of rooms accessed by multiple doors with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, an automatic door device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a plurality of drive units for opening and closing each of a plurality of doors provided in a private room; a plurality of external instruction input units provided on the outside of the private room for receiving open or close instructions for corresponding doors among the plurality of doors; a plurality of internal instruction input units provided on the inside of the private room for receiving open or close instructions for corresponding doors among the plurality of doors; and a control unit that controls the drive units based on the instruction inputs from the plurality of external instruction input units and the plurality of internal instruction input units. When an open instruction is received from any one of the plurality of external instruction input units, the control unit invalidates the input of open instructions from the other external instruction input units and the internal instruction input units.

[0008] According to this embodiment, when one outdoor operating unit is opened, it is possible to prevent other doors from opening.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is an automatic door device. This device comprises a plurality of drive units for opening and closing each of a plurality of doors provided in a private room; a plurality of external instruction input units provided on the outside of the private room for receiving open or close instructions for corresponding doors among the plurality of doors; a plurality of internal instruction input units provided on the inside of the private room for receiving open or close instructions for corresponding doors among the plurality of doors; a control unit that controls the drive units based on the instruction inputs from the plurality of external instruction input units and the plurality of internal instruction input units; and an occupancy determination unit that determines whether there is a person in the private room. The control unit invalidates the instruction inputs from the other external instruction input units and internal instruction input units if the occupancy determination unit determines that there is a person after a close instruction has been received from one of the plurality of internal instruction input units.

[0010] A further aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling an automatic door device. This method, for an automatic door device that opens and closes multiple doors based on instructions from multiple external instruction input units and multiple internal instruction input units corresponding to multiple doors provided in a private room, includes the step of disabling instruction inputs from other external instruction input units when an open instruction is output from one of the multiple external instruction input units.

[0011] A further aspect of the present invention is a control program for an automatic door device. This control program causes a computer to perform the following steps for an automatic door device that opens and closes multiple doors based on instructions from multiple external instruction input units and multiple internal instruction input units corresponding to multiple doors installed in a private room: when an open instruction is output from one of the multiple external instruction input units, the instruction input from the other external instruction input units is disabled.

[0012] Furthermore, any combination of the above, or any substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, apparatus, programs, temporary or non-temporary storage media recording programs, systems, etc., are also valid embodiments of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic door device technology that can appropriately adjust the use of rooms accessed through multiple doors with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing a room equipped with an automatic door device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a front view showing a room equipped with an automatic door system. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic door device. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the first operation of the automatic door device. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the second operation of the automatic door device. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the third operation of the automatic door device in Figure 1. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the fourth operation of the automatic door device in Figure 1. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the fifth operation of the automatic door device in Figure 1. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the sixth operation of the automatic door device in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, based on preferred embodiments. In embodiments and modifications, the same or equivalent components and members will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the dimensions of the members in each drawing will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Furthermore, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0016] In addition, for separate components having common points, they are distinguished by attaching "first", "second", etc. at the beginning of the name, and these are omitted when collectively referred to. Also, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but this term is used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, and the components are not limited by this term.

[0017] In addition, for a plurality of the same components, "A", "B" are attached to the end of the reference numeral for distinction, and these are omitted when collectively referred to.

[0018] [First Embodiment] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2, and FIGS. 3, an automatic door device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a room 10 provided with the automatic door device 100. For convenience of explanation, as shown in the drawing, a horizontal certain direction is taken as the X direction, a horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction is taken as the Y direction, and a vertical direction orthogonal to both is taken as the Z direction. The X direction may be referred to as the left - right direction, the Y direction may be referred to as the front - rear direction, and the Z direction may be referred to as the up - down direction. Such notation of directions does not limit the posture of the automatic door device 100, and the automatic door device 100 can be used in any posture.

[0019] The room 10 in this example can be provided in various facilities such as, for example, a station, a hotel, a department store, a hospital, an elderly care facility, etc. There is no limitation on the type of the room 10, but the room 10 in this example is a toilet room used as a multi - functional toilet. The room 10 may be a private room.

[0020] The room 10 has an opening 102A provided in the front - side standing wall 101 and an opening 102B provided in the rear - side standing wall 101. The automatic door device 100 of the present embodiment opens and closes the opening 102A of the room 10 with a door 20A and opens and closes the opening 102B with a door 20B.

[0021] Room 10 is connected to two rooms, A and B, and is accessible from room A through opening 102A and from room B through opening 102B. In other words, room 10 is a shared toilet used by both room A and room B. Basically, anyone entering room 10 from one side of room A or room B is required to return to the other side, and is prohibited from exiting to the other side. The following description mainly concerns the configuration for driving the door 20A of opening 102A, but this description also applies to the configuration for driving the door 20B of opening 102B.

[0022] Figure 2 is a front view showing a room 10 equipped with an automatic door device 100. Figure 2 shows a section of the vertical wall 101 of room 10 cut away. The opening 102A in Figure 2 is located towards the right end of the vertical wall 101, slightly off-center. The door 20A in this example is a sliding door that moves from side to side.

[0023] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the automatic door device 100. Each block shown in Figure 3 can be realized hardware-wise using components such as a computer processor, CPU, and memory, as well as electronic circuits and mechanical devices, and software-wise using computer programs, etc. However, here, the diagram depicts functional blocks realized through the coordination of these components. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways through combinations of hardware and software.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the automatic door device 100 comprises a plurality of drive units 56A, 56B, a plurality of external operating units 25, a plurality of internal operating units 27, and a control unit 52. The external operating units are external operating units for operation from outside the room 10. The internal operating units are internal operating units for operation from inside the room 10. The plurality of external operating units 25 include an external operating unit 25A provided on the opening 102A side (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "side A") and an external operating unit 25B provided on the opening 102B side (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "side B"). The plurality of internal operating units 27 include an internal operating unit 27A provided on the opening 102A side and an internal operating unit 27B provided on the opening 102B side. When referring to the plurality of external operating units 25 and the plurality of internal operating units 27 collectively, they are simply referred to as operating units 25 and 27. The external operating unit 25 exemplifies an external instruction input unit, and the internal operating unit 27 exemplifies an internal instruction input unit.

[0025] Multiple drive units 56A and 56B open and close multiple doors 20A and 20B located in a single room 10. The external operating unit 25A and the internal operating unit 27A correspond to door 20A and receive operations to open and close door 20A. The external operating unit 25B and the internal operating unit 27B correspond to door 20B and receive operations to open and close door 20B. The control unit 52 controls the drive units 56A and 56B based on the operations of the operating units 25 and 27.

[0026] This section describes a multi-functional toilet. A multi-functional toilet is a toilet intended for use not only by able-bodied individuals but also by wheelchair users, users with internal disabilities, and others. Users with internal disabilities include, for example, those who use stomas such as colostomies or urostomies. In the example shown in Figure 1, room 10 is equipped with a toilet 11, an ostomy chair 12, a washbasin 13, a bed 14, a child's chair 17, and a changing table 18. The ostomy chair 12 is a washing table for users to clean their stomas. Handrails 15 are also provided around the toilet 11 and the ostomy chair 12.

[0027] In the example shown in Figure 1, a call control unit 16 is provided in room 10 near the toilet 11. The call control unit 16 detects user operations performed by a user who wishes to request assistance from another person due to illness or other reasons, and provides the detection result to the control unit 52 as a call signal. In this embodiment, the call control unit 16 provides the control unit 52 with a call signal as a detection result, consisting of a detected state where a user operation is detected and a non-detection state where no operation is detected. The call signal is turned on in the detected state and turned off in the non-detection state. In this example, the call control unit 16 is a push-button switch that turns the call signal on when pressed and turns the call signal off when released. The call control unit 16 is sometimes called a call switch. The control unit 52 performs a predetermined emergency action when the call signal from the call control unit 16 is turned on. This emergency action includes notifying the administrator of room 10 of the detection result, displaying the detection result to the outdoor notification unit 46, and releasing the restriction on the movement of the door 20 by the door lock unit 48. The call control unit 16 also functions as an emergency button.

[0028] Furthermore, Room 10 is equipped with an indoor notification unit 30 and an extension operation unit 31 near the Ostomate 12. The indoor notification unit 30 is a device that notifies the user of predetermined matters from the administrator or control unit 52 of Room 10. The indoor notification unit 30 can notify predetermined matters, for example, through the sound of a speaker or a display such as an LCD screen. If a usage time limit (for example, 30 minutes) is set for Room 10, the control unit 52 performs predetermined indoor notification operations through the indoor notification unit 30 according to the elapsed time since the user entered the room. These indoor notification operations include notifying the remaining time until the usage time limit is reached, notifying that the usage time limit has been exceeded, and releasing the restriction on the movement of the door 20 by the door lock unit 48. Also, if the usage time limit is exceeded, the control unit 52 notifies the outdoor notification unit 46 and the administrator of Room 10 that the usage time limit has been exceeded.

[0029] The extension operation unit 31 detects user operations to extend the usage time limit and provides the detection result to the control unit 52 as an extension signal. In this embodiment, the extension operation unit 31 provides the control unit 52 with an extension signal as a detection result, which consists of a detected state where user operations are detected and a non-detected state where operations are not detected. The extension signal is turned on when operations are detected and turned off when operations are not detected. In this example, the extension operation unit 31 is a push-button switch that turns on the extension signal when pressed and turns off the extension signal when released. Hereinafter, the extension operation unit 31 may be referred to as the extension switch. The control unit 52 extends the usage time limit by a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) when the extension signal from the extension operation unit 31 is turned on.

[0030] The drive unit 56 drives the door 20 to open and close the opening 102. The door 20 is a movable body that is horizontally slidable on a movement path 22 that extends from a fully closed position to a fully open position. The movement path 22 is the trajectory of the door 20 projected onto the floor surface.

[0031] The operating units 25 and 27 receive user operations to open the door (hereinafter referred to as "opening operations") and user operations to close the door (hereinafter referred to as "closing operations"). In particular, the external operating units 25A and 25B and the internal operating units 27A and 27B each have an opening operation unit that receives opening operations and a closing operation unit that receives closing operations.

[0032] The operating units 25 and 27 provide the control unit 52 with an open-door activation signal based on an open operation and a close-door activation signal based on a close operation. The open-door activation signal and the close-door activation signal are sometimes collectively referred to as "activation signals." Based on the activation signals from the operating units 25 and 27, the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56 to perform an operation to open the door 20 (hereinafter referred to as "open operation") or an operation to close the door 20 (hereinafter referred to as "close operation").

[0033] In this embodiment, the external operating unit 25 is an operating unit that can be operated from outside the room 10, and the internal operating unit 27 is an operating unit that can be operated from inside the room 10. In the example in Figure 1, the external operating unit 25 is provided on the outside of the vertical wall 101, and the internal operating unit 27 is provided on the inside of the vertical wall 101. The operating units 25 and 27 may also be provided on the door 20.

[0034] The operating units 25 and 27 can employ devices based on various principles that allow user input. In this embodiment, the operating units 25 and 27 are push-button switches that turn on the activation signal when pressed and turn off the activation signal when released.

[0035] The drive unit 56 slides the door 20 based on the control of the control unit 52. The drive unit 56 is sometimes referred to as a door engine. For example, the drive unit 56 can consist of a loop-shaped belt (not shown) to which the door 20 is connected, and a drive motor 562 that drives the belt. The rotation of the drive motor 562 is controlled by the control unit 52 via a drive circuit 561. The drive unit 56 may be installed on the transom of the vertical wall 101.

[0036] In this embodiment, the drive unit 56 includes a resistance detection unit 36 ​​and a position detection unit 38. The resistance detection unit 36 ​​and the position detection unit 38 provide detection results to the control unit 52. The resistance detection unit 36 ​​detects the movement resistance of the door 20 during movement. The movement resistance of the door 20 is the resistance force that the door 20 experiences in the opposite direction of movement during movement, and is sometimes referred to as running resistance or sliding resistance. The movement resistance is usually greater when there is something in contact with the moving body. As an example, the resistance detection unit 36 ​​is a current sensor that transmits the result of detecting the drive current of the drive motor 562 to the control unit 52. The control unit 52 can identify the movement resistance based on the detection result of the resistance detection unit 36.

[0037] The position detection unit 38 detects the position of the door 20 from the fully closed position to the fully open position. For example, the position detection unit 38 is an incremental encoder that transmits a position signal, which is a pulse signal with a number of pulses proportional to the rotation angle of the drive motor 562, to the control unit 52. When the automatic door device 100 is started, the control unit 52 moves the door 20 to the fully closed position, uses that fully closed position as a reference position, and can determine the position of the door 20 by counting the number of pulses of the position signal from the position detection unit 38.

[0038] The automatic door device 100 of this embodiment includes a warning output unit 44 that issues a warning to the user based on the control of the control unit 52. The warning output unit 44 in this example includes a sound output unit 441 that emits a warning sound and a light output unit 442 that emits a warning light, based on the control of the control unit 52. The sound output unit 441 can be configured to include, for example, a speaker. The light output unit 442 can be configured to include, for example, a light-emitting element such as an LED. The warning output unit 44 may be provided on the vertical wall 101 as shown in the figure.

[0039] In this embodiment, the automatic door device 100 includes an opening detection unit 32 capable of detecting objects present in the path of the door 20 in the opened opening 102. The opening detection unit 32 is sometimes referred to as an auxiliary sensor. In this example, the opening detection unit 32 provides the control unit 52 with an opening detection signal as a detection result, consisting of a detection state in which the presence of an object is detected and a non-detection state in which no object is detected. The opening detection signal is turned on in the detection state and turned off in the non-detection state. The control unit 52 restricts the closing operation of the door 20 when the opening detection unit 32 is in the detection state. Examples of objects to be detected by the opening detection unit 32 include the user's body and luggage. As an example, the opening detection unit 32 can be configured to include a set of light emitter and light receiver provided on the vertical wall 101 at positions separated to the left and right of the opening 102.

[0040] In this embodiment, room 10 is provided with an occupancy determination unit 28 that determines whether or not there is a person in room 10. The operating principle of the occupancy determination unit 28 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the occupancy determination unit 28 is a human presence sensor configured to include a pyroelectric element capable of detecting changes in infrared radiation emitted by a person. In this example, the occupancy determination unit 28 provides the control unit 52 with an occupancy determination signal consisting of an occupancy state, which determines that there is a person, and an unoccupied state, which determines that there is no person, in response to the signal from the pyroelectric element. The occupancy determination signal is turned on when there is an occupancy and turned off when there is no occupancy.

[0041] In this embodiment, room 10 is provided with an outdoor notification unit 46 that notifies the outside of the indoor status of room 10, such as whether it is occupied or if it is in an abnormal state. The outdoor notification unit 46 in Figure 2 is, as an example, a display that shows the word "In Use" based on the control unit 52. The outdoor notification unit 46 may be installed on the transom of the vertical wall 101, as shown in the figure. For example, if the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is a person in room 10, the control unit 52 causes the outdoor notification unit 46 to display "In Use," and stops this display if it determines that there is no person.

[0042] In this embodiment, room 10 is provided with a door lock unit 48 that restricts the movement of the closed door 20 based on the control of the control unit 52. The door lock unit 48 may mechanically restrict the movement of the door 20 by locking it with electromagnetic force, such as an electric lock, or it may controlively restrict the opening operation by disabling the door opening activation signals of the operation units 25 and 27, or it may be a combination of these. For example, the control unit 52 can turn on the door lock unit 48 when room 10 is in use to restrict the movement of the door 20.

[0043] Next, the control unit 52 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 52 in this embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 521, an information output unit 522, a door operation control unit 523, a storage unit 526, a time determination unit 527, a time management unit 528, and a transmission unit 529, and functions as an information processing unit.

[0044] The information acquisition unit 521 functions as an input port for acquiring output signals from the external operation units 25A and 25B, the internal operation units 27A and 27B, the detection units 32A and 32B, the occupancy determination unit 28, the call operation unit 16, the extension operation unit 31, the resistance detection unit 36, and the position detection unit 38.

[0045] The information output unit 522 outputs control signals to the sound output unit 441, the light output unit 442, the indoor notification unit 30, the outdoor notification unit 46, and the door lock unit 48 to control them. The information output unit 522 functions as an output port. The door operation control unit 523 outputs control signals to the drive circuit 561 of the drive unit 56 to control the operation of the door 20. The door operation control unit 523 includes a door operation control unit 523A that drives the drive unit 56A and a door operation control unit 523B that drives the drive unit 56B.

[0046] The storage unit 526 temporarily stores information about the output signal acquired by the information acquisition unit 521. The storage unit 526 also stores the control program P100, which will be described later. The time management unit 528 functions as a time counter that counts the elapsed time after the user enters the room. The time determination unit 527 determines whether the elapsed time counted by the time management unit 528 exceeds the usage limit time. The transmission unit 529 transmits predetermined information to an external party, such as the administrator of room 10. This predetermined information includes that the call operation unit 16 has been operated and that the usage limit time has been exceeded.

[0047] The operation of the automatic door device 100 configured as described above will now be explained.

[0048] (1st action) Referring to Figure 4, the first operation S110, which is an example of the operation of the automatic door device 100, will be explained. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the first operation S110. The first operation S110 is an example of the operation when entering a room through a door of any opening and exiting through the same opening. Here, opening 102A is referred to as any opening, opening 102B as another opening, and door 20B as another door. In the following description of the operation, the external operating unit 25A will be referred to as external operating unit A, the internal operating unit 27A as internal operating unit A, the external operating unit 25B as external operating unit B, and the internal operating unit 27B as internal operating unit B.

[0049] When entering room 10, the user opens the external control unit A (step S111).

[0050] When external control unit A is opened, the door open activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 disables the opening operation of the other external control unit (external control unit B) (step S112). Here, "disabling the operation of an operation unit" means that even if that operation unit is operated, the control unit 52 will not execute the action based on that operation. For example, if the open operation is disabled, the opening operation will not be executed even if the open operation is performed. Similarly, if the close operation is disabled, the closing operation will not be executed even if the close operation is performed. In other words, door 20A, which corresponds to external control unit A that was operated first, opens, and even if external control unit B is operated afterward, door 20B will not open. This state continues until the operation disablement is released.

[0051] After step S112 is completed, the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to open the door 20A (step S113). Due to the opening operation, the door 20A moves to the fully open position and stops.

[0052] When door 20A is fully open, the control unit 52 enables the closing operation of the internal control unit A, which corresponds to the external control unit A, and disables the operation (open and close operation) of the other control unit (internal control unit B) (step S114). In this case, by disabling the operation of internal control unit B, it is possible to prevent a person who entered through door 20A from passing through to exit through door 20B. Here, "enabling the operation of an control unit" means that when that control unit is operated, the control unit 52 will execute the action based on that operation. If the operation of that control unit was originally disabled, it will be enabled, and if the operation of that control unit was originally enabled, that state will be maintained.

[0053] After entering room 10, the user closes the active internal control unit A (step S115).

[0054] When the internal control unit A is closed, the door closing activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to close the door 20A (step S116). Due to the closing operation, the door 20A moves to the fully closed position and stops. In this state, the user uses the equipment in room 10.

[0055] When exiting room 10, the user opens internal control unit A (step S117). At this time, the operation to open internal control unit B is invalid, so the user cannot open door 20B.

[0056] When the internal operating unit A is opened, the door open activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to open the door 20A (step S118). Due to the opening operation, the door 20 moves to the fully open position and stops.

[0057] After leaving room 10, the user closes the external control unit A (step S119).

[0058] When the external operating unit A is closed, the door closing activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to close the door 20A (step S120). Due to the closing operation, the door 20A moves to the fully closed position and stops.

[0059] Once door 20A is fully closed, it is determined whether there is a person in room 10 (step S121). In this step, the control unit 52 obtains the determination result from the room occupancy determination unit 28.

[0060] If the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is a person in room 10 (Y in step S121), the control unit 52 returns the process to the beginning of step S121 and repeats step S121.

[0061] If the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is no one in room 10 (N in step S121), the control unit 52 releases the disabled operation for the other disabled operation unit (external operation unit B) (step S122). Here, "releasing the disabled operation" means that the control unit 52 returns to the state before it was disabled and, if there is an operation, executes the original action based on that operation. For example, if the disablement of the open operation is released, the control unit 52 will execute the open operation based on this operation if there is an open operation.

[0062] Once step S122 is executed, operation S110 ends. Each of the steps described above is an example, and various modifications are possible. When entering and exiting through opening 102B, operation S110 can be applied similarly by setting opening 102B to any opening, opening 102A to another opening, and swapping the last digits of each symbol. Operation S110 may be executed alone or in combination with operations S210 to S610 described later.

[0063] (Second action) Referring to Figure 5, a second operation S210, which is another example of operation of the automatic door device 100, will be explained. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the second operation S210. The second operation S210 is an example of operation when entering a room through a door of any opening and exiting through the same opening. Here, opening 102A is described as any opening, opening 102B as another opening, and door 20B as another door.

[0064] When entering room 10, the user opens the external control unit A (step S211).

[0065] When the external operating unit A is opened, the door open activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 disables the opening operation of the other external operating unit (external operating unit B) (step S212).

[0066] After step S212 is completed, the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to open the door 20A (step S213). Due to the opening operation, the door 20A moves to the fully open position and stops.

[0067] After entering room 10, the user closes the internal control unit A (step S214).

[0068] When the internal control unit A is closed, the door closing activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to close the door 20A (step S215). Due to the closing operation, the door 20A moves to the fully closed position and stops. In this state, the user uses the equipment in room 10.

[0069] Once door 20A is fully closed, it is determined whether there is a person in room 10 (step S216). In this step, the control unit 52 obtains the determination result from the room occupancy determination unit 28.

[0070] If the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is no one in room 10 (N in step S216), the control unit 52 proceeds to the beginning of step S223.

[0071] If the occupancy detection unit 28 determines that there is a person in room 10 (Y in step S216), the control unit 52 enables the closing operation of the internal operation unit A corresponding to the external operation unit A, and disables the operations (open and close operations) of the other operation unit (internal operation unit B) (step S217). In this case, by disabling the operation of internal operation unit B, it is possible to prevent a person who entered through door 20A from passing through and exiting through door 20B. In this state, the open operation of the external operation unit B, which was disabled in step S212, and the open and close operations of internal operation unit B are disabled.

[0072] When exiting room 10, the user opens internal control unit A (step S218). At this time, the operation to open internal control unit B is invalid, so the user cannot open door 20B.

[0073] When the internal operating unit A is opened, the door open activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to open the door 20A (step S219). Due to the opening operation, the door 20A moves to the fully open position and stops.

[0074] After leaving room 10, the user closes the external control unit A (step S220).

[0075] When the external operating unit A is closed, the door closing activation signal is turned on, and the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to close the door 20A (step S221). Due to the closing operation, the door 20A moves to the fully closed position and stops.

[0076] Once door 20A is fully closed, it is determined whether there is a person in room 10 (step S222). In this step, the control unit 52 obtains the determination result from the room occupancy determination unit 28.

[0077] If the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is a person in room 10 (Y in step S222), the control unit 52 returns the process to the beginning of step S222 and repeats step S222.

[0078] If the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is no one in room 10 (N in step S222), the control unit 52 determines whether all doors (doors 20A, 20B) are fully closed (step S223).

[0079] If it is determined that the door is not fully closed (N in step S223), the control unit 52 returns the process to the beginning of step S223 and repeats step S223.

[0080] If the control unit determines that the door is fully closed (step S223, Y), the control unit 52 releases the deactivation of all operating units, including the other operating unit that was deactivated (external operating unit B) (step S224).

[0081] Once step S224 is performed, operation S210 ends. Each of the steps described above is an example, and various modifications are possible. When entering and exiting through opening 102B, operation S210 can be similarly applied by changing opening 102B to any opening, opening 102A to another opening, and swapping the last digits of each symbol. Operation S210 may be performed alone or in combination with operation S110.

[0082] (3rd action) Referring to Figure 6, we will now describe a third operation S310, which is another example of the operation of the automatic door device 100. Figure 6 is a flowchart of the third operation S310. The third operation S310 is an example of the operation when opening a door to an arbitrary opening. Here, we will describe opening 102A as an arbitrary opening, opening 102B as another opening, and door 20B as another door.

[0083] When entering room 10, the user opens the external control unit A (step S311).

[0084] After step S311 is performed, it is determined whether there is a person in room 10 (step S312). In this step, the control unit 52 obtains the determination result from the room occupancy determination unit 28.

[0085] If the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is a person in room 10 (Y in step S312), the control unit 52 determines whether all doors (doors 20A, 20B) are fully closed (step S313).

[0086] If not all doors are fully closed (N in step S313), the control unit 52 terminates the third operation S310.

[0087] If all doors are fully closed (Y in step S313), the control unit 52 determines whether the opened operating part is on the inside (indoor side) (step S314).

[0088] If the opened operating section is not on the inside (N in step S314), the control unit 52 terminates the third operation S310.

[0089] If the opened operating section is on the inside (Y in step S314), the control unit 52 determines whether the opened operating section (outer operating section A) is on the side the user entered the room from (step S315).

[0090] If the opened operating unit is not on the side the user entered the room on (N in step S315), the control unit 52 terminates the third operation S310.

[0091] If the opened operating unit is on the side into which the user entered the room (Y in step S315), the control unit 52 opens the door 20A corresponding to the opened operating unit (external operating unit A) (step S316).

[0092] In step S312, if the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is no one in room 10 (N in step S312), the control unit 52 determines whether all doors (doors 20A, 20B) are fully closed (step S317).

[0093] If not all doors are fully closed (N in step S317), the control unit 52 terminates the third operation S310.

[0094] If all doors are fully closed (Y in step S317), the control unit 52 advances the process to the beginning of step S316 and executes step S316.

[0095] Once step S316 is executed, operation S310 terminates. Each of the steps described above is an example, and various modifications are possible. When entering and exiting through opening 102B, operation S310 can be similarly applied by changing opening 102B to any opening, opening 102A to another opening, and swapping the last digits of each symbol. Operation S310 may be executed alone or in combination with operations S110 to S210.

[0096] (4th action) Referring to Figure 7, we will now explain the fourth operation S410, which is another example of the operation of the automatic door device 100. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the fourth operation S410. The fourth operation S410 is an example of an operation when a predetermined process is performed when room 10 becomes available for use. Here, we will explain by referring to opening 102A as an arbitrary opening, opening 102B as another opening, and door 20B as another door. In addition, opening 102A may be referred to as the opening on side A, door 20A as the door on side A, opening 102B as the opening on side B, and door 20B as the door on side B.

[0097] When the fourth operation S410 is initiated, the control unit 52 determines whether all doors (doors 20A, 20B) are fully closed and whether there is anyone in room 10 (step S411).

[0098] If the determination condition in step S411 is not met (N in step S411), the control unit 52 returns the process to the beginning of step S411 and repeats step S411.

[0099] When all doors are fully closed and there is no one in room 10 (step S411, Y), if the user opens the external operating unit A of any door (in this case, door 20A) (step S412), the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to open door 20A (step S413). Due to the opening operation, door 20A moves to the fully open position and stops.

[0100] After entering room 10, if any of the operating parts is closed (step S414), the control unit 52 determines whether the closed operating part is an internal operating part (internal operating parts A, B) (step S415).

[0101] If the closed operating section is not an internal operating section (N in step S415), the control unit 52 determines whether the operated operating section is the same width as the opening through which the room was entered (step S419). In other words, in this example, if the closed operating section is an external operating section, the control unit 52 determines whether the operating section is on side A.

[0102] If the operated part is not on the same opening (N in step S419), the control unit 52 returns the process to the beginning of step S414 and repeats steps S414 to S419. In other words, in this example, the control unit 52 returns the process to step S414 if the operated part is not on side A (but on side B).

[0103] If the operated part is the same opening (Y in step S419), the control unit 52 closes the door on the operated side (step S420). In other words, in this example, the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to close the door 20A on side A, which was opened in step S412. After executing step S420, the control unit 52 returns the process to the beginning of step S411. This action allows the user to exit through the opening they entered from, but prevents them from exiting through another opening, thus preventing them from passing through.

[0104] If the closed operating section is an internal operating section (Y in step S415), the control unit 52 controls the drive unit 56A to close the door corresponding to the closed operating section (in this case, door 20A) (step S416). The closing operation moves door 20A to the fully closed position and stops. In this state, the user uses the equipment in room 10.

[0105] After step S416 is performed, the control unit 52 controls the outdoor notification unit 46 to indicate that room 10 is in use (step S417).

[0106] After step S416 is executed, the control unit 52 performs a predetermined process (step S418). There are no restrictions on this process. For example, if the control unit 52 is separated into a sub-control unit 52A (not shown) for door 20A and a sub-control unit 52B (not shown) for door 20B, and is located at a distance from each other, this predetermined process may be a process of transmitting predetermined information from one of these sub-control units 52A and 52B to the other. For example, sub-control unit 52A is installed in opening 102A, and sub-control unit 52B is installed in opening 102B. For example, this process may be a process of transmitting from sub-control unit 52A to sub-control unit 52B that room 10 is in use and that a user has entered room 10 from opening 102A when a user enters room 10 from opening 102A and door 20A is closed by the internal operation unit A.

[0107] Once step S418 is executed, operation S410 terminates. Each of the steps described above is an example, and various modifications are possible. When entering and exiting through opening 102B, operation S410 can be similarly applied by changing opening 102B to any opening, opening 102A to another opening, and swapping the last digits of each symbol. Operation S410 may be executed alone or in combination with operations S110 to S310.

[0108] (5th action) Referring to Figure 8, we will now describe the fifth operation S510, which is another example of the operation of the automatic door device 100. Figure 8 is a flowchart of the fifth operation S510. The fifth operation S510 is an operation in which a predetermined emergency procedure is performed when a user in room 10 wants to request assistance from another person due to illness or other reasons (for example, in an emergency).

[0109] When the fifth operation S510 has started and the user operates the call operation unit 16 (step S511), the control unit 52 activates the outdoor notification unit 46 (step S512). In this step, the control unit 52 controls the outdoor notification unit 46 to display that an emergency has occurred.

[0110] After step S512 is executed, the control unit 52 performs a predetermined emergency procedure (step S513). As an example, the emergency procedure in step S513 may include enabling the opening operation of the operating parts of all openings, or opening all doors 20 of all openings (moving the doors 20 to the fully open position).

[0111] Once step S513 is executed, operation S510 terminates. Each of the steps described above is an example, and various variations are possible. Operation S510 may be executed alone or in combination with operations S110 to S410.

[0112] (6th action) Referring to Figure 9, we will now describe the sixth operation S610, which is another example of the operation of the automatic door device 100. Figure 9 is a flowchart of the sixth operation S610. The sixth operation S610 is an operation in which a predetermined abnormality processing is performed when the master key switch (not shown) is operated. The master key switch is a switch used by the administrator of room 10 to enter room 10 in the event of an abnormality, and can be operated using the master key held by the administrator.

[0113] If, while the sixth operation S610 has started, an administrator or other person who senses any abnormality operates the master key switch using the master key (step S611), the control unit 52 executes a predetermined abnormality processing (step S612). As an example, the abnormality processing in step S612 may include enabling the opening operation of the operating parts of all openings, or opening all doors 20 of all openings (moving the doors 20 to the fully open position).

[0114] Once step S612 is executed, operation S610 terminates. Each of the steps described above is an example, and various variations are possible. Operation S610 may be executed alone or in combination with operations S110 to S510.

[0115] The features of the automatic door device 100 of this embodiment, configured as described above, will now be explained.

[0116] The automatic door device 100 of this embodiment includes a plurality of drive units 56A, 56B for opening and closing each of a plurality of doors 20A, 20B provided in a private room (room 10); a plurality of external instruction input units (external operation units 25A, 25B) provided on the outside of the private room to receive open or close instructions for corresponding doors among the plurality of doors 20A, 20B; a plurality of internal instruction input units (internal operation units 27A, 27B) provided on the inside of the private room to receive open or close instructions for corresponding doors among the plurality of doors 20A, 20B; and a control unit 52 that controls the drive units based on the instruction inputs from the plurality of external instruction input units and the plurality of internal instruction input units. When an open instruction is received from any one of the plurality of external instruction input units, the control unit 52 invalidates the input of open instructions from the other external instruction input units and the internal instruction input units.

[0117] This configuration allows for a simple setup that appropriately manages the overlapping use of rooms accessed through multiple doors.

[0118] This embodiment includes an occupancy determination unit 28 that determines whether there is a person in room 10. The control unit 52, when the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is no person in room 10 while the door 20 opened by the opening operation of one external operation unit 25A is fully closed, releases the deactivation of the opening operation of the other external operation unit 25B. In this case, by releasing the deactivation of the opening operation of the external operation unit 25B, both doors 20A and 20B become usable.

[0119] In this embodiment, when the door 20 is opened by opening one external operating unit 25A, the control unit 52 activates the closing operation of one internal operating unit 27A corresponding to one external operating unit 25A, and disables the operation of the other internal operating units 27B. In this case, it is possible to prevent a person who enters through one opening from exiting through another opening.

[0120] This embodiment includes multiple drive units 56 for opening and closing multiple doors 20A, 20B provided in a room 10, multiple external operating units 25A, 25B and multiple internal operating units 27A, 27B corresponding to the multiple doors 20, a control unit 52 that controls the drive units 56 based on the operation of the multiple operating units 25, 27, and an occupancy determination unit 28 that determines whether there is a person in the room 10. When the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is a person in the room after one of the multiple internal operating units 27A, 27B has been closed, the control unit 52 disables the opening operation of the other operating units 25A, 25B, 27B, excluding the one internal operating unit 27A.

[0121] This configuration prevents opening the door from the outside when someone is inside room 10, while also preventing someone who enters through one opening from exiting through another.

[0122] In this embodiment, when the occupancy determination unit 28 determines that there is no person inside, the control unit 52 releases the deactivation of the opening operations of the other operation units 25A, 25B, and 27B when all of the doors 20 are closed. In this case, by releasing the deactivation of the opening operations of the other operation units 25A, 25B, and 27B, both doors 20A and 20B become usable.

[0123] The above is a description of the first embodiment.

[0124] The second and third embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the drawings and descriptions of the second and third embodiments, components and members that are the same or equivalent as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same single reference numeral. Descriptions that overlap with those of the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the descriptions will focus on the configurations that differ from those of the first embodiment.

[0125] [Second Embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention is a control method for an automatic door device. This control method, for an automatic door device that opens and closes multiple doors based on instructions from multiple external instruction input units and multiple internal instruction input units corresponding to multiple doors provided in a private room, includes the step of disabling instruction inputs from other external instruction input units when an open instruction is output from one of the multiple external instruction input units. As an example, this control method, for an automatic door device 100 that opens and closes multiple doors 20 based on operations of multiple external operation units 25 and multiple internal operation units 27 corresponding to multiple doors 20 provided in a room 10, includes the step S112 of disabling the open operation of other external operation units 25B when one of the multiple external operation units 25A, 25B is opened.

[0126] This control method produces the same functions and effects as the first embodiment.

[0127] [Third Embodiment] A third embodiment of the present invention is a control program P100 for an automatic door device. This control program causes a computer to execute a step in which, when an open instruction is output from one of the multiple external instruction input units, the instruction input from the other external instruction input units is disabled, for an automatic door device 100 that opens and closes multiple doors 20 in a room 10 based on the operation of multiple external operation units 25 and multiple internal operation units 27 corresponding to multiple doors 20 in a room 10. For example, the control program P100 causes a computer to execute a step S112 in which, when one of the multiple external operation units 25A, 25B is opened, the opening operation of the other external operation units 25B is disabled.

[0128] The control program P100 may be installed in the storage (e.g., memory unit 526) of the automatic door device 100 as an application program in which multiple modules corresponding to the functional blocks of the automatic door device 100 are implemented. The control program P100 may be read into the main memory of the computer processor (e.g., CPU) that constitutes the control unit 52 of the automatic door device 100 and executed thereafter.

[0129] According to this control program P100, the same functions and effects as in the first embodiment are achieved.

[0130] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. The embodiments described above are merely examples of how to implement the present invention. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes, such as changes, additions, and deletions of components, are possible as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims. In the embodiments described above, the contents in which such design changes are possible are described with notations such as "of the embodiments" or "in the embodiments," but this does not mean that design changes are not permitted in contents without such notations.

[0131] [Differentiation] The following describes modified examples. In the drawings and descriptions of the modified examples, components and members that are the same or equivalent as those in the embodiments are denoted by the same reference numeral. Descriptions that overlap with those in the embodiments will be omitted as appropriate, and the descriptions will focus on the configurations that differ from the first embodiment.

[0132] In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which two openings 102A and 102B are provided with two doors 20A and 20B, but for example, the number of openings and doors may be three or more.

[0133] In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which one control unit 52 controls multiple drive units 56A and 56B. However, for example, multiple control units corresponding to each of the multiple drive units may be provided. In this case, the multiple control units may communicate with each other by means of communication and operate in coordination.

[0134] In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the movement path 22 does not have guide means such as rails or grooves, but the movement path 22 may have guide means such as rails or grooves.

[0135] In the description of the embodiment, the external operating unit 25 and the internal operating unit 27 were shown as push-button switches, but for example, the operating unit may be one in which operation is input via wireless communication from a wireless device such as a smartphone or IC card.

[0136] The above-described modifications produce the same functions and effects as the first embodiment.

[0137] Any combination of the embodiments and modifications described above is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiments resulting from these combinations possess the combined effects of the respective embodiments and modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 20A, 20B door, 25A, 25B external operation section, 27A, 27B internal operation section, 28 occupancy determination section, 52 control section, 56A, 56B drive section, 102A, 102B opening, 100 automatic door device.

Claims

1. Multiple drive units for opening and closing each of the multiple doors installed in the private room, A plurality of external instruction input units are provided on the outside of the aforementioned private room, and input is received for instructions to open or close a corresponding door among the plurality of doors, A plurality of internal instruction input units are provided inside the aforementioned private room, and input is received for instructions to open or close a corresponding door among the plurality of doors, A control unit that controls the drive unit based on the instruction inputs of the plurality of outer instruction input units and the plurality of inner instruction input units, A room occupancy determination unit that determines whether or not there is a person in the aforementioned private room, Equipped with, The control unit, after receiving a closing instruction from one of the multiple internal instruction input units, and then determining that a person is present, invalidates instruction inputs from the other external and internal instruction input units. Automatic door system.

2. The control unit, after receiving a close instruction from one of the plurality of internal instruction input units, and after the occupancy determination unit determines that a person is present, invalidates the instruction inputs from the other external instruction input units and internal instruction input units, and then, when an open instruction is received from the one internal instruction input unit, opens the door corresponding to the one internal instruction input unit. The automatic door device according to claim 1.

3. The automatic door device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that there is no person present and that all of the multiple doors are closed, and then enables instruction input from the other external instruction input unit and internal instruction input unit.

4. An automatic door device comprising an occupancy determination unit for determining whether there is a person in a private room, and which opens and closes a plurality of doors based on instructions from a plurality of external instruction input units and a plurality of internal instruction input units corresponding to a plurality of doors provided in the private room, A control method for an automatic door device, which includes the step of invalidating instruction inputs from the other outer instruction input units and inner instruction input units when, after a closing instruction is input from one of the multiple inner instruction input units, the occupancy determination unit determines that a person is present.

5. An automatic door device comprising an occupancy determination unit for determining whether there is a person in a private room, and which opens and closes a plurality of doors based on instructions from a plurality of external instruction input units and a plurality of internal instruction input units corresponding to a plurality of doors provided in the private room, A control program for an automatic door device that causes a computer to perform the step of invalidating instruction inputs from the other outer instruction input units and inner instruction input units when, after a closing instruction is input from one of the multiple inner instruction input units, the occupancy determination unit determines that a person is present in the room.

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