Sensor Unit Light Communication Collective Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensor systems without a communication unit lack a method to collectively activate functions across multiple sensor units, leading to increased workload in activating sensitivity adjustments or threshold settings for photoelectric sensor units.
Innovation Solution
A sensor unit with an activation unit that responds to external signals to activate prescribed functions, such as sensitivity adjustments, and a signal output unit that transmits trigger signals to adjacent units, allowing collective activation of functions across multiple sensor units using light communication for efficient signal transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If each sensor unit is operated independently without a communication unit, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to increased workload for activating functions in each sensor unit
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the sensor units into a master unit and slave units, where the master unit receives external signals and generates trigger signals that are sequentially transmitted to slave units. This segmentation allows the activation command to be divided and propagated through the unit series, reducing the operational burden while maintaining individual unit functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The master sensor unit acts as an intermediary between the external signal source and the slave sensor units. It receives the external signal, processes it into a trigger signal, and transmits it to adjacent slave units. This intermediary role enables collective activation without requiring direct communication between all units, balancing complexity and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If a communication unit is added to each sensor unit for collective function activation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The master sensor unit performs multiple functions: it receives external signals, generates trigger signals, and transmits them to slave units. This multi-functionality consolidates the communication role into a single unit rather than requiring communication capabilities in each sensor unit, improving ease of operation while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication functions for collective activation are merged into the master sensor unit, which handles signal reception, processing, and transmission to multiple slave units. This merging approach allows collective function activation without duplicating communication units across all sensor units, thus improving ease of operation while controlling device complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If sensitivity adjustment is performed individually for each photoelectric sensor unit, then the manufacturing precision is maintained, but the productivity decreases due to increased workload
Solution Approach 1:
The master sensor unit performs preliminary processing of the external signal to generate trigger signals before transmitting them to slave units. This preliminary action enables synchronized activation and sensitivity adjustment across all units simultaneously, maintaining manufacturing precision while significantly improving productivity by eliminating individual adjustment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The trigger signal is continuously transmitted through the series of sensor units from the master to all slaves, enabling continuous and simultaneous activation of sensitivity adjustment functions across all units. This continuous action ensures uniform precision adjustment while maximizing productivity through parallel operation of all sensor units.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the workload for activating functions in each sensor unit by enabling collective activation of sensitivity adjustments or other functions, improving operational efficiency in sensor systems.
Implementation Method 1
a light communication unit capable of light signal transmission and reception; The signal output unit may transmit a light signal including the trigger signal to one of the sensor units in the unit series by using the light communication unit
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a sensor unit and function activation method that make it possible to collectively activate the functions of a plurality of sensor units. A sensor unit 10, which can be connected to other sensor units 10 to form a unit series, comprises an activation unit 64 for activating a prescribed function on the basis of a signal from the outside and a signal output unit 65 for outputting a trigger signal for activating a prescribed function to the outside on the basis of a signal from the outside.