JP2758419B2 - Ultrasonic detector - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic detection device used for a load device that changes in temperature, such as an indoor cooling / heating device and a heating source such as a stove.

[Conventional technology]

Load devices that are used in ordinary households and have a change in ambient temperature include a device for adjusting the indoor temperature (for example, a heating device, a cooling device, a ventilation fan, etc.) and a device as a heating source (for example, an electric stove, a gas stove, etc.). .

Conventionally, in these load devices, detection and control of a temperature change to be controlled are performed by a temperature sensor and a remote control device attached to the load device.

For example, when heating the room with an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner), the air conditioner 1 is installed on the wall surface of the room 5 as shown in FIG. Discharge warm air in the direction. The temperature sensor 6 is attached to the air conditioner 1 and adjusts the output of the air conditioner 1 according to the temperature of the nearby atmosphere.

When manually adjusting the temperature or turning on / off the power switch, the user operates switches provided on the main body of the air conditioner 1 or operates a remote control switch 7 held by the person 2 in the room 5.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, the position where the temperature sensor 6 is provided is far from the place where the person 2 is located, and the temperature of the detected atmosphere is also different. Therefore, there is a problem that the temperature cannot be controlled to be suitable for the person 2 in the room 5. Position of person 2 and temperature sensor 4
It is possible to correct the control voltage in consideration of the temperature difference from the position in advance, but the temperature difference between the two positions differs depending on another heating device or stove placed in the room, so that appropriate correction can be performed. Can not. For example, when a heating source such as a stove is used at a location far from the air conditioner, the heat generated by the heating source cannot be detected by the temperature sensor 4.

Therefore, a description will be given of an ultrasonic detecting device of a proposed example capable of performing temperature measurement over a wide range and performing appropriate temperature control with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an electric circuit of the ultrasonic detection device.

A transmitting / receiving ultrasonic sensor 102A serving as transmitting / receiving means for detecting an object and a transmitting / receiving ultrasonic sensor 102B serving as transmitting / receiving means for measuring temperature are provided. An ultrasonic drive circuit 101 controlled by a transmission timing circuit 100 is connected to these ultrasonic sensors 102A and 102B. The ultrasonic drive circuit 101 outputs an ultrasonic signal.

Amplifying circuits 103A and 103B for amplifying received waves are connected to the ultrasonic sensors 102A and 102B, respectively, and a delay time detecting means 105 detects the amplifying circuits 103B. Delay time detection means 105
Is a device that outputs the time difference between the transmitted wave and the received wave as a voltage value, and is composed of an integrating circuit and the like.
Connected to 100. The delay time detecting means 105 is the amplifier circuit 10.
When there is no 3B output, the output voltage is maintained. An output of the amplification circuit 103A on the object detection side is connected to one input of an AND gate 106, and a gate generation circuit 104 is connected to the other input. The gate generation circuit 104 includes a transmission timing circuit 1
A gate signal is output in synchronization with the output of 00,
It consists of a monostable circuit and the like.

The load device 111 is a ventilation fan in this example, and is connected to a power supply 109 such as an AC commercial power supply via a switch means 108 and an output means 110. The output control means 110 includes a load device 111
, And comprises, for example, a phase control circuit. The switch means 108 includes a relay or a transistor, and is controlled by the on / off control means 107. The on / off control unit 107 outputs an on / off control signal, and includes a flip-flop and the like. When a high-level signal is input from the AND gate 106 in the off state, the on / off control means 107 inverts on at the rising edge, and turns off at the falling edge when the high-level signal is input in the on state. Invert. If there is no input, the output state is maintained.

FIG. 4 shows a case where the ultrasonic detecting apparatus 200 is installed in a room 201 serving as a kitchen.
1 shows a state in which it is installed on a wall surface. The ultrasonic sensor 102A for object detection has a small area with the detection area 204 directed obliquely downward, and the ultrasonic sensor 102B for temperature measurement has a detection area 205
Extend to a horizontal and opposing wall 207. 202 is a heating source such as a stove in the kitchen stand.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. First, an on / off operation of the power supply of the load device 111 will be described. The power is turned on by positioning a reflection object such as a hand 206 in the detection area 204 of the ultrasonic sensor 102A, and the power is turned off again by the detection area.
This is performed by positioning the hand 206 or the like at the position 204.

That is, the transmission timing circuit 100 outputs a transmission timing signal a (FIG. 2 (A)), and the ultrasonic drive circuit 101 which has received the signal outputs an ultrasonic signal b (FIG. 2 (B) )), And an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 102A. The hand 206 is within the detection area 204 of the ultrasonic sensor 102A.
If there is reflection of the equal (period t ₁ of FIG. 2 (H)), it reflected ultrasonic waves are ultrasonic sensors 102A reception. Amplifier circuit 103A
Amplifies the received wave c (FIG. 2 (C)) and performs envelope detection. The amplified signal d (FIG. 2 (D)) of the amplifier circuit 103A is
An AND signal f (FIG. 2 (F)) which is inputted to the AND gate 106 and which is a logical sum with a gate signal e (FIG. 2 (E)) of the gate generating circuit 104 is outputted from the AND gate 106. The gate signal e is a transmission timing signal a (second
It is output for the time for setting the detection area 204 of the ultrasonic sensor 102A from the fall of FIG.

The ultrasonic wave propagation speed U (m / sec) is expressed by the following equation.
t is the temperature (° C.).

U = 331.45 + 0.605t Therefore, if the distance from the ultrasonic sensor 102A to the reflection object such as the hand 206 is, for example, 50 cm, the delay time for the ultrasonic wave to propagate the reciprocating distance of 100 cm is 2.895 ms. Also, the maximum distance l of the detection area 204 of the ultrasonic sensor 102A
If (Fig. 5) is, for example, 100 cm, this maximum distance l
The reflection time to go back and forth is 5.79 ms from the formula. Therefore, the gate signal of the gate generation circuit 104 (FIG. 2 (E)) changes from the rise of the transmission timing signal a to 5.
It is set to be 79ms. If there is a reflection object in the detection area 204, an AND signal f (FIG. 2 (F)) is output.

The on / off control means 107 inverts the output by inputting the AND signal f in a state where the output on / off signal (FIG. 2 (G)) is off, and outputs an on signal. The switch unit 108 turns on the power of the load device 111 in response to the ON signal of the ON / OFF control unit 107.

When the hand 206 serving as a reflection object is moved out of the detection area 204 (period t ₂ ) (FIG. 2 (H)) and when there is no hand 206 (period t ₃ ), the reception wave exists within the gate time. do not do. Therefore, the AND signal f is not output, and the ON / OFF control unit 107
Continue to hold the ON signal, and the load device 111 continues to turn on the power.

Thereafter, when the hand 206 is re-entered into the detection area 204 (period t _{4 in} FIG. 2 (H)), the AND signal f
Is output, the on / off control means 107 inverts the output, outputs an off signal, and turns off the load device 111. This operation is repeated to perform the power on / off operation of the load device 111.

Next, control of the load level by the temperature change will be described. Transmission timing signal a of the transmission timing circuit 100
The ultrasonic signal b (FIG. 3 (B)) of the ultrasonic driving circuit 101 according to (FIG. 3 (A)) is also input to the ultrasonic sensor 102B, and the ultrasonic sensor 102B transmits an ultrasonic wave. The transmitted ultrasonic wave is reflected by the opposite wall 207 of the room 201 (FIG. 4) and received by the ultrasonic sensor 102B. The received wave c '(FIG. 3 (C)) is subjected to envelope detection by the amplifier circuit 103B, and the amplified signal d' (FIG. 3 (D)) is input to the delay time detecting means 105.

The reflection time of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor 102B varies depending on the ambient temperature of the detection area 205 of the room 201 as can be seen from the above equation. That is, as the temperature increases, the time required for the ultrasonic wave to hit the reflector (wall 207) at a certain distance and return is reduced, and conversely, as the temperature decreases, the reflection time increases. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature and the reflection time at a certain distance.

When the distance L (FIG. 6) between the ultrasonic sensor 102B and the wall 207 is, for example, 3 m, the relationship between the temperature, the ultrasonic velocity, and the reflection time is as shown in the following table.

Now, if the room temperature is 25 ° C. and the distance L is 3 m, the reflection time r
(FIG. 3 (D)) is 17.32 milliseconds. The delay time detecting means 109 converts the reflection time r, which is the time difference between the transmission timing of the transmission timing circuit 100 and the reception, into a voltage.
It outputs a control voltage V of 12 V (FIG. 3 (E)).

 The relationship between the control voltage V and the reflection time is set as follows: control voltage V = 1000 × reflection time (second).

The output control means 110 controls the output level (%) of the load device 111 according to the following equation.

Output level (%) = − 100.3 × control voltage + 1736 (V) Therefore, when the temperature is 25 ° C. (the control voltage is 17.3112 V), the load device 111 is controlled so that the output level becomes 0%.

When the indoor temperature rises, the time difference (reflection time) between the wave transmission timing and the wave reception becomes shorter, and the delay time detecting means 109
Control voltage drops. For example, when the room temperature rises to 60 ° C. (period s _{2 in} FIG. 3 (F)), the control voltage V (FIG. 3 (E)) becomes 16.315V, and the output control means 110 reduces the output level to 100%. To raise.

Since this ultrasonic detection device performs temperature measurement in a wide range from the ultrasonic sensor 102B on the wall surface of the room 201 to the opposing wall 207, the average temperature of the room 201 can be accurately detected. In addition, therefore, even in the case shown in FIG. 6 that could not be measured conventionally, that is, even when the heating source 209 such as a stove is installed far away from the ultrasonic detection device 200,
The temperature can be set including a local temperature change by the heating source 209. In addition, since the temperature can be measured in a wide range, the installation place of the ultrasonic detection device 200 is less restricted.

Also, this ultrasonic detection device is operated by the ultrasonic sensor 102A.
By positioning the 206, etc., the power supply of the load device 111 can be turned on and off without contact.Therefore, even if it is installed in a kitchen or the like and operated with wet hands, there is less danger of electric leakage and electric shock, and sanitary It is.

In this proposed example, the output of the load device 111 is controlled stepwise (continuously). However, the delay time detection means 105 outputs an ON or OFF signal at a set level, and the load device 11
1 may be controlled to be on / off. The load device 111 may be any device that affects the ambient temperature of the room 201, and may be any of the following devices. In that case, the following control is performed.

For example, when the load device 111 is a heating device and on / off control is performed, the load device 111 is turned off at a certain temperature or higher, and turned on at a lower temperature. When the output is changed stepwise, the output is increased stepwise below the set temperature, and the output is decreased stepwise above the set temperature.

When the load device 111 is a cooling device and is controlled to be turned on and off, the load device 111 is turned off when the temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature and turned on when the temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature. When the output is changed stepwise, the output is increased stepwise when the temperature is higher than the set temperature, and is decreased stepwise when the temperature is lower than the set temperature.

When the load device 111 is a ventilation fan or a circulator and performs on / off control, it is turned on at a certain temperature or higher and turned off at a certain temperature or lower. When changing the output stepwise, the output is increased stepwise above the set temperature, and the output is decreased stepwise below the set temperature.

When the load device 111 is turned on and off by heating the stove or the like, the power is turned off when the temperature reaches a temperature at which there is a risk of fire. When the output is changed step by step, the output is reduced in the case of excessive temperature rise or when approaching the danger level of fire.

However, in this proposed example, it is difficult to control the output level of the load device in a non-contact manner.For example, in a kitchen, water is often used, and switches may be touched with wet hands. There is a problem that it is dangerous and unsanitary.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic detection device that can adjust the output level of a load device in a non-contact manner and is free from danger of electric leakage and electric shock.

[Means for solving the problem]

An ultrasonic detecting apparatus according to the present invention includes: a transmitting / receiving means for transmitting an ultrasonic wave for detecting an object and receiving a reflected wave thereof;
According to the delay time from the transmission of the receiving means to the reception,
A delay time detecting means for outputting a control signal corresponding to a distance from the wave receiving means to the reflecting object; and output control means for continuously controlling an output level of a load device by the control signal of the delay time detecting means. It is a thing.

[Action]

According to the ultrasonic detection device of the present invention, delay time detection means for outputting a control signal according to the distance to the reflection object based on the reflection time of the ultrasonic wave is provided, and the output level of the load device is continuously controlled by the control means. Since the adjustment is performed, the output level of the load device can be adjusted in a non-contact manner, which is hygienic, and there is no danger of electric shock or electric leakage even if the operation is performed with wet hands. Moreover, even if the ultrasonic detection device is installed at a high position where it cannot be reached, the output level can be controlled.

〔Example〕

One embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. That is, this ultrasonic detection device is adapted to adjust the output level of the load device 111 in a non-contact manner by applying the technology of the proposed example. The output of the amplification circuit 103B of the ultrasonic sensor 102A for object detection and the output of the gate generation circuit 104 are input to the AND gate 106, and the AND gate output and the output of the transmission timing circuit 100 are output to the delay time detection means 105 '. You are typing. The output of the delay time detecting means 105 'is connected to the control input of the output control means 110. The gate generation circuit 104, the on / off control means 107, and the switch means 108 are the same as in the proposed example (FIG. 1).

In the case of this configuration, when the hand 206 is moved within the detection area 204 'of the ultrasonic sensor 102A as shown in FIG. 10, when the hand 206 is moved closer to the ultrasonic sensor 102A, the reflection time is shortened. The difference between the signal (FIG. 9 (A)) and the AND signal becomes shorter, and the delay time detecting means 105 'lowers the output control voltage (FIG. 9 (F)). Therefore, the output control means 110 raises the output level of the load device 111. Hand 20
When the distance 6 is increased, the output level of the load device 111 is reduced.

When the hand 206 comes out of the detection area 204 ', the reflected signal does not return, and the AND signal is not output. Therefore, the delay time detecting means 105 'holds the control voltage, and the output control means 110 holds the output level of the load device 111.

Thus, the output level can be adjusted in a non-contact manner. Therefore, even if the ultrasonic detection device is installed at a high position where it cannot be reached, it is possible to control the output level and perform the on / off operation. In addition, since it can be operated without contact, it is sanitary.

In this embodiment, the ultrasonic sensor 102A is used for both transmitting and receiving waves. However, the ultrasonic sensor 102A may be used exclusively for receiving waves, and an ultrasonic transmitter may be separately provided.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the ultrasonic detection device of the present invention, delay time detection means for outputting a control signal according to the distance to the reflection object based on the reflection time of the ultrasonic wave is provided, and the output level of the load device is continuously controlled by the control means. Since the adjustment is performed, the output level of the load device can be adjusted in a non-contact manner, which is hygienic, and there is no danger of electric shock or electric leakage even if the operation is performed with wet hands. In addition, even if the ultrasonic detection device is installed at a high position where it cannot be reached, the output level can be controlled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of the proposed example, FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram of the on / off operation, FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram of the temperature measurement operation, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the detection area, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another example of the installation environment, and FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the ultrasonic reflection time and the temperature. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an electric circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a waveform diagram thereof, FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram thereof, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example. is there. 100 …… Transmission timing circuit, 101 …… Ultrasonic drive circuit,
102, 102A, 102B ... ultrasonic sensor, 104 ... gate generation circuit, 105, 105 '... delay time detecting means, 107 ... on-off control means, 108 ... switch means, 110 ... output control means, 111 ... load machine

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-52-65351 (JP, A) JP-A-60-82738 (JP, A) JP-A-63-194144 (JP, A) JP-A-57-129345 (JP) JP-A-59-121600 (JP, A) JP-A-63-55340 (JP, U) JP-A-62-16169 (JP, U) JP-A-63-190358 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G05D 23/00-23/32

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A transmitting / receiving means for transmitting an ultrasonic wave for detecting an object and receiving a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave; and a transmitting / receiving means for transmitting / receiving the ultrasonic wave based on a delay time from transmitting to receiving of the transmitting / receiving means. A delay time detecting means for outputting a control signal corresponding to a distance from the wave means to the reflecting object; and an output control means for continuously controlling the output level of the load device by the control signal of the delay time detecting means. Ultrasonic detector.