JP7649652B2 - Closed space sensor system and method for controlling closed space sensor system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a closed space sensor system and a control method for a closed space sensor system.

In closed spaces such as rooms, storage facilities, chambers, tanks, and furnaces, multiple sensors may be placed to measure the distribution of environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity within the closed space and to monitor the presence and movement of multiple items placed within the closed space for the purpose of quality control and traceability (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Traditionally, sensors have been powered by wires and have sent and received data via wires. However, in recent years, wireless sensors that send and receive data wirelessly have become widespread. Wireless sensors have the advantages of not requiring wiring, being able to be placed in locations where wiring is physically difficult, and not having wiring defects that can occur due to contact between wiring and objects. The advantage of not requiring complex wiring is considered to be particularly significant when multiple sensors need to be placed.

There are two types of wireless sensors: those that are powered by a wire and those that are powered wirelessly. Wired power supply does not take advantage of the advantage of wireless sensors, which is that they do not require wiring. Therefore, attention is being paid to wireless sensors that are also powered wirelessly.

International Publication No. 2016/123062 JP 2019-88128 A

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a closed space sensor system capable of stable operation within a closed space and a control method for the closed space sensor system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a closed space sensor system is provided that includes an electromagnetic wave irradiation device for irradiating electromagnetic waves, a plurality of sensors that convert the received electromagnetic waves into electricity to operate, a movable reflecting unit that reflects the electromagnetic waves, and a monitoring unit that monitors the relationship between the arrangement of the reflecting unit and the operation of the plurality of sensors, in which the plurality of sensors and the reflecting unit are arranged in a closed space.

The closed space sensor system may further include an arrangement setting unit that sets the arrangement combination of the reflecting parts that can be driven by the multiple sensors.

In the above closed space sensor system, the placement setting unit may set a placement combination of the reflecting units that can be driven by all of the multiple sensors.

In the above closed space sensor system, the placement setting unit may set a combination of placements of reflecting units that can drive a predetermined number or more of multiple sensors.

The closed space sensor system may further include a reflection control unit that changes the arrangement of the reflection units to a preset combination of arrangements.

In the above closed space sensor system, the reflection control unit may stop the movement of the reflection unit for a predetermined period of time in a set position.

In the above closed space sensor system, the reflecting part may be rotatable.

In the above closed space sensor system, the reflecting portion may be configured to hold multiple sensors.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a closed space sensor system, the method including: irradiating electromagnetic waves within the closed space; moving a movable reflecting unit that reflects the electromagnetic waves within the closed space; receiving the electromagnetic waves with at least some of the multiple sensors within the closed space and converting the electromagnetic waves into electricity to drive the sensors; and monitoring the relationship between the arrangement of the reflecting unit and the drive of the multiple sensors within the closed space.

The control method for the closed space sensor system may further include setting a combination of the arrangement of reflectors that can be driven by the multiple sensors.

In the above-mentioned method for controlling a closed space sensor system, when setting a combination of the arrangements of the reflecting parts that can be driven by the multiple sensors, a combination of the arrangements of the reflecting parts that can be driven by all of the multiple sensors may be set.

In the above-mentioned method for controlling a closed space sensor system, when setting a combination of the arrangement of reflecting parts that can be driven by a plurality of sensors, a combination of the arrangement of reflecting parts that can be driven by a predetermined number or more of a plurality of sensors may be set.

The control method for the closed space sensor system may further include changing the arrangement of the reflecting parts to a combination of set arrangements.

The control method for the closed space sensor system may further include stopping the movement of the reflecting part for a predetermined period of time in the set position.

The reflecting portion in the above-mentioned control method for the closed space sensor system may be rotatable.

The reflecting unit in the above-mentioned method for controlling a closed space sensor system may be configured to hold multiple sensors.

The present invention provides a closed space sensor system capable of stable operation in a closed space and a control method for the closed space sensor system.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view showing a closed space sensor system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the closed space sensor system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a sensor of the closed space sensor system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic graph showing an example of the relationship between the arrangement of the reflecting parts and the drivable sensors according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic graph showing an example of the relationship between the arrangement of the reflecting parts and the drivable sensors according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic table showing an example of the relationship between the arrangement of the reflecting parts and the drivable sensors according to the embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are denoted by identical or similar reference symbols. However, the drawings are schematic. Therefore, specific dimensions, etc. should be determined in light of the following description. In addition, the drawings naturally include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the closed space sensor system according to the embodiment includes an electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 for irradiating electromagnetic waves, a plurality of sensors 30A, 30B, 30C... that convert received electromagnetic waves into electric power for operation, a movable reflecting unit 60 that reflects the electromagnetic waves, and a monitoring unit 200 that monitors the relationship between the arrangement of the reflecting unit 60 and the operation of the plurality of sensors 30A, 30B, 30C.... At least the plurality of sensors 30A, 30B, 30C... and the reflecting unit 60 are arranged in the closed space 10.

The electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 includes a power transmission unit 40 that irradiates electromagnetic waves. The power transmission unit 40 of the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 includes, for example, an antenna. The power transmission unit 40 of the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 is disposed, for example, within the closed space 10. The parts of the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 other than the power transmission unit 40 may be disposed outside the closed space 10. The frequency band of the electromagnetic waves irradiated by the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 is arbitrary, but may be, for example, 100 MHz to 5 GHz, 500 MHz to 3 GHz, or 900 MHz to 2.45 GHz. The frequency band may be the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band.

The closed space 10 is, for example, a freeze-drying oven. For example, when the door of a freeze-drying oven is closed, the gas inside is aseptically sealed off from the outside air. Within the closed space 10, for example, a plurality of vials 20A, 20B, 20C... each storing a pharmaceutical product to be freeze-dried are arranged on a shelf. The plurality of sensors 30A, 30B, 30C... are arranged, for example, in at least some of the plurality of vials 20A, 20B, 20C.... It is arbitrary which of the plurality of vials 20A, 20B, 20C... the sensors are arranged in.

The number of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. is arbitrary. Each of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. is, for example, a temperature sensor. Each of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. is wirelessly powered by electromagnetic waves such as microwaves irradiated from the power transmission unit 40 of the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140, measures the temperature inside the vial during freeze-drying, and wirelessly emits a sensing signal including the measurement result.

3, the sensor 30A includes a power receiving unit 110 that receives power via electromagnetic waves, a measuring unit 160 that measures the temperature of an object to be measured, and a transmitting unit 150 that can transmit a sensing signal including the measurement result by the measuring unit 160. The power receiving unit 110 receives electromagnetic waves transmitted by the power transmitting unit 40 of the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 via a power receiving antenna 111. The sensor 30A also includes a power storage unit 120 that stores the power received by the power receiving unit 110. The power storage unit 120 is electrically connected to the power receiving unit 110, the measuring unit 160, and the transmitting unit 150. The measuring unit 160 and the transmitting unit 150 are driven by the power stored in the power storage unit 120. The transmitting unit 150 wirelessly transmits a sensing signal including the measurement result via a transmitting antenna 112.

The receiving antenna 111 and the transmitting antenna 112 may be separate or may be the same. The sensor 30A may have multiple receiving antennas 111. The sensor 30A may also have multiple transmitting antennas 112. The other sensors 30B, 30C, etc. shown in FIG. 1 may also have the same configuration as the sensor 30A shown in FIG. 3.

A sensing signal receiving device 50 may be disposed within the closed space 10 shown in FIG. 1 to receive sensing signals emitted by each of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. The sensing signal receiving device 50 includes a receiving antenna for receiving the sensing signal. The sensing signal receiving device 50 may further include a storage device for storing the received sensing signal.

At least a portion of the reflecting unit 60 shown in FIG. 2 is made of a material capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves. Examples of materials capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves include conductive materials such as metals. The reflecting unit 60 is movable. The manner of movement is arbitrary. The reflecting unit 60 is, for example, rotatable. The reflecting unit 60 is also, for example, movable in any direction. The shape of the reflecting unit 60 is, for example, plate-like, cylindrical, propeller-like, or spiral-like, but is not particularly limited. A reflection control unit 70 that controls the movement of the reflecting unit 60 is connected to the reflecting unit 60. The reflection control unit 70 is, for example, included in a computer.

When the power transmission unit 40 of the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 irradiates electromagnetic waves, the electromagnetic waves may be reflected within the closed space 10, generating standing waves. Therefore, a null point where the transmitted power is weak may occur near the node of the standing wave. If the position of the null point coincides with the position of any of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc., power may not be supplied to the sensor, causing the sensor to not operate. In addition, for example, if the closed space 10 is a freeze-drying furnace, deformation such as expansion and contraction may occur in the space within the furnace due to changes in temperature or pressure or vibration, and the propagation path of the electromagnetic waves within the furnace may change, causing the position of the null point to change.

In contrast, when the reflecting part 60 moves within the closed space 10, the direction of travel of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the reflecting part 60 also changes, so the electric field distribution within the closed space 10 changes, and the position of the node of the standing wave also changes.

The monitoring unit 200 is connected to, for example, the reflection control unit 70 and the sensing signal receiving device 50. The monitoring unit 200 is included in, for example, a computer. The monitoring unit 200 monitors the arrangement of the reflecting units 60 driven by a predetermined number of sensors among the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. For example, before the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. detect the detection target, the reflection control unit 70 moves the reflecting units 60, and the monitoring unit 200 checks whether each of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. is driven for each arrangement of the reflecting units 60. The monitoring unit 200 stores, for example, in a storage device, the arrangement of the reflecting units 60 driven by at least one of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc.

The closed space sensor system according to the embodiment may further include a placement setting unit 201. The placement setting unit 201 is connected to the monitoring unit 200. The placement setting unit 201 is included in, for example, a computer. The placement setting unit 201 extracts multiple placements of the reflecting unit 60 driven by at least one sensor from the storage device of the monitoring unit 200. Furthermore, the placement setting unit 201 creates multiple combinations of the placement of the reflecting unit 60 and the drivable sensors. Furthermore, the placement setting unit 201 sets a combination of placements of the reflecting unit 60 driven by a predetermined number of sensors among the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc., based on the combination of the placement of the reflecting unit 60 and the drivable sensors. The predetermined number can be set arbitrarily depending on the detection target of the sensor and the required detection accuracy. The predetermined number may be the total number of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc.

The placement setting unit 201 also creates a sequence that changes the placement of the reflecting unit 60 to a combination of the set placements within a certain period of time. The certain period of time is, for example, the shortest measurement period among the measurement periods of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. If the measurement periods of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. are the same, the measurement period of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. will be the shortest measurement period. The measurement period can be set arbitrarily depending on the detection target of the sensor and the required detection accuracy. The placement setting unit 201 saves the created sequence in a storage device.

Changing the position of the reflecting unit 60 means rotating the reflecting unit 60 if the reflecting unit 60 is rotatable. If the reflecting unit 60 is movable, changing the position of the reflecting unit 60 means moving the reflecting unit 60.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the placement setting unit 201 confirms that two sensors 30A and 30B are driven in placement A of the reflecting unit 60, and confirms that one sensor 30C is driven in placement B of the reflecting unit 60. In this case, the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 140 creates a sequence in which the reflecting unit 60 is sequentially placed in placements A and B within the shortest measurement period among the respective measurement periods of the sensors 30A, 30B, and 30C. This makes it possible to drive the sensors 30A, 30B, and 30C at least once during one measurement period.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the reflection control unit 70 sequentially changes the arrangement of the reflection unit 60 from arrangement A to arrangement J, and the monitoring unit 200 confirms that the sensor 30A is driven when the reflection unit 60 is arranged in arrangements C and D, and that the sensor 30B is driven when the reflection unit 60 is arranged in arrangements H and I. If it is sufficient to drive two sensors 30A and 30B, the arrangement setting unit 201 creates a sequence that sequentially changes the arrangement of the reflection unit 60 to arrangements C, D, H, and I within the shortest measurement period of each of the measurement periods of the sensors 30A and 30B. This makes it possible to drive the sensors 30A and 30B at least once during one measurement period.

The reflection control unit 70 shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the arrangement setting unit 201. The reflection control unit 70 shown in FIG. 2 repeatedly moves the reflection unit 60 to the set arrangement within a certain time according to the sequence created by the arrangement setting unit 201. As a result, a predetermined number of sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. receive electromagnetic waves of the transmission frequency channel that can be driven at least once within the measurement period. Therefore, a predetermined number of sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. can each be driven at least once within the measurement period to detect the detection target. The reflection control unit 70 may stop moving the reflection unit 60 in the set arrangement for a predetermined time. The time to stop moving the reflection unit 60 can be obtained, for example, by subtracting the movement time of the reflection unit 60 to each arrangement from the measurement period and dividing the result by the number of set arrangements.

The placement setting unit 201 may re-set the placement combination of the reflecting units 60 that are driven by a predetermined number of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. while the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. are detecting the detection target.

For example, if the currently set combination of the reflector 60 placements is no longer able to drive any of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc., the placement setting unit 201 adds a placement of the reflector 60 that can drive the sensor that is no longer able to be driven to the currently set combination of the reflector 60 placements.

In addition, if the arrangement of the added reflector 60 allows a predetermined number of sensors among the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. to be driven even if at least one of the currently set arrangements of the reflector 60 is deleted, the arrangement setting unit 201 deletes the arrangement of the reflector 60 that can be deleted, and re-sets the combination of the remaining arrangements of the reflector 60 that have not been deleted and the added arrangement of the reflector 60 as a combination of the arrangements of the reflector 60.

In the example shown in FIG. 6(a), the combination of arrangements A, C, and J of the reflecting unit 60 that was initially capable of driving all of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, and 30E makes it impossible to drive sensor 30E.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the placement setting unit 201 adds, for example, placement B and placement D of the reflecting unit 60 to the placement combination. The monitoring unit 200 confirms that placement B of the reflecting unit 60 is capable of driving the sensor 30E, and that placement D of the reflecting unit 60 is not capable of driving the sensor 30E.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(c), if the arrangement B of the added reflector 60 is capable of driving not only the sensor 30E but also the sensor 30D, even if the arrangement J of the reflector 60 capable of driving the sensor 30D is deleted from the previously set combination of the arrangements A, C, and J of the reflector 60, all of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, and 30E can be driven. In this case, the arrangement setting unit 201 deletes the arrangement J of the reflector 60 that can be deleted from the arrangement combination. The arrangement setting unit 201 re-sets the combination of the remaining arrangements A and C of the reflector 60 that have not been deleted and the arrangement B of the added reflector 60 as the arrangement combination of the reflector 60.

The timing for resetting the arrangement combination of the reflecting unit 60 is arbitrary. For example, the resetting may be performed constantly, or may be performed periodically based on a timer included in the arrangement setting unit 201 or a timer connected to the arrangement setting unit 201. Alternatively, the arrangement combination of the reflecting unit 60 may be reset when the monitoring unit 200 confirms that at least some of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. are not operating. When the monitoring unit 200 confirms that at least some of the multiple sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, etc. are not operating, the arrangement setting unit 201 may immediately reset the arrangement combination of the reflecting unit 60, or may reset the arrangement combination of the reflecting unit 60 after a predetermined time has elapsed. Alternatively, the arrangement setting unit 201 may receive a trigger signal for resetting the arrangement combination of the reflecting unit 60 and reset the arrangement combination of the reflecting unit 60.

Other Embodiments
Although the present invention has been described above by the embodiments, the description and drawings forming a part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operation techniques should be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. For example, in the above embodiment, a freeze-drying oven is used as the closed space, but the closed space may be a room, a factory, a storage, a chamber, a tank, a furnace, or the like. The gas in the closed space may be kept clean. The closed space may be evacuated. The closed space may be a sterile pharmaceutical processing space. The sensor may also measure humidity based on surface acoustic waves. The sensor may also measure the concentration of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. Alternatively, the sensor may measure the presence or absence or movement of each item. The sensor may be placed in various containers, not limited to vials, or may not be placed in a container. The sensor may be placed on items such as merchandise, art, and exhibits. The reflecting portion may also be configured to hold the sensor. For example, the reflecting portion may be a shelf of the container in which the sensor is placed. Thus, it should be understood that the present invention encompasses various embodiments that are not described herein.

10: Closed space, 20A, 20B, 20C: Vials, 30A, 30B, 30C: Sensors, 40: Power transmission unit, 50: Sensing signal receiving device, 60: Reflection unit, 70: Reflection control unit, 110: Power receiving unit, 111: Power receiving antenna, 112: Transmission antenna, 120: Power storage unit, 140: Electromagnetic wave irradiation device, 150: Transmission unit, 160: Measurement unit, 200: Monitoring unit, 201: Layout setting unit

Claims (8)

An electromagnetic wave irradiation device for irradiating electromagnetic waves;
A plurality of sensors that convert the received electromagnetic waves into electric power to operate the sensors;
A movable reflecting unit that reflects the electromagnetic wave;
a monitoring unit that monitors a relationship between an arrangement of the reflecting unit and driving of the plurality of sensors;
an arrangement setting unit that sets a combination of arrangements of the reflecting units that can be driven by the plurality of sensors;
Equipped with
The plurality of sensors and the reflecting unit are disposed in a closed space.
Closed space sensor system. The closed space sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement setting unit sets a combination of arrangements of the reflecting units that can drive all of the plurality of sensors. The closed space sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement setting unit sets a combination of arrangements of the reflecting units that can drive a predetermined number or more of the plurality of sensors. The closed space sensor system according to claim 1 , further comprising a reflection control unit that changes the arrangement of the reflection units to the set combination of arrangements. The closed space sensor system according to claim 4 , wherein the reflection control section stops the movement of the reflection section in the set arrangement for a predetermined time. The closed space sensor system of claim 1, wherein the reflecting portion is rotatable. An electromagnetic wave irradiation device for irradiating electromagnetic waves;
A plurality of sensors that convert the received electromagnetic waves into electric power to operate the sensors;
A movable reflecting unit that reflects the electromagnetic wave;
a monitoring unit that monitors a relationship between an arrangement of the reflecting unit and driving of the plurality of sensors;
Equipped with
The plurality of sensors and the reflecting unit are disposed in a closed space.
The reflector is configured to hold the plurality of sensors.
Closed space sensor system. Irradiating electromagnetic waves in a closed space;
Moving a movable reflecting unit that reflects the electromagnetic wave within the closed space;
At least some of the sensors receive the electromagnetic waves in the closed space and convert the electromagnetic waves into electricity to drive the sensors;
monitoring a relationship between an arrangement of the reflecting portion and driving of the plurality of sensors within the closed space;
Setting a combination of arrangements of the reflecting parts that can be driven by the plurality of sensors;
A method for controlling a closed space sensor system, comprising:

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