JP7708619B2 - Kick sensor performance evaluation tool - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a kick sensor performance evaluation tool for evaluating the performance of a capacitive kick sensor.

Conventionally, when evaluating the performance of a capacitance-type kick sensor, a worker actually performs a kicking motion to evaluate the performance.
However, it takes a great deal of effort and time for a worker to actually perform a kicking motion, and since it is not always possible to perform the same motion, there is a possibility that the evaluation results will vary.

In recent years, an evaluation tool has been used that can evaluate the performance of kick sensors without the worker having to perform a kicking motion by swinging a tool modeled after a human foot back and forth in a pendulum-like motion.

However, while the conventional evaluation tool described above enables the kick sensor to detect objects using a pendulum-type movement, it does not mimic the movement of a human foot, and there is a risk that the evaluation will differ from the reaction when actually used by a person.

In addition, the kick sensor being evaluated was a capacitance type that detects changes in capacitance, and the change in capacitance when the jig was moved in a pendulum motion differed from the change in capacitance when a person actually performed a kicking motion, so the accuracy of the evaluation was insufficient.

In addition, with conventional evaluation jigs, workers had to manually rotate them upwards to initiate the pendulum motion, and although the trajectory of the jig was consistent, it was difficult to keep the speed constant every time, which could lead to inconsistent sensor responses.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a kick sensor performance evaluation tool that can perform accurate kick sensor performance evaluation.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, the device is characterized by being composed of a support machine frame, a drive source supported by the support machine frame, a leg body that is arranged in a state that allows it to swing back and forth by the power of the drive source, a foot that is rotatably arranged at the bottom of the leg body, a connecting arm that forms a link mechanism together with the leg body, and an interlocking mechanism that changes the angle of the foot relative to the leg body as the leg body swings.

The interlocking mechanism is also characterized by being made up of a first rotating body that rotates on a pivot attached to the connection between the leg body and the connecting arm, a second rotating body that rotates on a pivot attached to the connection between the leg body and the foot, and an endless interlocking belt that is suspended between the first rotating body and the second rotating body.

Another feature is that at least one of the leg body and the foot is covered with an artificial foot cover that mimics a human foot.

Another feature is that it is equipped with a capacitor that reproduces the capacitance of a person relative to the ground in order to correct the capacitance detected by the kick sensor.

Another feature is that it is equipped with a control device that can electrically control the power of the drive source.

According to the invention described in claim 1, by using power from a drive source to swing the leg body back and forth to reproduce the kicking motion, the manual swinging of the jig that was previously required for performance evaluation is no longer necessary, and the kicking motion can be reproduced at a constant speed, allowing for more accurate performance evaluation of the kick sensor.

In addition, according to the inventions of claims 1 and 2, the angle of the foot relative to the leg body is changed in conjunction with the swinging of the leg body by the interlocking mechanism, making it possible to reproduce the rotation of the ankle that occurs when a person actually kicks, i.e., the extension of the toes, and thus enabling a more accurate performance evaluation of the kick sensor.

According to the invention described in claim 3, by covering at least one of the leg body and the foot with an artificial foot cover that mimics a human foot, and approximating the area of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig detected by the kick sensor to the area of a human foot, it is possible to reproduce the change in capacitance when a person actually kicks, and obtain equivalent results.

The capacitance detected by the kick sensor includes the capacitance of the person relative to the ground in addition to the capacitance that changes between the kick sensor and the foot when a person actually kicks. According to the invention described in claim 4, by providing a capacitor that reproduces the capacitance of the person relative to the ground in the kick sensor performance evaluation jig and performing correction, it is possible to reproduce a state equivalent to when a person actually kicks, and perform a more accurate performance evaluation of the kick sensor.

According to the invention described in claim 5, the operation of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig can be electrically controlled, allowing the swing angle and swing speed during a kicking motion to be freely changed, and making it possible to evaluate whether the sensor sensitivity adjustment (determination of whether or not a kicking motion is occurring) is accurate.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a kick sensor performance evaluation jig according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. 1A and 1B are a right side view and a perspective view for explaining the configuration of a kick sensor performance evaluation jig according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view for explaining the configuration of a kick sensor performance evaluation jig according to one embodiment of the present invention. 5A to 5C are schematic explanatory views for explaining the movement of the parallel link mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an artificial foot cover according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the capacitance generated when a person performs a kicking motion, and a schematic circuit diagram showing the capacitance generated when a kick sensor performance evaluation jig according to one embodiment of the present invention performs a kicking motion. FIG. 4 is a schematic graph showing the relationship between capacitance and time according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic graph showing the relationship between capacitance and time according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The gist of this invention is that when evaluating the performance of a capacitance-type kick sensor that detects changes in capacitance, it is possible to perform a more accurate performance evaluation than with a conventional simple pendulum-type jig by reproducing the movements of a person actually performing a kick, such as swinging the leg up and down and the extension of the toes when swinging the leg up (the rotation of the ankle).

The change in capacitance detected by the kick sensor becomes larger as the object approaches the sensor. In other words, the detected capacitance changes depending on the area of the object that enters the detection range of the kick sensor. Therefore, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig is characterized by being covered with an artificial foot cover that mimics a human foot, making it possible to reproduce the change in capacitance that occurs between the kick sensor and a person's foot when a person actually kicks towards the kick sensor.

When a person actually kicks, in addition to the capacitance between the kick sensor and the foot, the capacitance of the person relative to the ground also has a large effect on the kick sensor's response. For this reason, the kick sensor is equipped with a capacitor that reproduces the capacitance of the person relative to the ground, and by correcting the capacitance generated in the kick sensor performance evaluation jig, it is possible to reduce errors with an actual person performing a kick.

In addition, when actually evaluating the performance of the kick sensor, various conditions such as the leg swing angle and the time required for a series of kicking movements are changed to evaluate the performance of the kick sensor itself and determine whether the door opening and closing instructions are set correctly. Therefore, by electrically controlling the power of the drive source, it is possible to mechanically change the swing angle and swing speed, and also to repeat the exact same conditions.

[1. Configuration of kick sensor performance evaluation jig]
The configuration of the kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment of the present invention, the kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where the kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to the present invention is used to evaluate the performance of a kick sensor installed under the rear bumper of an automobile. However, the evaluation target using the kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to the present invention is not limited to a kick sensor installed under the rear bumper of an automobile, and may be any kick sensor that uses a capacitance sensor to detect a kick motion, such as a kick sensor installed under the side of an automobile to open and close a side door.

The symbol S in FIG. 1 indicates a kick sensor, and the symbol V indicates a vehicle on which the kick sensor S is mounted.
As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M of this embodiment is mainly composed of a support machine frame 100 that is installed on the ground G, a drive source 210 supported by the support machine frame 100, a leg body 310 that is arranged in a state that allows it to swing back and forth by the power of the drive source 210, a foot 320 that is rotatably arranged on the lower part of the leg body 310, a connecting arm that constitutes a link mechanism L together with the leg body 310, and an interlocking mechanism 500 that changes the angle of the foot 320 relative to the leg body 310 as the leg body 310 swings. In the following, the direction of the kicking motion, i.e., the toe side of the foot 320 (Figures 1 and 2(a) show left side views) will be described as the front.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the support machine frame 100 is composed of a base frame 110 that is placed on the ground G and is made of a square-shaped frame member that is roughly U-shaped when viewed from the top, a support frame 120 that is erected on the base frame 110 and is made of a square-shaped frame member that is gate-shaped when viewed from the front, mounting brackets 130 that are provided on both sides of the support frame 120 at a predetermined interval above and below, and an assembly tool 140 that can be attached and detached to the mounting brackets 130 and that allows for assembly of a drive unit 200 equipped with a drive source 210 described later.

The mounting tool 140 has side portions located on the left and right outer sides and upper and lower surfaces, and these surfaces form a roughly U-shaped shape when viewed from the front. The mounting tool 140 is fixed to the mounting bracket 130 using bolts and nuts, etc., with the opening 141 side facing the inside (left and right inner side) of the support frame 120. The left and right mounting tools 140 are provided at the same height position with the opening 141 side facing each other with respect to each support part constituting the support frame 120. In this embodiment, three mounting brackets 130 are provided on both sides of the support frame 120 at a predetermined interval, one above the other, and the mounting tool 140 is fixed to the mounting bracket 130 at the highest position (see Figures 1 to 3). However, the mounting position of the mounting tool 140 can be changed as appropriate depending on the type of the reconfigurable leg unit 300 described later.
In addition, although three mounting fittings 130 are provided on each of the left and right sides of the support machine frame 100, this is not necessarily limited to this, and it is preferable to provide at least one on each side.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the drive source 210 mainly constitutes a drive unit 200 together with a roughly L-shaped drive source mounting fixture 220, a power transmission section 230 that transmits power from the drive source 210, and a transmission section support body 240 that supports the power transmission section 230 and enables it to be attached to the support machine frame 100.
The drive unit 200 receives the leg unit 300 (described later) and generates power for the kicking motion performed by the leg unit 300 .

The drive source attachment fixture 220 is a bent plate-like member having a bent shape in a substantially L-shape, and the L-shape is aligned with the rectangular parallelepiped outer shape of the drive source 210 to receive the drive source 210, which is a motor or the like. The drive source attachment fixture 220 supports the drive source 210 by positioning one of the L-shaped plate surfaces below the drive source 210 and the other plate surface to the left of the drive source 210. In addition, an insertion hole (not shown) is provided in the other plate surface of the drive source attachment fixture 220. This insertion hole is an opening for inserting the output shaft 211 for outputting the power of the drive source 210. The drive source 210 is provided with the output shaft 211 protruding leftward.

An output pulley 231 that rotates integrally with the output shaft 211 is provided on the end side of the output shaft 211 extending from the driving source 210 described above.

The transmission unit support 240 has left and right side walls and a top surface, which form a roughly U-shape when viewed from the front, with the opening facing downward. The left and right side walls of the transmission unit support 240 extend rearward (to the right in Figs. 1 and 2(a)) to form a machine frame mounting section 241 (see Fig. 3) that can be inserted into the opening 141 of the mounting tool 140 provided on the support machine frame 100 and attached. Specifically, the machine frame mounting section 241 has a vertical dimension that is roughly the same as the distance between the upper and lower surfaces of the mounting tool 140, and is attached by being inserted into the mounting tool 140 from the front, with the mounting tool 140 acting as a guide rail.

The transmission support 240 supports the drive source attachment tool 220, to which the drive source 210 is attached, on the upper part of the upper surface. Inside the U-shape of the transmission support 240, a drive shaft 250 equipped with a leg unit attachment part 251 for attaching the leg unit 300 is provided so as to span the inside.

The drive shaft 250 extends in the same direction as the output shaft 211 extending from the drive source 210, and is inserted to the outside through a through hole (not shown) of the transmission unit support 240. A drive pulley 232 that rotates integrally with the drive shaft 250 is provided on the end side of the drive shaft 250.

The power transmission unit 230 is composed of the output pulley 231, the drive pulley 232, and the transmission belt 233, which is an endless interlocking belt suspended between the two pulleys 231, 232. The power transmission unit 230 transmits the rotational power of the output shaft 211 extended from the drive source 210 to the drive shaft 250. Specifically, the output pulley 231 rotates integrally with the output shaft 211, and transmits the rotational power to the drive pulley 232 via the transmission belt 233, thereby rotating the drive shaft 250 which is integral with the drive pulley 232.

In this embodiment, the power transmission unit 230 is composed of two pulleys 231, 232 and an endless belt (transmission belt 233) suspended on each of them in order to transmit power from the driving source 210 to the driving shaft 250, but is not limited to this and may be composed of, for example, a sprocket and a chain.
Furthermore, as described above, the drive unit 200 can be easily installed by inserting the machine frame mounting portion 241 formed on the transmission unit support 240 into the mounting fixture 140 provided on the support machine frame 100, thereby eliminating the need for complicated work such as tightening bolts and nuts while the drive unit 200, which tends to be a relatively heavy object, is lifted up.

2 and 3, the leg body 310 is made up of an upper leg 311 in the form of a vertically long plate, which has a drive unit mounting part 312 at its upper part that corresponds to the leg unit mounting part 251 of the drive unit 200 and allows mounting to the drive shaft 250, and a lower leg 313 in the form of a vertically long plate that is integrally provided at the lower part of the upper leg 311. In addition, a through hole (not shown) is provided at the joint between the upper leg 311 and the lower leg 313 for inserting the first pivot 421 provided on the connecting arm 400 described later, and a through hole (not shown) is provided at the lower part of the lower leg 313 for inserting the second pivot 321 described later.

The foot 320 is formed from a plate-like member having a shape that resembles a human foot in a side view, and has a second pivot 321 at its upper part that is inserted into an insertion hole drilled in the lower part of the lower leg 313. In other words, the foot 320 can be attached by inserting the second pivot 321 into the insertion hole of the lower leg 313. The foot 320 is supported by the second pivot 321 so as to be rotatable relative to the lower leg 313.

The leg body 310 and the foot 320 described above are combined to form the leg unit 300. The leg unit 300 is attached to the drive shaft 250 by the drive unit attachment portion 312 provided on the upper portion of the leg body 310, so that the entire leg unit 300 can swing back and forth like a pendulum with the rotation of the drive shaft 250. The leg unit can be attached to the drive unit 200 by, for example, a method using bolts, nuts, screws, etc. In addition, in this embodiment, the leg unit 300 is attached to the lower portion of the drive unit 200, but as long as the leg unit 300 is supported so as to be able to swing and the power of the drive source 210 can be transmitted to the leg unit 300, the respective attachment positions, shapes, etc. are not limited.
In addition, it is preferable to prepare a plurality of types of leg units 300 with different lengths of the upper leg portion 311 and the lower leg portion 313. This is because there are differences in physique among people who actually perform kicking motions, and the detection results of the kick sensor S differ depending on the differences in physique. Therefore, a plurality of lengths of the leg units 300 are prepared assuming users of the average length of Japanese men, the average length of Japanese women, the average length of American men, and the average length of American women, and the performance of the kick sensor S is evaluated while actually replacing these leg units 300 as appropriate.

The connecting arm 400 is composed of a vertical arm 410 rotatably provided on the rear side of the drive unit 200 (the right side in Figs. 1 and 2), and a horizontal arm 420 rotatably provided on the lower part of the vertical arm 410 and horizontal to the ground G. The vertical arm 410 is provided in a state of being rotatably supported by a rotation support part 235 on an arm support plate 234 installed between the rear ends of the left and right machine frame mounting parts 241 of the drive unit 200. The rotation support 235 supports the upper end of the vertical arm 410 with the left-right direction as the axial direction. In addition, a pivot support piece 411 that rotatably supports the horizontal arm 420 is provided on the lower part of the vertical arm 410. One end of the horizontal arm 420 is rotatably connected to the vertical arm 410 by the pivot support piece 411 of the vertical arm 410. The horizontal arm 420 has a first pivot 421 on the other end side, and is supported relative to the leg body portion 310 with the first pivot 421 inserted through an insertion hole drilled at the joint between the upper leg portion 311 and the lower leg portion 313 of the leg body portion 310.
Therefore, the vertical arm 410 forming the connecting arm 400 is connected parallel to the upper leg 311 of the leg body 310, and the horizontal arm 420 is connected parallel to a line drawn in a straight line from the drive shaft 250 of the drive unit 200 to the vertical arm 410 provided on the drive unit 200, which is horizontal to the ground G. That is, the leg body 310 and the connecting arm 400 form a link mechanism L in which the opposite sides are parallel to each other and the connecting parts of each side are rotatable. The link mechanism L is configured such that the first and second sides facing each other vertically are the machine frame attachment part 241 and the horizontal arm 420, respectively, and the third and fourth sides facing each other front-rear are the upper leg 311 and the vertical arm 410, respectively, and these first to fourth sides form a parallel link. The third side of the upper leg 311 is extended downward to provide the lower leg 313 configured to be linear with the upper leg 311.

The interlocking mechanism 500 is formed from a first rotating body 510 that rotates integrally with a first pivot 421 provided on the connecting arm 400, a second rotating body 520 that rotates integrally with a second pivot 321 provided on the foot 320, and an endless interlocking band 530 suspended between the two rotating bodies 510, 520. In the drawings showing this embodiment, the two rotating bodies 510, 520 and the interlocking band 530 that constitute the interlocking mechanism 500 are illustrated as a pulley and an endless belt, respectively, but are not limited thereto and may be formed, for example, by a sprocket and a chain.
This interlocking mechanism 500 has a configuration in which an interlocking band 530 is suspended between a first rotating body 510 that rotates integrally with a first pivot 421, and a second rotating body 520 provided below the first rotating body 510. In this configuration, the second rotating body 520 rotates following the rotation of the first rotating body 510. In addition, since the second rotating body 520 is provided integrally with the second pivot 321 provided on the foot 320, the second pivot 321 can be rotated by the rotation of the first pivot 421 provided on the horizontal arm 420 of the above-mentioned connecting arm 400.

The above-mentioned link mechanism L and interlocking mechanism 500 are configured to rotate the foot 320 in accordance with the kicking motion of the leg body 310 of the leg unit 300. In other words, it is possible to reproduce the ankle extension motion that occurs when a person actually swings up their leg. Here, the kicking motion of the leg body 310 is the forward rotational motion of the upper leg 311 and the lower leg 313 which rotate integrally with the drive shaft 250 as the rotation center.
Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4(a), when the leg body 310 kicks due to the power from the driving source 210 from a state before the leg body 310 kicks, the horizontal arm 420 of the connecting arm 400 forming the link mechanism L together with the leg body 310 moves to maintain parallelism as before the kick, as shown in Fig. 4(b). At this time, the first pivot 421 does not actually rotate, but rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the left side as a relative movement with the leg body 310. That is, when the leg body 310 kicks, the driving source 210 transmits power clockwise as viewed from the left side, but the clockwise rotation of the leg body 310 and the movement of the horizontal arm 420 of the link mechanism L to maintain parallelism as before the kick cause a relative displacement in the first pivot 421, resulting in the interlocking band 530 hung on the first rotating body 510 rotating counterclockwise. Then, the second rotating body 520, which suspends the interlocking belt 530 together with the first rotating body 510, is rotated counterclockwise, and the second pivot 321 integrated with the second rotating body 520 is rotated, thereby reproducing the ankle extension motion.
By using such a link mechanism L and interlocking mechanism 500, the ankle extension motion that accompanies a kicking motion can be reproduced using only one driving source 210.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, in addition to the components described above, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M according to this embodiment includes an artificial foot cover 600 that mimics a human foot, a capacitor 700 for reproducing the electrostatic capacitance of the human body relative to the ground G, and a control device 800 that controls the power of the drive source 210.

Incidentally, a change in the capacitance detected by the kick sensor S occurs when an object approaches or moves away from the sensor. In other words, the capacitance value changes depending on the area of the object that enters the detection range of the sensor.
Therefore, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M can reproduce the change in capacitance that occurs between the kick sensor S and the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M when a person performs a kicking motion by attaching an artificial foot cover 600 that mimics a human foot to the leg unit 300 that performs the kicking motion.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the artificial foot cover 600 covers a part of the lower leg portion 313 and the entire foot portion 320, thereby making it possible to reproduce the area and shape of a human foot.
5, the artificial leg cover 600 is composed of a lower leg cover 610 that covers the lower leg portion 313, and a foot cover 620 that covers the foot portion 320. The lower leg cover 610 and the foot cover 620 each have a shape that imitates the corresponding part of the human body, and each have a cover body 601 that is entirely made of a non-conductive resin material, and an electrically conductive film 602 attached to the front side of the cover body 601.

The lower leg cover 610 is a cover member having a generally semi-cylindrical shape like a shin pad with the back side and both the top and bottom sides open. The lower leg cover 610 is attached to the lower leg part 313 so as to cover the front side and both the left and right sides of the lower leg part 313. The foot cover 620 is a cover member having a shoe shape with the back side and the top side open. The foot cover 620 is attached to the foot part 320 so as to cover the front side, top side and both the left and right sides of the foot part 320. The lower leg cover 610 and the foot cover 620 are attached in a fixed state to the lower leg part 313 or the foot part 320 by an appropriate method such as pasting with adhesive tape or fixing with a fixing device such as a bolt.

By attaching the artificial foot cover 600 to the leg unit 300, the foot 320 and the lower half of the lower leg 313, which are detected by the kick sensor S, i.e., the area from the toes to the shin, are shaped to mimic a real human foot, thereby reproducing the change in capacitance that occurs between the kick sensor S and the foot during a kicking motion.

In this embodiment, the artificial foot cover 600 is configured to cover the entire lower half of the lower leg portion 313 and the foot portion 320, but it may be configured to cover the entire leg unit, or to cover only the area corresponding to the detection range of the kick sensor S. Furthermore, the lower leg cover 610 and the foot cover 620 may be integrated into the artificial foot cover 600 as an integrated cover body. It is also possible to integrate the leg unit 300 and the artificial foot cover 600.

As described above, by covering the leg unit 300 with the artificial foot cover 600, it is possible to reproduce the capacitance generated between the kick sensor S and the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M, but when a person actually kicks towards the kick sensor S, the capacitance of the person with respect to the ground G also affects the detection of the kick sensor S. In other words, the change in capacitance generated between the kick sensor S and the person's foot, which is reproduced by covering the leg unit 300 with the artificial foot cover 600, may result in a difference in the capacitance detected by the kick sensor S when a person actually kicks.
Therefore, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M according to the present embodiment includes a capacitor 700 that reproduces the capacitance of the person with respect to the ground G, thereby correcting the capacitance detected by the kick sensor S, and more reliably evaluating the performance of the kick sensor S. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, when a person P standing on the ground G performs a kicking motion toward the kick sensor S, there is a capacitance Cb of the person with respect to the ground G in addition to the capacitance Ca generated between the kick sensor S. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M according to the present embodiment reproduces the capacitance Ca generated between the person's foot and the kick sensor S by the configuration that reproduces the kick motion of the person described above and the pseudo foot cover 600 that imitates the person's foot. Furthermore, the capacitance Cb is reproduced by providing the capacitor 700 in the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M for the capacitance Cb of the person P with respect to the ground G. In this way, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M includes a capacitor 700 for correcting the capacitance detected by the kick sensor S.

1 to 3, the capacitor 700 is attached to the support machine frame 100, and is connected to the electrically conductive film 602 of the artificial foot cover 600 by electrical wiring (not shown). In addition, since the above-mentioned artificial foot cover 600 is made of non-electrically conductive resin, it can be electrically separated from the leg body 310 and is not affected by the driving source 210 or the control device 800 (described later), and the capacitance of the person relative to the ground G can be reliably passed to the electrically conductive film 602 attached to the front surface of the artificial foot cover 600.
That is, the artificial foot cover 600 can electrically separate the capacitor 700 from the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M, and as shown in Fig. 6(b), the capacitance detected by the kick sensor S can be limited to the capacitance Ca generated between the kick sensor S and the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M, and the capacitance Cb of the person relative to the ground reproduced by the capacitor 700. This can improve the evaluation accuracy of the kick sensor S using the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M.

In the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M according to this embodiment, the capacitor 700 is provided on the support frame 120 of the support machine frame 100 (on the right side when viewed from the front), but the location where the capacitor 700 is provided is not limited thereto and may be provided anywhere that does not interfere with the kicking motion.

In order to correctly evaluate the performance of the kick sensor S, it is necessary for the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M to repeatedly perform the same kicking motion. Furthermore, by controlling the time related to the kicking motion and the swing-up angle of the leg body 310, a more reliable performance evaluation can be performed.
Therefore, in the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M according to this embodiment, a control device 800 is provided on the upper part of the drive unit 200, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.

The control device 800 includes a plurality of operation units 810 for turning on/off the power supply of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M and changing the angle and speed, and a display unit 820 for confirming the setting state by the operation units 810. The control device 800 includes, for example, a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as an arithmetic processing device for executing various arithmetic processing and control, storage devices such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), input/output devices such as an input/output interface for data input/output, peripheral circuits such as a clock circuit, and the like are connected by a bus or the like. The CPU of the control device 800 performs arithmetic processing according to various programs stored in the ROM or the like.
The kick sensor performance evaluation jig M is equipped with a control device 800, which controls the power of the drive source 210 to repeatedly perform a certain kicking motion, and can also control the swing-up angle of the kicking motion performed by the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M and the speed related to a series of kicking motions.

In the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M according to this embodiment, the control device 800 is provided on top of the drive unit 200, but is not limited to this and may be provided on the support frame 120, for example. Furthermore, the control device 800 only needs to control the operation of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M and be able to confirm the control state, and the operation unit 810 and the display unit 820 do not necessarily need to be provided in the same place. For example, the operation unit 810 may be provided on the support frame 120, and the display unit 820 may be provided as software in a computer that displays the results of the performance evaluation.

[2. How to evaluate the kick sensor performance]
Next, a method for evaluating the performance of a kick sensor using the kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The method for evaluating the performance of a kick sensor described below is performed by the CPU of the control device 800 reading and executing a predetermined control program stored in a storage device such as a RAM.

The vertical axis of the graphs shown in Figs. 7 and 8 represents capacitance C, and the horizontal axis represents time T. C1 represents the threshold value of capacitance C preset in kick sensor S, and T1 represents the threshold value of time T preset in kick sensor S. C2 represents the upper limit value at which the kick sensor S will react if it is assumed that the object detected by the kick sensor S is a human foot, and T2 represents a second threshold value set to exclude movements that are faster than the fastest time from lifting the leg to bringing it down if it is assumed that the movement detected by the kick sensor S is a kicking movement.

The threshold value C1 of the capacitance C is a certain constant value that is set in advance. The control device 800 determines whether or not the approaching object is a person's foot based on whether or not the detected capacitance C exceeds the threshold value C1 of the capacitance C. Specifically, the value of the capacitance C detected by the kick sensor S varies depending on the area of the object, and as the object approaches the kick sensor S, the area detected by the sensor becomes relatively larger, and the value of the capacitance C increases accordingly.
Therefore, as shown in Figure 7 (b), an object whose capacitance C is below the threshold value C1 can be determined to be smaller in area than a human foot, and it can be determined that an animal such as a cat or a small dog, or a ball, has approached, and it can be determined that it is not a human foot, i.e., that it is not a human kicking motion.

Furthermore, when the value of the capacitance C is below the threshold value C1, it may be that the distance between the kick sensor S and the object is far. In this case, if the distance from the kick sensor S is far, the area detected by the sensor becomes relatively small as described above, and even if the object has an area similar to that of a person's foot, it will not be detected as a human kicking motion.
This has the effect of making it possible to evaluate the detection range of the kick sensor S, rather than simply issuing a command to open or close the door only when a kick motion is performed at a certain distance. Specifically, it is possible to determine up to what distance accurate detection is possible by gradually moving an object and its motion that is normally detected at a position where a kick motion would normally be performed to open or close the door away from the kick sensor S. In other words, it is possible to determine whether the detection range of the kick sensor S is accurate within a predetermined range.

The threshold value T1 of the time T is set as a range from a detection start time Ta at which the capacitance C exceeds the threshold value C1 to a reference time Tb, which is a certain period of time. After the kick sensor S detects a value exceeding the threshold value C1 of the capacitance C, it is possible to determine whether or not a series of movements is a kicking movement by determining whether or not the capacitance C then falls below the threshold value C1 within the threshold value T1 of the time T.
Specifically, by setting a threshold value T1 for time T, as shown in Figure 7 (a), if the detection start time Ta, which is the point at which the capacitance C exceeds the threshold value C1, and the detection end time Tc, at which the capacitance C falls below the threshold value C1, are within the reference time Tb, i.e., the threshold value T1 for time T, the control device 800 determines the detected movement to be a kick movement and issues an instruction to open or close the door.
In addition, by setting a threshold value T1 for the time T, it is possible to prevent false detection when the foot is within the detection range of the kick sensor S while loading or unloading luggage from the loading platform, or when there is an obstacle under the sensor.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7(c), when the detection start time Ta, which is the point at which the capacitance C exceeds the threshold value C1, to the detection end time Tc, at which the capacitance C falls below the threshold value C1, is detected to be longer than the reference time Tb, it can be determined that the operation is not completed within the threshold value T1 of the time T, and it can be determined that the detected operation is not a kick operation, preventing the door from opening or closing.

In addition, an upper limit C2 can be preset for the value of the capacitance C in addition to the threshold value C1.
This upper limit C2 is a value for determining with higher accuracy whether the object detected by the kick sensor S is a human foot. That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the electrostatic capacitance C exceeding the upper limit C2 is detected, it is determined that an object with an area larger than a human foot has been detected, and an instruction to open or close the door is not issued, thereby preventing erroneous detection. In addition, by setting the upper limit C2, it is possible to prevent the kicking motion from actually kicking the vehicle body due to the foot swing being too large. That is, when an object with an area equivalent to that of a human foot approaches the kick sensor S, the distance between the object and the sensor is set in advance as the upper limit C2, so that the distance at which the object may come into contact can be excluded, and the risk of accidentally kicking the vehicle body when actually performing the kicking motion can be minimized.

In addition to the threshold value T1 of the time T, the elapsed time up to the fastest time Td can be preset as a second threshold value T2.
This second threshold value T2 is used to determine whether the detection end time Tc is longer than the fastest time Td, and any movement in which the time during which a value exceeding the threshold value C1 of the capacitance C is detected falls within T2 is determined to be too fast and therefore not a kicking movement.
8B, the control device 800 determines that the motion is not a kick motion when the detection end time Tc from the detection start time Ta at which the capacitance C exceeds the threshold value C1 to the detection end time Tc at which the capacitance C falls below the threshold value C1 is shorter than the second threshold value T2, that is, when the detection end time Tc is shorter than the fastest time Td. By setting the second threshold value T2 in this manner, it is possible to prevent the door from being opened or closed erroneously when an unexpected obstacle passes within the detection range of the kick sensor S.

The kick sensor performance evaluation tool M is used to evaluate whether the detection range of the kick sensor S described above is set correctly, and to check whether the threshold value C1 of capacitance C and the threshold value T1 of time T (including the upper limit value C2 of capacitance C and the second threshold value T2 of time T if these values are set) are set correctly, thereby evaluating performance.

As described above, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M reproduces the area of an actual human foot by attaching the artificial foot cover 600 simulating a human foot to the leg unit 300. In addition, the electrostatic capacitance of a person standing upright on the ground G that occurs when the person kicks is reproduced by the capacitor 700 and transmitted to the electrically conductive film 602 provided on the artificial foot cover 600, so that the change in electrostatic capacitance during the person's kicking motion can be reproduced more reliably. In addition, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M, which reproduces the kicking motion up to the extension of the person's ankle by the link mechanism L and the interlocking mechanism 500, is capable of controlling the swing-up angle and the speed from the swing-up to the swing-down in the motion by the control device 800.
These configurations enable high reproducibility of a human kicking motion, and by performing a constant repetitive motion through mechanical control, it becomes possible to reliably evaluate the performance of the kick sensor S.

A specific method for evaluating the detection range of a kick sensor S is to install a kick sensor performance evaluation jig M behind a vehicle V equipped with a kick sensor S to be evaluated, as shown in Figure 1. Then, the speed of the kicking motion of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M is fixed at a constant speed, and the angle of swinging up and the fore-and-aft position relative to the vehicle V are changed.
In this way, by changing the installation position and swing-up angle from the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M to the kick sensor S, the detection range of the kick sensor S can be evaluated from the trajectory of the kick motion of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M.
Moreover, from the range in which detection is confirmed, it is possible to evaluate whether the threshold value C1 of the capacitance C is set correctly.

Next, as a method for evaluating whether or not the threshold value T1 of the time T related to a kick motion, which is provided to determine whether the motion detected by the kick sensor S is a kick motion, is set correctly, this can be done by fixing the position and swing-up angle of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M constant and varying the swing-up speed. That is, in a state where the angle exceeding the threshold value C1 of the capacitance C, the distance at which the kick sensor S reacts at a certain constant speed, and the maximum swing-up angle are known by the evaluation method described above, the position and swing-up angle are fixed constant, and the evaluation is performed with the swing-up speed as the only variable.
By gradually increasing the swing speed of the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M and checking the speed at which the sensor stops responding, and conversely, by gradually slowing down the swing speed and checking the speed at which the sensor stops responding, an evaluation can be made based on whether the threshold value T1 of time T is as set in advance.

That is, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M can evaluate the detection range of the kick sensor S and whether the threshold value C1 of the capacitance C is a predetermined value based on changes in position relative to the vehicle V and changes in the swing-up angle of the kicking motion. Based on the value of the threshold value C1 of the capacitance C, it can be evaluated whether the determination of whether or not it is a human foot is being performed correctly.
Furthermore, the kick sensor performance evaluation jig M can evaluate whether the threshold value T1 of the time T is a predetermined value based on a change in the swing-up speed. Based on this threshold value T1 of the time T, it is possible to evaluate whether the determination of whether the detected movement is a kicking movement or not is being performed correctly.

The above-described method for evaluating the performance of the kick sensor S is one example, and the actual evaluation method is not limited to this.
In other words, by having the features described above, the kick sensor performance evaluation tool M of the present invention can evaluate the performance of the kick sensor S more accurately and quickly than conventional performance evaluation methods, and the specific performance evaluation method using the kick sensor performance evaluation tool M is not limited to the above-mentioned content.

The various effects described above are merely a list of the most favorable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in this embodiment.

M Kick sensor performance evaluation jig G Ground V Vehicle S Kick sensor 100 Support machine frame 110 Base frame 120 Support frame 130 Mounting bracket 140 Assembly tool 141 Opening 200 Drive unit 210 Drive source 211 Output shaft 220 Drive source mounting tool 230 Power transmission section 231 Output pulley 232 Drive pulley 233 Transmission belt 240 Transmission section support 241 Machine frame mounting section 250 Drive shaft 251 Leg unit mounting section 300 Leg unit 310 Leg body section 311 Upper leg section 312 Drive unit mounting section 313 Lower leg section 320 Foot section 321 Second pivot 400 Connecting arm 410 Vertical arm 411 Pivot piece 420 Horizontal arm 421 First pivot L Link mechanism 500 Interlocking mechanism 510 First rotating body 520 Second rotating body 530 Interlocking band 600 Artificial foot cover 601 Cover body 602 Electrically conductive film 610 Lower leg cover 620 Foot cover 700 Capacitor 800 Control device 810 Operation unit 820 Display unit

Claims (5)

A kick sensor performance evaluation tool for evaluating the performance of a kick sensor that detects a change in capacitance and detects a person's kicking motion,
A support machine frame;
A drive source supported by the support machine frame;
A leg body portion that is provided in a state in which it can swing back and forth by the power of the drive source;
A foot portion rotatably provided at a lower portion of the leg body portion;
A connecting arm that constitutes a link mechanism together with the leg body;
and a linkage mechanism that changes the angle of the foot relative to the leg body in accordance with the swinging of the leg body. The interlocking mechanism includes a first rotating body that rotates about a pivot provided at a connection portion between the leg main body and the connecting arm;
A second rotating body that rotates about a pivot provided at a connection portion between the leg body portion and the foot portion;
2. The kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to claim 1, further comprising an endless interlocking band suspended between the first rotating body and the second rotating body. The kick sensor performance evaluation jig according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the leg body and the foot is provided with an artificial foot cover that imitates a human foot. The kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is provided with a capacitor that reproduces the capacitance of a person relative to the ground in order to correct the capacitance detected by the kick sensor. The kick sensor performance evaluation tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a control device for controlling the operation of the drive source.