JP7753817B2 - Floor sensor system and method for detecting wheeled structures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a floor sensor system and a method for detecting wheeled structures.

In recent years, technology has been developed that uses floor sensors capable of detecting loads to determine the number of people passing over the floor sensors and their direction of movement.

Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to a measurement system that can measure the actual number of people present in each section of a building at any time and is less prone to error. The measurement system disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a pressure sensor installed on the floor of the entrance/exit of the building section, with multiple pressure-sensitive elements arranged in a plane so as to be able to detect the direction and number of pedestrians passing over the floor, an infrared sensor installed so as to be able to detect the presence or absence of people within the section, and control means that calculates the number of people within the section using information from the pressure sensor and infrared sensor.

JP 2012-79140 A

Recently, due to factors such as barrier-free access to buildings and advances in robotics technology, there have been an increasing number of opportunities for wheeled structures such as robots to move around within buildings. This has created a need for technology that uses floor sensors to detect wheeled structures. Patent Document 1 discloses technology for counting the number of people present in each section of a building. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose technology for detecting wheeled structures such as robots.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a floor sensor system capable of detecting wheeled structures and a method for detecting wheeled structures.

One aspect of the present invention provides a floor sensor system capable of detecting a wheeled structure, comprising a floor sensor capable of detecting a load and a processing unit that processes a detection signal output from the floor sensor. The processing unit detects the wheeled structure based on time-series information on the positional data of the load detected by the floor sensor.

A method for detecting a wheeled structure according to one aspect of the present invention uses a floor sensor to detect a load, and detects the wheeled structure based on temporal information on the position data of the load detected by the floor sensor.

The present invention provides a floor sensor system capable of detecting wheeled structures and a method for detecting wheeled structures.

1 is a block diagram for explaining a floor sensor system according to an embodiment. 1 is a top view showing an example of a floor sensor provided in a floor sensor system according to an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a detection cell provided in the floor sensor. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which pressure is applied to a detection cell provided in the floor sensor. FIG. FIG. 10 is a top view showing a state in which the floor sensor system according to the embodiment detects a wheel. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining details of the floor sensor system according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a top view showing a state in which the floor sensor system according to the embodiment detects a wheel. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table included in a processing unit. 1 is a top view showing a state in which the floor sensor system according to the embodiment detects a person's foot; FIG. 1 is a top view showing a state in which the floor sensor system according to the embodiment detects a person's foot; FIG. FIG. 10 is a top view showing a state in which the floor sensor system according to the embodiment detects a wheel.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a floor sensor system according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the floor sensor system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a floor sensor 10 and a processing unit 20. The floor sensor system 1 according to this embodiment is a system capable of detecting wheeled structures. Here, wheeled structures are structures that can move using wheels, such as mobile robots, wheelchairs, and carts.

The floor sensor 10 is installed on the floor of a building or the like and is configured to detect load. Figure 2 is a top view showing an example of a floor sensor 10. As shown in Figure 2, the floor sensor 10 has multiple detection cells 18 that detect pressure arranged in a matrix in the row and column directions. Figure 2 shows an example configuration with 10 rows and 18 columns of detection cells 18, but in this embodiment, the number of detection cells 18 arranged in the row and column directions can be determined arbitrarily.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a detection cell provided in a floor sensor. As shown in Figure 3, the detection cell 18 is formed on a substrate 11. The substrate 11 can be constructed using a rigid substrate such as a printed wiring board. Lower electrodes 12 and 13 are arranged close to each other on the upper surface of the substrate 11.

A film 15 is disposed on top of the substrate 11. Spacers 17 are provided between the substrate 11 and film 15. The spacers 17 are disposed on both sides of the detection cells 18 in the row direction (in other words, on both sides of the lower electrodes 12 and 13). By providing the spacers 17, the substrate 11 and film 15 can be spaced apart. An upper electrode 14 is also formed on the underside of the film 15. The upper electrode 14 is disposed so as to face the lower electrodes 12 and 13.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state when pressure is applied to the detection cell 18 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the floor sensor 10 is configured to detect pressure when stress F1 is applied to the upper surface of each detection cell 18, causing the upper electrode 14 to contact the lower electrodes 12 and 13. That is, a drive voltage is supplied to the lower electrode 12 of each detection cell 18, and the film 15 is displaced toward the substrate 11, causing the upper electrode 14 to contact the lower electrodes 12 and 13, thereby establishing electrical continuity between the lower electrodes 12 and 13. This application of a drive voltage to the lower electrode 13 is detected, thereby detecting pressure. Such a floor sensor 10 (sensor panel) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-060622.

Note that the configuration of each detection cell 18 shown in Figures 3 and 4 is an example, and in this embodiment, the floor sensor 10 may also be configured using, for example, a pressure-sensitive sheet using a piezoelectric element or a capacitance sensor using a capacitance detection element.

Figure 5 is a top view showing the floor sensor system according to the embodiment detecting wheels. As shown in Figure 5, when a wheeled structure 30 passes over the floor sensor 10, a load is applied to the floor sensor 10 from the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30. The floor sensor 10 outputs the detection result of this load to the processing unit 20 (see Figure 1).

The processing unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 processes the detection signal output from the floor sensor 10. Specifically, the processing unit 20 detects the wheeled structure 30 based on time-series information on the position data of the load detected by the floor sensor 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 20 may detect the wheeled structure 30 based on the shape of the trajectory 32 of the position data.

For example, the processing unit 20 may determine that the object is a wheeled structure 30 if the shape of the trajectory 32 of the position data is linear. In other words, when the wheeled structure 30 passes over the floor sensor 10, a load is applied to the floor sensor 10 from the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30. At this time, the shape of the trajectory 32 of the position data detected by the floor sensor 10 is linear. Therefore, the processing unit 20 can determine that the object is a wheeled structure 30 if the shape of the trajectory 32 of the position data is linear.

Furthermore, in the floor sensor system 1 according to this embodiment, the processing unit 20 may identify the position of the wheels 31 based on position data detected at a predetermined timing, and identify the type of wheeled structure 30 based on the identified position of the wheels 31.

Figure 6 is a block diagram for explaining the details of the floor sensor system according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the processing unit 20 includes a wheel position identification unit 21, a wheeled structure identification unit 22, and a table 23.

The wheel position identification unit 21 identifies the position of the wheels 31 based on position data of the load detected by the floor sensor 10 at a predetermined timing. For example, the wheel position identification unit 21 may identify the position of the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30 using position data at a specific timing when the wheeled structure 30 passes over the floor sensor 10.

The wheel position identification unit 21 may also latch the position data of the load detected by the floor sensor 10 for a predetermined period of time to identify the position of the wheel 31. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when a wheeled structure 30 passes over the floor sensor 10, a load is applied to the floor sensor 10 from the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30. The wheel position identification unit 21 can obtain a trajectory 33 of the position data over time by latching the position data of the load detected at this time for a predetermined period of time. The wheel position identification unit 21 may use the trajectory 33 of the position data obtained in this manner to identify the position of the wheel 31 of the wheeled structure 30.

For example, when using a floor sensor 10 such as that shown in Figures 2 to 4, there may be a moment when no pressure is detected as the wheeled structure 30 passes between the detection cells 18. In such cases, the position data of the load detected by the floor sensor 10 is latched for a predetermined period of time to obtain a trajectory 33 of the position data over time. Then, by using this trajectory 33 of the position data over time, the position of the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30 can be accurately identified.

The wheeled structure identification unit 22 identifies the type of wheeled structure 30 based on the position of the wheel 31 identified in this manner. For example, the processing unit 20 may be provided with a table 23 that associates wheel positions with wheeled structure types, and the wheeled structure identification unit 22 may identify the type of wheeled structure 30 corresponding to the wheel 31 position identified by the wheel position identification unit 21 by referring to the table 23.

Figure 8 shows an example of a table stored in the processing unit. As shown in Figure 8, table 23 stores data that associates the positions of wheels 31a-31d of wheeled structures 30a-30d with the type of wheeled structure.

The wheeled structure identification unit 22 compares the position of the wheel 31 identified by the wheel position identification unit 21 with the positions of the wheels 31a to 31d stored in the table 23. It then identifies the wheel from the positions of the wheels 31a to 31d stored in the table 23 that matches the position of the wheel 31 identified by the wheel position identification unit 21, and identifies the wheeled structure based on the identified wheel position.

The data in table 23 shown in Figure 8 may be stored in the memory of the processing unit 20, or may be obtained by the processing unit 20 via a network.

As described above, the floor sensor system according to this embodiment detects a load using the floor sensor 10 and detects a wheeled structure based on temporal information on the positional data of the load detected by the floor sensor 10. Therefore, it is possible to provide a floor sensor system capable of detecting a wheeled structure and a method for detecting a wheeled structure.

For example, if a floor sensor 10 is installed in a building's corridor, it can detect wheeled structures 30 that pass through or enter the building's corridor. Also, if a floor sensor 10 is installed in an elevator hall, it can detect wheeled structures 30 that use the elevator. Furthermore, if a floor sensor 10 is installed at the entrance to a changing room or toilet in a nursing facility, it can detect wheeled structures 30 that use the changing room or toilet. Note that these installation locations are just examples, and in this embodiment, the passage of a wheeled structure 30 can be detected by installing the floor sensor 10 in a location where it is desired to detect the wheeled structure 30.

The floor sensor system according to this embodiment may also be configured to be able to distinguish between a human foot and a wheeled structure. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the processing unit 20 may determine that the floor sensor 10 has detected a human foot if the shape of the trajectory 41 of the position data corresponds to a human foot. Also, for example, the processing unit 20 may determine that the floor sensor 10 has detected a human foot if the shape of the trajectory 41 of the position data is a discontinuous shape that is interrupted at a predetermined length.

Figure 10 is a top view showing the floor sensor system according to the embodiment detecting a person's foot. When a person passes over the floor sensor 10, a load is applied from the person's foot to the floor sensor 10. At this time, the change in the load detected by the floor sensor 10 over time is shown as trajectory 44 in Figure 10. That is, first, the heel of the foot touches the ground, then the entire foot touches the ground, and then the toes leave the floor sensor 10. The shape of trajectory 45 detected by the floor sensor 10 at this time is the shape of the person's foot. In other words, the shape of the trajectory 45 of the person's foot is discontinuous, breaking at a predetermined length. Furthermore, the shape of the trajectory 45 of the person's foot is a shape with approximately fixed length and width.

Figure 11 is a top view showing the state in which the floor sensor system according to the embodiment is detecting wheels. When a wheeled structure 30 passes over the floor sensor 10, a load is applied to the floor sensor 10 from the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30. At this time, the trajectory of the load detected by the floor sensor 10 is a trajectory in which the trajectory 34 of the wheels 31 moves continuously, as shown in Figure 11. Therefore, in the case of the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30, the shape of the trajectory is a long, thin, continuous linear trajectory 35.

In this way, the load trajectories detected by the floor sensor 10 differ between the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30 and a person's feet. Therefore, the processing unit 20 can distinguish between the wheels 31 of the wheeled structure 30 and a person's feet based on the load trajectories detected by the floor sensor 10.

The present invention has been described above in accordance with the above-mentioned embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments, and naturally includes various modifications, alterations, and combinations that may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims of this application.

1 Floor sensor system 10 Floor sensor 11 Substrate 12, 13 Lower electrode 14 Upper electrode 15 Film 17 Spacer 18 Detection cell 20 Processing unit 21 Wheel position identification unit 22 Wheeled structure identification unit 23 Table 30 Wheeled structure 31 Wheels 32, 33, 34, 35 Wheel trajectories 41, 44, 45 Foot trajectories

Claims (7)

1. A floor sensor system capable of detecting a wheeled structure, comprising:
a floor sensor capable of detecting a load;
a processing unit that processes a detection signal output from the floor sensor,
the processing unit includes a table that associates mapping information of the positions of three or four wheels with the type of wheeled structure;
the processing unit latches the position data of the load detected by the floor sensor for a predetermined period of time to identify the positions of the wheels, compares the mapping information of the identified three or four wheels with the mapping information of the wheel positions stored in the table, and identifies the type of wheeled structure corresponding to the mapping information of the identified wheel positions by referring to the table.
Floor sensor system. The floor sensor system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit detects the wheeled structure based on the shape of the trajectory of the position data. The floor sensor system of claim 2, wherein the processing unit determines that the object is a wheeled structure when the shape of the trajectory of the position data is linear. The floor sensor system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing unit determines that the floor sensor has detected a human foot if the shape of the trajectory of the position data corresponds to a human foot. The floor sensor system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processing unit determines that the floor sensor has detected a human foot if the shape of the trajectory of the position data is discontinuous and terminates at a predetermined length. The floor sensor system described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the floor sensor is configured with multiple detection cells that detect loads, arranged in a matrix in the row and column directions. 1. A method for detecting a wheeled structure, comprising:
The floor sensor detects the load,
Latching the position data of the load detected by the floor sensor for a predetermined period of time to identify the position of the wheels of the wheeled structure;
comparing the wheel position mapping information stored in a table associating the wheel position mapping information with the type of wheeled structure with the identified wheel position mapping information for the three or four wheels , and identifying the type of wheeled structure corresponding to the identified wheel position mapping information by referring to the table;
A method for detecting wheeled structures.