JPH0440818B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention detects whether or not the device is being used in a device such as an iron that changes between use and non-use, and also detects the state when the device is not in use. The present invention relates to an unused sensor for detection.

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY Conventionally, mercury switches have been the mainstream for this type of unused sensor. In other words, when the iron is in use, the mercury switch is turned on and off due to the movement of mercury to detect that the iron is in use.
When not in use, the mercury switch was kept on or off to detect that it was not in use.

For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 52-155294, a single ball is disposed in a curved tube or groove so as to be able to roll freely, and the movement of the ball due to ironing is detected using a generating element. When the iron is left on top of the object to be ironed, a ball is positioned between the light emitting element and the light receiving element to activate the safety shutoff device.
There was also a way to cut off the electricity to the iron.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the former ironing board that uses mercury, if the ironing board is slightly tilted and the iron etc. is placed at an angle from a horizontal position, the state of contact between the mercury and the electrode may deteriorate. It becomes subtle. This resulted in the problem that the sensitivity for distinguishing between use and non-use became too sensitive, making it difficult to adjust the posture when attaching the mercury switch to an iron or the like. Similarly, with the latter type of ball, if the device is placed slightly tilted from the horizontal position, the ball will stop at a position offset from the line of opposition between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, and the safety shutoff device will operate. The problem was that it didn't. In response to this problem, if the degree of curvature of the tube or groove is increased, another problem arises in that the ball becomes difficult to roll during use.

Means for Solving the Problems The technical means of the present invention includes a guide having a downwardly curved passage, a plurality of spherical members rotatably installed in the passage, and a passage at the lowest part of the passage. It consists of a photo interrupter placed in front of the camera and a support to support them, and the photo interrupter optically detects the rolling motion of multiple spherical objects to distinguish whether an iron, etc. is being used or not. It is something that does.

Effects The effects of this technical means are as follows.
In other words, when an iron or the like is used, the non-use sensor moves horizontally as the iron or the like moves, and the plurality of spherical members roll in the guide path while contacting and separating from each other, and the light from the photo interrupter is emitted. The phototransistor in the light receiving section is turned on and off by blocking or reflecting it. In other words, the output of the photo interrupter is "H" in a short period,
Repeat "L". In addition, when the iron, etc. is not in use, the movement of the unused sensor also stops, so the spherical member remains stationary and the light is either blocked or reflected, and the output of the photo interrupter is fixed at "H" or "L". be done.

Assuming that the photo interrupter outputs "L" when the spherical part is reflecting light, since there are multiple spherical members inside the passage, the iron, etc. will not be in a horizontal position when not in use. Even if it is placed on a slight slope, one of the
The spherical members reflect the light, and the output of the photointerrupter becomes "L". Further, when an iron or the like is placed in the heel rest state and the non-use sensor is vertical, the spherical members gather at the lower ends of all the passages and there is nothing to reflect light, so the output of the photo interrupter becomes "H". If this output is judged and processed by a microcomputer or the like, it is possible to detect whether the iron or the like is being used or not, and the state (horizontal or vertical) when not in use.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a spherical member that is a plurality of (two in the example) light reflectors made of steel balls, etc., and a downwardly curved passage provided in a guide 2 made of resin (Dyuracon). It is rotatably installed inside 2a. 3 is a reflective photo interrupter provided at the lowest point of the passage 2a of the guide 2 so as to face the passage 2a; 4 is a reflective photointerrupter that closes both sides of the passage 2a, regulates the movement range of the spherical member 1, and supports each of the above members. It is a support device.

The non-use sensor configured as described above is installed horizontally in the handle of an iron, for example, and its operation will be described next.

First, the state in which the iron is used will be explained. In this state, as the iron moves horizontally, the unused sensor also moves horizontally, and the spherical members 1 in the passage 2a of the guide 2 roll in the passage 2a while coming into contact with and separating from each other. When the light passes over the photo interrupter 3, it is reflected by the spherical member 1, and the output of the photo interrupter 3 becomes "L". If it is not present, it becomes "H". That is, when the iron is in use, the rolling of the spherical member 1 causes the photo interrupter 3 to repeatedly output "L" and "H" outputs.

Next, when the iron is left in a horizontal position and is not in use, since the iron does not move in the horizontal direction, the non-use sensor also remains stationary in the horizontal position, and each spherical member 11 gathers at the lowest part of the curved passage 2a. They contact each other and stop on the photo interrupter 3. Therefore, its output is fixed at "L".

Figures 2 and 3 show a case where the unused sensor shown in Figure 1 is in a position slightly tilted from horizontal, for example, when ironing is being performed with the ironing surface tilted. In this case, similarly to the above, the photo interrupter 3 outputs "L" and "H" alternately when it is in use, but when it is not in use, one of the spherical outputs is output on the photo interrupter 3. There is member 1, and its output is "L"
Fixed. Therefore, the same operation as in the case of FIG. 1 is performed.

FIG. 4 shows the posture of the unused sensor when the iron is placed in the heel rest state, and since each spherical member 1 has moved to the lower end of the passage 2a and there is no spherical member 1 above the photo interrupter 3, There is no reflection of light, and the output is fixed at "H".

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of an iron using this non-use sensor. In the figure, the output of the photo interrupter 3 mentioned above is transmitted to the microcomputer 5.
is input. The microcomputer 5 determines that it is in use when its input is alternately repeated as "L" and "H". Then, the output 6 is set to "L", the bidirectional thyristor 7 is turned on, and the heater 8 continues to be energized. Also, if there is no change in the input signal and the "L" signal continues to be input from the photo interrupter 3, it is determined that the iron is in a horizontal state and is not in use, and the output 6 is set to "H" after about one minute, for example. and the bidirectional thyristor 7
Turn it off and cut off the power to the heater 8. Similarly, if there is no change in the input signal and the input signal from the photo interrupter 3 is "H", it is determined that it is in the vertical state and is not in use, and the output 6 is set to "H" after about 10 minutes, for example. Bidirectional thyristor 7
Turn OFF and cut off the power to heater 8. Note that 9 is an AC power source.

Effects of the Invention The present invention includes a guide having a downwardly curved passage, in which a plurality of spherical members are rotatably installed inside the guide passage, and a photo interrupter is disposed at the lowest part of the passage facing the passage. By supporting these with a support and constructing a non-use sensor, and incorporating this non-use sensor into an iron, etc., it is possible to use it not only when the ironing surface is horizontal but also when the ironing board is slightly tilted. Even when the hanging surface is inclined, the use or non-use of the iron can be detected much more reliably than conventional methods, and the iron can be made safer and more reliable. Further, by using a plurality of spherical members, the difficulty of adjustment when attaching an unused sensor to an iron or the like is also alleviated. In addition, since the number of parts that make up the unused sensor is small, it can be made smaller, and the spherical member does not connect or contact other parts mechanically or electrically, so it can be highly reliable. It also has the advantage of being able to

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 are cross-sectional views showing the structure and usage example of an unused sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the unused sensor in a vertical state, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of this unused sensor. It is a circuit diagram when the sensor used is applied to an iron. 1... Spherical member, 2... Guide, 3... Photo interrupter, 4... Support.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A guide having a downwardly curved passage, a plurality of spherical members rotatably installed in the passage, a photo interrupter disposed at the lowest part of the passage facing the passage, and supporting these. Sensors that do not use irons, etc., and are equipped with a support device.