JPH0530702B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a container equipped with a lid that opens and closes an opening, and relates to a lid opening/closing device for a container that automatically opens and closes the lid by detecting a person or object. It is something.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, there are some containers, such as garbage cans, whose lids are opened and closed by stepping on an operating pedal provided on one side of the outer surface of the container.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above-mentioned container equipped with a lid is not suitable for a physically disabled person with a lower limb disability or a sick person lying in bed who can open the lid by operating an operating pedal. I had the inconvenience of not being able to open it.

Also, for example, on a factory production line, etc.
There was a need for a storage case for parts, etc. whose lid would open and close only when a work robot approached.

An object of the present invention is to provide a lid opening/closing device for a container that can detect a person or an object and automatically open/close the lid.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a container equipped with a lid that opens and closes an opening, a detection means that detects a person or an object within a detection area, and a container equipped with a lid that opens and closes the opening. The present invention provides a lid opening/closing device for a container, comprising a drive means for activating the drive means, and a control means for operating the drive means based on the detection result of the detection means.

[Operation] The detection means detects the presence of a person or object within the detection area. The control means operates the drive means based on the detection result of the detection means. The opening of the container is opened or closed by automatically opening and closing the lid by the driving means.

[Example] An example in which the present invention is embodied in a trash can will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 1 of the trash can has a cylindrical shape with an open top, and inside the main body 1 there are two spaces S1, upper and lower, separated by a partition plate 4 disposed near the lower end. , S2 are formed. An inner container 2 for storing garbage is housed in the upper space S1, and is hung on the opening edge of the main body 1. An opening/closing lid 3 is pivotally attached to the rear end of the opening edge of the main body 1 (the right end side in FIG. 1) by a pin 17, and is adapted to open and close the opening 21 of the inner container 2. There is.

A capacitor motor 5 is provided in the lower space S2.
A support member 7 that rotatably supports the interlocking lever 10 is provided. The support member 7 is provided with an upper limit switch 7a and a lower limit switch 7b for detecting when the interlocking lever 10 is rotated to its upper limit position and lower limit position.

The interlocking lever 10 is drivingly connected to the capacitor motor 5 through the chain 9, and is rotated in conjunction with the capacitor motor 5 in the same direction as that of the condenser motor 5. That is, when the capacitor motor 5 rotates counterclockwise, the interlocking lever 10 also rotates counterclockwise.

A connecting rod 11 is attached to the tip of the interlocking lever 10.
One end of the connecting rod 11 is attached, and the other end of the connecting rod 11 is rotatably attached to a bearing portion 3a formed on the opening/closing lid 3. In this embodiment, the driving means is constituted by the capacitor motor 5, the chain 9, the interlocking lever 10, and the connecting rod 11, and when the capacitor motor 5 is rotated clockwise, the opening/closing lid 3 is moved to the closed position shown by the two-dot chain line. When the capacitor motor 5 is rotated counterclockwise, it is placed in an inclined open position above the inner container 2, as shown by the solid line.

At the bottom of the front side (left end side in FIG. 1) of the main body 1, there is a photoelectric sensor 8 as a detection means and a control means.
is installed. This sensor 8 is composed of a light emitter and a light receiver, and emits light obliquely in front of the main body 1, detects the presence of a person or object within the detection area R by the reflected light, and outputs a detection signal. The sensor 8 also has a timer function and outputs a time-up signal after a predetermined time (T) when it no longer detects a person or object.

On the other hand, a relay 6 is provided in the lower space S2, and this relay 6 is connected to the photoelectric sensor 8.
The capacitor motor 5 is rotated forward or backward based on the detection signal and time-up signal from the motor.

Next, the electrical configuration of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.

The photoelectric sensor 8 is connected between a pair of power supply terminals A1 and A2 to which alternating current power (AC100V) is applied. A coil 6a of a relay 6 is connected to an output terminal 8a of this sensor 8, and is energized when a person or object is detected by the photoelectric sensor 8 and until T seconds have elapsed since no person is detected.

The capacitor motor 5 has first to third terminals 5a to 5.
A capacitor C is connected between the first and second terminals 5a and 5b. The first terminal 5a is connected to the power supply terminal A2 via the normally open contact 6b of the relay 6 and the upper limit switch 7a.
The terminal 5b is connected to the power supply terminal A2 via the normally closed contact 6c of the relay 6 and the lower limit switch 7b. Further, the third terminal 5c is connected to the power supply terminal A1.

The functions and effects of the trash can configured as described above will be explained with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG.

Now, when the garbage can opening/closing lid 3 is placed in the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line (see FIG. 1), the lower limit switch 7b is opened by the interlocking lever 10, and the upper limit switch 7a is closed. If a person stands in front of the trash can in this state, it will be detected by the photoelectric sensor 8, and this sensor 8 will output a detection signal to the relay 6 indicating that a person has been detected. The coil 6a is excited by this detection signal, the normally open contact 6b is closed, and the normally closed contact 6
c is opened. As a result, a current with a phase lead of 90 degrees flows through the normally open contact 6b and the capacitor C to the second terminal 5b, so that the capacitor motor 5 rotates in the forward direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1), and the current flows through the chain 9. The interlocking lever 10 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure. As the interlocking lever 10 rotates, the connecting rod 11 moves upward, the opening/closing lid 3 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, and the opening 21 of the inner container 2 is opened. When the opening/closing lid 3 is opened to the open position shown by the solid line, the upper limit switch 7a is opened by the interlocking lever 10, and as a result, the capacitor motor 5 is no longer supplied with current and stops, and the opening/closing lid 3 is maintained at the open position. be done.

When a person puts garbage into the medium container 2 and leaves the trash can, the detection signal from the photoelectric sensor 8 is no longer output, and after a predetermined time T (3 seconds in this embodiment) from this point, a time-up signal is sent to the relay 6. A signal is output. Based on this signal, the coil 6a
is demagnetized, the normally open contact 6b opens and the normally closed contact 6c closes. At this time, since the lower limit switch 7b is closed, a current with a phase lead of 90 degrees flows through the normally closed contact 6c and the capacitor C to the first terminal 5a, so that the capacitor motor 5 rotates in the reverse direction (the clock in FIG. direction), and the interlocking lever 10 is rotated clockwise. As the interlocking lever 10 rotates, the connecting rod 11 moves downward, and the opening/closing lid 3 is switched from the open position to the closed position.

When the opening/closing lid 3 returns to the closed position shown by the two-dot chain line,
The lower limit switch 7b is activated by the interlocking lever 10.
is opened, and as a result, current is no longer supplied to the capacitor motor 5 and it stops, the opening/closing lid 3 is held in its closed position, and the relay 6 waits until a detection signal from the photoelectric sensor 8 is output. do.

In this way, the trash can of this embodiment is provided with the opening/closing lid 3 that opens and closes based on the detection of a person by the photoelectric sensor 8, so if this is used, even a sleeping person in a hospital or the like can directly access the trash can. The lid of the garbage can can be opened by simply waving a hand over the detection area R in front of the garbage can without touching it, and the lid can be closed by simply moving the hand away from the detection area R.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment described above, and may be implemented as follows.

(1) As shown in FIG. 4, an electromagnetic solenoid 12 equipped with a plunger 13 and a plunger 13
A connecting member 14 connected to an end of the connecting member 14, a slider crank 16 connected to the other end of the connecting member 14, a guide plate 15 on which the slider crank 16 can slide, and a connection in which the slider crank 16 is connected. The driving means may also be constituted by the rod 11. In this configuration, when a person stands in front of the trash can, the electromagnetic solenoid 12 is energized, and the plunger 13 projects to the right in the figure. The protrusion of this plunger 13 is connected to the connecting member 14.
The upper end of the slider crank 16 moves upward along the guide plate 15, which causes the connecting rod 11 to move upward, and the opening/closing lid 3 is moved to an inclined opening position above the medium container 2. It will be opened until When the person leaves, the electromagnetic solenoid 12 is demagnetized, and the opening/closing lid 3 is rotated counterclockwise around the pin 17 by its own weight and closed.

In this way, the opening/closing angle of the opening/closing lid 3 is determined by the stroke, so a limit switch can be omitted. It is also possible to provide the electromagnetic solenoid 12 with a spring that urges the plunger 13 toward the retracted side, so that the opening/closing lid 3 can be positively closed by its restoring force.

(2) As shown in FIG. 5, the opening of the main body 1 is covered by the fixed lid 18 and the opening/closing lid 3, and
The opening/closing lid 3 may be opened toward the inside of the middle container 2. In this way, there is no need for a space above the opening of the main body 1 in which the opening/closing lid can rotate, and the device can be easily used even in installation locations where there are obstacles above.

(3) As shown in FIG. 6, the middle container 2 can be raised and lowered by a drive means (not shown), and the cover 3 can be opened and closed by engaging the end of the middle container 2 with the lower surface of the cover 3. It may be configured as follows.

(4) In the above embodiment, the photoelectric sensor 8 was used as the detection means, but any sensor that can detect a person or object without direct contact may be used. For example, an ultrasonic sensor that detects an object using ultrasound Sonic sensors may also be used.

(5) In the above embodiment, the photoelectric sensor 8 with a built-in timer was used as the detection means and control means, but as shown in FIG. 7, a microcomputer 20 with a built-in timer 19 is provided as a control means, 8. Upper and lower limit switch 7
It is also possible to configure the opening/closing lid 3 to be opened and closed by controlling forward rotation, reverse rotation, and stop of the capacitor motor 5 based on the signals from a and 7b. By simply changing the (program), for example, you can open the opening/closing lid 3 when the photoelectric sensor 8 detects a person for a predetermined time or more, or you can set the timer to start immediately after the photoelectric sensor 8 detects a person. Activate 19,
You can freely set the lid to close after a certain period of time, depending on the usage situation.

(6) In the above embodiment, the photoelectric sensor 8 is integrally provided on the front surface of the main body 1, but the sensor 8 may be provided separately and placed at an appropriate location apart from the main body 1.

The application of the present invention is not limited to trash cans, but may also be applied to lids of movable toilet bowls used in hospitals and the like. It can also be applied to storage cases for parts, etc., whose lids open and close only when a working robot approaches, such as on a factory production line.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the lid opening/closing device for a container of the present invention, an excellent effect is achieved in that even if a person or an object does not directly touch the container, it can be detected and the lid can be automatically opened and closed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention in a trash can, with Figure 1 being a longitudinal sectional view thereof, Figure 2 being a circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration, and Figure 3 showing the operation of the trash can. Timing chart, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing another example of a garbage can, Figs. 5 and 6 are partial longitudinal sectional views showing another example of the lid shape and opening/closing operation, and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the opening/closing device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration. 2...Middle container as a container, 3...Opening/closing lid, 8...Photoelectric sensor as detection means and control means, 5,
9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
...The capacitor motor, chain, interlocking lever, connecting rod, electromagnetic solenoid, which constitute the drive means,
Plunger, connecting member, guide plate, slider crank, 20... microcomputer as control means, 21...
Aperture.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Container 2 equipped with a lid 3 that opens and closes an opening 21
, detection means 8 for detecting a person or object within the detection area, and drive means 5, 9, 10 for opening and closing the lid 3.
16; and control means 8, 20 for operating the drive means 5, 9, 10 to 16 based on the detection result of the detection means 8. A lid opening/closing device for a container.