JP2009009490A - Proximity sensor and proximity sensor system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a proximity sensor for largely improving the reliability and safety of a control system by performing optical communication of an operating state of a detection object by using a space, liquid or optical fiber in real time by sharing or adding an operation optical communication device with or to an operation display device. <P>SOLUTION: This proximity sensor is equipped with one or more light emission device parts or light emission/reception integrated device parts and light reception device parts to be used for operation optical communication and operation display and light reception communication, and achieves bi-directional optical communication which can perform the double modulation of the operation display and operation optical communication in visible optical communication, and further can perform feedback control between the proximity sensor and a controller when loading the light reception device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact sensor unit that detects a detection object in a non-contact manner, and sensor control that performs necessary control in accordance with operations such as the position, distance, speed, and vibration of the detection object from the sensor signal of the non-contact sensor unit. And a proximity sensor system using the proximity sensor.

  The proximity sensor of the present invention is a concept including what is called a proximity switch.

Proximity sensor is to cope with the detection item's position, distance, speed, vibration, etc., such as conductivity, electric capacity, electromagnetic properties such as magnetism, magnetism, etc., optical properties such as reflectance, absorptivity, environmental temperature and humidity, etc. There are a wide variety of sensors. In addition, when mounting on an actual machine, the position, distance, angle, optical axis, etc. are adjusted appropriately to minimize the effects of environmental electromagnetic fields, etc., and self-diagnosis is performed. A technique for displaying operation by light emission and colored light emission is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
JP 2006-92486 A: published on April 6, 2006 (2006.4.6)

  Even if the proximity sensor disclosed in the above publication is equipped with an operation display unit, after the proximity sensor is attached to the installation location, the operation display unit is used except when the proximity sensor is malfunctioning or malfunctioning. Absent. Further, it is difficult to realize the proximity sensor to transmit the operation data of the detected object safely and at high speed and with a large capacity because of its shape and cost.

  The proximity sensor according to the present invention detects one or a plurality of light emitting device units having at least a light emitting function used for operation light communication and operation display, a light emitting drive unit that drives the light emitting device unit, and a detection object in a non-contact manner. A non-contact sensor unit, and an optical communication control of the light emitting device unit corresponding to an operation such as a position, a distance, a speed, and a vibration of a detected object from a sensor detection signal of the non-contact sensor unit, and an operation display control of the proximity sensor And a sensor control unit for performing the above.

  The proximity sensor includes a proximity switch.

  The proximity sensor is not limited to inductive, magnetic, capacitive, ultrasonic, photoelectric, etc.

  In the proximity sensor of the present invention, since the light emitting device unit can perform operating optical communication with the optical receiver included in the controller that controls the proximity sensor, the proximity sensor system including the proximity sensor and the optical receiver The operation state can be used for optical communication with the optical receiver in real time at all times or at any time during the operation. In particular, in the present invention, operating light communication can be performed with the light receiving unit in the light emitting device unit, so that even after the proximity sensor is installed, the state of the detected object is confirmed and controlled by the operating light communication. Compared to the high-performance indicator mounted on the proximity sensor system, it can be used for displaying much more information than the operation display unit mounted on the proximity sensor. It can be used to support installation adjustment, maintenance, repair, etc. of the proximity sensor by an operator at the sensor installation location.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to provide one or a plurality of light emitting device units that are used for both operation light communication and operation display.

  In the present invention, preferably, a set of a first light-emitting device unit dedicated to operation light communication and an optical communication drive unit that drives the first light-emitting device unit, a second light-emitting device unit dedicated to operation display, and the second At least one set including a light emitting drive unit that drives the light emitting device unit is provided.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the light emitting device portion is formed of, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) or organic electroluminescence (organic EL), and blinks at a high frequency that cannot be visually recognized by humans, for example, several tens of KHz or more. By performing pulse width modulation (PCM) and PCM (pulse code modulation) with a long period that can be recognized by the human eye, for example, 0.1 seconds or more, it is possible to display an operation that can be viewed regardless of PWM or PCM. The operating light communication data and the operation display data are double-modulated.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the light emitting device unit is composed of a light emitting / receiving unit or a light emitting unit. When the light-emitting device part is configured with a light-receiving / emitting part, the operation light communication is made bidirectional communication, enabling the real-time feedback control function of the proximity sensor system, and higher precision control and safety compared to conventional proximity sensor systems Can control. In the case where the light emitting device unit is composed of only the light emitting unit, one-way operation light communication from the proximity sensor to the light receiving unit can be performed.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the light-emitting device unit is constituted by any one of a bulb-shaped light-emitting diode that emits visible light, a sheet-shaped organic electroluminescence, a laser diode, or an infrared light-emitting diode.

  In the present invention, preferably, the light emitting device unit emits light that is doubly modulated by optical communication data and operation display data.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the light emitting device unit is configured by combining a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the light emitting unit is configured with a light receiving sensor and a resin mold together with a light receiving sensor to form a light receiving / emitting integrated device configuration, and bidirectional light communication is possible between the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor. This device configuration includes a one-chip configuration.

  In the present invention, preferably, a solar cell is mounted on the proximity sensor to generate electric power to be a power source.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the detection and analysis program and the memory that stores the light emission mode data and the optical communication mode data of the light emitting device unit in advance in a rewritable manner in advance corresponding to the detection operation of the non-contact sensor unit. Is to provide a part.

  A proximity sensor system according to the present invention includes the proximity sensor, and a light receiving unit that performs optical communication with a light emitting device unit of the proximity sensor wirelessly or via an optical fiber.

  The non-contact sensor unit includes a sensor head unit for detecting a positional deviation, a distance deviation, a speed deviation, a vibration range, etc. of a detected object in a non-contact manner, an oscillation circuit unit including a head coil as one of the elements, temperature and components. A sensor control unit for correcting the deviation can be configured. The non-contact sensor unit is an inductive type, but is not limited to a magnetic type, a capacitive type, an ultrasonic type, a photoelectric type, or the like.

  In the proximity sensor of the present invention, the light emitting device unit, the non-contact sensor unit, etc. are controlled by software (firmware) ported to the sensor control unit, etc., and connected to an external personal computer, PLC, etc. by serial communication. USB or RS485 can be provided.

  Note that the light emitting device portion can be configured by an organic EL that performs operation display and operation light communication with 360-degree blind spot with planar light emission and cylindrical light emission.

  In addition, it can be used for remote operation state monitoring and feedback control of a proximity sensor device having a system configuration including an amplifier or a sensor controller including a light receiving device such as a photodiode via a space and between liquids or via an optical fiber.

  Note that the light emitting operation unit is a visible light emitting LED or organic EL, etc., and various blinking patterns and blinking patterns that can be recognized by humans, and colored light emission. It is possible to operate the same light emitting device unit by further modulating the operation display data of a long cycle using the operation optical communication obtained by modulating the communication data by modulation or PCM (pulse code modulation) as a carrier.

  In addition, although the amount of information in optical communication is as small as the amount of information for operation display, the light emitting device unit can use the blinking pattern and flashing pattern light emission in the operation display as they are for optical communication.

  In addition, the light emitting device unit can be operated bidirectionally for operation light communication, and the proximity sensor device can be feedback-controlled in real time, so that highly precise control and safety control can be performed compared to the conventional proximity sensor device.

  Note that the proximity sensor can be completely wireless without a battery.

  In addition, a solar cell can be mounted, an appropriate light source can be installed on the light receiving side or elsewhere, and necessary power can be supplied to the built-in amplifier type and external proximity sensors.

  It is possible to supply power when the operation display is stopped without mounting a device with good power generation efficiency using an LED for operation display or an organic EL, and without mounting a separate solar cell.

  Since the proximity sensor of the present invention includes one or a plurality of light emitting device portions or light receiving and emitting device portions for operation light communication and operation display, control for monitoring a machine, an apparatus, or the like with a sensor detection signal of the proximity sensor. In a system or the like, operation monitoring / analysis / judgment and feedback control can be performed in real time, and the reliability and safety of the control system can be greatly enhanced.

  Hereinafter, a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention and a proximity sensor system using the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a block configuration of the inductive proximity sensor of the present invention. The proximity sensor according to the embodiment includes a sensor head 5 including a detection coil 3 installed in a non-contact manner on a detection object 1 whose detection position is displaced in the direction of the double arrow shown in the figure. The coil 3, the preamplifier built-in oscillation circuit unit 7, and the eddy current of the detected object are oscillated by being supported by the parameters of the calculation / processing unit 9, and the output of the oscillation circuit unit 7 is input to the calculation / processing unit 9. The Here, the detection coil 3 includes a core and a core. The sensor head 5 constitutes at least a part of the non-contact sensor unit. The non-contact sensor unit may include the oscillation circuit unit 7. In the proximity sensor, the sensor head 5 and the oscillation circuit unit 7 are connected by the coaxial cable 23 in the amplifier separation type.

  The arithmetic / processing unit 9 performs processing for detecting an impedance change and an oscillation state corresponding to the detection state of the detection object 1 of the sensor head 5 from the output of the oscillation circuit unit 7. The arithmetic / processing unit 9 is composed of a CPU / FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), hardware such as a memory, a detection circuit, and a peripheral circuit, and software programmed with oscillation, drive, display, correction, and the like. An example of a sensor control unit including The calculation / processing unit 9 outputs a corrected and corrected detection output, a drive signal to the operation display unit 11, and a drive signal to the operation light communication unit 13.

  The operation display unit 11 constitutes a light emitting drive unit, and an LED 12 dedicated to operation display, which is an example of a light emitting device unit, is connected as a set, and drives the LED 12 in response to a drive signal from the arithmetic / processing unit 9. The emission color of the LED 12 is not particularly limited, but is converted into data in the memory of the arithmetic / processing unit 9.

  The operation light communication unit 13 constitutes an optical communication drive unit, and is connected with a set of LEDs 14 dedicated to operation light communication, which is an example of a light emitting device unit, and drives the LED 14 in response to a drive signal from the calculation / processing unit 9. To do. The emission color of the LED 14 is not particularly limited, but a preferred form is an infrared light emitting LED.

  A USB communication input / output connector 17 to an external personal computer or PLC 15 or the like is connected to the arithmetic / processing unit 9, and the arithmetic / processing unit 9 can perform various communications with the external personal computer or PLC 15 or the like. In the case of a proximity sensor mounted with a solar cell (solar cell) 19, a power generation circuit unit 21 for supplying power to each part of the proximity sensor is incorporated. The arithmetic / processing unit 9 generates drive signals for driving the LEDs 12 and 14 by the built-in software (firmware). The light emitting mode data and the optical communication mode data of the LEDs 12 and 14 are programmed by the external personal computer or the PLC 15. Can be installed in advance.

  The form of the proximity sensor having the above configuration can be easily developed from the configuration of FIG. 1 in the magnetic type, the capacitive type, the ultrasonic type, or the photoelectric type.

  In the proximity sensor, the sensor head 5 and the oscillation circuit unit 7 are connected by the coaxial cable 23 in the amplifier separation type.

  2A, 2B and 2C show the structure of the inductive proximity sensor of the present invention. The sensor head 5 is connected to a base substrate (platform) 25 by soldering or bonding. On this base substrate 25, electronic component modules 27 such as electronic circuit elements 7, 9, 11, 13, etc. of FIG. 1 including LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit) are mounted and molded. The sensor head 5 may be separated and connected to the base substrate 25 with a coaxial cable.

  In FIG. 2A, an LED 29 as a light emitting device unit is mounted on the base substrate 25 alone, and this LED 29 is an LED for both functions of operation display and operation light communication. Note that the LED 29 includes a structure in which a single organic EL is replaced. In the operation display, the LED 29 may be capable of switching the emission color to single color or multicolor. The LED 29 may be an LED that performs visible light communication using visible light, or may be an LED that is not visible to humans, that is, that is dedicated to infrared light emitting operation light communication that stops the operation display function and performs only high-function optical communication. When the LED 29 alone is used for both functions of operation display and operation light communication, in FIG. 1, for example, one LED 12 is omitted, and the output of the operation light communication unit 13 and the output of the operation display unit 11 are connected to the other LED 14. This can be done by outputting in a time-sharing mode. This switching may be controlled by, for example, the calculation / processing unit 9 or may be performed by another control unit (not shown).

  In FIG. 2B, two LEDs 31 and 33 as light emitting device units are mounted on the base substrate 25, and one of these two LEDs 31 and 33 is dedicated for operation display and the other is dedicated for operation optical communication. In addition, both the LEDs 31 and 33 are used for both the operation display and the operation optical communication, and the detection coil 3 and the oscillation circuit unit 7 are made into two independent systems to check whether there is a failure of the proximity sensor or the detection object 1 on the light receiving side. It is good also as a form of a safe proximity sensor apparatus as possible. In this case, it is not necessary to provide two proximity sensors for safety, and safety control by feedback control can be realized at low cost and wirelessly with a proximity sensor device including a controller such as a programmable controller. . Moreover, you may display operation | movement with both LED31,33. Further, it may be possible to increase the amount of information of the operation by combining the emission color, blinking, blinking, and color switching of the LEDs 31 and 33.

  In FIG. 2C, an organic EL sheet 35 as a light emitting device unit is provided on the base substrate 25, and the organic EL sheet 35 is used for displaying the operation of the proximity sensor, and a battery-less battery that performs optical power feeding with a solar cell 37 is used. It may be a proximity sensor that can be combined with the operation light communication dedicated LED 29 of FIG. Since the light emission form of the organic EL sheet 35 is planar light emission, it is suitable for 360-degree viewing from a distance in operation display, and a light emission form excellent in communication property in optical communication.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the proximity sensor system including the light receiving side in the operation optical communication by the proximity sensor of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the arrow A indicates the proximity sensor of the present invention, the arrow B indicates the space or liquid space of the transmission medium, the optical fiber, and the arrow C indicates the optical receiver. On the proximity sensor A side, an operation light transmission calculation / processing unit 39 is provided. The arithmetic / processing unit 39 includes a CPU / FPGA module, and includes hardware such as a memory, a detection circuit, and a peripheral circuit, and software programmed for oscillation, drive, display, correction, and the like. Further, the proximity sensor A side includes an operation light communication unit 41 including a modulation circuit and an output circuit, an operation display unit 43 that is a light emitting device unit that is formed by a visible light LED, an organic EL, or the like, and is indicated by a dotted line block, and visible light. And a light output device 45, which is a light-emitting device unit composed of a laser diode (LD) or an infrared light-emitting LED.

  The light receiving unit C side includes a light receiving device 47 such as a photodiode (PD) and a demodulation / processing circuit 49 including optical demultiplexing, a demodulation circuit, a processing circuit, and the like.

  The output light from the light output device 45 on the proximity sensor A side is transmitted to the light receiving device 47 on the light receiving section C side by wireless or optical fiber 53 indicated by a dotted line 51 between the space and the liquid.

  A light receiving unit (not shown) using a photodiode (PD) on the proximity sensor A side in FIG. 3 and a light receiving device 47 on the optical receiving unit C side including a transmitting unit (not shown) using an infrared LD are incorporated. It is possible to configure a high-performance proximity sensor system having a direct communication and a command from the optical receiver C side to the proximity sensor A side in real time and a real-time feedback function.

  In FIG. 3, the proximity sensor A side displays an operation display with a visible LED, an organic EL, or the like on the operation display unit 43, and a sensor head 5 (shown in FIG. 3) of the proximity sensor with an LD, an infrared LED or the like in the light output device 45. After the information indicating the detection state from (omitted) is processed and modulated by the operating light communication unit 41, the optical output device 45 performs operating light communication. This operating optical communication is performed between the light receiving device 47 and the optical receiving unit C provided with the demodulation / processing circuit 49 and the like by the radio 51 and the optical fiber 53.

  On the light receiving unit C side, the light receiving device 47 performs operation light communication with the proximity sensor A side. The light receiving device 47 on the optical receiver C side is composed of a photodiode or the like. The photodiode receives optical communication information, and the demodulation / processing circuit 49 demodulates the optical communication information. In this way, in the proximity sensor system, information from the sensor head 5 of the proximity sensor can be optically communicated and used for state monitoring and control of the entire proximity sensor system.

  FIG. 4 shows a double modulation logical configuration in which the operation display function and the operation light communication function of the present invention are implemented by one LED or organic EL. As shown in FIG. 4A, one sheet-like organic EL 57 or one visible light LED 59 is mounted on the top surface of the inductive proximity switch (square) 55, and the pulse frequency is several tens in FIG. 4B. Highest pulse width modulation wave P1 for operation light communication that cannot be visually recognized by humans at KHz or higher (this enlargement is indicated by P1a), and a minimum of 0 to control operation display light emission of color switching, blinking time pattern, and blinking pattern. A light emission output current corresponding to double modulation of a long periodic pulse or a positive / negative rectangular wave operation display waveform P2 that can be visually recognized by a human in 1 second or longer is applied to the LED 59 or the sheet-like organic EL 57 to emit light. In the waveform P2, for example, the upper P2a emits red light and the lower P2b emits green light. The waveform P1 is PWM or PCM-modulated by a modulation circuit 56 (not shown), the color switching is performed using this high-frequency pulse modulated light as a carrier, and double modulation is performed with the operation display waveform P2 of the blinking time pattern and the blinking pattern waveform. The LED 59 and the sheet-like organic EL 57 emit light in response to a high-frequency pulse with respect to communication light that is output from the modulation circuit 56 (not shown), but humans can recognize only a long-period operation display, and the light receiving side A long period is cut by an optical branching circuit or the like, and only the high frequency pulse width modulated wave P1 is selectively demodulated.

  FIG. 5 shows a light receiving / emitting integrated device 65 in which a light emitting element (light emitting part) 61 and a light receiving element (light receiving part) PD 63 are formed into a device structure by a resin mold. This device configuration includes a one-chip configuration. The light emitting element 61 and the light receiving element PD63 can emit and receive light from the transparent window 64, respectively. A small and high-performance proximity sensor is realized by high-performance bidirectional operation light communication using the light receiving / emitting integrated device 65 instead of the single LED 29 of FIG. Examples of the light emitting element 61 in FIG. 5 include a visible light emitting diode, a laser diode, and an infrared light emitting diode.

  Note that the arithmetic / processing unit 9 in FIG. 1 may be provided with a storage unit that stores the detection and analysis program and the light emission mode data of the LEDs 12 and 14 so as to be rewritable by an external operation. As this light emission mode, there is a mode corresponding to the operation of the position, distance, speed, vibration and the like of the non-contact sensor unit.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, real-time operation monitoring / analysis / judgment can be performed by the operation optical communication function, and reliability and safety are greatly enhanced. In addition to light-emitting display, it is possible to provide a function, safety, cost, shape, and battery-less proximity sensor that are conscious of optical communication, photovoltaic power generation, and light reception.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of each proximity sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a block configuration of the proximity sensor system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a logical configuration that combines operation display and operation optical communication. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a light receiving and emitting integrated device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Detected object 3 Detection coil 5 Sensor head 7 Oscillation circuit part 9 Calculation / processing part 11 Operation | movement display part 12 Operation | movement display LED
13 Operating light communication unit 14 Operating light communication LED

Claims (10)

One or a plurality of light-emitting device units having at least a light-emitting function, which are used for operation light communication and operation display;
A light emitting drive unit for driving the light emitting device unit;
A non-contact sensor unit for detecting a detected object in a non-contact manner;
A sensor control unit that performs optical communication control of the light emitting device unit and operation display control of the proximity sensor in response to the operation of the position, distance, speed, vibration, etc. of the detected object from the sensor detection signal of the non-contact sensor unit; ,
A proximity sensor characterized by comprising:   The proximity sensor according to claim 1, further comprising one or a plurality of light emitting device units that are used for both operation light communication and operation display. A set of a first light emitting device unit dedicated to operating light communication and an optical communication drive unit for driving the first light emitting device unit;
A set of a second light-emitting device unit dedicated to operation display and a light-emitting drive unit that drives the second light-emitting device unit;
The proximity sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least one set is provided.   The light-emitting device section is one or a combination of two or more of light-bulb-shaped light-emitting diodes that emit visible light, sheet-shaped organic electroluminescence, laser diodes, and infrared light-emitting diodes. The proximity sensor according to claim 1.   5. The proximity sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device unit outputs a double-modulated optical communication signal including optical communication data and operation display data.   6. The proximity sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device unit is a combination of a light emitting unit and a light receiving sensor.   The proximity sensor according to claim 6, wherein the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor are made of a resin mold to form a light receiving and emitting integrated device configuration, and bidirectional light communication is possible between the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor.   8. The proximity sensor according to claim 1, wherein a solar cell is mounted as a power source of the proximity sensor.   A storage unit for storing the light emitting mode data and the optical communication mode data of the light emitting device unit in advance so as to be rewritable from the outside in advance corresponding to the operation of the position, distance, speed, vibration, etc. of the non-contact sensor unit; The proximity sensor according to claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor is characterized in that:   The proximity sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a light emitting device unit that combines optical communication and operation display of the proximity sensor, or a light emitting device unit dedicated to operation optical communication, and light via radio or optical fiber A proximity sensor system comprising: an optical receiver for communicating.

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