JP7554639B2 - Automatic doors, electronic devices, automatic door operation methods, automatic door operation programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to automatic doors and other electronic devices.

As shown in Patent Document 1, an automatic door is known that is equipped with multiple components that can communicate with each other. Contacts are often provided between each component, which are in contact when a signal is being input and are in a non-contact state when no signal is being input.

International Publication No. 2007/091491

At contacts, a problem known as chattering can occur. This is a mechanical vibration phenomenon that occurs due to elastic collisions between the mechanical elements that make up the contacts when the contacts switch from a non-contact state to a contact state, or from a contact state to a non-contact state. At contacts with a lot of chattering, signals may not be input properly, which can cause problems when opening and closing automatic doors.

The present invention was made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an automatic door that can effectively grasp the occurrence of chattering at the contact points.

In order to solve the above problems, an automatic door according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a component device that constitutes an automatic door and receives a signal, the component device comprising a contact that is brought into contact in response to the input of a signal, a detectable state determination unit that determines whether the signal from the contact has become detectable based on a predetermined criterion after the contact has switched from a non-contact state to a contact state, and a time memory unit that stores the transition time from when the contact state is switched to when the detectable state is reached.

In this embodiment, the transition time from when a contact that receives a signal input in an automatic door component switches to a contact state until it becomes detectable is stored. Contacts that chatter a lot tend to have longer transition times, so based on this, the occurrence of chatter at the contacts can be effectively understood.

Another aspect of the present invention is an automatic door. This automatic door includes a component device that configures the automatic door and receives a signal, and the component device includes a contact that is brought into contact in response to the input of the signal, a detectable state determination unit that determines, based on a predetermined criterion, whether the signal from the contact has become undetectable after the contact has switched from a contact state to a non-contact state, and a time memory unit that stores the transition time from when the contact has switched to a non-contact state until the contact becomes undetectable.

In this embodiment, the transition time from when a contact in an automatic door component where signal input has been interrupted switches to a non-contact state until it becomes undetectable is stored. Contacts with a lot of chattering tend to have longer transition times, so based on this, the occurrence of chattering at the contacts can be effectively understood.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is an electronic device. This electronic device includes a contact that is brought into contact in response to a signal input, a detectable state determination unit that determines, based on a predetermined criterion, whether a signal from the contact has become detectable after the contact has switched from a non-contact state to a contact state, and a time storage unit that stores the transition time from when the contact state is switched to when the detectable state is reached.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method for operating an automatic door. This method includes a detectable state determination step for determining, based on a predetermined criterion, whether a signal from a contact that is brought into contact in response to a signal input in a component device constituting the automatic door has become detectable after the contact has switched from a non-contact state to a contact state, and a time storage step for storing the transition time from when the contact state was switched to when the contact state became detectable.

In addition, any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the present invention into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention.

The present invention makes it possible to effectively grasp the occurrence of chattering at contacts.

1 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of an automatic door according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of various components capable of communicating with each other inside and outside an automatic door. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a signal input section of a component of an automatic door. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a typical signal input pattern at the contacts of each component device. 13 is a table summarizing the trends of ON transition time, stable time, and OFF transition time.

First, an overview of the embodiment will be described. In the automatic door of this embodiment, components such as a controller and an activation sensor are arranged so that they can communicate with each other. The signal input section of each component is provided with mechanical contacts, where chattering can occur. If chattering occurs, the signal will fluctuate even after the contacts are turned ON, so it will take a long time before signal processing can begin. In this embodiment, this transition time is stored to effectively grasp the occurrence of chattering at the contacts.

Figure 1 is a front view showing an automatic door 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic door 100 mainly comprises a door section 10 that is driven to open and close, a controller 20 that controls the entire automatic door 100, a sensor 30 (a collective term for an activation sensor 31 and an auxiliary sensor 32) that detects pedestrians, a door engine 40 that generates power, and a power transmission section 50 that transmits power to the door section 10. Note that in the following explanation, the left-right direction in Figure 1 is the horizontal direction, and the up-down direction in Figure 1 is the vertical direction, but the automatic door 100 can be installed in any position, and the installation direction is not limited to the following example.

The door section 10 includes a first movable door 11L and a second movable door 11R that are each movable in the horizontal direction, a first fixed door 12L and a second fixed door 12R that are provided at positions overlapping the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R when the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R are in an open state, and a guide mechanism 13 that guides the horizontal movement of the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R. The first movable door 11L, the second movable door 11R, the first fixed door 12L, and the second fixed door 12R are configured in a vertically elongated rectangular shape whose vertical dimension is larger than its horizontal dimension. When the door section 10 is driven to open, the first movable door 11L shown on the left side in FIG. 1 is driven to the left, and the second movable door 11R shown on the right side in FIG. 1 is driven to the right. In addition, when the door section 10 is driven to close, the first movable door 11L is driven to the right and the second movable door 11R is driven to the left, which is the opposite of when the door section 10 is driven to open. The number and shape of the doors that make up the door section 10 are not limited to the above and can be designed appropriately according to the needs of the installation location. Similarly, the movable direction of the door section 10 is not limited to the horizontal direction and may be inclined from the horizontal direction.

The guide mechanism 13 includes a running rail 131, a door roller 132, a guide rail 133, and a vibration prevention part 134. The running rail 131 is a columnar rail member that extends horizontally above the movable doors 11L and 11R over the entire movable range. Two door rollers 132 are provided on the upper part of each of the movable doors 11L and 11R, and each of the movable doors 11L and 11R is suspended on the running rail 131. When each of the movable doors 11L and 11R is driven to open and close in the horizontal direction, the door rollers 132 roll on the running rail 131, enabling smooth opening and closing operations. The guide rail 133 is a groove-shaped rail member that extends horizontally below the movable doors 11L and 11R over the entire movable range. The vibration prevention part 134 protrudes from the lower part of the movable doors 11L and 11R and fits into the groove-shaped guide rail 133. When each movable door 11L, 11R is driven to open or close in the horizontal direction, the vibration prevention portion 134 moves along the guide rail 133, so vibrations in the projection direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of Figure 1) of each movable door 11L, 11R can be suppressed.

In addition, various parameters related to the opening and closing of the door section 10 can be set by the controller 20. For example, the opening and closing speed, opening and closing strength, opening width, etc. can be set. The opening and closing speed is the horizontal speed of the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R, and the directions of the speeds of both doors are opposite to each other. It is preferable that the magnitude (speed) of the speeds of both doors is equal, but they may be different. In addition, the opening and closing speed may be set to a different value during normal opening and closing and other times. For example, in the case of a so-called reversal in which the door section 10 switches to an open drive to urgently avoid a passerby being pinched by the closing movable doors 11L and 11R during the normal closing drive, the speed of the movable doors 11L and 11R during the open drive may be set to a value different from the speed during the normal opening drive.

The opening and closing strength is the strength of the force exerted when the movable doors 11L and 11R are opened and closed, and is controlled by the torque value generated by the motor 42, which will be described later. As with the opening and closing speed described above, it is preferable to set the opening and closing strength of the movable doors 11L and 11R to be equal. Also, different opening and closing strengths may be set for normal opening and closing and other times. The opening width is the horizontal distance between the first movable door 11L and the second movable door 11R when the door section 10 is fully open. As shown in FIG. 1, if the moving distance between the fully closed position and the fully open position of the first movable door 11L is W1, and the moving distance between the fully closed position and the fully open position of the second movable door 11R is W2, the opening width is expressed as W1 + W2. Here, the moving distances W1 and W2 can be set individually within the horizontal dimension of the automatic door 100.

1 shows an activation sensor 31 and an auxiliary sensor 32 as examples of the sensor 30. The activation sensor 31 is a photoelectric sensor provided on the surface of the blind 60 above the door section 10. The activation sensor 31 has a light-emitting section that emits light such as infrared light toward the floor surface and a light-receiving section that detects reflected light from the floor surface. When an object such as a person approaches the automatic door 100 and blocks the light, the amount of light received by the light-receiving section changes, so the object can be detected. When the detection information from the activation sensor 31 is input to the controller 20, the door section 10 is opened by driving the door engine 40. The activation sensor 31 is provided on the indoor side (for example, the front side of the paper in FIG. 1) and the outdoor side (for example, the back side of the paper in FIG. 1), and can detect a person approaching from either side. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two below, they will be referred to as the indoor side activation sensor 31 and the outdoor side activation sensor 31, respectively.

The activation sensor 31 may be configured to detect passersby by reflecting radio waves such as microwaves or ultrasonic waves. As shown in FIG. 1 as 31A, the door section 10 may be actuated when a passerby presses a touch plate provided on at least one of the movable doors 11L and 11R. In addition, in tourist facilities, amusement parks, and the like, it is also envisioned that the door section 10 may be actuated by operation of a facility attendant in addition to or instead of detecting and operating the passerby. In this case, the facility attendant can actuate the door section 10 remotely using an operation panel provided at a position away from the door section 10 or an operation terminal capable of communicating with the automatic door 100.

The auxiliary sensor 32 is a photoelectric sensor provided on the first fixed door 12L and the second fixed door 12R of the door section 10. The auxiliary sensor 32 has a light-emitting unit provided on one of the first fixed door 12L and the second fixed door 12R, and a light-receiving unit provided on the other. The light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are provided at the same height from the floor surface, and the light-receiving unit detects light such as infrared light emitted horizontally from the light-emitting unit. When the door section 10 is open and a pedestrian passes through the opening and blocks the light, the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit changes, so the pedestrian can be detected. The main purpose of the auxiliary sensor 32 is to protect against closure, and when the auxiliary sensor 32 detects a pedestrian during the closing operation of the movable doors 11L and 11R, the controller 20 performs inversion control to stop the closing drive and switch to the opening drive. This prevents the pedestrian from being caught between the closing movable doors 11L and 11R. In addition, in this type of closing protection control, the detection information of the activation sensor 31, which is also composed of a photoelectric sensor like the auxiliary sensor 32, can be used in combination to increase the accuracy of detecting pedestrians and further improve safety.

The auxiliary sensor 32 may be configured to detect passersby by reflecting radio waves such as microwaves or ultrasonic waves. The auxiliary sensor 32 may also be provided in a location other than the fixed doors 12L and 12R. For example, it may be provided in the blind 60 like the activation sensor 31, or it may be installed on the ceiling near the automatic door 100. Providing multiple such auxiliary sensors 32 increases costs, but dramatically increases safety.

The above-mentioned activation sensor 31 and auxiliary sensor 32 are equipped with an amplifier in the output stage, and the detection value of each sensor is amplified to a predetermined level that can be handled by the downstream controller 20. Therefore, when the detection strength of the sensor is low, the amplification factor is high, and when the detection strength of the sensor is high, the amplification factor is low. In this way, the amplification factor of each sensor is data indicating the detection strength of each sensor.

The door engine 40 includes a motor drive unit 41, a motor 42, and a drive pulley 43. The motor drive unit 41 is configured as an intelligent power module (IPM) and generates a voltage or current to drive the motor 42 under the control of the controller 20. The motor 42, which serves as a power source for generating rotational power, can be configured as various known motors, but in this embodiment, as an example, a brushless motor equipped with an encoder using a Hall element is used. The position of the rotor of the motor 42 detected by the encoder is input to the motor drive unit 41, and a corresponding drive voltage or drive current is applied to the motor 42 to generate the desired rotational power. The drive pulley 43, which is driven to rotate by the motor 42, is connected to the rotor of the motor 42 via a gear mechanism or the like (not shown) and rotates in conjunction with it.

The power transmission unit 50 transmits the power generated by the door engine 40 to the door unit 10, and drives the movable doors 11L and 11R to open and close. The power transmission unit 50 includes a power transmission belt 51, a driven pulley 52, and a connecting member 53. The power transmission belt 51 is a circular timing belt with many teeth formed on its inner peripheral surface, and is wound around the driving pulley 43 on the right side of FIG. 1, and around the driven pulley 52 on the left side of FIG. 1. In this state, the horizontal dimension of the power transmission belt 51 is equal to the horizontal distance between the driving pulley 43 and the driven pulley 52, and is also approximately the same as the horizontal dimension of the movable range of the movable doors 11L and 11R. When the driving pulley 43 is rotated by the motor 42, the driven pulley 52 rotates in conjunction with it via the power transmission belt 51.

The connecting member 53 connects the movable doors 11L and 11R to the power transmission belt 51, respectively, to drive them to open and close. Here, one movable door is connected to the upper side of the power transmission belt 51, and the other movable door is connected to the lower side of the power transmission belt 51. In the example of FIG. 1, when the power transmission belt 51 rotates counterclockwise, the first movable door 11L moves to the left and the second movable door 11R moves to the right, which is an opening operation, and when the power transmission belt 51 rotates clockwise, the first movable door 11L moves to the right and the second movable door 11R moves to the left, which is a closing operation.

In the automatic door 100 configured as described above, when the activation sensor 31 detects a person passing by, the door engine 40 generates counterclockwise rotational power under the control of the controller 20 to drive the door section 10 to open. Furthermore, if a state in which no person is detected continues for a predetermined time after the opening drive, the door engine 40 generates clockwise rotational power under the control of the controller 20 to drive the door section 10 to close. Furthermore, if the auxiliary sensor 32 or activation sensor 31 detects a person passing by during the closing drive, the controller 20 performs inversion control to switch from the closing drive to the opening drive.

Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of various components that can communicate with each other inside and outside the automatic door 100. The automatic door 100 has a bus 2 to which each component is connected and through which data communication takes place between the components. The bus 2 is configured in accordance with any communication standard, for example CAN (Controller Area Network). CAN is designed to allow components to communicate with each other without going through a host computer, and is widely used to transmit control information for various systems, not just automatic doors. Each component connected to the bus 2 can transmit information to other components via the bus 2, and can selectively receive information that it requires from the information transmitted to the bus 2 by other components.

In FIG. 2, the components connected to the bus 2 are exemplified as the controller 20, the activation sensor 31, the touch plate 31A, the auxiliary sensor 32, the operation panel 33, the authentication device 34, the electric lock controller 35, the external interface 36, and the display device 37, and all of these components constitute the automatic door 100. Note that this figure is an example of the components that can be connected to the bus 2, and includes components that are not shown in FIG. 1. In addition, the components to be installed in the actual automatic door 100 can be selected according to the purpose, and it is not necessary to install all of the components shown in the figure. For example, in an automatic door 100 that operates the door section 10 only by detecting and operating a passerby, it is not necessary to install an operation panel 33 for the staff to operate. Conversely, in an automatic door 100 at a tourist facility or an amusement park, etc., that operates the door section 10 only by the operation of the staff at the facility, it is not necessary to install the activation sensor 31 or the touch plate 31A for detecting and operating a passerby. However, the controller 20 that controls the entire automatic door 100 is an essential component in any case.

Of the components shown in the figure, the controller 20, activation sensor 31, touch plate 31A, and auxiliary sensor 32 have been described above and will not be described here.

The operation panel 33 is a control panel operated by facility staff at tourist facilities, amusement parks, etc. to drive the door unit 10. For example, in an attraction in which users move between different rooms at a specified timing, the staff operates the operation panel 33 in accordance with the timing of the movement, and controls the opening and closing of the door unit 10 of each room, allowing the users to move smoothly. The operation panel 33 may be fixedly installed at the facility, or may be portable by the staff. The functions of the operation panel 33 may also be implemented in a communication terminal such as a tablet or smartphone that can communicate with the controller 20, etc. via an external interface 36 described later.

The authentication device 34 authenticates passersby who should be allowed to pass through places where a high level of security is required, such as the entrances to apartment buildings and offices. Authentication methods include password authentication by inputting a password on a keypad installed near the door section 10, and biometric authentication using the passerby's biometric information, such as a fingerprint. If authentication by the authentication device 34 is successful, the controller 20 drives the door section 10 to open, allowing the passerby to pass through the automatic door 100. If authentication by the authentication device 34 fails, even if the activation sensor 31 detects a passerby, the controller 20 does not drive the door section 10 to open, preventing unauthorized passersby from passing through.

The electric lock controller 35 controls the electric lock 35A that locks the automatic door 100. The electric lock 35A is equipped with a lock driving means that drives the lock between the locked position and the unlocked position, such as a solenoid that generates a driving force according to the current supply state.

The external interface 36 inputs and outputs signals to and from various external devices 36A outside the automatic door 100 by wired or wireless connection. Examples of the external devices 36A include a work terminal such as an adjuster used by a worker who visits the site to install or maintain the automatic door 100, and a remote server or computer connected via a public information and communication network such as the Internet. By inputting data into the external device 36A, various settings such as control of each component device of the automatic door 100 and parameter adjustment can be performed. In addition, the external device 36A can read information from each component device of the automatic door 100 and the memory provided with them to perform status diagnosis and maintenance inspection. As described above, the bus 2 in the automatic door 100 is configured in accordance with the CAN standard, but if communication between the external device 36A and the external interface 36 is performed using a different standard, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the external interface 36 functions as a protocol converter that converts a signal based on one standard into a signal based on the other standard.

The display device 37 is a display unit that displays the operating status of the automatic door 100 based on information received from other components. If the display device 37 is equipped with an input function such as a touch panel, various settings such as control of each component device of the automatic door 100 and parameter adjustment can be performed by touching the display screen. The display device 37 may be installed near the door unit 10, or in a location away from the door unit 10, for example, in a back yard where the automatic door 100 is managed within the same building.

The components of the automatic door 100 listed above, namely the controller 20, activation sensor 31, touch plate 31A, auxiliary sensor 32, operation panel 33, authentication device 34, electric lock controller 35, external interface 36, and display device 37, can communicate with each other via bus 2 that conforms to the CAN standard. In other words, each component has a built-in CAN transceiver and CAN controller for CAN communication. In addition to these, the external interface 36 has a protocol conversion unit that converts the protocol between the communication standard used by the external device 36A and the CAN standard. As a result, the external device 36A connected to the external interface 36 can communicate with the other components of the automatic door 100 via bus 2.

Figure 3 shows a schematic configuration of the signal input section or receiving section of the components of the automatic door 100. Each component 3 shown in the figure may be any of the controller 20, activation sensor 31, touch plate 31A, auxiliary sensor 32, operation panel 33, authentication device 34, electric lock controller 35, external interface 36, and display device 37 listed as examples in Figure 2. The component 3 includes a contact 301, a detectable state determination section 302, an input signal processing section 303, a time memory section 304, a transition time determination section 305, and a reference adjustment section 306.

The functional blocks shown in FIG. 3 are realized in hardware terms by computers with calculation functions, control functions, memory functions, input functions, and output functions, various electronic elements, mechanical parts, etc., and in software terms by computer programs, etc., but here, functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these are depicted. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by combining hardware and software.

The contact 301 is a switch that opens and closes mechanically in response to a signal input from the bus 2. When there is an input signal, the contact 301 closes and is in contact, and when there is no input signal, the contact 301 opens and is in a non-contact state. The input signal to the contact 301 may be input from another component device 3 inside the automatic door 100, or may be input from a device outside the automatic door 100 via the external interface 36. Although the contact 301 is illustrated as being inside the component device 3, it may also be provided between the component device 3 and the bus 2 as being outside the component device 3.

The detectable state determination unit 302 determines, based on a predetermined criterion, that the signal from the contact 301 has become detectable after the contact 301 has switched from a non-contact state (open state) to a contact state (closed state) at the beginning of the signal input. Similarly, the detectable state determination unit 302 determines, based on a predetermined criterion, that the signal from the contact 301 has become undetectable after the contact has switched from a contact state (closed state) to a non-contact state (open state) at the end of the signal input. The criteria for these determinations will be described later with reference to another figure.

The input signal processing unit 303 processes the input signal from the contact 301 that the detectable state determination unit 302 has determined to be in a detectable state. The content of the processing here differs depending on the function that each component device 3 is to perform in the automatic door 100. For example, when detection information of a passerby is input to the controller 20 as a component device 3 from the activation sensor 31 as another component device 3, the input signal processing unit 303 of the controller 20 drives the door engine 40 to perform processing to open the door unit 10.

The time memory unit 304 stores various types of time information related to the switching between the contact state and the non-contact state of the contact 301, and the switching between the detectable state and the undetectable state as determined by the detectable state determination unit 302. The details will be described later, but specifically, the following three types of time information are stored.

(1) ON transition time: the time from the undetectable state to the detectable state after the contact 301 switches from the non-contact state (OFF state) to the contact state (ON state). (2) OFF transition time: the time from the detectable state to the undetectable state after the contact 301 switches from the contact state (ON state) to the non-contact state (OFF state). (3) Stability time: the time from the undetectable state to the detectable state after the contact 301 switches from the contact state (ON state) to the non-contact state (OFF state). In addition, the time memory unit 304 stores the time when the above storage process was executed as supplementary information.

The transition time determination unit 305 determines whether the ON transition time and the OFF transition time exceed a predetermined threshold. The threshold may be the same or different for the ON transition time and the OFF transition time. The time storage unit 304 receives the determination result of the transition time determination unit 305, and stores the above three types of time information if the ON transition time or the OFF transition time exceeds the threshold. In other words, if both the ON transition time and the OFF transition time are equal to or less than the threshold, the time information does not need to be stored. This makes it possible to reduce the required capacity of the time storage unit 304 and the shared memory 4 described later.

The criteria adjustment unit 306 adjusts the criteria for determining whether a detectable state or an undetectable state is determined by the detectable state determination unit 302 based on the determination result of the transition time determination unit 305. The specific details will be described later.

A shared memory 4 shared by multiple component devices 3 is connected to the bus 2. This shared memory 4 is a general-purpose memory that can store any kind of information related to each part of the automatic door 100. The time information to be stored in the time memory unit 304 of each component device 3 can also be stored in the shared memory 4. In particular, if all the time information of a certain component device 3 is stored in the shared memory 4, that component device 3 does not need to be provided with a time memory unit 304.

The specific details will be described later, but the time information stored in the time memory unit 304 and the shared memory 4 can be transmitted to the outside of the automatic door 100 via the external interface 36, which serves as a transmission unit. In addition, the time information stored in the time memory unit 304 and the shared memory 4 can be displayed on the display device 37, which serves as a display unit.

Figure 4 shows a typical signal input pattern at contact 301. Figure 4(A) shows the normal signal input pattern, Figure 4(B) shows the signal input pattern when chattering occurs, and Figures 4(C) and (D) show the signal input pattern due to sudden noise.

The signal input pattern of FIG. 4A is divided into the following three times shown in relation to the time storage unit 304.
(1) ON transition time: the time from when the contact 301 switches from OFF to ON at time T1 until the detectable state determiner 302 determines that the contact has entered a detectable state at time T2, that is, T2-T1.
(2) OFF transition time: the time from when the contact 301 switches from ON to OFF at time T3 until the detectable state determiner 302 determines that the contact has entered an undetectable state at time T4, that is, T4-T3.
(3) Stabilization time: the time from when a detectable state is reached at time T2 until when the contact 301 switches from ON to OFF at time T3, that is, T3-T2.

The ON transition time and OFF transition time are the times required for the convergence of chattering, etc. that occurs at contact 301, as described in detail in FIG. 4(B). On the other hand, during the stable time when there are no problems such as chattering, a valid signal is input to input signal processing unit 303 of component device 3 and is used for processing there.

In FIG. 4(B), chattering at contact 301 causes the ON transition time and OFF transition time to be longer than in the normal state shown in FIG. 4(A). This is because chattering causes the time required for the detectable state determination unit 302 to make a determination to be longer. Some specific determination criteria will be described below.

One example of the criteria for the detectable state determination unit 302 is to check whether the signal from the contact 301 is ON at a predetermined interval, and if it is confirmed that the signal is ON N times in a row, it is determined to be in a detectable state, and if not, it is determined to be in an undetectable state. The parameters included in this criteria can be set arbitrarily, but for example, the signal confirmation interval is 1 ms and the number of consecutive ONs is 20. In this case, in FIG. 4(A) where there is no chattering, the ON state is maintained after the contact 301 is switched ON at time T1, so 20 consecutive ONs are detected from T1, and the detectable state is determined at T2, the shortest time 20 ms after T1. On the other hand, in FIG. 4(B), chattering occurs immediately after the contact 301 is switched ON at time T1, and the number of consecutive ON detections is interrupted before reaching 20 due to the influence of the OFF signals scattered therein. For this reason, the detectable state is not determined until the chattering settles down, and the ON transition time (T2-T1) becomes longer. Similarly, the OFF transition time (T4-T3) also becomes longer due to the occurrence of chattering. In this way, when chattering occurs, the ON transition time and OFF transition time become longer than normal, so by storing this time information in the time storage unit 304 or shared memory 4, the contact 301 where chattering is occurring can be identified, enabling rapid maintenance response. Note that the stabilization time (T3-T2) depends on the processing content of the input signal processing unit 303, so its length cannot be determined in general between Figures 4 (A) and (B).

As another example of the criteria for the detectable state determination unit 302, the signal from the contact 301 is detected at a predetermined interval to be ON or OFF, and if ON is detected, +1 is counted, and if OFF is detected, -1 is counted. If the total count reaches N, the detectable state is determined, and if not, the undetectable state is determined. The parameters included in this criteria can also be set arbitrarily, but for example, the signal confirmation interval is 1 ms and N is 20 as in the previous example. In addition, the positive count amount when ON is detected and the negative count amount when OFF is detected may be changed. If the absolute value of the negative count amount when OFF is detected is increased, it becomes difficult to reach 20 counts for determining the detectable state when chattering occurs, so that the processing of the input signal processing unit 303 is not started until the chattering is sufficiently converged. In other words, although the ON transition time is longer, the input signal processing unit 303 can handle signals from which chattering has been sufficiently removed, improving the stability of signal processing. To obtain a similar effect, the value of N may be increased. For example, if N is set to 40, the ON transition time will be longer than when N is set to 20, but the stability of signal processing will be improved. If the signal processing confirmation interval is set to 1 ms, the difference in judgment time between when N is 40 and when it is 20 is a minimum of 20 ms, which is extremely small and will not affect the opening and closing control of the automatic door 100 or the safety of passersby.

The above-mentioned criteria for the detectable state determination unit 302 are merely examples, and any criteria that can determine the convergence of problems occurring in the contacts 301, such as chattering, may be used. In the above, the criteria for determining the detectable state related to the ON transition time and the criteria for determining the undetectable state related to the OFF transition time are the same, but different criteria may be used. Even if the same criteria are used, different parameters may be set.

Figure 4 (C) shows an example of erroneous detection where the detectable state determination criteria of the detectable state determination unit 302 are accidentally satisfied due to sudden noise or the like. The ON transition time (T2-T1) tends to be longer than the normal state in Figure 4 (A) because of the possibility of chattering occurring at the contact 301 as in Figure 4 (B) and the possibility that the noise itself may exhibit a signal pattern similar to chattering. Similarly, the OFF transition time (T4-T3) also tends to be longer. Also, because it is not a regular input signal, the signal duration is generally short and the stabilization time (T3-T2) is extremely short.

Figure 4 (D) shows an example in which sudden noise, etc. is input as in Figure 4 (C), but the detectable state judgment criteria of the detectable state judgment unit 302 are not satisfied and the detection converges without being detected. Although the contact 301 turns ON at time T1, the ON state is not stabilized due to subsequent chattering or the signal pattern of the noise itself, and the detectable state judgment criteria are not satisfied, and the contact 302 converges to the OFF state at time T2. This time T2 has a different meaning from T2 in Figures 4 (A) to (C), and is closer to T3, but the time memory unit 304 stores this T2-T1 as the ON transition time. Although the signal pattern also depends on the type of noise, in many cases, as shown in the figure, it is assumed that the period in which the signal transitions unstably between ON and OFF continues for a long time, so the ON transition time is generally long. Also, in this example, there is no stable time or OFF transition time.

Figure 5 is a table summarizing the trends in the ON transition time, stable time, and OFF transition time. The details are as described above, but there are the following trends. (A) Under normal circumstances, the ON transition time is short, the stable time is indefinite, and the OFF transition time is short. (B) When chattering occurs, the ON transition time is long, the stable time is indefinite, and the OFF transition time is long. (C) When noise is present (when there is a false detection), the ON transition time is long, the stable time is short, and the OFF transition time is long. (D) When noise is present (when there is no detection), the ON transition time is long, there is no stable time (zero), and there is no OFF transition time (zero).

Based on the trends shown in FIG. 5, the state of the contacts 301 of each component device 3 can be accurately confirmed or diagnosed from the time information stored in the time memory unit 304 or the shared memory 4, and prompt maintenance measures can be taken as necessary. The contacts 301 showing the trend in FIG. 5(A) are operating normally and are not a problem. The contacts 301 showing the trend in FIG. 5(B) are chattering a lot, and maintenance measures such as repair or replacement are required. The contacts 301 showing the trends in FIG. 5(C) or (D) may not be a problem in themselves, but they are in a situation where noise is easily mixed in, so it is necessary to review the wiring around the contacts 301 and take measures against electromagnetic noise. In addition, if the trends in FIG. 5(C) or (D) are commonly seen in the contacts 301 of multiple component devices 3 of the automatic door 100, a problem with the installation environment of the automatic door 100 itself is suspected. Such a diagnosis may be performed by displaying time information on the display device 37 of the automatic door 100, or by displaying time information on the external device 36A connected via the external interface 36. Furthermore, the diagnosis can be performed by a worker or the like who checks the time information, but diagnosis support information can also be automatically generated based on a predetermined algorithm that takes into account the above trends and displayed to the worker or the like. As described above, when the ON transition time or the OFF transition time exceeds a predetermined threshold value as determined by the threshold value determination unit 305, the time information is stored in the time storage unit 304 or the shared memory 4. Therefore, by setting an appropriate threshold value, it is possible to omit storing the time information during normal times in FIG. 5(A) where both transition times are short, thereby reducing the required storage capacity.

In addition, the time storage unit 304 and the shared memory 4 store the time when storing the ON transition time, stable time, and OFF transition time. This makes it possible to grasp the time periods when chattering is likely to occur as shown in FIG. 5(B) and the time periods when noise is likely to be mixed in as shown in FIG. 5(C) and (D), and to deal with them appropriately. For example, if chattering occurs frequently in a specific time period, the standard adjustment unit 306 described later adjusts the detectable state determination criteria to match that time period, and takes a longer time than usual to converge the chattering, thereby improving the stability of the signal processing. In addition, if it is found that a lot of noise is mixed in a specific time period, it is possible to smoothly investigate the cause. For example, noise caused by changes in sunlight conditions throughout the day tends to occur in a concentrated manner in a specific time period.

In addition, the memory of the controller 20 and the shared memory 4 store various types of operation information related to the operation of the automatic door 100 along with time information. By comparing this operation information with time information such as ON transition time, stable time, and OFF transition time stored for the same time period, the causes of chattering and noise contamination can be investigated from various perspectives. Note that this time information and operation information may be stored in the same table, in which case time information and operation information for a specific time period can be extracted simultaneously by specifying the time conditions to be extracted.

The following are examples of operation information of the automatic door 100 that can be compared with time information.
Driving information of the controller 20: voltage, current, power supply time per drive, etc. when the controller 20 drives the door engine 40; Operation information of the constituent devices 3: detection strength of the start-up sensor 31 and auxiliary sensor 32, power supply time per detection, lock/unlock state of the electric lock 35A, connection state of the external device 36A to the external interface 36, etc.; Information regarding the operating state of the automatic door 100: for example, information such as "fully closed standby", "fully open standby", "stopped" (the door unit 10 is stopped other than when fully closed standby or fully open standby), "closing operation in progress", "opening operation in progress", "opening/closing operation in progress" according to the operating state of the door unit 10; Information regarding an abnormality that has occurred in the automatic door 100; Information regarding the opening/closing state of the door unit 10: for example, information such as "fully closed limit" output by the controller 20 when the door unit 10 reaches the fully closed position, and "fully open limit" output when the door unit 10 reaches the fully open position. Information regarding the operation mode of the automatic door 100: for example, a night mode in which the opening and closing speed of the door section 10 is slowed down at night and the detection threshold of the sensor 30 for driving the door section 10 to open is raised, and a holiday mode in which, in an office or the like on a holiday, the opening operation based on the sensor 30 is permitted for passersby approaching the automatic door 100 from the indoor side, and authentication by the authentication device 34 is required for passersby approaching the automatic door 100 from the outdoor side. Information by which the controller 20 controls the other component devices 3. Information that the component devices 3 transmit to the controller 20 and the other component devices 3 for driving the automatic door 100, etc.: detection information of the activation sensor 31 and auxiliary sensor 32, information on the detection spot where an object was actually detected when each sensor 30 has multiple detection spots, test results when the auxiliary sensor 32 performs an operation test each time it is opened or closed in accordance with the safety standards of each country (including the number of retries and time until success if the test fails), etc.

By comparing with the above operation information, it is possible to obtain useful insights for diagnosing the automatic door 100, such as: chattering and noise increase when the drive information of the controller 20 is at a specific value or state; chattering and noise increase when the operation information of the component equipment 3 is at a specific value or state; chattering and noise increase when the automatic door 100 is in a specific operating state; there is a correlation between specific abnormalities occurring in the automatic door 100 and chattering and noise; chattering and noise increase when the door section 10 is in a specific open/close state; chattering and noise increase when the automatic door 100 is in a specific operating mode; chattering and noise increase when the controller 20 sends specific control information to a specific component equipment 3; and chattering and noise increase when a specific component equipment 3 sends specific information to the controller 20 or another component equipment 3. Conversely, it is also possible to analyze the effects of chattering and noise on the drive information of the controller 20, the operation information of the component devices 3, the operating state of the automatic door 100, abnormalities occurring in the automatic door 100, the open/close state of the door section 10, the operating mode of the automatic door 100, information in which the controller 20 controls other component devices 3, and information transmitted by the component devices 3. For example, if the door section 10 is actually open or closed at the time when the pattern of false detection due to noise in FIG. 4(C) is confirmed, it is possible to know that the door section 10 has erroneously opened or closed based on the false detection. In addition to the operating information that can be obtained from inside the automatic door 100, external environmental information such as weather that can be obtained from outside the automatic door 100 via a public information and communication network such as the Internet can be compared with the time information. This makes it possible to obtain knowledge such as the increase in chattering and noise when certain external environmental conditions are met.

The diagnosis of each component device 3 using time information such as ON transition time, stable time, and OFF transition time has been described above. By adjusting the detectable state determination parameters of each component device 3 using this time information, the chattering/noise resistance and the stability of signal processing can be automatically changed according to the situation. Specifically, when the transition time determination unit 305 in FIG. 3 determines that the ON transition time or the OFF transition time exceeds a threshold, the reference adjustment unit 306 automatically adjusts the parameters constituting the determination criteria of the detectable state determination unit 302. As shown in FIG. 5 (B) to (D), when the ON transition time or the OFF transition time is long, chattering or noise occurs at the contact 301, and the input signal processing unit 303 in the subsequent stage may not be able to perform stable signal processing. Therefore, the parameters of the detectable state determination criteria are adjusted so that the time required for the chattering or noise to converge is longer than usual. Specifically, as shown above as an example, by increasing the judgment count number N, increasing the absolute value of the negative count amount when an OFF is detected, etc., the resistance to chattering and noise can be increased, and the stability of signal processing in the input signal processing unit 303 can be improved.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. The embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

Although FIG. 4(B) was explained as an input signal pattern when chattering occurs, a similar input signal pattern may appear due to deterioration of the component device 3 that outputs the signal. For example, the detection signal itself may become unstable as shown in FIG. 4(B) due to deterioration of the signal output section of the activation sensor 31 as the component device 3 on the signal output side, and this appears as an input signal pattern of the contact 301 of the controller 20 as the component device 3 on the signal input side. Therefore, by using the input signal pattern in FIG. 4(B), not only chattering of the contact 301 but also deterioration of the component device 3 on the signal output side can be diagnosed. Note that to distinguish between the two, it is sufficient to compare the input signal patterns from different component devices 3. If only the input pattern from a specific component device 3 becomes like FIG. 4(B), deterioration of that component device 3 is suspected. On the other hand, if the input patterns from all the component devices 3 become like FIG. 4(B), chattering at the contact 301 of the component device 3 on the signal input side is suspected, not deterioration of the component devices 3 on the signal output side.

In the embodiment, the contact 301 of the component device 3 of the automatic door 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to automatic doors and can be applied to any electronic device that has a component device with a mechanical contact for signal input.

The functional configuration of each device described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources or software resources, or by the cooperation of hardware and software resources. Processors, ROM, RAM, and other LSIs can be used as hardware resources. Programs such as operating systems and applications can be used as software resources.

Among the embodiments disclosed in this specification, those in which multiple functions are provided in a distributed manner may have some or all of the multiple functions consolidated, and conversely, those in which multiple functions are provided in a consolidated manner may have some or all of the multiple functions distributed. Regardless of whether the functions are consolidated or distributed, it is sufficient that the configuration is such that the object of the invention can be achieved.

2 bus, 3 component device, 4 shared memory, 20 controller, 30 sensor, 31 start sensor, 32 auxiliary sensor, 33 operation panel, 34 authentication device, 35 electric lock controller, 35A electric lock, 36 external interface, 36A external device, 37 display device, 100 automatic door, 301 contact, 302 detectable state determination unit, 303 input signal processing unit, 304 time memory unit, 305 transition time determination unit, 306 reference adjustment unit.

Claims (14)

The automatic door is equipped with a component device to which a signal is input,
The components include:
a contact that is brought into contact in response to the input of the signal;
a detectable state determination unit that determines whether the signal from the contact has become detectable based on a predetermined criterion after the contact has switched from a non-contact state to the contact state;
a time storage unit that stores a transition time from when the touch state is switched to when the detection state is reached ,
The time memory unit stores the stabilization time until the contact switches from the contact state to the non-contact state after the detectable state determination unit determines that the signal from the contact has become detectable . The automatic door is equipped with a component device to which a signal is input,
The components include:
a contact that is brought into contact in response to the input of the signal;
a detectable state determination unit that determines whether the signal from the contact has become undetectable based on a predetermined criterion after the contact has been switched from the contact state to the non-contact state;
a time storage unit that stores a transition time from when the non-contact state is switched to when the detection impossible state is reached ,
The time memory unit stores the stabilization time until the contact switches from the contact state to the non-contact state after the detectable state determination unit determines that the signal from the contact has become detectable . The automatic door is provided with another component device different from the component device that outputs the signal,
3. The automatic door according to claim 1, wherein the contact is provided within the component device, within the other component device, or between the component device and the other component device. The automatic door according to claim 3, wherein the component device or the other component device is at least one of a sensor that detects an object passing through the automatic door, a controller that controls opening and closing of the automatic door based on detection information of the sensor, and an electric lock that locks the automatic door. 3. The automatic door according to claim 1, wherein the signal is input from an external device of the automatic door. The automatic door according to claim 1 , further comprising a transition time determination unit that determines whether the transition time exceeds a predetermined threshold. The automatic door according to claim 6 , wherein the time storage unit stores the transition time exceeding the threshold value. The automatic door according to claim 6 or 7 , further comprising a reference adjustment unit that adjusts the reference in the detectable state determination unit based on a determination result of the transition time determination unit. The automatic door according to claim 1 , wherein the time memory unit stores information relating to a time when the storage process is executed. 10. The automatic door according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits the information stored in the time memory unit to an outside of the automatic door. The automatic door according to claim 1 , further comprising a display unit that displays the information stored in the time memory unit. a contact that is brought into contact in response to an input of a signal;
a detectable state determination unit that determines whether the signal from the contact has become detectable based on a predetermined criterion after the contact has switched from a non-contact state to the contact state;
a time storage unit that stores a transition time from when the touch state is switched to when the detection state is reached ,
The time memory unit is an electronic device that stores the stabilization time until the contact switches from the contact state to the non-contact state after the detectable state determination unit determines that the signal from the contact has become detectable . a detectable state determination step for determining whether a signal from a contact in a component device constituting an automatic door has become detectable after the contact has switched from a non-contact state to the contact state in response to a signal input, based on a predetermined criterion;
a time storage step of storing a transition time from when the touch state is switched to when the detectable state is reached ,
The method for operating an automatic door includes storing the stable time until the contact switches from the contact state to the non-contact state after the detectable state determination step determines that the signal from the contact has become a detectable state . a detectable state determination step for determining whether a signal from a contact in a component device constituting an automatic door has become detectable after the contact has switched from a non-contact state to the contact state in response to a signal input, based on a predetermined criterion;
a time storage step of storing a transition time from when the touch state is switched to when the detection state is reached ;
The time storage step is an operation program for an automatic door that stores the stable time until the contact switches from the contact state to the non-contact state after the detectable state determination step determines that the signal from the contact has become detectable .

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