Control system, surface, and control device

• US 20060214784A1
• Filed: 08/17/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Naoki, Hotta, Hiroyuki, Ilda, Kiyoshi, Ishii, Tsutomu, Watanabe, Masao, Saito, Yasunori, Mizutani, Ryota, Koshimizu, Minoru, Funo, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,362,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

The present invention provides a control system including: plural wireless measuring units, each of which, when receiving a radio signal, uses the signal as an energy source to measure a physical quantity, and generates and sends a radio signal having an attribute reflecting the measured physical quantity; a transmitter; a receiver; a storage unit which stores position data of the wireless measuring units in accordance with their identification data; a calculation unit which calculates physical quantities based on the received radio signals; a recognition unit which recognizes a distribution of the calculated physical quantities with reference to position data stored in accordance with identification data specified by the received radio signals; an identifying unit which identifies a state of an object on the surface based on the distribution of the recognized physical quantities; and a control unit which performs a control depending on the state of the identified object.

Claims

1. A control system comprising:

a plurality of wireless measuring units provided in a surface, each of which wireless measuring units, when receiving a radio signal, uses the radio signal as an energy source to measure a physical quantity, and generates and sends a radio signal having an attribute reflecting the measured physical quantity;

a transmitter which transmits a radio signal to the wireless measuring units;

a receiver which receives radio signals from the wireless measuring units;

a storage unit which stores position data of the wireless measuring units in accordance with identification data of the wireless measuring units;

a calculation unit which calculates physical quantities on the basis of the radio signals received by the receiver;

a recognition unit which recognizes a distribution of the physical quantities calculated by the calculation unit with reference to position data stored in accordance with identification data specified by the radio signals received by the receiver;

an identifying unit which identifies a state of an object on the surface on the basis of the distribution of the physical quantities recognized by the recognition unit; and

a control unit which performs a control depending on the state of the object identified by the identifying unit.

2. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the physical quantity is at least one of pressure, light intensity, and temperature.

3. A control system according to claim 1, further comprising a display which displays information, and wherein

the control unit controls, depending on the state of the object identified by the identifying unit, information displayed on the display.

4. A control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the recognition unit, by comparing the physical quantities calculated by the calculation unit with pre-stored data, recognizes at least one of a presence or absence of the object, a position of the object, and a weight of the object; and

the identifying unit identifies a state of the object on the surface on the basis of at least one of a presence or absence of the object, a position of the object, and a weight of the object recognized by the recognition unit.

5. A control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the recognition unit recognizes, on the basis of the distribution of the physical quantities calculated by the calculation unit, a change in the physical quantities with time; and

the identifying unit identifies a state of the object on the surface on the basis of the change in the physical quantities with time recognized by the recognition unit.

6. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the surface is at least one of a road, a floor, a floor mat, and a wall surface.

7. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter, the receiver, the calculation unit, the recognition unit, and the identifying unit are located away from the surface.

8. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the object is at least either of a person or a vehicle.

9. A control system according to claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of wireless measuring units comprises:

an exciter which receives a radio signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is caused by the mechanical vibration generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes in response to physical quantity; and

a transmitter which converts the surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends it as a radio signal.

10. A surface where a plurality of wireless measuring units are provided, each of which, when receiving a radio signal, uses the radio signal as an energy source to measure a physical quantity, and generates and sends a radio signal having an attribute reflecting the measured physical quantity.

11. A surface according to claim 10, wherein each of a plurality of wireless measuring units comprises:

an exciter which receives a radio signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is caused by the mechanical vibration generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes in response to physical quantity; and

a transmitter which converts the surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends it as a radio signal.

12. A control device comprising:

a transmitter which transmits a radio signal to a plurality of wireless measuring units provided in a surface;

a receiver which receives radio signals from the wireless measuring units;

a storage unit which stores position data of the wireless measuring units in accordance with identification data of the wireless measuring units;

a calculation unit which calculates physical quantities on the basis of the radio signals received by the receiver;

a recognition unit which recognizes a distribution of the physical quantities calculated by the calculation unit with reference to position data stored in accordance with identification data specified by the radio signals received by the receiver;

an identifying unit which identifies a state of an object on the surface on the basis of the distribution of the physical quantities recognized by the recognition unit; and

a control unit which performs a control depending on the state of the object identified by the identifying unit.