ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR

• US 20180259376A1
• Filed: 01/10/2018
• Published: 09/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: YAMAUCHI, Takanobu, UEDA, Naotsugu, NAKAMURA, Kayo, SAKAI, Ryusuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,416,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/02 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/0058 for protecting against damages due to external chemical or mechanical influences, e.g. shocks or vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/0087 On-device systems and sensors for controlling, regulating or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 99/003 Characterising MEMS devices, e.g. measuring and identifying electrical or mechanical constants
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/02 Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0019 of a semiconductive element
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/125 with temperature compensating means non electric temperature compensating means G01L19/04

Abstract

An environmental sensor including sensor elements to measure multiple physical quantities associated with a surrounding environment, and includes a state determination unit that determines whether the environmental sensor is in a first state in which the sensor is fixed at a predetermined installation location or in a second state in which the sensor is away from an installation location, and an operation switch unit that switches an operation of each sensor element that measures the physical quantities based on whether a state determined by the determination unit is the first state or the second state.

Claims

1. An environmental sensor for measuring a plurality of physical quantities associated with a surrounding environment, the sensor comprising:

a plurality of sensor elements; and

a state determination unit configured to determine whether the environmental sensor is in a first state in which the environmental sensor is fixed at a predetermined installation location or in a second state in which the environmental sensor is away from the installation location.

2. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation switch unit configured to switch an operation of each of the sensor elements configured to measure the physical quantities based on whether a state determined by the determination unit is the first state or the second state.

3. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the state determination unit determines whether the environmental sensor is in the first state or in the second state based on at least one of the physical quantities.

4. The environmental sensor according to claim 3, wherein

the sensor elements include an acceleration sensor element configured to measure an acceleration applied to the environmental sensor, and

the state determination unit determines whether the environmental sensor is in the first state or in the second state based on the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor element.

5. The environmental sensor according to claim 3, wherein

the sensor elements include an atmospheric pressure sensor element configured to measure an atmospheric pressure around the environmental sensor, and

the state determination unit determines a vertical position of the environmental sensor based on the atmospheric pressure measured by the atmospheric pressure sensor element, and the state determination unit determines that the environmental sensor is in the first state when the determined vertical position of the environmental sensor indicates a value representing a vertical position of the installation location, and determines that the environmental sensor is in the second state when the determined vertical position of the environmental sensor deviates from the value representing the vertical position of the installation location.

6. The environmental sensor according to claim 3, wherein

the sensor elements include an illuminance sensor element configured to measure an illuminance of light incident on the environmental sensor, and

the state determination unit determines whether the environmental sensor is in the first state or in the second state based on the illuminance measured by the illuminance sensor element.

7. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connection unit electrically connectable to a mobile device,

wherein the state determination unit determines that the environmental sensor is in the second state when the state determination unit detects that the environmental sensor is connected to the mobile device through the connection unit.

8. The environmental sensor according to claim 2, wherein

the operation switch unit stops at least one of the sensor elements in the second state.

9. The environmental sensor according to claim 2, wherein

the operation switch unit stops the acceleration sensor element in the first state, and

activates the acceleration sensor element in the second state.

10. The environmental sensor according to claim 2, wherein

the sensor elements include an acceleration sensor element configured to measure an acceleration applied to the environmental sensor, and

the operation switch unit causes the acceleration sensor element to obtain data at shorter intervals in the second state than in the first state.

11. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the environmental sensor alerts a user when the state determination unit determines that the environmental sensor unit is in a state other than both the first state and the second state.

12. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fixing unit fixable at the installation location; and

a movable unit fixable to the fixing unit in the first state, and removable from the fixing unit in the second state,

wherein the sensor elements include an illuminance sensor element configured to measure an illuminance of light incident on the environmental sensor, and

the illuminance sensor element among the sensor elements is placed in the fixing unit.

13. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fixing unit fixable at the installation location; and

a movable unit fixable to the fixing unit in the first state, and removable from the fixing unit in the second state,

wherein the fixing unit includes a positional information storage unit configured to store positional information for the fixing unit.

14. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fixing unit fixable at the installation location; and

a movable unit fixable to the fixing unit in the first state, and removable from the fixing unit in the second state,

wherein the movable unit is configured to receive a key for a space including the installation location.

15. The environmental sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fixing unit fixable at the installation location;

a second movable unit; and

a sensor element unit fixable to the fixing unit in the first state, and fixable to the second movable unit in the second state,

wherein at least one of the sensor elements is placed in the sensor element unit.

16. The environmental sensor according to claim 2, wherein

the state determination unit determines whether the environmental sensor is in the first state or in the second state based on at least one of the physical quantities.

17. The environmental sensor according to claim 16, wherein

the sensor elements include an acceleration sensor element configured to measure an acceleration applied to the environmental sensor, and

the state determination unit determines whether the environmental sensor is in the first state or in the second state based on the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor element.

18. The environmental sensor according to claim 4, wherein

the sensor elements include an atmospheric pressure sensor element configured to measure an atmospheric pressure around the environmental sensor, and

the state determination unit determines a vertical position of the environmental sensor based on the atmospheric pressure measured by the atmospheric pressure sensor element, and the state determination unit determines that the environmental sensor is in the first state when the determined vertical position of the environmental sensor indicates a value representing a vertical position of the installation location, and determines that the environmental sensor is in the second state when the determined vertical position of the environmental sensor deviates from the value representing the vertical position of the installation location.

19. The environmental sensor according to claim 4, wherein

the sensor elements include an illuminance sensor element configured to measure an illuminance of light incident on the environmental sensor, and the state determination unit determines whether the environmental sensor is in the first state or in the second state based on the illuminance measured by the illuminance sensor element.