Control system, surface, and control device

• US 7,362,226 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2005
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Naoki, Ishii, Tsutomu, Watanabe, Masao, Saito, Yasunori, Mizutani, Ryota, Koshimizu, Minoru, Iida, Kiyoshi, Funo, Hiroyuki, Hotta, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US11/205,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20060214784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/566
• 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 of at least one of a road, a floor, a floor mat, and a wall 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,

wherein each of a plurality of wireless measuring units includes;

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;

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 and determines at least one of a presence or absence of the object, a position of the object, and a weight of the object;

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;

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

a display which displays information,

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

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 control device comprising:

a transmitter which transmits a radio signal to a plurality of wireless measuring units provided in a surface of at least one of a road, a floor, a floor mat, and a wall surface,

wherein each of the plurality of wireless measuring devices units includes;

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;

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 and determines at least one of a presence or absence of the object, a position of the object, and a weight of the object;

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; and

a display which displays information,

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