JPH0313832Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an ultrasonic vehicle detector that detects vehicles and the like using ultrasonic waves.

Conventional technology Ultrasonic vehicle detectors consist of a transmitting/receiving circuit, an ultrasonic vibrator, a horn that gives directivity to ultrasonic waves, and radiates them in a specific direction. The presence of vehicles, etc. is detected by receiving signals within the gate time or by utilizing the Doppler effect of reflected waves.

Problems that the invention aims to solve Conventional ultrasonic vehicle detectors place a horn that emits ultrasonic waves directly toward the detection target location, and emit ultrasonic waves directly to vehicles, etc. in the detection target location. It has a structure. For this reason, the horn, which is elongated in the longitudinal direction, must be installed at a high location so as not to obstruct road traffic, which is extremely inconvenient in handling.

On the other hand, ultrasonic transducers that emit and receive ultrasonic waves generally do not have a waterproof structure in order to maintain high conversion efficiency. It was essential.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is an ultrasonic vehicle detector that is installed at the edge of the road and detects vehicles by emitting ultrasonic waves and receiving the reflected waves. The apparatus includes a horn that emits ultrasonic waves, and a sound wave reflecting plate that is arranged on the radiation axis of the horn and can be tilted with respect to the radiation and rotated on a plane perpendicular to the radiation axis.

Function Ultrasonic waves emitted from the horn are reflected in a preset direction by a sound wave reflecting plate placed on the radiation axis of the horn. For this reason, for example, even if the horn is placed facing downward, it is possible to radiate ultrasonic waves in the desired direction, eliminating the need for the horn to protrude in the front-back direction and eliminating the need to consider waterproofing. Even if installed, it will not obstruct road traffic.

Embodiment Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 2 shows one of the ultrasonic vehicle detectors of this invention.
The external appearance of an example is shown, and a sensor body having a structure as shown in FIG. 1 is housed in a storage box 2 provided at the top of an installation pole 1.

The horn 3 that emits ultrasonic waves has a built-in ultrasonic vibrator 4 such as a piezoelectric element that generates ultrasonic waves and receives reflected waves at its base end, and houses an electric circuit such as a transmitting/receiving circuit. It is attached to the side of the case 5 with a bracket 6 facing downward.

A sound wave reflecting plate 7 is arranged below the horn 3 so as to be located on the radiation axis of the horn. The sound wave reflecting plate 7 is connected to one side edge of the rotating support 10 by a hinge 11, and is configured to freely change the angle of inclination with respect to the radiation axis of the horn. Further, the rotating support 10 is placed on a fixed base 8, and is configured to be rotatable around a radial axis about a fulcrum 9 that coincides with the radial axis of the horn. Therefore,
By changing the inclination angle of the sound wave reflection plate with respect to the horn radiation axis using the hinge 11 as a fulcrum, the radiation direction in the vertical direction can be freely changed as shown in FIG. As shown in Figure 4, the radiation direction in the horizontal plane can be changed freely.

Note that 13 is a screw for fixing the inclined position of the sound wave reflection plate 7, and 14 is a screw for fixing the rotational position of the rotation support 10.

In the ultrasonic vehicle sensor of the present invention having the above configuration, the inclination angle of the sound wave reflection plate 7 is set so that the ultrasonic waves emitted from the horn 3 are reflected in the horizontal direction, as shown by the solid line in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, it is installed on the side of the road. Then, when the ultrasonic waves reflected in the horizontal direction by the sound wave reflection plate 7 are radiated to the outside through the opening 12 of the storage box 2 and bounce off the vehicle 15 or motorcycle 16, etc. The reflected wave is again reflected upward by the sound wave reflection plate 7, guided into the horn 3, and received by the ultrasonic vibrator 4 provided at the base end of the horn, thereby sensing the presence of a vehicle, motorcycle, etc. .

In the case of the present invention, generally, the horn is set vertically downward, the sound wave reflection plate 7 is set at an inclination angle of 45° with respect to the radiation axis of the horn, and the ultrasonic waves reflected by the sound wave reflection plate 7 are horizontal. Although the normal method of use is to radiate the sound wave in the direction, the direction of the horn and the angle of inclination of the sound wave reflector are not limited to this. In addition, by adjusting the rotation of the rotary support 10 according to the relative positional relationship between the installation position of the pole 1 and the detection target location, it is possible to adjust the emission direction of the ultrasonic wave without changing the installation position of the pole 1, and thus the vehicle, etc. The detection direction can be adjusted.

Effects of the Invention Since the present invention has the configuration and operation described above, it has various effects as described below.

(1) Since the horn can be placed facing downward, there is no need to place the horn directly toward the detection target as in the past. As a result, the horn does not protrude horizontally, and the sensor body and the storage box that houses it can be made vertically long and slim, which saves space even when installed on the side of the road. This eliminates the possibility of getting in the way of vehicles or passersby.

(2) Even if the length of the horn is increased to improve directivity, the horn can be installed vertically, so the sensor body only extends vertically and does not protrude horizontally. Suitable for installation on the roadside.

(3) Since the horn itself can be installed facing downwards, there is no need to rotate the horn toward the detection target as in the past, and the entire sensor can be completely housed in the storage box. This prevents the horn and ultrasonic vibrator from being damaged by external mischief.

(4) Therefore, it is the best sensor to install at a low location such as at the edge of a road and detect vehicles etc. from the side.

(5) The area in which nearby objects cannot be detected due to reverberant vibrations of the ultrasonic transducer can be shortened by ensuring the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the sound wave reflector in the vertical direction, and the opening of the storage box It can also detect nearby objects.

(6) The object sensing direction can be adjusted while the installation position is fixed.

(7) Since the horn can be placed facing downward, it is possible to prevent raindrops from entering the ultrasonic transducer, and there is no need to adopt a special waterproof structure.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 shows one of the ultrasonic vehicle detectors of this invention.
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the overall structure; FIGS. 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams of the method for adjusting the ultrasonic radiation direction; FIG. 5 is the sensor of the present invention. It is an explanatory view showing an example of actual installation. 1...Pole, 2...Storage box for the sensor body, 3...Horn, 4...Ultrasonic transducer, 5...
Case for storing electrical circuits, 6...Bracket, 7
...Sound wave reflector, 8... Fixed base, 9... Fulcrum,
10...Rotating base, 11...Hinge, 12...Opening of storage box, 13, 14...Fixing screw.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] 1. In an ultrasonic vehicle detector that is installed at the edge of a road and detects vehicles, etc. by emitting ultrasonic waves and receiving the reflected waves, a horn 3 that emits ultrasonic waves; An ultrasonic vehicle sensor comprising: a sound wave reflecting plate 7 disposed on the radiation axis of the horn and capable of tilting with respect to the radiation axis and rotating on a plane perpendicular to the radiation axis. 2. The ultrasonic vehicle sensor according to claim 1, wherein the horn 3 is arranged vertically downward. 3. A utility model according to claim 1, characterized in that the horn 3 is arranged vertically downward, and the sound wave reflection plate 7 is set at an inclination angle of 45° with respect to the radiation axis of the horn. Sonic vehicle detector.