BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several aspects of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a non-contact button system with a controlled electronic device.
FIG. 2 is a non-contact button system.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the non-contact button system.
FIG. 4 is a side view to describe one status of the non-contact button system.
FIG. 5 is another status of the non-contact button system.
FIG. 6 is the other embodiment in present invention.
FIG. 7 is another status of the other embodiment in present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary non-contact button system 100 with a controlled electronic device 10. The device 10 may be an equipment or elevator car set up in the hospital, factory, or labs. The requirement of the contact with operators causes a lot concerns when these buttons are used in hospitals or infectious environments. By connecting with the non-contact button system 100, it can reduce the chances of contacting contaminant or infectious materials when operating such device 10.
FIG. 2 shows the non-contact button system 100 in more detailed view. The front plate 110 of the non-contact button system 100 is made of a fairly rigid material, e.g. sheet metal of a thickness of one or two millimeters. For the operation of the non-contact button system 100, it makes no difference if the front plate 110 is implemented as a part integrated with the plate structure of the controlled device 10 or landing wall or as a separate plate. The front plate 110 has an inner housing. The inner housing includes at least two side surfaces, two of which facing each other. One side surface has light sourcing 120 and the other side surface has light detector 130. As shown in the FIG. 3 for the front view of the non-contact button system 100, light sourcing 120 emits light beam toward the other side surface; light detector 130 passively receives the light beam. FIG. 4 shows a side view to describe one status of the non-contact button system 100 on action. FIG. 5 shows another status of the non-contact button system 100. The depth of inner housing could be one to three centimeters so that it is enough to accept a least one human finger. FIG. 5 shows a human finger inserted into such spacing and blocks or interferes the transmission of light beams. As a result, light detector 130 receives fewer light even no light from the light sourcing 120. It defines another status of the non-contact button system 100.
FIG. 6 illustrates the other embodiment in present invention. In this embodiment, light sourcing 120 and light detector 130 are located in the same surface of the inner housing. The light sourcing 120 and light detector 130 could be arranged one by one as indicated in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows one status of non-contact button system 100 where the light detector 130 receives less light beam from light sourcing 120 as compared to another status which is going to be addressed. To prevent the interference effects from the light scattering and reflection from the opposite surface, the emitting and receiving angle of the light source and detector could be adjusted. Some light absorbing materials can be placed on the opposite surface to reduce the backscattered light interference. FIG. 7 illustrates another status of this embodiment. While inserting at least one finger, light beam is reflected directly onto the light detector 130. The spacing distance between each light sourcing 120 and light detector 130 could be adjusted according to the size of human finger or the inserting object so that the light detector 130 could receive maximum reflection light. It is preferable to ask operator to insert their fingers with their nails abutting to the light sourcing 120 because the nail has better light reflection effect than the ball of the finger. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the front plate 110 may also be transparent or translucent in the manner of smoked glass, for example, a plate made of hard translucent plastic. It is further obvious to a skilled person that light sourcing 120 could be visible light, near-infrared light, or infrared light sources.
It is also obvious to a person skilled in the art that the whole system could be embedded inside the wall (concave) or stands against the wall without destroying the wall structure (convex). Taking FIG. 2 for further description, the light sourcing 120 and light detector pairs could be either positioned below the front plate 110 or above the front plate 110.
In both embodiments, two statuses generate at least two different logic statuses in electronic circuits so as to activate the controlled electronic device 10. The threshold level of each triggering logic statuses in different embodiments could be decided and adjusted by a person skilled in the art. Moreover, in all embodiments, the light sourcing 120 is always on, therefore it is reasonable for a person skilled in the art to efficiently control the power consumption of the non-contact button system 100 by reducing the power of the light sourcing 120 and increase the sensitivity of light detector 130. By implementing the present invention could not only prevent touching the unnecessary contaminant or infectious materials on the traditional push button surface but also reduce the false activation of equipments in the traditional non-contact button system.
The invention has been described above by the aid of some of its embodiments. However, the presentation is not to be regarded as limiting the sphere of patent protection, but instead the embodiments of the invention may vary within the limits defined by the following claims.
Patent Application
20080060918
