CN116177353A - Passenger conveyor ride control device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor entrance suppression device. The passenger conveyor ride-in suppressing apparatus of the present invention has steps that move in a forward direction from one landing plate to another landing plate at a prescribed speed, and includes: a passenger sensor provided at a boundary between one of the landing plates and the step for detecting a passenger riding in the step; a display unit that displays, in a rearward direction from the boundary, a prohibited area indicating that boarding of a passenger other than the boarding passenger is prohibited; and a control unit that displays, when the passenger sensor detects the passenger, the prohibited area having a distance length for ensuring a predetermined distance between passengers from the boundary in a backward direction using the display unit, and shortens the distance length of the prohibited area extending in the backward direction from the boundary in accordance with the predetermined speed of the step from when the passenger sensor no longer detects the passenger.

Description

Passenger conveyor ride control device

[ citation of related applications such as priority base application ]

The present application enjoys priority based on Japanese patent application 2021-192051 (application day: 2021, 11, 26). This application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an entry suppression device for a passenger conveyor.

Background

To prevent the expansion of new infections, it is recommended to ensure proper person-to-person spacing (social or physical distance).

In a passenger conveyor such as an escalator or a moving walkway, it is recommended to leave steps a predetermined number of steps in order to ensure a space between passengers. Therefore, a mark or the like indicating the boarding position of the passenger is attached to the riser of the step, and the step to which the passenger is boarding is instructed.

Disclosure of Invention

In the above-described method of attaching the mark to the riser of the step, there is a problem in that it takes time to reattach the mark in order to change the display content or to change the passenger-to-passenger interval.

In view of the above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a passenger conveyor entrance suppression device that suppresses an entrance of a passenger without taking the effort of a conventional technique in order to ensure an appropriate distance between passengers.

An embodiment of the present invention is a boarding completion suppressing apparatus for a passenger conveyor having steps that move in a forward direction from one boarding plate to another boarding plate at a predetermined speed, the boarding completion suppressing apparatus comprising: a passenger sensor provided at a boundary between one of the landing plates and the step for detecting a passenger riding in the step; a display unit that displays, in a rearward direction from the boundary, a prohibited area indicating that boarding of a passenger other than the boarding passenger is prohibited; and a control unit that displays, when the passenger sensor detects the passenger, the prohibited area having a distance length for ensuring a predetermined distance between passengers from the boundary in a backward direction using the display unit, and shortens the distance length of the prohibited area extending in the backward direction from the boundary in accordance with the predetermined speed of the step from when the passenger sensor no longer detects the passenger.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the passengers can be restrained from riding in, and an appropriate interval between the passengers can be ensured.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an escalator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the ride-in suppressing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ride control device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper landing plate, (a) shows only a safety area when a passenger is not present, (b) shows a forbidden area of a gap length when a passenger is present on a step, and (c) shows a forbidden area when a passenger is descending together with a step; (d) The passenger descends further together with the steps, and the forbidden area becomes shorter further, and (e) the passenger is not present, and the safety area is displayed again.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper deck, (a) is a case where other passengers take in a forbidden area, (b) is a case where other passengers take in steps and a forbidden area of an interval length is displayed, and (c) is a case where other passengers in the forbidden area approach the steps; (d) The other passengers take steps from the prohibited area, and (e) the other passengers descend together with the steps, whereby the prohibited area becomes shorter.

Detailed Description

A passenger conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 5. In the present embodiment, an escalator 10 is described as a passenger conveyor. The escalator 10 has a passenger entrance suppression device 5 for suppressing passengers entering the escalator 10 in order to ensure an appropriate distance between the passengers.

(1) Escalator 10

First, the overall structure of the escalator 10 will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is an explanatory view of the escalator 10 as seen from the right side. However, in order to facilitate understanding of the internal structure of the escalator 10, the components on the right side of the escalator 10 are omitted from illustration. In the explanation of the front-rear direction of the escalator 10, the lower layer is seen downward from the upper layer, the upper layer is the rear side, and the lower layer is the front side.

The truss 12, which is a framework of the escalator 10, spans the upper and lower floors of the building 1, and is supported in the front-rear direction using support angles 2, 3.

A drive device 18 for driving the steps 30 and a pair of left and right step sprockets 24, 24 are provided in the machine room 14 located at the upper layer of the upper end portion of the truss 12. The driving device 18 includes a motor 20, a speed reducer 21, a small driving sprocket 19 attached to an output shaft of the speed reducer 21, and a disk-type electromagnetic brake 23 for stopping the rotation of the motor 20 and maintaining the stopped state. A large drive sprocket 17 is coaxially mounted to the pair of right and left step sprockets 24, and an endless drive chain 22 is provided between the large drive sprocket and the small drive sprocket 19. A control device 50 for controlling the motor 20, the electromagnetic brake 23, and the like is provided in the upper machine room 14.

A pair of left and right driven sprockets 26, 26 are provided in the machine room 16 located at the lower layer of the lower end portion of the truss 12. A pair of left and right endless step chains 28, 28 are provided between the pair of left and right step sprockets 24, 24 on the upper layer and the pair of left and right driven sprockets 26, 26 on the lower layer. A pair of left and right first wheels 301, 301 of the plurality of steps 30 are connected at regular intervals between the pair of left and right step chains 28, 28. When the motor 20 rotates, the first wheel 301 of the step 30 runs on a first wheel-dedicated rail, not shown, fixed to the truss 12, and the second wheel 302 of the step 30 runs on a second wheel-dedicated rail 25, fixed to the truss 12.

A pair of right and left rails 36, 36 are erected on the right and left sides of the upper portion of the truss 12. A handrail rail 39 is provided at an upper portion of the balustrade 36, and an endless handrail belt 38 moves along the handrail rail 39.

An upper front skirt guard 40 is provided at a front lower portion of an upper layer of the pair of right and left rails 36, and a lower front skirt guard 42 is provided at a front lower portion of a lower layer. Inlet portions 46, 48 as entrances and exits of the handrail belt 38 protrude from the front side skirt panels 40, 42, respectively. A skirt board (inner cover board) 44 is provided at the lower side surfaces of the pair of right and left balustrade 36, respectively, and the steps 30 travel between the pair of right and left skirt boards 44, 44. The passenger sensor 52 and the speaker 54 are provided on the inner side surface of the upper apron 44, and the passenger sensor 56 and the speaker 58 are provided on the inner side surface of the lower apron 44.

The handrail belt 38 is rotated together with the step sprocket 24 by a belt sprocket, not shown, and moves in synchronization with the steps 30.

An upper landing plate 32 is horizontally provided on a ceiling surface of the machine room 14, which is a landing opening between the pair of left and right skirt panels 44, 44. A lower landing plate 34 is horizontally provided on a ceiling surface of the machine room 16, which is a landing opening between the lower pair of right and left skirt panels 44, 44. A comb-shaped comb plate 60 is provided at the front end of the upper landing plate 32, and the steps 30 are introduced into the comb plate 60 or pulled out from the comb plate 60. A comb-shaped comb plate 62 is also provided at the front end of the lower deck 34.

(2) Construction of the ride-in suppressing apparatus 5

Next, the boarding-restraining device 5 that restrains the passengers boarding the escalator 10 will be described with reference to fig. 1, 2, 4, and 5. The control device 50 serves as both a control unit of the escalator 10 and a control unit of the boarding pass suppressing device 5.

As shown in the block diagram of fig. 2, to function as a control unit of the escalator 10, a drive circuit 51 including an inverter circuit for controlling the rotational direction, rotational speed, and the like of the motor 20 is connected to the control device 50. The motor 20 and the electromagnetic brake 23 for stopping the rotation of the motor 20 are connected to the drive circuit 51.

In order to function as a control unit of the entry suppression device 5, a camera 64 is connected to the control device 50; an LED66, an LED lighting circuit 68, a passenger sensor 52, and a speaker 54 disposed on the upper layer side; and an LED70, an LED lighting circuit 72, a passenger sensor 56, and a speaker 58 disposed on the lower layer side.

As shown in fig. 2, 4, and 5, a plurality of LEDs 66 are provided in a lattice shape (not shown) over the entire upper surface of the upper landing plate 32 in order to function as a display unit of the entrance suppression device 5. The LED lighting circuit 68 shown in fig. 2 can display one image by controlling the lighting, extinguishing, color, and brightness of each LED66. In order to function as a display unit of the entrance suppression device 5, a plurality of LEDs 70 are provided in a lattice shape on the entire upper surface of the lower landing plate 34. The LED lighting circuit 72 shown in fig. 2 can display one image by controlling the lighting, extinguishing, and brightness of each LED70.

The passenger sensor 52 provided at the upper layer is composed of a light emitting portion provided on the apron plate 44 above the left end portion of the comb plate 60 at the upper layer, and a light receiving portion provided on the apron plate 44 above the right end portion of the comb plate 60. Light such as infrared rays is always transmitted from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion, and when the infrared rays are blocked when a passenger gets into the step 30, the passenger sensor 52 detects that the passenger gets into the step 30. Similarly, the lower passenger sensor 56 is provided with a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion on the apron plates 44, 44 located above the left and right end portions of the lower comb portion 62, respectively, to detect passengers.

As shown in fig. 1, the camera 64 is provided on the ceiling surface 4 of the building 1 above the escalator 10. The camera 64 captures images of the escalator 10 from above, and can capture passengers riding on the steps 30 of the escalator 10 and passengers present on the landing plates 32 and 34. The control device 50 can also analyze an image of the passenger from a moving image (or still image) captured by the camera 64.

(3) Description of the operation of the ride control device 5

The boarding control device 5 of the present embodiment is for controlling boarding of passengers, and operates to ensure an appropriate interval d between passengers shown in fig. 1. For example, as shown in fig. 1, when the step 30 is lowered, the entrance of the passenger is suppressed by the camera 64, the LEDs 66 of the landing plate 32 arranged on the upper side, the LED lighting circuit 68, the passenger sensor 52, and the speaker 54.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 4 (a), in a state where no person is riding in the escalator 10, the control device 50 uses the LED lighting circuit 68 to display a belt-like safety area a extending in the front-rear direction from the comb plate 60, that is, the boundary between the front end portion of the boarding pass-in plate 32 and the steps 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as "boundary") toward the rear of the upper surface of the boarding pass-in plate 32, with the LEDs 66. The safety area a is an area indicating a range in which a passenger can take in by lighting all the plurality of LEDs 66 arranged in a grid pattern green. The control device 50 also constantly performs image analysis on the moving image captured by the camera 64, and detects whether or not the passenger gets on the passenger-carrying/descending panel 32. In fig. 4 and 5, the range indicated by dots of the landing plate 32 is a safety area a.

Next, as shown in fig. 4 (b), when 1 passenger J1 walks into the safety area a of the upper surface of the boarding pass 32 and comes to the comb plate 60 (boundary), the passenger sensor 52 detects it. Then, the control device 50 displays a prohibition region K having a spacing length L (for example, about 1 m) for ensuring a predetermined spacing between passengers in red on the passenger compartment plate 32 using the LEDs 66 from the comb plate 60 (boundary) rearward. In fig. 4 and 5, the hatched area of the landing plate 32 is the prohibition region K. The prohibited area K is an area where the passenger J1 who wants to get in the step 30 is prohibited from getting in by taking the space of the interval length L rearward as the space required to obtain the appropriate interval d, and is displayed in red for easy understanding of the prohibited area K. The control device 50 also guides the sound "please not enter the red prohibited area" from the upper speaker 54 as needed.

Next, as shown in fig. 4 (c) and 4 (d), when the passenger J1 rides on the step 30, the step 30 moves in the lower layer direction at a predetermined speed (for example, a rated speed V of 30 m/min). On the other hand, when the passenger J1 moves completely from the step-and-drop plate 32 to the step 30, the passenger sensor 52 no longer detects the passenger J1, and thus is clocked by a timer located inside the control device 50 from this time t 0. When the step 30 on which the passenger J1 rides moves downward at the rated speed V, the control device 50 acquires information of the rated speed V from the drive circuit 51, and shortens the length of the prohibition region K extending in a belt shape on the upper surface of the boarding 32 in the front-rear direction in accordance with the rated speed V. Thereby, the rear end portion of the prohibition region K approaches the comb plate 60 (boundary). On the other hand, the control device 50 extends the length of the safety area a in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the lifting plate 32 by an amount corresponding to the length of the prohibition area K in the front-rear direction.

Next, as shown in fig. 4 (e), the timer starts counting from time T0, and when the interval securing time T has elapsed, the control device 50 ends the display of the prohibition region K and displays the entire upper surface of the boarding 32 as the safety region a. As shown in fig. 1, the "interval securing time T" is a time for making the distance between the passengers on the steps 30 be an appropriate interval d, and when the appropriate interval d is set to, for example, 2m and the rated speed V of the escalator 10 is set to 30 m/min (=0.5 m/sec), the interval securing time t=d/v=2/0.5=4 (sec). Therefore, the control device 50 shortens the prohibition region K from the interval length L, ending the display at t=4 seconds. In addition, as the speed V for shortening the prohibition region K, when l=1m, v=l/t=l×v/d=0.25 (m/sec). By shortening at the speed v, when the rear end portion of the prohibition region K reaches the comb plate 60 (boundary), the display of the prohibition region K ends.

However, as shown in fig. 5 (a), the control device 50 may detect that 1 passenger J1 has entered the step 30 from the moving image of the camera 64 and then the other passenger J2 has entered the prohibited area K until the interval securing time T has elapsed. Hereinafter, the other passenger J2 is referred to as "platoon passenger J2".

At this time, as shown in fig. 5 (b), the control device 50 again displays the prohibition region K of the interval length L from the comb plate 60 (boundary) to the rear. Then, using the speaker 54, the passenger J2 who has been inserted into the prohibition area K is warned with the sound "prohibition area entry of red". In the case where the crew member passenger J2 comes out of the prohibition area K in accordance with the instruction of the sound, the crew member passenger J2 does not come close to the passenger J1.

However, as shown in fig. 5 (c), 5 (d), and 5 (e), when the passenger J2 is riding on the steps 30 from the prohibited area K without following the instruction of the sound, the passenger sensor 52 detects the passenger J2 for one time, and thereafter, starts counting at the time t0 at which the passenger is not detected, and the control device 50 starts counting by the timer, and shortens the length of the prohibited area K according to the rated speed V of the escalator 10 from the time t 0. In this way, in the case where there is a passenger following the crew passenger J2, the interval of the crew passenger J2 and the following passenger can be kept at the appropriate interval d.

Further, even if another passenger gets into the safety area a of the boarding and disembarking 32, the control apparatus 50 directly displays the area without changing the display of the prohibition area K or the safety area a. The control is performed by the crew member passenger J2 only when another passenger gets into the prohibition area K.

In the above, the case where the step 30 is lowered is exemplified, but when the step 30 is raised, the boarding suppressing device 5 suppresses boarding of passengers by the camera 64, the LEDs 70 of the boarding plate 34 arranged on the lower side, the LED lighting circuit 72, the passenger sensor 56, and the speaker 58.

(4) Operation sequence of the ride control device 5

Next, the operation sequence of the ride control device 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 3.

In step S1, the descending operation of the escalator 10 is started. The steps 30 descend at the nominal speed V. At the same time, the passenger sensor 52 at the upper floor is operated, and the passengers present on the landing plate 32 at the upper floor are detected by the camera 64 located on the ceiling surface 4. And then proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, as shown in fig. 4 (a), since there is no passenger at all on the upper deck 32, the control device 50 displays the green safety area a on the entire area of the deck 32. And then proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, as shown in fig. 4 (b), when the passenger J1 walks to the comb plate 60 located at the front end portion of the boarding pass 32, if the passenger sensor 52 detects the passenger J1, the routine proceeds to step S4 (y), and if the passenger J1 is not detected, the routine proceeds to step S3 (n).

In step S4, as shown in fig. 4 (b), the control device 50 displays a red prohibition region K of the interval length L rearward from the comb plate 60 (boundary) on the upper surface of the boarding and disembarking plate 32, and displays a safety region a rearward of the rear end portion of the prohibition region K. And then proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, as shown in fig. 4 (c), when the passenger J1 completely rides in the step 30 from the landing plate 32, the process proceeds to step S6 (y in the case where the passenger sensor 52 no longer detects the passenger J1), and when the passenger J1 is also detected, the process proceeds to step S5 (n in the case where the passenger J1 is detected).

In step S6, control device 50 sets the time point when passenger sensor 52 no longer detects passenger J1 as time point t0, and starts counting time by a timer. And then proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, as shown in (d) of fig. 4, the control device 50 shortens the length of the prohibition region K at the rated speed V, and increases the safety region a located behind the prohibition region K. And then proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, as shown in fig. 5 (a), when the camera 64 detects that the crew member passenger J2 has entered the prohibition area K from the start of the timer (T0) to the lapse of the interval securing time T, the process proceeds to step S10 (y), and if not, the process proceeds to step S9 (n).

In step S9, as shown in fig. 4 (e), when no other passenger gets in and the timer ends the timer of the interval securing time T, the control device 50 ends the display of the prohibition region K and returns to step S2 (in the case of y), and returns to step S7 (in the case of n) when the timer does not end the timer of the interval securing time T.

On the other hand, in step S10, the control device 50 uses the speaker 54 to acoustically prompt the attention of the passenger J2 who is enqueued in the prohibition region K before the lapse of the interval securing time T so as to appropriately acquire the interval with the passenger J1 who is first taken in. And then returns to step S4.

(5) Effects of

According to the present embodiment, when a passenger gets into the step 30, a prohibition area K for prohibiting the next passenger from getting into is displayed on the boarding 32 so that the passenger gets a proper interval from the next passenger. The passenger then moves with the steps 30 at the nominal speed V while also shortening the length of the forbidden area K. This can suppress the entrance of passengers and ensure an appropriate distance d between passengers.

In addition, when another passenger gets into the prohibition area K, a warning can be issued to the other passenger.

Further, when another passenger gets on the steps 30 from the prohibited area K without following the instruction of the sound, the prohibited area K having the interval length L is displayed again so as to be shortened in accordance with the rated speed V of the escalator 10, and therefore, when a passenger following the passenger in the queue exists, the distance between the passenger in the queue and the passenger following the passenger can be ensured to be the appropriate interval d.

(6) Modification example

In the above embodiment, the plurality of LEDs 66 and 70 are provided in a lattice pattern over the entire upper surfaces of the landing plates 32 and 34 to display the safety area a and the prohibition area K, but instead, an image display device such as a liquid crystal display device may be provided on the upper surfaces of the landing plates 32 and 34 to display the safety area a in green and the prohibition area K in red. In particular, in the case of using a liquid crystal display device, not only the expression of red and green but also the display of "here no entry" or the like can be performed by moving pictures. Further, projectors may be provided on the ceiling surfaces 4 on the boarding 32 and the landing 34, and the security area a and the prohibition area K may be displayed by projecting and mapping the boarding 32 and the landing 34 using the projectors.

In the above embodiment, the safety area a and the prohibition area K are provided in the form of a band in the center portion of the lifting plates 32, 34 in the lateral direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the LEDs 66, 70 may be provided only in the left and right side portions of the lifting plates 32, 34, and the safety area a and the prohibition area K may be displayed in the left and right end portions of the lifting plates 32, 34. Further, guide frames may be erected on both left and right sides of the raising and lowering plates 32 and 34, respectively, and LEDs 66 and 70 may be provided on the upper portions of the guide frames to display the prohibited area K and the safety area a.

In the above embodiment, the camera 64 provided on the ceiling surface 4 detects the passengers present on the boarding 32 and the boarding 34, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and passengers riding on the steps 30 may be detected. Then, an image display device or a lighting device is provided on the pair of right and left handrails 36, 36 to guide the passenger standing on the step 30 at an appropriate interval. Specifically, when there is a passenger walking on the steps 30 and descending, the camera 64 detects this, and an image display device or a lighting device provided on the balustrade 36 is used to give a warning or instruction.

In the above embodiment, the passenger sensors 52 and 56 each constituted by a photoelectric sensor detect the entrance of a passenger, but the entrance may be detected by the camera 64 located on the ceiling surface.

In the above embodiment, the case where the escalator 10 is applied has been described, but the present invention may be applied to a moving walkway instead.

An embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but this embodiment is presented as an example and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other modes, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope equivalent to the invention described in the claims.

Claims (8)

1. A ride-in control device for a passenger conveyor having steps that move in a forward direction from one of the landing plates to the other landing plate at a predetermined speed, comprising:

a passenger sensor provided at a boundary between one of the landing plates and the step for detecting a passenger riding in the step;

a display unit that displays, in a rearward direction from the boundary, a prohibited area indicating that boarding of a passenger other than the boarding passenger is prohibited; and

and a control unit that, when the passenger sensor detects the passenger, displays the prohibited area having an interval length for ensuring a predetermined interval between passengers in a backward direction from the boundary using the display unit, and shortens the interval length of the prohibited area extending in the backward direction from the boundary in accordance with the predetermined speed of the step from when the passenger sensor no longer detects the passenger.

2. The entry suppression device of a passenger conveyor according to claim 1,

the control unit ends the display of the prohibited area by the display unit after a time for securing a predetermined interval between passengers has elapsed since the passenger sensor no longer detected the passenger.

3. The entry suppression device of a passenger conveyor according to claim 2,

the control section displays the prohibition region having the interval length in the backward direction from the boundary again using the display section when the other passenger gets into the prohibition region after the time elapses since the passenger sensor no longer detects the getting-in passenger.

4. The entry suppression device of a passenger conveyor according to claim 1,

the display unit displays a safety area indicating that the other passenger can get in from the rear end portion of the prohibited area to the rear.

5. The entry suppression device of a passenger conveyor according to claim 1,

the display unit displays the prohibition region on the upper surface of the boarding and the right and left ends of the boarding or on guide frames located on the right and left sides of the boarding.

6. The entry suppression device of a passenger conveyor according to claim 5,

the display portion displays the prohibition region in a band shape extending in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the boarding.

7. The entry suppression device of a passenger conveyor according to claim 1,

the display unit is a plurality of LEDs provided in a lattice shape on the upper surface of the boarding, an image display device provided on the upper surface of the boarding, or a projector provided above the boarding.

8. The entry suppression device of a passenger conveyor according to claim 1,

the passenger sensor is a photoelectric sensor or a camera.

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