CN117416842A - People stream suppression device of escalator - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a people stream suppressing device, including: a first sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a user; a housing having a base fixedly provided at the entrance and a movable portion movable from the base in the same direction as the user's direction of ascent and descent and engaged with the base; a guide fence which can extend and retract and is arranged between the base and the movable part in a straddling manner; an actuator; a plurality of casters; an information acquisition unit that acquires a boarding ratio of the escalator based on a detection situation of the first sensor as utilization information; a determination unit that determines that the telescopic operation of the guide fence is required when the occupancy exceeds a first threshold; and a display device for displaying at least one of the riding rate and the running state of the escalator in normal time, and displaying the guiding fence to prompt the user to call attention in the telescopic action.

Description

People stream suppression device of escalator

Citation of related applications: the present application is based on the priority benefits of prior japanese patent application No. 2022-114726 of the 19 th 7 th 2022 application, and claims that benefit, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

The embodiment of the invention relates to a people flow restraining device of an escalator.

Background

In the conventional escalator, a guide fence is provided to prevent a person from getting stuck on a landing of the escalator when the escalator is particularly crowded. There are the following proposals for the guide fence: the elevator is provided with a function of detecting the crowded condition near the descending opening of the escalator and extending step by step through a motor and a gear.

In addition, the following proposals have been made: a telescopic guide fence is arranged between the rails of adjacent numbering machines in the escalator, so that the space occupied by the guide fence can be adjusted.

However, even when not crowded, the guide fence remains exposed to the view of the passenger, and there is a possibility that the design in the vicinity of the passenger's field of view may be impaired. In order to solve this problem, there are the following proposals: the guide fence is housed in a housing space provided on the ground near the entrance when not crowded, and is projected when crowded, but this proposal requires a predetermined space and a measure on the building side.

In addition, for the safety of the user, it is desirable to draw attention during the extending operation or the storing operation of the guide fence based on the degree of congestion, the traffic, and the like, and to report information on the operation of the escalator to the user in a state where the guide fence is stored or in a state where the guide fence is extended.

Disclosure of Invention

In the present embodiment, a traffic suppressing device is provided that is a guide fence having an extension length stepwise adjustment function, can be installed in a landing port with a relatively simple configuration without impairing the design, and includes a display unit that displays information that calls attention during an extension operation or a reduction operation of the guide fence, and that displays information related to operation in a state in which the guide fence is stored or in an extended state.

In order to solve the above problems, a traffic control device for an escalator according to an embodiment includes: the first sensor is arranged at the boarding and disembarking port and used for detecting the boarding and disembarking of a user; a housing having a base fixedly provided at the entrance and a movable portion movable from the base in the same direction as the user's direction of ascent and descent and engageable with the base; a guide rail that is capable of expanding and contracting, and that is provided so as to span between the base and the movable portion by engaging one side with the base and engaging the other side with the movable portion, and that is capable of switching between a state in which the movable portion is engaged with the base and a state in which the movable portion is disengaged from the base; an actuator for adjusting the telescopic state of the guide fence; a plurality of casters provided below the guide rail to smoothly move the guide rail horizontally; an information acquisition unit that acquires a boarding ratio of the escalator as utilization information based on a detection condition of the first sensor; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not to extend or retract the guide fence based on the utilization information, and to determine that the extension or retraction of the guide fence is required when the occupancy exceeds a first threshold value, and to output an instruction to the actuator; and a display device provided on the outer peripheral surface of the housing, for displaying at least one of a riding rate and an operating condition of the escalator in a normal state based on the utilization information, and for displaying the guide fence in a telescopic operation to prompt a user to call attention.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a traffic suppressing device which is a guide fence having an extension length stepwise adjustment function, which can be installed in a landing port with a relatively simple configuration without impairing the design, and which includes a display unit that displays information that is to be noticed during an extension operation or a reduction operation of the guide fence, and that displays information related to operation in a state in which the guide fence is stored or in a state in which the guide fence is extended.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall view of a general escalator.

Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view of the escalator of the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the correlation between the traffic suppressing device and the control device.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the sensor.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display portion of the column.

Fig. 6 is another example (1) of a block diagram showing the correlation between the traffic control device and the control device.

Fig. 7 is a side view showing a position and an extended state of the people stream suppressing device.

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the position and storage state of the people stream suppressing device.

Fig. 9 is a view illustrating another shape (1) of the guide fence stored inside the pillar.

Fig. 10 is a view illustrating another shape (2) of the guide fence stored inside the pillar.

Fig. 11 is another example (2) of a block diagram showing the correlation between the traffic control device and the control device.

Fig. 12 is another example (3) of a block diagram showing the correlation between the traffic control device and the control device.

Detailed Description

The constitution and operation of the escalator according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, substantially or substantially the same functions and constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description is given as necessary.

The construction of the escalator will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a side view of a general escalator, 10 of which is shown as a whole. The escalator 10 is disposed, for example, obliquely between an upper floor and a lower floor of a building. The frame of the escalator 10, i.e. the truss 12, spans the upper and lower floors of the building 1 and is supported using the support angle irons 2, 3.

As shown in fig. 1, a driving device 18 for driving the steps 30, a pair of left and right driving sprockets (driving wheels) 24, and a pair of left and right belt sprockets 27, 27 are provided in the machine room 14 on the upper side of the upper end portion of the truss 12. The driving device 18 includes a motor 20, a speed reducer, an output sprocket attached to an output shaft of the speed reducer, a drive chain 22 driven by the output sprocket, and a disc brake for stopping rotation of the motor 20 and maintaining the stopped state. The drive sprocket 24 is rotated by the drive chain 22. The pair of left and right drive sprockets 24, 24 and the pair of left and right belt sprockets 27, 27 are connected by a connecting belt, not shown, to rotate synchronously. A control device 50 for controlling the motor 20, the disc brake, and the like is provided in the upper machine chamber 14.

A driven sprocket (driven wheel) 26 is provided in the machine room 16 on the lower layer side of the lower end portion of the truss 12. A pair of left and right endless step chains 28, 28 are provided between the upper drive sprocket 24 and the lower driven sprocket 26. As shown in fig. 1, a front wheel 301 having a plurality of steps 30 is mounted to a pair of left and right step chains 28, 28 at equal intervals. The front wheels 301 of the steps 30 travel along a front rail, not shown, fixed to the truss 12, and engage with recesses in the outer peripheral portion of the drive sprocket 24 and recesses in the outer peripheral portion of the driven sprocket 26 to vertically rotate in reverse. As shown in fig. 1, the rear wheels 302 travel on the rear rail 25 fixed to the truss 12.

A pair of left and right skirt boards 44, 44 and a pair of left and right balustrades 36, 36 are erected on the left and right sides of the truss 12. A handrail rail 39 is provided at an upper portion of the balustrade 36, and the handrail belt 38 moves along the handrail rail 39. The front skirt 40 on the upper side is provided at the front lower portion on the upper side of the balustrade 36, the front skirt 42 on the lower side is provided at the front lower portion on the lower side, and the entrance and exit portions 46 and 48 as the entrance and exit of the handrail belt 38 are projected from the front skirt 40 and 42, respectively. The skirt guard 44 is provided at a side lower portion of the balustrade 36, and the steps 30 travel between the pair of left and right skirt guards 44, 44. The operation panels 52, 56 and the speakers 54, 58 are provided on the inner surfaces of the skirt panels 44 of the upper and lower layers, respectively.

The handrail belt 38 enters the front skirt 40 from the entrance 46 on the upper layer side, is suspended from the belt sprocket 27 via the guide roller group 64, and then moves within the skirt 44 via the guide roller group 66, and emerges from the entrance 48 on the lower layer side outside the front skirt 42. Then, the belt sprocket 27 rotates together with the drive sprocket 24, whereby the handrail belt 38 moves in synchronization with the steps 30. The handrail belt 38 moves between the steps 30 in a circulating manner in synchronization with each step, is discharged to the outside from the entrance-side entrance, and enters from the entrance-side entrance. Further, a pressing member 68 for pressing the running handrail belt 38 against the rotating belt pulley 27 is provided.

An upper-stage landing plate 32 is provided horizontally at the landing port of the ceiling surface of the machine chamber 14 on the upper stage side, and a lower-stage landing plate 34 is provided horizontally at the landing port of the ceiling surface of the machine chamber 16 on the lower stage side. A comb-shaped comb plate 60 having the same width as the steps 30 is provided at the front end of the landing plate 32, and the steps 30 are moved out or in with respect to the comb plate 60. The elevator plate 34 is also provided with a comb-shaped comb plate 62. Thus, the escalator can perform a moving stair type lifting operation.

Next, the configuration of the traffic control device according to the present embodiment will be described.

In the escalator of the following embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the steps 30 is defined as the x-axis direction, the direction in which the steps 30 are moved out and into the comb plates 60 and 62 is defined as the y-axis direction, the vertical direction of the building 1 is defined as the z-axis direction, and the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis are orthogonal to each other. Thus, the directions are further described with respect to the use + (positive) and- (negative) based on the coordinate system provided at the lower right of the drawing.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view partially showing the structure of an escalator provided with the traffic control device according to the embodiment. Fig. 2 illustrates a state in which the guide fence is stored (stowage) in the traffic suppressing device.

A plurality of steps 30 are mounted on the endless step chain at equal intervals, and a part of the steps 30 to be bridged can be visually confirmed, and the skirt guard 44, the balustrade 36, and the handrail track 38 stand on the truss 12. The landing plate 34 is laid so as to cover the landing openings on the upper and lower floors, and is disposed substantially horizontally with respect to the floor of the building. A pair of user detection sensors 71 for detecting the entrance of a user are provided near the entrance, for example, in the skirt guard 44. At least one upright post-type traffic control device 70 is provided in front of the handrail track 38 and the entrance 48 near the entrance. For example, in an escalator in which a plurality of modems are arranged in series, the traffic control device 70 is provided between the modems, which are switching portions. The configuration of the people stream suppressing device 70 will be described later.

The people stream suppressing device 70 is provided in an escalator as follows: an escalator having a plurality of elevators is provided, and a transfer port for transfer is required, for example, an escalator having a single-row transfer type arrangement, a multi-row transfer type arrangement, or the like. The traffic control device 70 includes a display unit 72 for visually displaying the operation state, the degree of congestion, and the like of the escalator 10, and is provided with an actuator and a guide fence (telescopic mechanism) so as to be stored therein. In fig. 2, the actuator and the guide fence are stored, and thus cannot be visually confirmed, but these structures will be described later.

The traffic control device 70 is constituted by a column-shaped housing with a cover that can be engaged with and disengaged from the ground substantially parallel to the ground (-y side), and includes a space (hollow space, void) therein. An actuator is provided in a housing thereof, and a guide fence in a contracted state can be stored.

The extended length of the guide fence can be adjusted stepwise, and among the extended and contracted states, a state in which the guide fence is extended from the storage state in order to function as the guide fence is referred to as an extended state, and a case in which the length of the guide fence in the extended state is folded and shortened to a length that can be stored in the housing is referred to as a contracted state. The storage state is a state in which the guide fence in the contracted state is stored in the casing. One of the guide fences in the expansion and contraction direction, that is, in the y-axis direction is fixedly provided near the entrance, and can extend to the-y side and be contracted to the +y side.

The housing is formed of a plurality of parts so as to be capable of locking and unlocking with respect to a main body side (base 70A) and a lid side (movable part 70B) having a space in which an actuator or the like can be stored. The main body side is fixedly arranged on the ground, and the cover side can be separated from the main body side. The cover side is movable in the y-axis direction, which is the riding direction of the user. The guide fence 74 is interposed between the main body side and the cover side so as to straddle the main body side and the cover side, and is suspended from both the main body side and the cover side when the cover side is separated from the main body side and the cover side.

In addition to the columnar shape (cylindrical shape), the case may be a box shape like a rectangular parallelepiped like a pile-type photoelectric sensor. The housing has a hollow therein to enable the folded guide rail, components associated with the people stream suppression device, to be stored therein.

Details of the structure of the traffic control device 30 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the traffic suppressing device 70, and shows the correlation with the control device 50.

In addition to the display unit 72, the traffic control device 70 includes an actuator 73 for adjusting the telescopic state of the guide rail as a power source, a guide rail (telescopic mechanism) 74 for stopping traffic and showing the user's walking direction, a plurality of casters (moving mechanism) 75 provided below the guide rail 74 and capable of moving the guide rail 74 in a predetermined direction, and an object detection sensor 76 for detecting a person or object between the base 70A and the movable unit 70B of the housing and preventing pinching. The details will be described later.

The user detection sensor 71 provided near the entrance is configured to detect a person or object passing in the forward direction, determine a user who is to be driven into the steps of the escalator, and measure the number of passengers. For example, when a phenomenon such as blocking of light projected from the light projecting section occurs, a photocell sensor having the light projecting section and the light receiving section is used, the light quantity changes before reaching the light receiving section, and thus the passage of people and objects is detected. The installation position of the user detection sensor 71 is not limited to the escalator main body, and may be a side surface of the housing of the traffic control device 70, or the like, as long as the user detection sensor can detect the presence or absence of a user in the vicinity of the presence or absence of a presence of a user. As a method of detection, a method of measuring the response time of a sensor may be used in addition to the method of measuring the number of traffic.

The information acquisition means 501 provided in the control device 50 acquires the detection status of the user detection sensor 71 and acquires the utilization information. The utilization information is, for example, the ride rate of the escalator. The ride percentage is described as the number of passengers per unit time relative to the reference value. By periodically calculating the average value of the ride percentage over a certain period of time, it is possible to estimate the situation and traffic information related to the use of the escalator.

Here, the ride ratio to be calculated will be described. In general, as the maximum number of conveyers that can theoretically be transported, there is a value that is determined uniquely by using the width and depth (inclination) of steps and the speed of an escalator as variables, and if the value exceeds a certain value in the theoretical transport capacity (person/time), the value is regarded as congestion.

The reference value of the present embodiment is not the theoretical maximum transport capacity, but an arbitrarily set value is taken as 100% to calculate the ride rate. For example, when the ride percentage is 100% when 50 persons are passed for one minute, the ride percentage is determined based on the number of persons measured per unit time so that the ride percentage is 60% when 30 persons are passed.

In addition, it is also possible to assume that the user takes steps at one step, and the value obtained by dividing the time taken for one step operation by the number of steps is set as the maximum value of the number of people per unit time. In this case, for example, in the case of an escalator having 20 steps for 30 seconds running for one week, the riding rate is determined to be 100% when 40 persons pass during one minute.

Thus, the reference value of the number of passengers of the escalator is arbitrarily set, and the riding rate is calculated based on the reference value. The ride ratio calculated based on the value unique to the present embodiment without the theoretical maximum conveyance capacity as a reference of 100% is hereinafter referred to as a ride ratio. The information of the user traffic associated with the calculation of the riding rate may be calculated from information acquired by other means such as a load detection device and an imaging device provided in the vicinity of the entrance, in addition to the user detection sensor 71.

The range of the calculated ride percentage may be arbitrarily set to a period of several tens of seconds to several minutes. In addition, the frequency of calculating the ride percentage may be increased in the case of congestion according to the number of weeks, time period, or the like.

The information acquisition means 501 transmits the estimated usage information to the determination means 502 and the display unit 72.

Based on the riding percentage calculated by the information acquisition means 501, the determination means 502 determines whether or not the telescopic operation of the guide fence and the extension length in the case of extension are required. Whether or not the expansion operation is required is set to, for example, a case where the expansion operation is required to be performed at a first threshold value (for example, 50%) or more which is arbitrarily set. The extension length is, for example, 1/3 of the maximum length of the guide fence when the ride percentage exceeds a first threshold (for example, 50%), 2/3 when the ride percentage exceeds a second threshold (for example, 70%), and the ratio of the extension length is adjusted in accordance with the ratio of the ride percentage. The extension length relative to the riding rate of the escalator may be set as desired.

In addition, as a detection method of the user detection sensor 71, when the use condition is determined by measuring the reaction time of the sensor, if the sensitivity of the sensor to the passage is poor for a certain period of time, it is considered that the time of shielding is long and the operation of the person is slow. In this case, since the occupancy rate can be assumed to be higher than in the case of measuring the number of traffic, the extension length may be arbitrarily set such that the ratio of the extension length becomes the maximum length or the like.

In this way, the determination means 502 for determining whether or not the extension and retraction of the guide fence 74 is necessary outputs an instruction to the actuator 73 and also outputs an instruction to the display unit 72 so as to act until the determined extension length is reached when extension and retraction is necessary. Upon receiving the instruction, the actuator 73 starts the motor, and applies a force to push out the guide rail stored in the housing. By the rotation direction of the motor, not only extension but also contraction can be performed, and the motor can be stopped at a plurality of points for properly adjusting the extension length. The display unit 72 that receives the instruction from the determination unit 502 switches to display in the telescopic operation.

The guide fence 74 to which the force pushed out from the stored state is applied via the actuator 73 is operated in the force application direction by the caster 7 provided as a moving mechanism at the lower portion of the guide fence 74 and contacting the ground. The caster 75 can smoothly support movement in a predetermined direction for guiding the user.

The object detection sensors 76 are provided in pairs in the y-axis direction, which is the expansion and contraction direction of the guide fence 74, as shown in fig. 4, in order to suppress the risk of contact, pinching, or the like with the guide fence 74, particularly, during the operation of the traffic suppressing device 70. When the guide fence 74 is in the extended state, it is possible to determine whether or not an object is detected in the vicinity of the guide fence 74 between the main body side (the base portion 70A) and the lid side (the movable portion 70B) of the housing, contributing to prevention of pinching. One of the paired object detection sensors 76 is preferably provided on the main body side of the housing, and the other is preferably provided on the cover side of the housing. For example, the object detection sensor 76 is constituted by a light projecting portion provided on the main body side and a light receiving portion provided on the cover side. When an object is detected by the object detection sensor 76, there is a risk of approaching the guide fence, blocking the telescopic operation, or the like, and therefore, the extending or contracting operation is temporarily stopped, and after a certain period of time and after safety confirmation, a determination is made as to whether or not to continue the operation according to the situation, whereby safety in the case where a person or object enters during the extending of the guide fence 74 can be ensured. The determination means 502 determines the operation of the guide fence 74, and if there is a change in the operation such as a temporary interruption, outputs an instruction to the actuator 73. When an object is detected, it is preferable to broadcast and display a report of danger. When the operation is temporarily interrupted, if the pinching is not detected and a predetermined time has elapsed, and if the expansion and contraction operation is required, the extending or contracting operation of the guide fence 74 is restarted.

After the extension of the guide fence 74, the extended state is maintained regardless of the riding rate until a set time elapses, and thereafter, when the vehicle is lower than a third threshold (for example, 10%) for a predetermined time or longer, the extended length of the guide fence 74 is adjusted to return to the storage state as a result of congestion being eliminated.

The display unit 72 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the housing of the traffic control device 70 basically displays the operation state and the crowding degree of the escalator 10 to the user at normal times so that the user can visually confirm the operation state and crowding degree, and displays the operation of the guide fence 74 so as to call the user's attention. A specific example of the display content is shown in fig. 5. The display portion 72 may be a display portion in which a display surface is provided on the outside of the case so as to be visually confirmed and the whole of the lid side is set as the display portion, or a member subjected to hole forming and notch forming may be used for the movable portion 70B and a display portion in which a rectangular square hole and notch are fitted one round larger from the inside may be used. Preferably at the front end side, in particular, of the extension direction of the guide rail. The display unit 72 can always acquire information from the information acquisition means 501 and display the information to call attention before and after the expansion and contraction operation. The display unit 72 is not limited to the case of acquiring information periodically transmitted from the information acquisition means 501 as described above, and the display unit 72 may be configured to periodically read information from the information acquisition means 501. For example, the display that draws attention from the user is performed during the telescopic operation of the guide fence 74, and at least one of the riding rate and the running state of the escalator is displayed in other cases.

The display content will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a view illustrating a display portion of the column, and is provided on the lid side of the case in the embodiment. (a) The crowding degree is described as a riding rate of an escalator. Further, (b) is an example of displaying the running direction, and (c) is an example of displaying the meaning that the guide fence 74 is performing the extending operation.

In normal operation, the display unit 72 always displays the operation state, the operation direction, the congestion ratio, and the like of the escalator as shown in fig. 5 (a) and (b). In the operation of the guide fence 74, as shown in fig. 5 (c), a display is made that explains the situation, such as "the guide fence is extended". In addition, in the case where the riding rate is high or the case where the riding rate is rapidly increased, a display may be made to explain the situation such as "crowding level UP" in addition to "crowding level good%" shown in fig. 5 (a). The display mode is performed by characters, pictograms, illustrations, and the like. During and before and after the operation of the guide fence 74, attention may be displayed by "extending attention" or the like based on the instruction output from the determination means 502. The configuration is not limited to the illustrated configuration as long as information on the operation condition of the escalator can be obtained. The respective displays are based on information output from the information acquisition means 501 and the determination means 502.

Further, since the display unit 72 is provided as a reporting means for reporting to the user, it is more preferable to further provide a voice output device in addition to the display unit 72. When the voice output device is provided, a broadcast is output together with a visually identifiable display particularly before and after the operation of the guide fence 74. The broadcast is a content of calling attention related to the operation of the escalator of the crowding degree in addition to the guiding fence operation state and the operation forecast. Further, as a method of reporting, the display unit 72 may perform blinking of light, output of a notice sound, or the like. In this way, the change in the operation state of the escalator can be always checked while ensuring the safety during and before and after the operation of the guide fence.

In the processing of the determination means 502 and the display unit 72, the processing is performed based on the ride rate for a predetermined period of time calculated by the information acquisition means 501, but there is a possibility that the ride rate becomes almost smooth up to this point, but is crowded immediately when it changes rapidly, so that it is preferable to further consider the change rate in addition to the ride rate. For example, when the change rate exceeds a certain threshold value, for example, even when the threshold value of the degree of congestion is not exceeded, the extension of the guide fence can be performed promptly. The obtained change rate is transmitted to the determination means 502 and the display unit 72 together with the congestion degree information.

The information acquisition means 501 for sorting the information necessary for the processing of the determination means 502 and the display unit 72 determines the riding on the basis of the user detection sensor 71 and calculates the riding rate, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the crowding degree of the building 1 having the escalator 10 may be detected via the crowding degree detection means 80 on the building side as shown in fig. 6. In the building 1 having the escalator 10, when information is obtained that the degree of congestion in the facility is increased, it is considered that the degree of congestion of the escalator 10 is also increased, and thus the building can be extended in advance. This can effectively suppress waiting for boarding due to the user staying in the vicinity of the boarding entrance that may occur when the degree of congestion is high.

Next, the position and the extended state of the traffic control device 70 will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the escalator 10 including the continuous other machine on the opposite side of the escalator 10 shown in fig. 2, viewed from the lateral direction, showing an extended state of the guide fence. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the configuration of fig. 7 as viewed from above, showing a state in which the guide fence is stored in the housing.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, in the embodiment, the passenger flow restraining device 70 is provided in a descending port of the escalator 10A that is an ascending operation and in a landing port that is a landing port of the escalator 10B, and the escalators 10A and 10B are provided. Here, the single-row transfer type arrangement is adopted, and the housing of the traffic control device 70 is provided so that the guide fence (telescopic mechanism) 74 can extend in the same horizontal direction (+y side) as the operation of the escalator 10, that is, in the direction in which the user can walk. Here, 1 escalator switching unit is provided, but a plurality of escalator switching units may be provided in the same space for each number machine.

The guide fence 74 may be formed of a metal such as aluminum or iron, as well as a metal such as a sliding door, and may be formed of a shape that can be held in a state where air is taken in, such as a cylindrical float, or may be formed of a folded surface in a bellows shape as shown in fig. 9 and stored therein. In addition to this, instead of the bellows shape, the arm of the robot shown in fig. 10 may be a single tubular rail in which the lid side can be pushed out and the movable portion is attached to one end portion to connect the base portion and the movable portion.

The caster 75 is preferably a rotating body having a restriction in the direction of a wheel or the like capable of moving in a predetermined direction, but may be a spherical roller, a wheel-shaped rotating body or the like, and the shape thereof is not limited as long as it is a mechanism capable of assisting the movement of the guide fence.

When the object detection sensor 76 detects an object in the direction of the blocking extending direction during the extending of the guide fence 74, the object detection sensor temporarily stops on the spot in order to prevent any operation of the expansion and contraction, and thus can ensure safety. When no pinching or the like is detected later and a certain time has elapsed, if further expansion and contraction is required, the operation of extending or contracting the guide fence 74 is restarted.

In the above-described embodiment, the explanation was made as a single-row transfer type arrangement, but the arrangement of the actual people stream suppression device 70 is not limited to this, and other arrangements may be adopted for the purpose of suppressing stagnation in the vicinity of the entrance.

In addition, the information on the crowding degree and the traffic flow can be acquired by flexibly using the information on the building system on the building side provided with the escalator. In addition to the automatic extension control by the traffic control device 70 as described above, the extension control of the guide fence can be performed manually by pressing a button or the like even when the traffic control device is in a crowded state on the manager side of the commercial establishment. For example, when the degree of congestion in a commercial facility in which an escalator provided with a traffic control device 70 is installed increases, a manager outputs an instruction to extend the escalator in advance in consideration of an increase in users of the escalator. In this case, since the instruction output can be remotely performed, the change in the degree of congestion associated with the escalator can be predicted based on the congestion condition in the facility, and the change can be associated in advance, the retention of the escalator user can be smoothly suppressed, and the safe use can be promoted.

Further, another example of using the device instead of the user detection sensor will be described with reference to fig. 11 and 12. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the correlation between the traffic suppression device 70 and the control device 50 in the case of using the image pickup device 90, and fig. 12 is a block diagram showing the correlation between the traffic suppression device 70 and the control device 50 based on information of the operation condition.

In the case of using the imaging device 90, the user detection sensor 71 is not provided for the traffic control device 70, and information acquired from the load detection device provided in the escalator 10 main body and the imaging device 90 is transmitted to the information acquisition means 501. In the case of using the image pickup device, it is not necessary to provide a user detection sensor and an object detection sensor. The information acquired via the imaging device 90 instead of the user detection sensor and the object detection sensor can be used to detect the approach to the expanding guide fence as a safety function, in addition to the occupancy rate and whether the expansion and contraction of the guide fence 74 is necessary. As described above, by flexibly using the image or the image obtained from the imaging device 90, a design can be made in which safety is further considered.

When it is determined whether or not the expansion and contraction are possible based on the operation conditions, the operation condition determination unit 503 provided in the control device 50 determines whether or not the expansion and contraction are possible when the operation conditions such as the normal operation, the low-speed standby operation, and the operation stop are determined and the state is continued for a certain time based on the information. For example, when the guide fence 74 remains in the extended state for a certain period of time and then becomes the low-speed standby operation, it is considered that the extended state is not required to be maintained if the operation state is not changed, and thus it is determined that the vehicle can be contracted. In addition, when congestion prediction is performed based on the number of weeks, the time period, or the like, if it is determined that there is no user in the low-speed standby or operation stop state, an instruction to enable expansion and contraction may be output to the actuator 73, and the guide fence 74 may be previously operated to expand and contract.

As described above, according to the embodiment, by providing the sensor 71 for detecting the user's taking and lowering, the extendable/retractable guide fence 74, the actuator 73 for generating the power for moving the guide fence, the caster 75 for smoothing the movement of the guide fence, the information acquisition means 501 for acquiring the traffic information, the determination means 502 for determining whether the extending/retracting operation and the extension length thereof are required, and the display unit 72 for reporting the situation to the user, the control and the attention-calling display based on the congestion situation of the user are performed, whereby the designability can be lost when the guide fence 74 is not required, and the safety degradation due to the stay in the vicinity of the taking and lowering mouth can be effectively suppressed when the congestion is occurring.

The use display unit 72 can always report the operation status to the user, and thus the user can recognize that the system is operating without any problem and the degree of congestion of the escalator. Based on the detection condition of the sensor, the distance of the line from the descent opening to the entrance can be adjusted according to the conditions such as the increase/decrease of the user and the degree of congestion, and the guide fence can be stored in the housing as one body, so that the function of the guide fence can be ensured when the user is crowded, and the guide fence can be stored when the user is not required, and the guide fence can be used in a differentiated manner according to the required timing. In particular, when a plurality of escalators are disposed in a commercial facility or the like and the degree of congestion as a whole is known, the escalator can be used as a traffic control device for ensuring safety more effectively.

Further, if the motion prediction is displayed, it is expected that the escalator is crowded later, and when the escalator is crowded, it is possible to flexibly use other tools such as stairs and a car elevator, and to increase options for going to a destination floor.

In addition, by providing the escalator in conjunction with the equipment of the escalator, management is not required on the building side, and convenience is improved.

As another variation, the availability can be improved by acquiring information on the degree of congestion and the traffic flow and using information on the building system on the building side where the escalator is installed.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended 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 scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (6)

1. A people stream suppressing device for an escalator is provided with:

the first sensor is arranged at the boarding and disembarking port and used for detecting the boarding and disembarking of a user;

a housing having a base fixedly provided at the entrance and a movable portion movable from the base in the same direction as the user's direction of ascent and descent and engageable with the base;

a guide rail that is capable of expanding and contracting, and that is provided so as to span between the base and the movable portion by engaging one side with the base and engaging the other side with the movable portion, and that is capable of switching between a state in which the movable portion is engaged with the base and a state in which the movable portion is disengaged from the base;

an actuator for adjusting the telescopic state of the guide fence;

a plurality of casters provided below the guide rail to smoothly move the guide rail horizontally;

an information acquisition unit that acquires a boarding ratio of the escalator as utilization information based on a detection condition of the first sensor;

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not to extend or retract the guide fence based on the utilization information, and to determine that the extension or retraction of the guide fence is required when the occupancy exceeds a first threshold value, and to output an instruction to the actuator; and

and a display device provided on the outer peripheral surface of the housing, for displaying at least one of the riding rate and the running state of the escalator in normal operation, and for displaying the guiding fence to prompt the user to draw attention during the telescopic operation of the guiding fence.

2. The traffic suppression device of an escalator according to claim 1, wherein,

the information acquisition unit calculates a rate of change of the riding rate over a predetermined period of time in addition to the riding rate,

the determination unit determines that the expansion/contraction operation is required when either the riding rate exceeds the first threshold value or the change rate exceeds the second threshold value.

3. The traffic suppression device of an escalator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

a crowded condition on the building side including the escalator is obtained,

the information acquisition unit predicts a change in the congestion level based on the congestion status,

the display device displays information matching the information from the information acquisition unit.

4. The traffic suppression device of an escalator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

further comprising a second sensor for detecting a person or object between the base and the movable part,

the determination unit is configured to output an instruction to temporarily interrupt the operation to the actuator if the second sensor detects that the person or object approaches the guide fence or blocks the telescopic operation.

5. The traffic suppression device of an escalator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

also provided with a voice output device which is used for outputting the voice,

in the operation of the guide fence, a broadcast is outputted from the voice output device together with the display of the display device.

6. The traffic suppression device of an escalator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

the guide fence is bellows-shaped and can be folded to be stored in the housing.