FI127157B

FI127157B - Conveyor control system

Info

Publication number: FI127157B
Application number: FI20165935A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Simo Mäkimattila
Original assignee: Kone Corp; Kone Elevators Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-12-08
Filing date: 2016-12-08
Publication date: 2017-12-15
Also published as: CN108190712A; FI20165935A; CN206569890U; CN108190712B

Description

A MONITORING ARRANGEMENT OF A PEOPLE MOVER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to monitoring of a people mover, such as an escalator, an autowalk or a moving ramp.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Escalators, auto walks and moving ramps are people movers, each of which typically comprises an endless band of conveying elements, such as steps or pallets for supporting the load to be transported, i.e. a person. The conveying element typically comprises guide rollers and a tread member with a tread surface on which a person can stand. The conventional people movers furthermore comprise elongated guide rails for guiding and supporting the guide rollers of the conveying elements. Said elongated guide rails typically comprise two first side guide rails for guiding and supporting the guide rollers of the conveying elements located on a first side of the conveying elements, and two second side guide rails for guiding and supporting the guide rollers of the conveying elements located on a second side of the conveying elements. The relative positioning of the guide rails can be used to control the tilt angle of the conveying element, whereby the people mover can comprise sections of different inclinations. The conveying elements are typically connected to each other by a drive chain on one or both sides of each step. It is typical that on one or both sides of each step, one guide roller of the step is coupled with a drive chain link. Thereby the drive chain becomes guided by the guide rollers as well.

[0003] People movers are typically equipped with a monitoring arrangement for monitoring and ensuring safe operation thereof. The monitoring arrangement can comprise a monitoring unit comprising an electronic processing means such as microprocessors. The monitoring is typically implemented by aid of a sensing means connected with the monitoring unit. The people mover often comprises several different functions and components that are monitored by the sensing means. Monitoring is needed for ensuring safety of the people, and that the system is working as intended. Monitoring can also be useful for obtaining various pieces of information that can be useful for other purposes, such as for information for estimating need of maintenance and/or information for making the operation more efficient or economical. Said sensing means typically comprise sensors that serve as the means by which the monitoring unit obtains first-hand information of the people mover.

[0004] A drawback of the monitoring arrangements of prior art has been that they do not obtain information about people flow efficiently. Particularly, efficient detection of location of the passenger has not been provided. Camera equipment has been able to collect some related information, but not accurately particularly during traffic hours when the information has been particularly relevant. A further drawback of the monitoring arrangements of prior art has been that known systems have been complicated, as there have been numerous separate means for monitoring people flow, state of different components and occurrence of different phenomena.

[0005] Related prior art has been disclosed in documents JP 3914247 Bl, JP S60195881 U, US 2016272467 Al, JP 2014105076 A, JP 2013170021 A and JP 3442530 B2.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The object of the invention is to introduce a new people mover, which is improved in terms of its monitoring abilities. An object is to introduce a solution by which one or more of the above defined problems of prior art and/or problems discussed or implied elsewhere in the description can be solved. An object is to introduce an improved solution which provides information about people flow and in particular information about the location of the passenger. An object is furthermore to introduce a multipurpose solution which is usable for sensing occurrence additionally more than one phenomena that are relevant for safety of the people mover operation, for control and analysis of the people flow, or for estimating the need of maintenance.

[0007] Embodiments are presented, inter alia, which can be used for obtaining information about the location of the passenger, but additionally one or more of the following: detection of misalignment of a conveying element, detection of unsymmetrical wear of drive chains connecting the conveying element of the people mover, detection of missing or misaligned guide roller and detection of passenger movement.

[0008] It is brought forward a new monitoring arrangement of a people mover comprising an endless band of conveying elements, such as steps or pallets, each of the conveying elements comprising guide rollers and a tread member with a tread surface on which a person can stand; and plurality of elongated guide rails for guiding and supporting the guide rollers of the conveying elements; said plurality of elongated guide rails comprising a first side guide rail for guiding and supporting the guide rollers of the conveying elements located on a first side of the conveying elements, and a second side guide rail for guiding and supporting the guide rollers of the conveying elements located on a second side of the conveying elements, said first and second side being opposite sides of the conveying elements in width direction of the people mover, which width direction is orthogonal to longitudinal direction of the guide rails; and a monitoring unit comprising an electronic processing means such as one or more microprocessors; and a sensing means connected with the monitoring unit. The sensing means comprise a first sensing means provided on a guide rail section of said first side guide rail and arranged to sense force exerted on said guide rail section of said first side guide rail by a guide roller of a conveying element; and a second sensing means provided on a guide rail section of said second side guide rail and arranged to sense force exerted on said guide rail section of said second side guide rail by a guide roller of a conveying element; and said first and second sensing means are connected with the monitoring unit; and the monitoring unit is configured to determine position of a load in width direction of the people mover, which load is placed on top of a tread surface of a conveying element, based on forces sensed by the first and second sensing means.

[0009] With this solution one or more of the above mentioned objects can be achieved. A smart guide rail solution is provided, which obtains firsthand information about people flow and in particular information about where passenger is located in width direction of the people mover. The presented solution can however be used also for one or more additional purposes if desired. Using for additional purposes can in some individual people mover omitted, and in some used. Preferable further details of the people mover are introduced in the following, which further details can be combined with the method individually or in any combination.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, particularly strain gauges are utilized. By the embodiments utilizing strain gauges, several advantages are achieved, which are particularly related to simplicity, accuracy and suitability for sensing occurrence additionally more than one phenomena.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In the following, the present invention will be described in more detail by way of example and with reference to the attached drawings, in which

Figure 1 illustrates a monitoring arrangement of a people mover comprising a conveying element and guide rails for the guide rollers of the conveying element. Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of the monitoring arrangement.

Figure 3 illustrates the monitoring arrangement of Figure 1 where a passenger is placed on top of a tread surface of a conveying element.

Figure 4 illustrates details of the monitoring arrangement as viewed in longitudinal direction of a guide rail.

Figure 5 illustrates details of the monitoring arrangement as viewed from below in normal direction of a guide rail.

Figure 6 illustrates details of a preferred embodiment of a strain gauge used in the monitoring arrangement.

Figure 7 illustrates an alternative configuration of the slots of the guide rail.

The foregoing aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings and the detailed description related thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Figure 1 illustrates a monitoring arrangement of a people mover, comprising an endless band of conveying elements 1, such as steps or pallets, each of the conveying elements 1 comprising guide rollers 2a-2d and a tread member 3 with a tread surface 3a on which a person can stand. The people mover comprises a plurality of elongated guide rails 4a-4d for guiding and supporting the guide rollers 2a-2d of the conveying elements 1. For the sake of clarity, in Figure 1 only small length of the guide rails 4a-4d and only one conveying element 1 is presented as seen in normal direction N of the guide rails 4a-4d. The broken line illustrates the direction in which the conveying elements 1 are successively positioned. The arrow shows the direction of movement of the conveying elements 1. The successive conveying elements 1 can be connected to each other by at least one drive chain, as it is common in conventional people movers, for example. The people mover can be arranged to apply force for moving the conveying elements 1 by an electric motor connected with the aforementioned drive chain(s), for instance.

[0013] Said plurality of elongated guide rails 4a-4d comprises two first side guide rails 4a, 4b for guiding and supporting the guide rollers 2a,2b of the conveying elements 1 located in width direction W on a first side of the conveying elements 1, and two second side guide rail 4c, 4d for guiding and supporting the guide rollers 2c,2d of the conveying elements 1 located in width direction W on a second side of the conveying elements 1, said first and second side of the conveying elements 1 being opposite sides of the conveying elements 1 in width direction W of the people mover, which width direction W is orthogonal to longitudinal direction L of the guide rails 4a-4d, and thereby also orthogonal to the direction L in which the conveying elements 1 are movable.

[0014] The monitoring arrangement comprises a monitoring unit 5 comprising an electronic processing means 5a. The monitoring arrangement further comprises a sensing means 6a-6d connected with the monitoring unit 5, as illustrated in Figure 2. The connection can be an electrical wire connection or a wireless connection. The processing means 5a are preferably in the form of one or more microprocessors.

[0015] The sensing means 6a-6d comprise a first sensing means 6a provided on a guide rail section 7 of a first side guide rail 4a, and arranged to sense force exerted on said guide rail section 7 of said first side guide rail 4a by a guide roller 2a of a conveying element 1, and a second sensing means 6c provided on a guide rail section 7 of a second side guide rail 4c, and arranged to sense force exerted on said guide rail section 7 of said second side guide rail 4c by a guide roller 2c of a conveying element 1. Said first and second sensing means 6a,6c are connected with the monitoring unit 5. Said first side guide rail 4a and said second side guide rail 4c are preferably arranged to guide rollers 2a,2c, which are coaxial. Preferably, said first and second sensing means 6a,6c are positioned such that forces exerted by the guide rollers 2a,2c are being sensed simultaneously. This is most simple, when the guide rollers 2a,2c, are coaxial and the sensing means 6a,6c are located beside each other. Simultaneous sensing is however not necessary as the monitoring unit 5 could be configured to take into account differences in positioning of the components and the delays caused by these differences.

[0016] Said first side guide rail 4a and said second side guide rail 4c are preferably arranged to guide rollers 2a,2c, which are not coupled with a drive chain via which force for moving the conveying elements 1 is applied to the conveying elements 1. Thus, the rollers 2a,2c are not directly affected by drive forces and the sensing exerted by them is reliable for determination of said position P of the load L.

[0017] The monitoring unit 5 is configured to determine, based on forces sensed by the first and second sensing means 6a,6c, the position P of a load L in width direction W of the people mover, which load is placed on top of a tread surface 3a of a conveying element 1. The load meant here is preferably a passenger.

[0018] The aforementioned monitoring unit 5 comprising an electronic processing means 5a such as one or more microprocessors can be in the form of a computer for instance.

[0019] Determination of the position P of a load L in width direction W of the people mover with adequate accuracy is possible by providing a sensing means 6a on only one first side guide rail 4a and a sensing means 6c on only one second side guide rail 4a. The accuracy of the determination and usability of the system for additional purposes is however facilitated if more than two guide rails, preferably each guide rail 4a-4d, is provided with the sensing means 6a,6b,6c,6d. Figure 1 illustrates also these additional sensing means 6b,6d, which additional sensing means 6b,6d are optional and not necessary. Should their presence be desired, the sensing means 6a-6d include additionally a further first sensing means 6b provided on a guide rail section 7 of another first side guide rail 4b arranged to sense force exerted on said guide rail section 7 of said another first side guide rail 4b by a guide roller 2b of a conveying element 1, and a further second sensing means 6d provided on a guide rail section 7 of another second side guide rail 4d arranged to sense force exerted on a guide rail section 7 of said another second side guide rail 4d by a guide roller 2d of a conveying element 1. Said first and second sensing means 6b,6d are then connected with the monitoring unit 5.

[0020] Figure 3 illustrates the monitoring arrangement of Figure 1 where a load L, i.e. a passenger, is placed on top of a tread surface 3a of a conveying element 3. The position of the load L is marked by reference marking P. The position P is here the center of gravity of the load L.

[0021] The determining of the width directional position P of a load L placed on top of a tread surface 3a of a conveying element 1 preferably comprises comparison of forces sensed by the first sensing means 6a with the second sensing means 6c.

[0022] Preferably, the monitoring unit 5 is configured to determine that the load L is in width direction W of the people mover on the first side of the tread surface 3a of a conveying element 1 when a force sensed by the first sensing means 6a is greater than a force sensed by the second sensing means 6c, and that the load L is in width direction W of the people mover on the second side of the tread surface 3a of a conveying element 1 when a force sensed by the first sensing means 6a is smaller than a force sensed by the second sensing means 6c.

[0023] Preferably, the monitoring unit 5 is configured to determine that the load L is in width direction W of the people mover 1 central when a force sensed by the first sensing means 6a is the same as a force sensed by the second sensing means 6c.

[0024] In addition or as an alternative to the aforementioned comparison, the determining can comprise calculating position P of a load L in width direction W of the people mover based on the forces sensed by the first sensing means 6a and the second sensing means 6c. Said calculating can be performed by basic mathematics.

[0025] Information about the position P determined can be utilized in various ways. Preferably, the monitoring unit 5 is configured to trigger one or more predefined actions if force sensed by one of the first sensing means 6a is greater than force sensed by the second sensing means 6c, and refrain from triggering said one or more predefined actions if force sensed by one of the first sensing means 6a is smaller than force sensed by the second sensing means 6c, or vice versa. Thus, it is possible to react to the position of the load L. Said actions can include sending a signal to a passenger or passengers, wherein said signal can be a signal with a signaling means like a display or a loudspeaker. The signal then may be an order to move in width direction W of the people mover. Thus, the people mover can control the positions of passengers, and particularly to urge them to move to be positioned in an optimal way with regard to the prevailing traffic situation. In some traffic situation, it may be advantageous that the passengers are side by side filling the overall tread surface area of the people mover as completely as possible. In some other traffic situation, it may be advantageous that the passengers are on one and the same side for allowing overtaking by walking along the people mover on one side only.

[0026] The sensing of the force exerted on said guide rail sections 7 is preferably implemented utilizing strain gauges. Preferred details of the implementation by a strain gauge 10 are illustrated in Figures 4-7. As illustrated, in the preferred embodiments said first sensing means 6a comprises at least one strain gauge 10 fixed on a guide rail section 7 of said first side guide rail 4a, and correspondingly said second sensing means 6c comprises at least one strain gauge 10 fixed on a guide rail section 7 of said second side guide rail 4c. The presented solution utilizing strain gauges 10 provides that the sensing is simple and relatively accurate. An additional advantage is that the sensing can also be utilized for additional purposes if desired, which makes it a multipurpose a solution.

[0027] Preferably, each guide rail section 7 on which at least one strain gauge 10 is fixed, comprises slots 8. Said guide rail section 7 of said first side guide rail 4a has an upper side 7a on top of which a guide roller 2a is arranged to run, when the endless band of conveying elements 1 is moved. Said guide rail section 7 comprises adjacent slots 8, and a strip 9 between each pair of adjacent slots 8, and a strain gauge 10 is fixed on the lower side 7b of at least one strip 9 and arranged to sense dimension changes of the strip 9, in particular caused by a guide roller running over the guide rail section 7. Said guide rail section 7 of said second side guide rail 4c has an upper side 7a on top of which a guide roller 2c is arranged to run, when the endless band of conveying elements 1 is moved. Said guide rail section 7 comprises adjacent slots 8, and a strip 9 between each pair of adjacent slots 8, and a strain gauge 10 is fixed on the lower side 7b of at least one strip 9 and arranged to sense dimension changes of the strip 9, in particular caused by a guide roller 2c running over the guide rail section 7. As illustrated, said slots 8 are preferably elongated in longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a-4d and at a distance from each other in width direction W of the guide rail 4a-4d, and the strip 9 is disposed in width direction W of the guide rail 4a-4d between each pair of adjacent slots 8, and the strip 9 is elongated in longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a-4d, and each said strain gauge 10 is fixed on the lower side 7b of one of said strips 9 and arranged to sense dimension changes of the strip 7 in longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a-4d.

[0028] The slots 8 increase bendability of the guide rail structure where the strain gauges 10 are fixed. This effect is facilitated most considerably in particular when the slots 8 are elongated. The strip 9 formed between the each pair of adjacent slots 8 forms a bridge structure between portions of the guide rail 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, which portions are on opposite sides of the slots 8 in longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, and thereby between portions of the guide rail 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d that are devoid of slots 8. The sensing can be implemented with only one strip 9 per each sensing means 6a,6c. However having plurality of the strips 9 per each sensing means 6a,6c is preferable as this makes it possible to compare bending of adjacent strips 9. Based on differences of the bending sensed by the strain gauges 10, problems such as a worn guide roller, guide roller surface peel-off, misaligned or tilted guide roller can be identified. The strips 9 and the slots 8 being elongated in longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a-4d provides that bending of a relatively long portion of the path of the guide roller can be simply sensed with small number of strain gauges 10. The slots 8 are preferably oriented parallel with each other as well as the longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a-4d. The slots 8 are preferably straight.

[0029] The slots 8 are preferably made by cutting the slots 8 in material of the elongated guide rails 4a-4d with laser. The elongated guide rails 4a-4d for guiding and supporting the guide rollers 2a-2d of the conveying elements 1 are preferably made of metal. Laser-cutting provides an accurate and efficient way to manufacture the slots.

[0030] As mentioned, the slots 8 are preferably elongated in longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a-4d. Particularly, it is preferable that they have each a length greater than width, the length/width ratio being more than 10, wherein said length is measured in longitudinal direction L of the guide rail 4a-4d, and said width in width direction W of the guide rail 4a-4d, respectively. The slots 8 are preferably narrow, because then they do not weaken the guide rail structure excessively. The slots 8 particularly preferably each less than 2 mm in width and more than 2 cm in length. The slots 8 are preferably 2-20 cm in length. These dimensions are preferable as they fit well with the typical dimensions of guide rollers of people movers in the form of escalator, autowalk or moving ramp.

[0031] The dimensions of the strips 9 are preferably as follows: each said strip 9 is 2-10 mm in width, and the strain gauge 10 fixed on the lower side 7b of the strip 9 is 2-5 mm in width , wherein said width is measured in width direction W of the guide rail 4a-4d. Each said strain gauge 10 is preferably more than 1 cm in length. Here, when referring to the length of the strain gauge 10, it is meant the length as measured in longitudinal direction of the guide rail 4a-4d.

[0032] The slots 8 extend preferably through the material of the elongated guide rails 4a-4d, as illustrated in Figure 4. Hereby, their ability to increase bendability of the guide rail section 7 is facilitated.

[0033] The Figures illustrate electrical wires protruding from each strain gauge 10, which wires can be electrically connected with the monitoring unit 5.

[0034] Strain gauges are commercially available components. Figure 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the strain gauge 10. In this case, the strain gauge 10 is an ohmic resistance strain gauge. The ohmic resistance strain gauge 10 comprises a conductor c extending in longitudinal direction of the strain gauge 10. Particularly, it is preferable that the conductor c extends back and forth in longitudinal direction of the strain gauge 10. The strain gauge 10 being of this kind, the monitoring unit 5, is arranged to monitor an electrical property of the conductor c, most preferably ohmic resistance thereof. Even slight dimensional changes of the strip 9 resulting from bending thereof will cause a detectable change in the ohmic resistance of the conductor. Thus, the solution can be very accurate.

[0035] As described referring to Figure 4, the slots 8 preferably extend through the material of the elongated guide rails 4a-4d, whereby bendability of the strips 9 can be facilitated. This is however not necessary. Figure 7 illustrates an alternative configuration of the slots 8. In this case, each said slot 8 is a blind slot extending into the material of the elongated guide rail 4a-4d without extending through it. The slots 8 being blind facilitates that the structure of the guide rail 4a-4d is not weakened excessively. It is furthermore preferable, although not necessary, that the blind slots 8 extend into the material of the elongated guide rail 4a-4d particularly from below without extending through it. Thus, the top surface of the guide rail 4a-4d is not made uneven by the slots 8, and even rolling of the guide rollers 2a-2d is facilitated. Furthermore, the strain gauges 10 and the slots 8 being on the same side of the guide rail 4a-4d, the strain gauges 10 are also simple to position relative to the slots 8.

[0036] The monitoring arrangement can further comprises a position sensor 11 for sensing position of a guide roller 2a-2d located on top of a guide rail section 7 at a point of a strain gauge 10, which position sensor 11 is also connected with the monitoring unit 5. This is however optional. The position sensor 11 is preferably further arranged to sense position of the guide roller 2a-2d in width direction W of the guide rail 4a-4d. Thus, effect of the guide roller position in said width direction W can be taken into account in the deductions to be performed based on the sensing. This is advantageous because guide roller position affects the way in which its weight is divided on the strips 9, and possibly also on parts of the guide rail not covered by the sensing. Preferably, the position sensor 11 is more specifically installed such that it is positioned beside the path of the guide roller 2a-2d. Preferably, it is directed to sense position of a central shaft s of the guide roller 2a-2d in question. As for the form of the position sensor 11, it is preferably a contactless sensor, such as a magnetic, capacitive or optical sensor.

[0037] The monitoring arrangement can optionally be arranged to stop movement of conveying elements 1 if a dimension change sensed by one or more of the strain gauges 10 exceeds a predetermined limit. This provides an additional safety feature for the system. Hereby, an overload situation can be detected and reacted to. This could prevent a dangerous situation from progressing, e.g. when an object being wedged between moving parts of the people mover. This kind of a situation is relevant particularly in proximity of a comb plate of the people mover. When implementing the solution to prevent this kind of situation, the sensing means 6a-6d should be provided on guide rail section that is located in proximity of a comb plate of the people mover.

[0038] Likewise, an additional optional feature for the system can be provided if the monitoring arrangement is arranged to stop movement of the conveying elements 1, or at least send a signal to a remote monitoring center, if a dimension change sensed by one or more of the strain gauges 10 is below a predetermined limit, and the other signals received by the monitoring arrangement and/or other data available indicates that a guide roller 2a-2d is located on top of a guide rail section 7 at a point of a strain gauge 10. This would make the arrangement capable of detecting and reacting to misalignment of a conveying element, unsymmetrical wear of chains connecting the conveying element of the people mover, a worn guide roller, or a missing or misaligned guide roller, for instance.

[0039] Generally, for facilitating comparison and/or calculations, the monitoring unit 5 is preferably configured to receive a sensing signal from each said strain gauge 10 and generate a numerical force value thereof.

[0040] Generally, the people mover can be an escalator, autowalk or a moving ramp. The aforementioned conveying elements 1 are steps if the people mover is an escalator and pallets if the people mover is an autowalk or a moving ramp.

[0041] As mentioned, the width direction W is horizontal direction and orthogonal to longitudinal direction L of the guide rails 4a-4d, and thereby also orthogonal to the direction L in which the conveying elements 1 are movable. In the Figures, also direction N is showed, which is the normal direction, and orthogonal to both the width direction W and longitudinal direction L of the guide rails 4a-4d. The longitudinal direction L of the guide rails 4a-4d can be horizontal but this is not necessary, because the guide rail might be at inclination relative to horizontal plane, such that the longitudinal axis thereof is at an angle relative to horizontal plane. This may be the case if the people mover is a moving ramp or an escalator which comprise inclined portions.

[0042] In the above preferred embodiments are described wherein strain gauges are used. In addition to determination of load position, the strain gauges are usable for sensing occurrence additionally more than one phenomena that are relevant for safety of the people mover operation, for control and analysis of the people flow, or for estimating the need of maintenance. For example, the dimension change caused by a guide roller, or the lack thereof, can indicate several things. A lacking dimension change, when a guide roller is or at least should be placed on top of the guide rail section being sensed, indicates that there is an issue of a missing guide roller, missing step or an excessive roller wear, or some other issue, for instance. An excessive dimension change on the other hand may indicate an overload situation, such as an object being wedged between moving parts of the people mover. Generally, the sensing can be made to trigger an emergency stop, an alarm signal, or as an input for an analysis so as to determine an optimal timing of a maintenance, for instance.

[0043] It is to be understood that the above description and the accompanying Figures are only intended to teach the best way known to the inventors to make and use the invention. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The above-described embodiments of the invention may thus be modified or varied, without departing from the invention, as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

A passenger conveyor control arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said determination comprises a comparison of the forces detected by the first sensing means (6a) and the second sensing means (6c).

Passenger conveyor control arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit (5) is arranged to determine that the load (L) is in the width direction (W) of the conveyor element (1) on the first side of the step (3a). the force is greater than that detected by the second sensing means (6c), and that the load (L) is in the width direction (W) of the passenger conveyor on one side of the step surface (3a) of the conveyor element ] recognize the power.

Passenger conveyor control arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit (5) is arranged to determine that the load (L) is in the middle of the passenger conveyor width (W) when the force detected by the first sensing means (6a) recognize the power.

Passenger conveyor control arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit (5) is arranged to initiate one or more actions if the force detected by the first sensing means (6a) is greater than the force detected by the second sensing means (6c). a plurality of operations if the force detected by the first sensing means (6a) is less than that detected by the second sensing means (6c), or vice versa.

Passenger conveyor control arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said determination is adapted to include the position of the load (L) in the width conveyor (W) of the passenger conveyor based on the forces detected by the first sensing means (6a) and the second sensing means (6c).

7. PEOPLE control arrangement, characterized in that said first detection means (6a) comprise at least one of said first side guide rail (4a) of the guide rail portion (7) attached to the strain gauge (10) and said second detection means (6c) comprise according to any one of the preceding claims, at least one of said second side guide rail (4c) of the guide rail portion (7) attached to the strain gauge (10).

8. claimed in claim 7 wherein PEOPLE control arrangement, characterized in that said first side guide rail (4a) of the guide rail section (7), in which a strain gauge (10) is mounted, comprises slits (8), and said second side guide rail (4c) ohjauskisko- the portion (7) to which the strain gauge (10) is attached comprises slots (8),

9. A PEOPLE control arrangement according to 7-8 of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first side guide rail (4a) of the guide rail section (7) has a top side (7a) on which the guide roller (2a) is arranged to pass, and said guide rail portion (7) comprises adjacent gaps (8), and a strip (9) between each pair of adjacent gaps (8), and said strain gauge (10) is attached to the underside (7b) of at least one strip (9) and arranged to detect dimensional changes in the strip (9) .

10. any one of the preceding claims PEOPLE control arrangement, characterized in that said second side guide rail (4c] guide rail section [7] has a top side (7a] on which a guide roller (2c) is arranged to pass, and said guide rail section according to 7-9 (7) comprises adjacent gaps (8), and a strip (9) between each pair of adjacent gaps (8), and said strain gauge (10) is attached to the underside (7b) of at least one strip (9) and arranged to detect dimensional changes in the strip (9) .

Passenger conveyor control arrangement according to one of the preceding claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the slots (8) are elongated in the longitudinal direction (L) of the guide rail (4a-4d) and spaced apart in the width direction (W) of the guide rail (4a-4d). 9) is in the width direction (W) of the guide rail (4a-4d) between each pair of adjacent gaps (8), and the strip (9) is elongated in the longitudinal direction (L) of the guide rail (4a-4d); (9) on the underside (7b) and arranged to detect dimensional changes of the strip (9) in the longitudinal direction (L) of the guide rail (4a-4d).

A passenger conveyor monitoring arrangement according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that each of said elongation sensors (10) is an ohmic resistance elongation sensor.

A personal conveyor monitoring arrangement according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that each said strain gauge (10) comprises a conductor (c) extending in the longitudinal direction of the strain gauge (10), and the monitoring unit (5) is arranged to monitor the electrical property of the , most preferably, its ohmic resistance.

A passenger conveyor monitoring arrangement according to any one of claims 7 to 13, characterized in that the monitoring arrangement is arranged to stop the movement of the conveyor elements (1) if the dimensional change detected by one or more of said elongation sensors (10) exceeds a predetermined limit.

Passenger conveyor control arrangement according to one of the preceding claims 8 to 14, characterized in that each slot (8) has a length greater than a width, preferably with a length / width ratio greater than 10.

Passenger conveyor control arrangement according to any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that the slots (8) are straight and parallel to each other.

A passenger conveyor monitoring arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the monitoring arrangement further comprises a position sensor (11) on the guide rail portion (7) for identifying the position of a roller (2a, 2c) at the strain sensor (10). ) is connected to the monitoring unit (5), wherein the position sensor (11) is arranged to detect the position of the roller (2a, 2c) in the width direction (W) of the guide rail (4a-4d).

A passenger conveyor control arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the passenger conveyor is an escalator, a walkway or a slip ramp.