JP2001335268A - Escalator control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an escalator control device capable of setting speed of steps low in getting and on and off while reducing product cost. SOLUTION: In operation of an escalator at normal speed, as an operation means 10 close to a getting-on port is operated, a signal is inputted through an input/output board 9 to a controller 8, and a first speed control means to change the normal speed into low speed is started in the escalator. After getting on, as the operation means 10 is operated, a second speed control means to change it into the normal speed is started. At a specified time after that, when a passenger is almost getting to a getting-off port, based on operation in the controller 8, a third speed control means to change the speed into low speed is started. As the operation means 10 close to the getting-off port is operated, a fourth speed control means to change the speed into the normal speed is started. This escalator control device capable of setting the speed of footsteps low while reducing product cost can thus be provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an escalator control device capable of reducing the speed of a step when getting on and off.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Escalators that circulate endlessly connected steps and transport passengers are installed in public places, such as station buildings and department stores, where there is a relatively large flow of people.
It plays a part in transportation equipment. In particular, in view of the coming aging society, especially in recent years, including barrier-free, the number of installations is increasing.

[0003] In such an escalator, a step is usually connected endlessly and continuously circulates at a constant speed to carry a user.

[0004]

By the way, the speed of a step which is not bothersome for a healthy person is not always convenient for an elderly person when getting on and off.

[0005] That is, it is impossible to follow the step speed at the time of getting on, and hesitates to get on near the entrance, and even after getting on, once getting off, from the fear of the movement of the step itself,
There are cases where it is not possible to get off well, which not only disturbs the traffic flow but also in some cases may lead to a fall.

However, it is necessary for the escalator itself to maintain the transportation capacity per unit time, and it is not appropriate to reduce the speed more than the current state.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-125962, means for providing an input recognition device near the entrance to operate at a specific low speed only for specific users such as the elderly. However, installing this apparatus for each escalator is disadvantageous in terms of product cost, and it is necessary to consider other solutions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an escalator control device capable of reducing the product cost and reducing the speed of a step when getting on and off. I do.

[0009]

An escalator control device according to the first aspect of the present invention is an escalator for circulating endlessly connected steps and transporting passengers. 1st shift to lower speed than normal speed by operating while operating at speed
Speed control means, a second speed control means for shifting the speed shifted to a low speed by the first speed control means to a normal speed, and a speed shift to the normal speed by the second speed control means. A third speed control means for calculating a time required to switch to a speed lower than the speed, and shifting the speed to a speed lower than the normal speed when the calculated time elapses; And fourth speed control means for shifting the speed shifted to the normal speed to the normal speed.

[0010] Thus, only by providing simple means,
When a specific passenger, such as an elderly person, gets on the vehicle, the speed decreases and it becomes easier to get on the vehicle. After getting on the vehicle, the speed can be increased once and the transportation capacity can be restored. Further, when the vehicle gets off the vehicle, the vehicle shifts to a low speed again, so that a specific user easily gets off the vehicle. After getting off the vehicle, the vehicle returns to the original speed, so that the transportation capacity can be restored again.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the escalator control device according to the first aspect, at least a time period from when the second speed control means is activated to when the third speed control means is activated is set at least. The calculation is based on the normal speed of the escalator and the floor height of the escalator.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the escalator control device according to the first aspect, wherein the second and fourth escalator control devices are provided.
At least one of the speed control means is activated by operation means installed near the entrance or the exit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the escalator control device according to the first aspect, wherein the second and fourth escalator control devices are provided.
In the case where at least one of the speed control means is configured using a timer, and the second speed control means is configured using a timer, the timer is activated by the operation of the first speed control means, When the control means is configured using a timer, the timer is activated by the operation of the third speed control means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an escalator control device according to the first aspect, wherein
And invalidating means for invalidating the speed control means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the escalator control device according to the fifth aspect, the invalidating means comprises:
It is characterized in that the first to fourth speed control means are invalidated in a predetermined time zone.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the escalator control device according to the fifth aspect, the invalidation means comprises:
It is characterized in that the first to fourth speed control means are invalidated by an external signal.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 8, in the escalator control device according to claim 5, the invalidation means comprises:
When the number of occupants is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the first to fourth speed control means are invalidated.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the escalator control device according to the first aspect, wherein the first speed control means is operated and the fourth speed control means is operated after the first speed control means is operated. The present invention is characterized in that a means for invalidating the first speed control means is provided.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the escalator control device according to the first aspect, at least one of the first to fourth speed control means includes a special step for a wheelchair. It is characterized in that it is substituted by means of the same function installed on the escalator.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an escalator control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an electric motor for driving a step and a handrail belt connected endlessly, and the escalator moves up or down depending on the rotation direction of the electric motor. The main circuit for rotating the electric motor 1 includes an inverter device 2 for controlling the speed of the escalator at a variable speed, and a power regeneration unit for returning regenerative energy generated when the escalator is operated to descend to the power supply side. 3 is provided. As a regenerative means, there is a means for converting energy by heat generated by a resistor. However, in view of the convenience of an installation space for a control device of the escalator and a rise in temperature in the truss due to heat generation, in the present embodiment, power regeneration is performed.

Further, a noise filter 5 and an AC reactor 4 are provided to prevent radio noise and low-order harmonics generated by the inverter control.

On the other hand, in the control circuit for controlling the operation of the escalator, first, a transformer 6 for lowering the power supply voltage from a three-phase AC power supply, and a rectifier 7 for converting AC into DC are provided. 8 is supplied.

The controller 8 performs speed control according to the following four means. The controller 8 receives signals from operating means 10 installed on the truss via the input / output board 9 and performs speed control according to the flow described later. And a control command to the power regeneration unit 3.

Next, the speed control of the escalator in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The flow of the following description is a process inside the controller 8 described above, and includes a microcomputer, a programmable controller, and the like.
The configuration and the programming language are not limited as long as the same function can be finally realized.

In this embodiment, among the four means for controlling the speed, the first speed control means, the second speed control means, and the fourth speed control means each include an operation switch installed on the truss side. The operation means 10 will be described below with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
This process is periodically repeated.

Processing is started in STP200, and STP2
At 01, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is operating normally. When the normal operation is not being performed, that is, when the operation means 10 has already been operated and the operation has been switched to the low speed operation, the present process is bypassed in order to prevent the unspecified number of customers from continuing the low speed operation due to the repeated operation. That is, the operation means is invalidated, and S
The process ends at TP212.

In the case of normal operation, proceed to STP202,
The operation signal from the operation means 10 is transmitted to the input / output board 9.
To enter through. Next, the presence or absence of an operation for the first speed control means is confirmed in STP 203, and if it is operated, a low speed operation control command is output to the inverter device 2 via the input / output board 9 in STP 204. Thereby, the step speed of the escalator is reduced.

Next, in STP205, it is confirmed whether or not an operation for the second speed control means has been performed. If the operation has been performed, a normal operation control command is transmitted in STP204 to the inverter device 2 via the input / output board 9. Output. Thereby, the step speed returns to the normal speed again.

At this time, the STP is output simultaneously with the output of the control command.
At 207, the timer is started (initialized). Using this timer, the time for lowering the speed again when getting off the vehicle is measured. That is, in the third speed control means,
Although the shift to a low speed is made, this third speed control means can be implemented by a timer process inside the controller 8. Based on the height of the escalator, the step speed, and the elapsed time since the rider was confirmed (the elapsed time since the second speed control means was activated by operating the operation switch), The position is found by calculation.

As a result of the calculation, if it can be determined from the elapsed time that the vehicle is almost in the vicinity of getting off, that is, if a predetermined time has elapsed in STP208, the vehicle shifts to the low speed in STP209. here,
The predetermined time is a value uniquely determined from the step speed and the floor height of the escalator as described above. After shifting to low speed, ST
If it is detected in P210 that the fourth speed control means has been activated by the operation means 10, a normal speed command is output in STP211 and the processing ends in STP212.

According to the present embodiment, by operating the operation means 10 for the first speed control means, when a specific user such as an elderly person gets on the vehicle, the speed is reduced and the passenger is easily boarded. If this can be confirmed by operating the operation means 10 with respect to the second speed control means, it is possible to temporarily increase the speed and return the transport capacity to the original.

Further, at the time of getting off, the third speed control means shifts to low speed, so that a specific user can easily get off the vehicle, and after getting off, the operating means 10 for the fourth speed control means.
By returning to the original speed by operating, it is possible to return the transportation capacity to the original again.

In the third speed control means, the calculated speed switching start time is determined at least by the normal speed of the escalator and the floor height of the escalator. There is no need to install the truss on the truss side, and the operation becomes simpler.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, as means for activating the first speed control means, the second speed control means, and the fourth speed control means, the operation of an operation switch or the like installed on the truss side, respectively. The second embodiment uses the operation means 10 such as an operation switch installed on the truss side as a means for activating the first speed control means and the fourth speed control means. And a timer is used as the second speed control means, and its operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is periodically repeated.

Processing is started in STP300, and STP3
At 01, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is operating normally. When the normal operation is not being performed, that is, when the operation means 10 has already been operated and the operation has been switched to the low speed operation, the present process is bypassed in order to prevent the unspecified number of customers from continuing the low speed operation due to the repeated operation. Then, the process ends in STP312.

In the case of normal operation, proceed to STP302,
The operation signal from the operation means 10 is transmitted to the input / output board 9.
To enter through. Next, in STP303, it is confirmed whether or not the operation means 10 is operated with respect to the first speed control means, and if it is operated, a low-speed operation control command is outputted to the inverter device 2 via the input / output board 9 in STP304. At the same time, a timer different from the timer started in STP 307 described later is started. As a result, although the step speed of the escalator is reduced, a predetermined time can be detected by the STP 305 after the first speed control device operates since the timer is used as a device for activating the second speed control device. . And after the detection, STP3
At step 06, a normal operation control command is output to the inverter device 2 via the input / output board 9. Thereby, the step speed returns to the normal speed again. At this time, the timer is started (initialized) at STP307 at the same time as the output of the control command, as in the case of FIG. 2 described above. Using this timer, the time for lowering the speed again when getting off the vehicle is measured. That is, the speed is shifted to the low speed by the third speed control means. However, the third speed control means can be activated by a timer process inside the controller 8.
From the elapsed time after the floor height, step speed, and entry of the escalator were confirmed (after a predetermined time since the first speed control means was activated), which position is the step on which the elderly person has boarded Obtained by calculation.

As a result of the calculation, if it can be determined from the elapsed time that the vehicle is almost in the vicinity of getting off, that is, if a predetermined time has elapsed in STP308, the vehicle shifts to the low speed in STP309. here,
The predetermined time is a value uniquely determined from the step speed and the floor height of the escalator as described above. After shifting to low speed, ST
If it is detected in P310 that the fourth speed control means has been activated, a normal speed command is output in STP311 and the process ends in STP312.

According to this embodiment, since the timer is used as the means for activating the second speed control means,
There is no need to install an operation means such as an operation switch on the truss side as a means for activating the speed control means, and the operation is simplified accordingly.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the first
The first speed control means and the second speed control means in the embodiment of the present invention use the operation means 10 such as an operation switch installed on the truss side as the means for starting, and use the timer as the fourth speed control means. And
The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is periodically repeated.

Processing is started in STP400, and STP4
At 01, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is operating normally. If the normal operation is not being performed, that is, if the operation means has already been operated and the operation has been switched to the low-speed operation, the present process is bypassed to prevent continuation of the low-speed operation due to the repeated operation by an unspecified number of customers. , STP412 ends the process.

In the case of normal operation, the process proceeds to STP402,
The operation signal from the operation means 10 is transmitted to the input / output board 9.
To enter through. Next, in STP403, it is confirmed whether or not there is an operation for activating the first speed control means. If the operation is performed, a low-speed operation control command is output to the inverter device 2 via the input / output board 9 in STP404. I do. Thereby, the step speed of the escalator is reduced.

Next, in STP 405, it is confirmed whether or not an operation for activating the second speed control means has been performed. If the operation has been performed, a normal operation control command is transmitted in STP 404 and the inverter device is connected via the input / output board 9. Output to 2. Thereby, the step speed returns to the normal speed again. At this time, at the same time as outputting the control command,
To start (initialize) the timer. Using this timer, the time for lowering the speed again when getting off the vehicle is measured.

That is, the third speed control means shifts to a low speed. This third speed control means is implemented by timer processing inside the controller 8, and the escalator floor height and the step speed are changed. From the elapsed time since the boarding was confirmed (elapsed time since the second speed control means was activated by operating the operation switch), the position of the step on which the elderly person got on is calculated.

As a result of the calculation, if it can be determined from the elapsed time that the vehicle is almost in the vicinity of getting off, that is, if a predetermined time has elapsed in STP408, a low speed command is output in STP409 and a timer different from the timer started in STP407 is started. I do.

That is, since a timer is used as the fourth speed control means, it is determined in STP410 that the elapsed time after the output of the low speed command has exceeded a predetermined time, and if it is detected, the normal speed is determined in STP411. The command is output, and the process ends at STP412.

According to the present embodiment, the timer is used as a means for activating the fourth speed control means.
There is no need to install an operation means such as an operation switch on the truss side as a means for activating the speed control means, and the operation is simplified accordingly.

(Other Embodiments) The first speed control means described above is configured to be activated by using an operation means such as an operation switch provided on the truss side, and the second speed control means and the fourth speed control means are activated.
Each of the means for activating the speed control means may be configured using a timer. With such a configuration, the operation by the operation means such as the operation switch can be performed by one operation.
Since the operation only needs to be performed once (that is, only the operation for activating the first speed control unit), the operation is further simplified.

Further, in order to prevent a series of operation means from being tampered with, and to prevent a decrease in transportation capacity due to a decrease in speed during high demand, the processing according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. As the permission condition, for example, a determination based on a time zone, a determination using an external switch, and a determination based on the number of occupants (the number of people on board) may be used.

In order to make a determination based on the time zone, if a specific time zone is detected by a calendar function or the like inside the controller 8 (for example, when going to work or leaving work), the process is started at the beginning of the process. Make it bypass.

On the other hand, when making a determination by an external switch, a signal from a contact point is input from the outside via the input / output board 9 and the determination may be made based on this state. If a contact that is turned on / off by a calendar function is prepared in advance at the customer side, permission judgment can be made by inputting this external signal.

Further, in the determination based on the number of passengers (the number of people on board), for example, the current value of the motor 1 is input via the input / output board 9, and if this value exceeds a predetermined value, no permission is given. I do.

The operating means used in the above embodiment may be provided exclusively. For example, in an escalator having a dedicated step for a wheelchair, an operating switch and buttons which are provided in advance are also used. It may be that. In this way, by using a means having an equivalent function such as an operation switch provided on an escalator having a dedicated step for a wheelchair, a cost increase can be suppressed.

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to realize an escalator control device that can reduce the product cost and reduce the speed of the step when a specific user such as an elderly person gets on and off with a simple operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric motor 2 ... Inverter apparatus 3 ... Power regeneration unit 4 ... Reactor 5 ... Noise filter 6 ... Transformer 7 ... Rectifier 8 ... Controller 9 ... I / O board 10 ... Operation means

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An escalator for circulating passengers by circulating a step connected endlessly to shift to a speed lower than the normal speed by operating an operating means installed near the entrance during normal operation. First speed control means for causing the first speed control means to shift the low speed to a normal speed, and second speed control means for shifting to the normal speed by the second speed control means. Third speed control means for calculating a time required to switch the speed to a speed lower than the normal speed, and shifting the speed to a speed lower than the normal speed when the calculated time has elapsed; and third speed control means. An escalator control device, comprising: fourth speed control means for shifting a speed shifted to a lower speed to a normal speed. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a time period from when the second speed control means is activated to when the third speed control means is activated is calculated based on at least a normal speed of the escalator and a floor height of the escalator. The escalator control device according to claim 1. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said second and fourth speed control means is activated by an operation means installed near an entrance or an exit. Escalator control device. 4. A timer when at least one of said second and fourth speed control means is constituted by using a timer, and said timer when said second speed control means is constituted by using a timer is said first timer. The method according to claim 1, wherein the timer is started by the operation of the speed control unit, and the timer when the fourth speed control unit is configured using a timer is started by the operation of the third speed control unit. Item 2. An escalator control device according to item 1. 5. The escalator control device according to claim 1, further comprising invalidation means for invalidating said first to fourth speed control means. 6. The escalator control device according to claim 5, wherein said invalidation means invalidates said first to fourth speed control means in a predetermined time zone. 7. The escalator control device according to claim 5, wherein said invalidation means invalidates said first to fourth speed control means by an external signal. 8. The escalator control device according to claim 5, wherein said invalidation means invalidates said first to fourth speed control means when the number of occupants is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. . 9. A device for disabling the first speed control means after the first speed control means is operated and before the fourth speed control means is operated. The escalator control device according to claim 1. 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first to fourth speed control means is replaced by means of equivalent function installed on an escalator having a special step for a wheelchair. The control device for an escalator according to claim 1, wherein: