JP2006131356A - Passenger or cargo conveyor, method for diagnosing loosening in drive chain in passenger or cargo conveyor, and loosening diagnosis program for drive chain in passenger or cargo conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To diagnose the loosening quantity of a drive chain in a passenger or cargo conveyor. <P>SOLUTION: In this passenger or cargo conveyor, the rotation of a drive motor is transmitted by the drive chain to the rotation of a sprocket, and converted into the movement of a stair chain wound around the sprocket for moving stairs installed on the stair chain. For the diagnosis of loosening in the drive chain, DOWN operation is performed first, and stopped properly to gather the loosening to one side of the drive chain. The rotation position of the drive motor at this time is detected as an initial value (S14-S18). Next, UP operation is performed, the elimination of the loosening and the start of the movement of the stairs are detected by an acceleration sensor, and stopped. The rotation position of the drive motor at this time is compared with the initial value, and the loosening quantity in the drive chain is determined (S20-S26). Determination data are sent to a maintenance center or the like for use. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a slack diagnosis method for a passenger or luggage conveyor, a drive chain for a passenger or luggage conveyor, and a slack diagnosis program for a drive chain for a passenger or luggage conveyor. A passenger or luggage conveyor that transmits the rotation and converts the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket to move the steps attached to the step chain, a slack diagnosis method of the drive chain of the passenger or luggage conveyor, and The present invention relates to a slack diagnosis program for the drive chain of the passenger or luggage conveyor.

  There are escalators, moving walkways, etc. that carry passengers by moving the steps on which they are placed. These passenger conveyors are equipped with a drive motor, the rotation of the drive motor is transmitted to the rotation of the sprocket by the drive chain, converted into the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket, and the steps attached to the step chain are A moving mechanism is used.

  That is, the step chain provided with a plurality of steps forms an endless track that is arranged from one side of the conveyance path to the other side and returns to the one side of the conveyance path again through the lower side of the road surface. This endless track chain is driven by a sprocket, for example on one side of the transport path. The sprocket and the drive motor are connected by a drive belt such as a drive chain, and the rotation of the drive motor is transmitted to the sprocket.

  Here, while operating the passenger conveyor, the drive chain gradually relaxes due to changes over time. When it relaxes, the backlash becomes large, which hinders comfortable transportation. Therefore, the amount of relaxation of the drive chain is inspected regularly or irregularly, and when the amount of relaxation is greater than a predetermined value, adjustment is performed, for example, by changing the distance between the axis of the drive motor and the sprocket. Actually, stop the operation of the passenger conveyor, expose the drive chain, which is usually covered with a cover, by removing the cover, etc., and the maintenance staff will lift the drive chain with your hand and check the amount of relaxation. The operation is performed. Therefore, troublesome operations such as temporarily stopping the operation of the passenger conveyor, removing the cover, and returning the cover after the inspection are required for the confirmation. As a result, adjustment may not be necessary.

  As described above, the confirmation of the amount of relaxation of the drive chain is an important item in operation, but it is inconvenient for users such as passengers, and is troublesome. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of diagnosing the slack amount of the drive chain by external control without removing the cover. Here, the operation of the drive motor is controlled by an external signal, the drive motor is temporarily stopped, and then driven in either direction to create slack in the drive chain. When the driving motor is driven with a driving force that is small enough not to drive the step chain or the sprocket, the driving motor rotates to the point where the slack amount is eliminated, but the driving force is insufficient and then stops. Using this principle, the amount of slack in the drive chain is diagnosed by the amount of rotation of the drive motor under a small drive force.

JP 2003-292280 A

  According to the method of Patent Document 1, the drive chain is controlled from the outside without removing the cover, and by detecting that the drive motor stops under a low drive force, the amount of slack in the drive chain Can be diagnosed. This method requires a means for detecting the stop of the drive motor in addition to making the drive motor have a low driving force different from the operation state. In the patent literature, it is proposed to use a change in the pulse interval of an encoder that monitors the rotation of the drive motor, a change in the binding current of the drive motor, or the like.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a passenger or luggage conveyor capable of diagnosing the amount of slack in the drive chain in a novel manner, a method for diagnosing slack in the drive chain of the passenger or luggage conveyor, and a drive chain of the passenger or luggage conveyor. To provide a looseness diagnosis program.

  The passenger or luggage conveyor according to the present invention transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the rotation of the sprocket by the drive chain, converts it to the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket, and moves the steps attached to the step chain. A passenger or luggage conveyor includes a rotation amount detection sensor provided on a rotation shaft of a drive motor, an acceleration sensor provided on a step or a sprocket, and a diagnosis unit for diagnosing slack in the drive chain. The motor is temporarily stopped, then it is gradually driven in the forward or reverse direction for an arbitrary time and then stopped again, so that the drive chain is stretched without slack in the direction from the sprocket side toward the drive motor side rotated. A slack is generated in the direction from the drive motor side to the sprocket side, and the rotation amount detection sensor in this state is detected. The initial value detecting means for acquiring the output of the drive chain, and then the drive motor is slowly driven in the reverse direction or the forward direction, and the slack portion of the drive chain is stretched without slack. Based on the movement detection means for acquiring the output of the rotation amount detection sensor when it detects that the step or sprocket starts to move, the rotation amount acquired by the initial value detection means, and the rotation amount detected by the movement detection means, Means for determining slack in the drive chain.

  Further, the initial value detecting means further confirms the output of the acceleration sensor at the stop after slow driving, and if it is confirmed that the output is not normal, it further selects an arbitrary value to change the position of the acceleration sensor. It is preferable to perform movement driving.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the passenger or luggage conveyor according to the present invention further includes means for transmitting the obtained drive chain slack data.

  The passenger or luggage conveyor according to the present invention preferably further includes means for receiving instruction information related to maintenance of the drive chain from the destination to which the slack data is transmitted.

  Further, the slack diagnosis method for the drive chain of the passenger or luggage conveyor according to the present invention transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the rotation of the sprocket by the drive chain, and converts it into the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket. A method of diagnosing slack in a drive chain of a passenger or luggage conveyor that moves a step attached to the chain, temporarily stopping the drive motor, and then driving slowly in the forward or reverse direction for an arbitrary time and again By stopping, the drive chain is stretched without slack in the direction from the sprocket side toward the drive motor side, and is slackened in the direction from the rotated drive motor side toward the sprocket side. An initial value detection step for obtaining an output of a rotation amount detection sensor provided on the rotation shaft, and then a drive motor; Contrary to the previous case, when slow driving is performed in the reverse direction or forward direction, the slack part of the drive chain is stretched without slack, and the acceleration sensor provided on the step or sprocket detects that the step or sprocket starts to move. A movement detection step for obtaining the output of the rotation amount detection sensor, a step for obtaining slack in the drive chain based on the rotation amount obtained by the initial value detection step and the rotation amount detected by the movement detection step. It is characterized by including.

  Further, the slack diagnosis program for the drive chain of the passenger or luggage conveyor according to the present invention transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the rotation of the sprocket by the drive chain, and converts it to the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket. A drive chain slack diagnosis program that is executed on the control unit of a passenger or luggage conveyor that moves the steps attached to the chain, temporarily stops the drive motor, and then forwards or reverses at an arbitrary time. By slow driving and stopping again, the drive chain is stretched without slacking in the direction from the sprocket side toward the drive motor side, and slackened in the direction from the rotated drive motor side toward the sprocket side. Initial value detection to obtain the output of the rotation amount detection sensor provided on the rotation shaft of the drive motor Then, the drive motor is driven slowly in the reverse or forward direction, and the slack part of the drive chain is stretched without slack, and the acceleration sensor provided on the step or sprocket is the step. Alternatively, based on the movement detection processing procedure for acquiring the output of the rotation amount detection sensor when it is detected that the sprocket starts moving, the rotation amount acquired by the initial value detection step, and the rotation amount detected by the movement detection step, And a processing procedure for obtaining slack in the drive chain.

  With the above configuration, in the initial value detection, the slack of the drive chain is brought to either one to acquire the rotation amount of the drive motor at that time, and in the movement detection, the drive motor is driven in a direction to eliminate the slack. The cancellation is detected by the acceleration sensor, and the rotation amount of the drive motor at that time is acquired. Since the amount of slack in the drive chain is diagnosed based on the amount of both rotations, unlike the conventional method, the slack in the drive chain can be easily diagnosed by detecting the acceleration sensor simply by rotating the drive motor slowly.

  In addition, if the output of the acceleration sensor is not normal at the time of initial value detection, further arbitrary phase driving is performed, so even if the stop position of the passenger or luggage conveyor happens to be unsuitable for acceleration detection, The position can be changed and the acceleration can be detected correctly by the arbitrary movement drive.

  Further, since the slack data of the drive chain is transmitted, these data can be transmitted to, for example, a maintenance center and the evaluation of slack data can be quickly performed at the received remote maintenance center. Further, since the instruction from the transmission destination of these data is received, it is possible to quickly obtain an instruction for maintenance of the drive chain from a remote place.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, a general passenger escalator will be described as a passenger or luggage conveyor, but in addition to transporting from a lower floor to an upper floor, it may be transported in the same floor, such as a moving walkway. Good. Further, the object to be transported is not limited to passengers, and may be dedicated to luggage or mixed.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a portion on the upper floor of the escalator 10. The escalator 10 has a function of transporting passengers between an upper floor 12 and a lower floor (not shown). FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional structure of the mechanism portion. The mechanism is covered with a handrail 14 or the like for the safety and convenience of passengers. A plurality of steps 16 that carry passengers of the escalator 10 are attached to a step chain 18 that moves in a loop between an upper floor and a lower floor at a predetermined interval. The upper surface of each step 16 is held horizontally by a leveling mechanism (not shown) in a moving region where passengers are placed.

  A sprocket 20 that meshes with the step chain 18 and a drive motor 30 that drives the sprocket 20 via a drive chain 28 are disposed below the floor 12 of the upper floor. The drive motor 30 is provided with an encoder 32 for detecting rotation, and an acceleration sensor 34 is attached to one of the steps 16. The operation of the entire escalator 10 including these elements is controlled by the control unit 40.

  The sprocket 20 is a power transmission mechanism having a function of receiving a rotational driving force from the drive motor 30 and moving the step chain 18 in the UP direction or the DOWN direction shown in FIG. Specifically, a rotating shaft that is relatively parallel to the floor 12 of the upper floor, an outer gear plate 22 that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft at both ends thereof, and an outer gear plate 22 that rotates together with the outer gear plate 22. An inner gear plate 24 having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the inner gear plate 24 is provided. The outer gear plate 22 has gear teeth that mesh with the step chain 18 on the outer periphery, and the inner gear plate 24 has gear teeth that mesh with the drive chain 28. Each step where the step chain 18 meshes with the sprocket 20 is folded into a space sandwiched between the outer gear plates 22 on both sides by a folding mechanism (not shown).

  The drive motor 30 is a power motor and can be rotated forward and backward according to a predetermined rotational speed profile and the like under the control of the control unit 40. A motor side gear plate 26 is provided on the rotation output shaft of the drive motor 30. Further, the encoder 32 is provided on the rotation output shaft as described above. The encoder 32 has a function of detecting the momentary change of the rotational output shaft of the drive motor 30. Specifically, the rotary plate having a plurality of slits in the circumferential direction of the disc, and the position of the slits. And a light emitting / receiving sensor that optically detects light. Instead of the optical encoder 32, another type of rotation amount detection sensor such as a magnetic sensor may be used. A specific operation of the encoder 32 will be described later.

  The drive chain 28 is a loop-shaped chain that meshes with the inner gear plate 24 of the sprocket 20 and the motor side gear plate 26 attached to the rotation output shaft of the drive motor 30. Although the drive chain 28 has moderate slackness, the slackness gradually increases as the escalator 10 is operated. Therefore, it is diagnosed whether the slack amount is within an appropriate range. The details will be described later. To do.

  The acceleration sensor 34 is an element having a function of detecting that the driving force of the driving motor 30 is transmitted to and after the sprocket 20 and that the sprocket 20 and later move. Here, the moving acceleration of the step 16 is detected by being attached to one of the steps 16. For example, a sensor using a piezoelectric element can be used. The acceleration sensor 34 is attached to the lower portion of the step 16 together with the wireless transmitter 36. Data detected by the acceleration sensor 34 is sent to the control unit 40 via the wireless transmitter 36. Of course, the detection data of the acceleration sensor 34 may be transmitted to the control unit 40 using a wired signal line without using wireless means. Moreover, the attachment position of the acceleration sensor 34 should just be a place where the driving force of the drive motor 30 reaches after the sprocket 20. For example, the acceleration sensor 34 can be attached to the sprocket 20 instead of the step 16.

  The control unit 40 is a control device having a function of controlling the operation of the escalator 10 by operation control of the drive motor 30 and a function of controlling the operation of each element for diagnosing the slack amount of the drive chain 28.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control unit 40. The control unit 40 includes a CPU 50, an acceleration sensor I / F (42) that receives data from the acceleration sensor 34, an encoder I / F (52) that receives data from the encoder 32, and a drive motor I connected to the drive motor 30. / F (54), a communication control unit 44 that communicates with an external maintenance center via a LAN (46), etc., and a storage device 56 that stores an operation program of the escalator 10, etc., which are connected to each other via an internal bus. The This control part 40 can be comprised by the exclusive control apparatus suitable for escalator operation control, or a computer. A telephone line may be used instead of the LAN (46).

  The CPU 50 includes a slack diagnosis unit 60 having a function of detecting and diagnosing the amount of slack in the drive chain, and a steady operation control unit 62 having a function of controlling a drive motor for normal escalator operation. The slack diagnosis unit 60 includes an initial value detection module 64, a movement detection module 66, and a slack calculation module 68. These functions can be realized by software, and more specifically, by executing corresponding slack diagnosis programs, steady operation programs, and the like. Moreover, you may comprise so that a part of each function may be implement | achieved by hardware.

  Here, the steady operation control unit 62 is a function that controls operations that are comfortable for passengers and other users such as UP operation and DOWN operation of the escalator 10, and controls the drive motor 30 and the like using a known operation program or the like. Therefore, detailed description is omitted. Hereinafter, details of each function of the looseness diagnosis unit 60 will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. In addition, the code | symbol is used about the element demonstrated in FIG. 1, FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a basic procedure for diagnosing slack in the drive chain 28 of the escalator 10. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing a procedure of adding an additional function to the basic procedure of FIG. The relationship between FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4 and 5 is represented by a symbol indicating a jump in the procedure from A to F in these drawings. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the slack state of the drive chain 28 and the rotation state of the drive motor 30 by the encoder 32 in the main procedure of the flowchart of FIG. 3.

  The slack diagnosis of the drive chain 28 is started by starting a slack diagnosis program. Specifically, a looseness diagnosis command is transmitted via the LAN 46 from a maintenance center located away from the place where the escalator 10 is installed (S10). In FIG. 3, S <b> 10 is a broken line in order to show that the procedure is not executed by the control unit 40 provided in the escalator 10. The transmitted command is received via the communication control unit 44 (S12). As a result, the looseness diagnosis program stored in the storage device 56 is read, and the following procedure is executed.

  Initially, the escalator 10 is in a stopped state. This is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 schematically shows the inner gear plate 24 of the sprocket 20, the motor side gear plate 26 of the drive motor 30, the drive chain 28, and the encoder 32. For the sake of explanation, the encoder 32 is provided with twelve slits 72 in the rotating plate 70, and numbers for convenience are given to distinguish the slits 72 from each other. Therefore, the rotation state of the encoder 32, that is, the rotation state of the motor side gear plate 26 of the drive motor 30 can be distinguished by the number of the slit 72 at the position of the light emitting / receiving sensor 74.

  In the initial stop state, the operation state immediately before that may remain, but here, in general, the rotation shafts of the sprocket 20 and the drive motor 30 are at appropriate positions, and the drive chain in the plane of FIG. 28, the upper part 28a and the lower part 28b are both shown as slack. At this time, it is assumed that the slit number 11 is detected in the encoder 32.

  Next, a series of procedures from the UP operation (S14) to the initial value detection (S18) is performed. Specifically, the following procedure is executed by the function of the initial value detection module 64 of the CPU 50. First, UP operation is performed (S14). The UP operation is a procedure for moving and driving the step chain 18 to the UP side of the arrow shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, the UP motor side rotation is applied to the drive motor 30 via the drive motor I / F (54). The command to be given is given. At this time, it is preferable to operate at a lower speed than during steady operation.

  At this time, the sprocket 20 also rotates. However, since the load is heavy due to the load, the drive chain 28 is stretched in the driving direction, that is, in the direction toward the driving motor 30 rotating from the sprocket 20 side. On the other hand, in the opposite direction, that is, in the direction from the rotating drive motor 30 side to the sprocket 20 side, the drive chain 28 is loosened.

  Then, after an appropriate time has elapsed, it is stopped (S16). The appropriate time is a time sufficient for the drive chain 28 to rotate so as not to loosen in the direction from the sprocket 20 side toward the drive motor 30 side. For example, the time is sufficient to give a rotation of about 90 degrees at the rotation output shaft of the drive motor 30. When maintenance is performed normally, this appropriate time can be short. The stop is executed by giving a stop instruction to the drive motor 30, cutting off the drive current, and applying an appropriate brake.

  Then, the detection value of the encoder 32 when stopped is read and the initial value is detected (S18). Specifically, the detection data of the encoder 32 is acquired via the encoder I / F (52). The acquired initial value is temporarily stored in the storage device 56 or an appropriate memory.

  A state immediately before the stop is shown in FIG. The UP operation corresponds to the clockwise rotation of the motor side gear plate 26 in FIG. At this time, since there is a load on the sprocket 20 as described above, the sprocket 20 does not rotate until the upper portion 28a of the drive chain 28 is stretched without slack. Accordingly, slack is collected in the lower portion 28 b of the drive chain 28. As can be seen, the upper portion 28a of the drive chain 28 where the slack is eliminated is the portion of the drive chain 28 that goes from the sprocket 20 toward the drive motor 30, and the lower portion of the drive chain 28 where slack is collected. 28 b is a portion of the drive chain 28 that goes from the rotating drive motor 30 to the sprocket 20. In this way, the drive chain 28 is stopped in a state where it does not sag, and the reading of the encoder 32 at that time is set as an initial value. In FIG. 6B, the initial value is the position of the slit 5.

  When the initial value detection is completed, a series of procedures from the DOWN operation (S20) to the movement detection (S24) is performed. Specifically, the following procedure is executed by the function of the movement detection module 66 of the CPU 50. First, DOWN operation is performed (S20). The DOWN operation is a procedure for moving and driving the step chain 18 to the DOWN side of the arrow shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, the DOWN operation side rotation is applied to the drive motor 30 via the drive motor I / F (54). The command to be given is given.

  At this time, like S14, it is preferable to operate at a lower speed than during steady operation. At this time, the sprocket 20 also rotates. However, since the load is heavy due to the load, the drive chain 28 is stretched in the driving direction, that is, in the direction toward the driving motor 30 rotating from the sprocket 20 side. Since the rotation direction of the drive motor 30 is opposite to that in S14, the drive chain 28 is stretched in the portion that was loosened in S14 and S16. That is, the portion that was slackened in S14 and S16 is in the direction of eliminating the slack and stretching. On the other hand, the opposite direction, that is, the portion stretched in S14 and S16 is loosened.

  Then, the output of the acceleration sensor 34 is monitored to detect acceleration, and when acceleration is detected, it is stopped in that state (S22). Specifically, the acceleration is detected by acquiring the output of the acceleration sensor 34 provided on the step 16 via the acceleration sensor I / F (42). Since the acceleration sensor 34 detects acceleration when the step 16 starts to move from a stationary state, the slack portion of the drive chain 28 is not slackened by the DOWN operation of the drive motor 30, and the driving force is transmitted to the sprocket 20. When the sprocket 20 starts to move, it can be detected. The stop is executed by giving a stop instruction to the drive motor 30, cutting off the drive current, and applying an appropriate brake, as in S16.

  Then, the detection value of the encoder 32 when stopped is read and movement detection is performed (S24). Specifically, the detection data of the encoder 32 is acquired via the encoder I / F (52). The acquired data can be stored in the storage device 56 or an appropriate memory.

  A state immediately before the stop is shown in FIG. The DOWN operation corresponds to the counterclockwise rotation of the motor side gear plate 26 in FIG. At this time, since there is a load on the sprocket 20 as described above, the sprocket 20 does not rotate until the lower portion 28b of the drive chain 28 is stretched without slack. As can be seen here, the lower portion 28b of the drive chain 28 where the slack disappears is the portion that was slack in FIG. 6B. When the slack is eliminated, the driving force of the driving motor 30 is transmitted to the sprocket 20 via the driving chain 28, and the sprocket 20 starts rotating. Then, as described above, the acceleration sensor 34 detects it and immediately stops the drive motor 30. The reading of the encoder 32 at that time is set as a movement detection value. In FIG. 6C, the movement detection value is the position of the slit 7.

  Next, the amount of slack is calculated (S26). Specifically, the amount of slack in the drive chain 28 is obtained by the function of the slack calculation module 68 based on the initial value data acquired in S18 and the movement detection data detected in S24. In the example of FIG. 6, the slack amount of the drive chain 28 is obtained based on the output data of the encoder 32. That is, in FIG. 6B, since the initial value is the position of slit number 5 and the movement detection is the position of slit number 7, the slack amount of the drive chain 28 corresponds to an amount that differs by 2 at the slit number. Desired. This may be expressed as the amount of rotation of the rotation output shaft of the drive motor 30. In the above example, (2/12) × 360 ° = 60 ° is the rotation amount of the rotation output shaft of the drive motor 30 corresponding to the slack amount of the drive chain 28. Further, this may be converted into another appropriate management amount, for example, converted into a loosening amount with respect to the theoretical total length of the drive chain 28.

  The obtained amount of slack is transmitted as slack data (S28). Specifically, the data is transmitted to the maintenance center via the communication control unit 44 and the LAN (46). In the above example, the slack data may be transmitted as the rotation amount 60 ° of the rotation output shaft of the drive motor 30, or the slit number 5 as the initial value detection data, the slit number 7 as the movement detection data, etc. The detection data itself may be transmitted.

  The maintenance center acquires the transmitted slack data, determines an instruction including whether or not the drive chain 28 is to be maintained, and transmits the instruction through the LAN (46) (S30). Since this process is also not a procedure executed by the control unit 40, it is indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  The transmitted instruction is received via the communication control unit 44 (S32). Thus, the slack of the drive chain 28 can be detected and diagnosed by exchanging electrical signals without removing the cover of the escalator 10 or the like. Further, even when the maintenance center is located remotely from the place where the escalator 10 is installed, a slack diagnosis command can be given by the LAN (46) or the like. Further, the result can be received at a remote location, and it can be determined whether or not the slack maintenance of the drive chain 28 is necessary, and the determination can be notified to the place where the escalator 10 is installed so that appropriate measures can be taken.

  FIG. 4 shows a procedure for making it possible to change the detection position of the acceleration sensor 34 in addition to the basic procedure of FIG. Since the acceleration sensor 34 is attached to the step 16, depending on where the stop position of S16 is, the step 16 to which the acceleration sensor 34 is attached may stop at a place unsuitable for detecting the acceleration. As the position of such a step 16, for example, the sprocket on the lower floor, the sprocket 20 on the upper floor, etc. can be considered. In such a case, it is desirable to move the position of the step 16.

  In order to perform such processing, the process jumps to the subroutine of FIG. 4 after S16 of FIG. In FIG. 4, first, it is determined whether or not the output of the acceleration sensor 34 is normal (S40). Specifically, in the UP operation of S14, the output of the acceleration sensor 34 is acquired via the acceleration sensor I / F (42), and the output is compared with a predetermined normal output reference value at the stop of S16. To do. If the output of the acceleration sensor 34 is normal, the process returns to S18 in FIG.

  When it is not determined that the output of the acceleration sensor 34 is normal, it is determined whether or not the slack confirmation is the first (S42). That is, it is determined whether or not the processes of S14 and S16 are the first. If it is the first time, the position of the step 16 is changed (S44). Specifically, a command for further arbitrary UP operation is given to the drive motor 30 via the drive motor I / F (54). The arbitrary amount can be, for example, about half or more of the sprocket so that the position of the step 16 does not come to the sprocket region. When the position change of the step 16, that is, the position change of the acceleration sensor 34 is completed, the process returns to the UP operation process of S 14 just in case. In some cases, the process can return to the step S18 as it is.

  If it is not determined that the slack check is the first time, a signal indicating that the acceleration sensor is defective is output, and the slack diagnosis procedure is terminated. That is, when the slack confirmation is not the first time, since the process of at least S40 has been performed at least once, it is determined that the output of the acceleration sensor 34 is not normal at least twice. Therefore, in such a case, since there is a high possibility that there is some failure around the acceleration sensor 34, it is preferable not to continue the subsequent procedure but to output a signal indicating that the acceleration sensor is defective and wait for an appropriate measure. Because. The signal output of the acceleration sensor failure may be transmitted to the maintenance center via the communication control unit 44 and the LAN (46), or may be notified to the place where the escalator 10 is installed.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure when the slack amount is calculated a plurality of times. In this example, in addition to UP operation (S14) -stop (S16) -initial value calculation (S18) -DOWN operation (S20) -acceleration detection / stop (S22) -movement detection (S24) in FIG. Is added. That is, in the state of S22, as shown in FIG. 6C, the lower portion 28b of the drive chain 28 is stretched and the upper portion 28a is loosened. Therefore, if this state is set as the second initial value detection and further UP operation is performed, the upper portion 28a of the slackened drive chain 28 is stretched as shown in FIG. 6B. Since the moment can be detected by the acceleration sensor 34, the amount of rotation of the drive motor 30 at that time can be detected to detect the second movement.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the process jumps from S <b> 26 of FIG. 3 and proceeds to the UP operation (S <b> 50). Then, the output of the acceleration sensor 34 is monitored, the start of movement of the step 16 is detected, and stopped at that time (S52). And the output of the encoder 32 at that time is acquired, and this is made into 2nd movement detection (S54). For example, the output of the encoder 32 at that time is set to the position of the slit number 5 as shown in FIG. Then, the second slack amount is calculated from the original movement detection value in S24 and the second movement detection value (S56). In the above example, the difference between the slit number 5 and the slit number 7 is the second slack amount. Then, an average average amount of slack of the original amount of slack obtained in S26 and the second amount of slack is calculated (S58). Thereafter, the process jumps back to S28 of FIG. 3 again. In addition, it is good also as what performs the amount of slack calculation 3 times or more by performing a DOWN driving | operation etc. after this.

  In this way, the diagnosis reliability is improved by performing the slack diagnosis of the drive chain 28 based not only on one slack amount measurement but also on a plurality of slack amounts.

It is a figure which shows the part in the upper floor of the escalator in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram of a control part in an embodiment concerning the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which diagnoses the slack of the drive chain in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is one of the additional flowcharts in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is another additional flowchart in embodiment which concerns on this invention. In embodiment which concerns on this invention, it is a figure explaining the slack state of a drive chain, and the rotation state of a drive motor.

Explanation of symbols

  10 escalator, 12 floor, 16 steps, 18 step chain, 20 sprocket, 22 outer gear plate, 24 inner gear plate, 26 motor side gear plate, 28a upper part of drive chain, 28b lower part of drive chain, 28 drive chain , 30 Drive motor, 32 Encoder, 34 Acceleration sensor, 36 Wireless transmitter, 40 Control unit, 42 Acceleration sensor I / F, 44 Communication control unit, 46 LAN, 50 CPU, 52 Encoder I / F, 54 Drive motor I / F, 56 storage device, 60 slack diagnosis unit, 62 steady operation control unit, 64 initial value detection module, 66 movement detection module, 68 slack calculation module, 70 rotating plate, 72 slit, 74 light emitting / receiving sensor.

Claims (6)

In the passenger or luggage conveyor that transmits the rotation of the drive motor to the rotation of the sprocket with the drive chain, converts it to the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket, and moves the steps attached to the step chain,
A rotation amount detection sensor provided on the rotation shaft of the drive motor;
An acceleration sensor provided on a step or sprocket;
A diagnostic unit for diagnosing slack in the drive chain;
With
The diagnostic department
The drive motor is temporarily stopped, then gradually driven in the forward or reverse direction for an arbitrary time and then stopped again, so that the drive chain is stretched without slack in the direction from the sprocket side toward the drive motor side. Initial value detection means for causing slack in the direction from the drive motor side to the sprocket side and acquiring the output of the rotation amount detection sensor in that state;
Next, when the drive motor is slowly driven in the reverse or forward direction, the slack portion of the drive chain is stretched without slack, and the acceleration sensor detects that the step or sprocket starts to move. A movement detection means for acquiring an output of the rotation amount detection sensor;
Means for obtaining slack in the drive chain based on the rotation amount acquired by the initial value detection means and the rotation amount detected by the movement detection means;
A passenger or luggage conveyor. In the passenger or luggage conveyor according to claim 1,
The initial value detection means further confirms the output of the acceleration sensor at the stop after slow drive, and if it is confirmed that the output is not normal, further arbitrary driving to change the position of the acceleration sensor A passenger or luggage conveyor characterized by In the passenger or luggage conveyor according to claim 1,
further,
A passenger or luggage conveyor comprising means for transmitting the determined drive chain slack data. In the passenger or luggage conveyor according to claim 3,
further,
A passenger or luggage conveyor comprising means for receiving instruction information relating to maintenance of a drive chain from a destination to which slack data is transmitted. The rotation of the drive motor is transferred to the rotation of the sprocket by the drive chain, converted into the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket, and the drive chain of the passenger or luggage conveyor that moves the step attached to the step chain is loosened. A method of diagnosing,
The drive motor is temporarily stopped, and then the drive chain is driven slowly in the forward or reverse direction for an arbitrary time, and then stopped again, so that the drive chain is stretched without slack in the direction from the sprocket side toward the drive motor side. Initial value detection step of causing slack in the direction from the drive motor side to the sprocket side, and acquiring the output of the rotation amount detection sensor provided on the rotation shaft of the drive motor in that state;
Next, the drive motor is slowly driven in the reverse or forward direction, and the slack portion of the drive chain is stretched without slack, and the acceleration sensor provided on the step or sprocket starts to move. A movement detection step of acquiring the output of the rotation amount detection sensor when detecting that,
A step of obtaining slack in the drive chain based on the rotation amount acquired by the initial value detection step and the rotation amount detected by the movement detection step;
A method for diagnosing slack in a drive chain of a passenger or luggage conveyor, comprising: The rotation of the drive motor is transmitted to the rotation of the sprocket by the drive chain, converted into the movement of the step chain wound around the sprocket, and executed on the control unit of the passenger or luggage conveyor that moves the step attached to the step chain. A drive chain slack diagnosis program,
The drive motor is temporarily stopped, then gradually driven in the forward or reverse direction for an arbitrary time and then stopped again, so that the drive chain is stretched without slack in the direction from the sprocket side toward the drive motor side. Initial value detection processing procedure for causing slack in the direction from the drive motor side to the sprocket side and obtaining the output of the rotation amount detection sensor provided on the rotation shaft of the drive motor in that state;
Next, the drive motor is slowly driven in the reverse or forward direction, and the slack portion of the drive chain is stretched without slack, and the acceleration sensor provided on the step or sprocket starts to move. A movement detection processing procedure for acquiring the output of the rotation amount detection sensor when detecting that,
Based on the rotation amount acquired by the initial value detection step and the rotation amount detected by the movement detection step, a processing procedure for obtaining slack in the drive chain,
A program for diagnosing slack in a drive chain of a passenger or luggage conveyor, characterized in that

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