JP2006151560A - Control device for passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device for a passenger conveyor capable of improving reliability. <P>SOLUTION: The control device is provided with a sensor unit 5 having a projector 6 and a light receiver 7 for receiving the detecting light emitted from the projector 6 to detect passengers and a control device main body 1 for controlling operation of an escalator 8 in response to information from the sensor unit 5. The control device main body 1 can carry out a sensor operation test for diagnosing existence of abnormality of the sensor unit 5 by confirming light receiving condition of the light receiver 8, while emitting the detecting light of pulse from the light projector 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor control device provided with a sensor unit for detecting passengers.

  In the prior art, in order to reduce the possibility of malfunction of the escalator by the detection circuit for automatic start of the escalator, a detection circuit is provided on the handrail belt, and the user is allowed to drive when holding the handrail belt to get into the escalator. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-239187

  In the prior art as described above, for example, an escalator malfunction caused by a mischief of the detection circuit can be distinguished, but an escalator malfunction caused by an abnormality in the detection circuit cannot be distinguished. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure that the abnormality of the detection circuit can be detected in advance as a system and to ensure reliability.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a passenger conveyor control device capable of improving reliability.

  The control device for a passenger conveyor according to the present invention includes a light projector and a light receiver that receives detection light emitted from the light projector, a sensor unit that detects a passenger, and a passenger conveyor according to information from the sensor unit. A sensor operation test that diagnoses the presence or absence of an abnormality in the sensor unit by checking the light receiving state at the light receiver while emitting the detection light in a pulsed manner by the projector. Can be executed.

  The present invention improves the reliability because a sensor operation test for diagnosing the presence or absence of abnormality in the sensor unit can be performed by checking the light receiving state at the light receiver while emitting the detection light in a pulse shape by the projector. Can be made.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an escalator control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the control device main body 1 has a central processing unit (CPU) 2, a driver 3, a receiver 4, a memory (not shown), and an electronic timepiece (not shown). The sensor unit 5 that detects a passenger includes a projector 6 and a light receiver 7 that receives detection light emitted from the projector 6. Moreover, the sensor part 5 is arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the entrance / exit of the escalator 8, for example.

  The central processing unit 2 transmits a control signal to the driver 3. The driver 3 that has received the control signal transmits a projection signal to the projector 6. The projector 6 that has received the light projection signal emits detection light to the light receiver 7. The light receiver 7 that has received the detection light transmits a light reception signal to the receiver 4. The receiver 4 that has received the light reception signal transmits a detection signal to the central processing unit 2. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the transmission method of each signal is a method having a state of H level and L level, for example, a transmission method using an NRZ code, with a predetermined voltage value as a threshold value. The memory stores programs and data used in this embodiment. Electronic clocks are used as timers.

  The control device main body 1 executes a sensor operation test for diagnosing the presence or absence of an abnormality in the sensor unit 5 by checking the light receiving state of the light receiver 7 while emitting the detection light in a pulse shape by the projector 6. Specifically, at the time of the sensor operation test, the control device main body 1 counts the number of received light pulses by the light receiver 7 within a preset test time and compares it with the number of emitted pulses from the light projector 6.

  The operation mode of the escalator (passenger conveyor) 8 by the control device body 1 includes an automatic operation mode in which the operation speed is switched according to whether or not the passenger is detected by the sensor unit 5 and whether or not the passenger is detected by the sensor unit 5. And a continuous operation mode for continuous operation. Further, the control device main body 1 executes a sensor operation test when the escalator 8 is activated, and if the sensor unit 5 is determined to be normal, the escalator 8 is operated in the automatic operation mode, and the sensor unit 5 is abnormal. If determined, the escalator 8 is operated in the continuous operation mode.

  The control device main body 1 executes a sensor operation test, and displays information reporting an abnormality of the sensor unit 5 on the status display 9 when it is determined that the sensor unit 5 is abnormal. Further, the control device main body 1 executes the sensor operation test at every predetermined cycle even after the sensor unit 5 is determined to be abnormal by the sensor operation test and the escalator 8 is operated in the continuous operation mode. If it is determined that the sensor unit 5 is normal, the operation of the escalator 8 is restored to the automatic operation mode, and the display of the information reporting the abnormality of the sensor unit 5 of the status indicator 9 is cancelled. The escalator control device in this embodiment includes a control device main body 1, a sensor unit 5, and a status indicator 9.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison between a pulse-like control signal transmitted from the central processing unit 2 of FIG. 1 to the driver 3 in the sensor operation test and a detection signal received from the receiver 4. In the figure, the failure diagnosis flag is set to H level within a preset test time. When the failure diagnosis flag is at the H level, the central processing unit 2 transmits a control signal to the driver 3 in a pulse shape.

  When the failure diagnosis flag is at the H level, the control device main body 1 counts the number of the H level and the L level of the control signal transmitted by the central processing unit 2 and the number of the H level and the L level of the received detection signal. Compare. And the control apparatus main body 1 judges that the sensor part 5 is abnormal, when it judges that the synchronization shift of a control signal and a detection signal, or the number of H level and L level of each signal has a difference. The control device main body 1 classifies the abnormality of the sensor unit 5 as abnormality information according to the reception state of the detection signal received within the test time, and stores the abnormality information in the memory.

  When the control device main body 1 receives the detection signal of only the H level within the test time, it stores the abnormality information in the memory as the L level signal failure. Further, when the control device main body 1 receives the detection signal of only the L level within the test time, the control device main body 1 stores the abnormality information in the memory as the H level signal failure. Furthermore, if the control device body 1 determines that the control signal and the detection signal are out of synchronization within the test time, or that the number of the H level and the L level of the control signal and the detection signal is different, a transmission line failure Abnormal information is stored in the memory.

  Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the sensor operation test of the control device main body 1 of FIG. In the control device main body 1, the operation of the sensor operation test as shown in FIG. 3 is executed only once when the escalator 8 is activated. In the operation of the sensor operation test, first, a control signal is transmitted in pulses to the driver 3 (step S101). Then, the reception state of the detection signal of the receiver 4 is confirmed (step S102).

  The detection signal received by the receiver 4 is confirmed, and the number of H level and L level of the transmitted control signal is compared with the number of H level and L level of the received detection signal (step S103). If it is determined that there is no difference in the synchronization between the control signal and the detection signal and the number of the H level and L level of each signal, the sensor unit 5 is determined to be normal, and the escalator 8 is operated in the automatic operation mode. Is executed (step S104), and the operation ends. If it is determined that there is a difference in synchronization between the control signal and the detection signal or the number of the H level and the L level of each signal, it is confirmed whether only the detection signal of the H level is received (step S105). ).

  If only the H level detection signal is received, the abnormality information is stored in the memory as the L level signal failure (step S106). If only the H level detection signal is not received, it is confirmed whether only the L level detection signal is received (step S107), and if only the L level detection signal is received. The abnormality information is stored in the memory as an H level signal failure (step S108). If the detection signals of only the H level and only the L level are not received, the abnormality information is stored in the memory as a transmission path failure (step S109). And if each abnormality information is memorize | stored in memory, the escalator 8 will be drive | operated by continuous operation mode (step S110), and the information which notifies abnormality of the sensor part 5 will be displayed on the status indicator 9 (step S111), operation | movement. Ends.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the automatic operation recovery operation of the control device body 1 of FIG. In the control device main body 1, when the escalator 8 is operated in the continuous operation mode after the escalator 8 is activated, an automatic operation recovery operation as shown in FIG. 4 is executed at predetermined intervals. In the automatic operation recovery operation, first, a control signal is transmitted in a pulse form to the driver 3 (step S201), and the reception state of the detection signal of the receiver 4 is confirmed (step S202). Then, the number of H level and L level of the transmitted control signal is compared with the number of H level and L level of the received detection signal (step S203).

  If it is determined that there is no difference in the synchronization between the control signal and the detection signal and the number of the H level and L level of each signal, the display of the information reporting the abnormality of the sensor unit 5 of the status indicator 9 is canceled ( In step S204), the escalator 8 is switched from the continuous operation mode to the automatic operation mode (step S205), and the operation ends. If it is determined that there is a difference in the synchronization between the control signal and the detection signal and the number of the H level and L level of each signal, the operation of this time is terminated without doing anything.

  As described above, according to the escalator control device according to this embodiment, the control device main body 1 detects the light receiving state at the light receiver 7 while the detection light is emitted in a pulse shape by the light projector 6. Since the sensor operation test for diagnosing the presence / absence of abnormality of the unit 5 can be executed, the abnormality of the sensor unit 5 can be detected in advance, and the reliability can be improved.

  Further, during the sensor operation test, the number of pulses by the light receiver within a preset test time is counted and compared with the number of pulses emitted from the projector 6, so that the abnormality of the sensor unit 5 can be detected more reliably. And reliability can be improved.

  Further, the control device main body 1 executes a sensor operation test when the passenger conveyor is started, and if it is determined that the sensor unit 5 is normal, the escalator 8 is operated in the automatic operation mode, and the sensor unit 5 is abnormal. If judged, since the escalator 8 is operated in the continuous operation mode, it is possible to prevent the sensor unit 5 from being automatically operated while being abnormal.

  Furthermore, the control device main body 1 executes a sensor operation test, and when it is determined that the sensor unit 5 is abnormal, the control unit main body 1 displays information reporting the abnormality of the sensor unit 5 on the status indicator 9. Maintainability can be improved.

  Further, even after the sensor unit 5 is determined to be abnormal by the sensor operation test and the escalator 8 is operated in the continuous operation mode, the sensor operation test is executed at predetermined intervals, and the sensor unit 5 is normal. If it is determined that the operation of the escalator 8 is restored to the automatic operation mode and the display of the information reporting the abnormality of the sensor unit 5 of the status indicator 9 is canceled, the maintainability of the escalator 8 is improved. Can do.

In the above example, the transmission method of each signal used for transmission and reception is performed by a transmission method using an NRZ code, which is a method having a state of H level and L level with a predetermined voltage value as a threshold. The transmission method of each signal is not limited to this.
In the above example, the condition for determining that the sensor unit 5 is abnormal is a case where the control signal and the detection signal are out of synchronization, or the number of H levels and L levels of each signal is different. The conditions for determining that the sensor unit is abnormal are not limited to this. For example, it may be determined whether there is a difference between the pulse shapes of the control signal and the detection signal.
Further, in the above example, when it is determined that the control signal and the detection signal are out of sync and the number of the H level and the L level of each signal is different in the automatic operation recovery operation, the operation is terminated without doing anything. However, after it is determined that there is a difference in the synchronization between the control signal and the detection signal or the number of H level and L level of each signal, the abnormality information is stored in the memory and stored as an abnormality detection history. You may take the correspondence of.
Furthermore, in the above example, it is determined that the sensor unit is normal when all the pulses during the sensor operation test are normally detected. You may make it judge that it is normal. For example, when the sensor operation test is performed for 10 seconds, even if the pulse is blocked by the operator for 9 seconds, if the on / off of the pulse is normally detected in the remaining 1 second, the sensor It may be determined that the part is normal. That is, if the detection light is normally received for a preset time in the sensor operation test time, it may be determined that the sensor unit is normal. Therefore, for example, the condition setting for shifting to the automatic operation mode may be made when the H level and the L level of the detection signal can be detected once or more in the sensor operation test time. In the case of this condition setting, even in the automatic operation recovery operation, the transition from the continuous operation mode to the automatic operation mode may be possible as long as the H level and L level of the detection signal can be detected once.
The sensor operation test may be executed when the operation mode is switched from the continuous operation mode to the automatic operation mode.
Furthermore, although the escalator is shown as the passenger conveyor in the above example, the present invention can also be applied to a moving sidewalk.

It is a block diagram which shows the control apparatus of the escalator by an example of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the comparison of the pulse-shaped control signal which the central processing part of FIG. 1 transmits to a driver by a sensor operation test, and the detection signal received from a receiver. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the sensor operation test of the control apparatus main body of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the automatic driving | operation recovery operation | movement of the control apparatus main body of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control apparatus main body, 5 Sensor part, 6 Light projector, 7 Light receiver, 8 Escalator (passenger conveyor), 9 Status indicator.

Claims (6)

A projector that includes a projector and a light receiver that receives the detection light emitted from the projector; a sensor unit that detects a passenger; and a control device body that controls the operation of the passenger conveyor according to information from the sensor unit. ,
The control device main body is capable of executing a sensor operation test for diagnosing the presence or absence of an abnormality in the sensor unit by checking the light receiving state of the light receiver while emitting the detection light in a pulse shape by the projector. A control device for a passenger conveyor.   2. The control device body according to claim 1, wherein, during the sensor operation test, the control device counts the number of pulses received by the light receiver within a preset test time and compares the number with the number of pulses emitted from the light projector. Passenger conveyor control device.   The operation mode of the passenger conveyor by the control device main body includes an automatic operation mode in which the operation speed is switched according to the presence or absence of detection of passengers by the sensor unit, and continuous operation regardless of whether or not passengers are detected by the sensor unit. The control apparatus for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an operation mode is included.   The control device main body performs the sensor operation test when the passenger conveyor is activated, and when the sensor unit is determined to be normal, operates the passenger conveyor in an automatic operation mode, and the sensor unit is abnormal. 4. The passenger conveyor control device according to claim 3, wherein the passenger conveyor is operated in a continuous operation mode when it is determined.   The control device body executes the sensor operation test when receiving a command to switch from the continuous operation mode to the automatic operation mode, and when the sensor unit is determined to be normal, the passenger conveyor is set to the automatic operation mode. 5. The passenger conveyor control device according to claim 3, wherein the passenger conveyor is operated in a continuous operation mode when it is determined that the sensor unit is abnormal. It further comprises a status indicator that displays the execution result of the sensor operation test,
2. The control device main body executes the sensor operation test, and displays information reporting an abnormality of the sensor unit on the status display when it is determined that the sensor unit is abnormal. The control apparatus of the passenger conveyor in any one of Claims 5.

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