JP2006219269A - Safety device of passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely detect a collision by clogging of foreign matter caused on a boarding-alighting floor, in a passenger conveyor. <P>SOLUTION: This passenger conveyor 40 has a circularly driven footstep 1 formed in a loop shape, and the boarding-alighting floor 2 arranged in an end part of a loop of this loop-shaped footstep and having a plurality of combs 22 on an upper surface. An acceleration sensor unit is arranged on the boarding-alighting floor or a boarding-alighting floor support beam 3 for supporting this boarding-alighting floor. A control device 5 determines abnormality of the passenger conveyor on the basis of an acceleration signal detected by this acceleration sensor unit. When determining as abnormal, the passenger conveyor is stopped or operated at a low speed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor, and more particularly to a safety device therefor.

  An example of a safety device in a conventional passenger conveyor is described in Patent Document 1. In this publication, when a foreign matter is clogged in the passenger conveyor getting-on / off floor, an abnormal situation due to this clogged foreign matter is avoided. Specifically, an impact sensor is provided at a comb portion formed at the front end of the getting-on / off floor, and when a foreign object is clogged and a collision phenomenon occurs, the impact sensor detects the collision and notifies the abnormality.

  Another example of a safety device in a conventional passenger conveyor is described in Patent Document 2. In this publication, a sound level meter is installed in the vicinity of the getting-on / off floor. The period of the sound obtained from the sound level meter is synchronized with a predetermined natural period of step passage, and if the period continues for a predetermined time, it is determined that there is an abnormality and the abnormality is reported.

JP-A-5-155576 JP 7-101663 A

Since many impact sensors described in Patent Document 1 are arranged in a comb shape, the collision phenomenon can be well understood. However, if the comb breaks due to foreign object collision, the impact sensor may also be damaged. In that case, the impact sensor must be replaced along with the replacement of the comb of the passenger conveyor, resulting in an increase in cost. Furthermore, since a plurality of combs installed on the boarding / exiting floor are generally installed in the width direction of the boarding / exiting floor, this also increases the cost. On the other hand, in the safety device described in Patent Document 2, since the presence or absence of abnormality depends only on the noise measured by the sound level meter, foreign matter is clogged at the passenger floor and the circulation drive of the passenger conveyor is hindered. Is difficult to detect.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems in the prior art, and an object thereof is to reliably detect a collision phenomenon. Another object of the present invention is to improve the safety by immediately controlling the operation mode of the passenger conveyor when a collision phenomenon is detected. Still another object of the present invention is to improve the safety of a passenger conveyor with a simple configuration or a low-cost configuration. The present invention aims to achieve at least one of these objects.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by comprising a step formed in a loop and circulated and a boarding / alighting floor provided at an end of the loop of the loop step and having a plurality of combs on the upper surface. In the passenger conveyor, an acceleration sensor unit provided on the boarding / exiting floor or a boarding / supporting beam supporting the boarding / exiting floor, and an abnormality of the passenger conveyor based on an acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit are determined. And a control device for instructing control to stop or operate at low speed.

  In this feature, the acceleration sensor unit has sensitivity in the direction of travel of the step, and is preferably installed on both sides or the back side of the boarding / exiting floor. The acceleration sensor unit covers the acceleration sensor unit with resin. Is preferred. Further, the control device includes a high-pass filter processing circuit that removes a low-frequency component from the detection signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit, and a full-wave rectification processing circuit that performs full-wave rectification on the signal filtered by the high-pass filter processing circuit. And an integration processing circuit that integrates the full-wave rectified signal rectified by the full-wave rectification processing circuit, and a threshold comparison circuit that compares a predetermined threshold value with the integration value output from the calculation unit, It is preferable to include a control unit having a stop device for stopping the passenger conveyor in accordance with the output signal of the threshold value comparison circuit and means for notifying the outside of the abnormality in accordance with the output of the threshold value comparison circuit.

  Further, the control device has means for setting at least two threshold values, and the acceleration integrated value output from the integration processing circuit exceeds the lower first threshold value and is lower than the higher second threshold value. It may be possible to command a mode in which low speed operation is sometimes performed to notify the abnormality to the outside, and a mode in which the abnormality is stopped and the abnormality is notified to the outside when the second threshold value is higher than the second threshold, and the acceleration sensor unit detects The acceleration signal is offset by a predetermined amount and output, and a disconnection detection circuit for monitoring the offset amount of the output signal of the acceleration sensor unit may be provided in the control device.

Still further, the acceleration sensor unit is inserted into each of a board, an acceleration sensor attached to the board and having an output portion, and a plurality of holes for attaching the acceleration sensor unit to the boarding floor. A fastening member of a non-conductive material to be fastened, a wiring pattern formed by connecting the output portion and a plurality of holes, and a conductive flat seat interposed between the fastening member and the acceleration sensor unit You may have.

  According to the present invention, since the acceleration sensor is directly disposed on the boarding / exiting floor, it is possible to reliably detect a collision phenomenon caused by a foreign matter on the boarding / exiting section. As a result, when an abnormality such as a collision phenomenon occurs, the operation mode of the passenger conveyor can be immediately controlled to evacuate the passenger safely, and safety is improved. Moreover, since only an acceleration sensor or the like is added, the safety of the passenger conveyor can be improved with a simple configuration and low cost.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a passenger conveyor safety device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the lower end part of the passenger conveyor 40 is shown with a perspective view. A step 1 connected in a loop shape is disposed below the balustrade 44 formed together with the left and right handrail 42 parts. A comb 22 made of a plurality of parallel grooves and protrusions is formed on the upper surface and the arcuate surface on the near side of the step 1. The boarding / exiting floor 2 is arranged horizontally so as to partially overlap the step 1. A comb 22 made of a plurality of parallel grooves and protrusions is also formed on the upper surface of the passenger floor 2. The getting-on / off floor 2 is stationary, and main frames 46 are arranged at both ends in the width direction. The getting-on / off-floor support beam 3 is disposed perpendicular to the guide member 46 and held at both ends by the main frame 46. The boarding / exiting floor support beam 3 supports the boarding / exiting floor 2.

  The surface on the near side of the getting-on / off floor support beam 3 has a flat portion, and the acceleration sensor unit 4 is attached to the flat portion. In FIG. 1, the acceleration sensor unit 4 is attached to the boarding / exiting floor support beam 3, but the acceleration sensor unit 4 may be attached to the boarding / exiting floor 2. The acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit 4 is guided to the control device 5 through wiring. The control device 5 includes a filter (not shown) for extracting a desired signal from signals detected by the acceleration sensor unit 4, a calculation unit 6 that integrates the signal filtered by this filter, and an integration value calculated by the calculation unit 6. Is compared with a predetermined threshold value to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality, and in the event of an abnormality, the control unit 7 is configured to stop or operate the passenger conveyor 40 at a low speed. As shown in FIG. 1, the acceleration sensor unit 4 is located at both ends of the boarding / exiting floor 2 at the both ends of the boarding / exiting floor 3, or the rear surface of the boarding / exiting floor support beam 3 so that the acceleration in the traveling direction of the step 1 can be detected. It is installed on the lower side of the getting-on / off floor 2 on the side.

  The operation of the safety device 50 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. When a foreign matter is clogged between the steps 1 of the passenger conveyor 40 or between the steps 1 and the landing 2, a collision phenomenon occurs between the steps 1 and the landing 2 due to the foreign matter. Due to this collision, an acceleration having a large component in the traveling direction of the step 1 is generated. This acceleration is transmitted to the boarding / alighting floor 2 and the boarding / alighting floor support beam 3. Therefore, an acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the traveling direction of the step 1 is installed. Thereby, the vibration phenomenon of the getting-on / off floor 2 at the time of a direct collision can be grasped | ascertained.

  In order to prevent the acceleration sensor unit 4 from interfering with the step 1 during the circulation drive of the step 1, acceleration is performed on the front side surface of the passenger floor support beam 3 or the lower surface of the passenger floor 2 and close to the rear surface of the passenger floor support beam 3. A sensor unit 4 is arranged. Thereby, even if the step 1 circulates, it does not collide with the acceleration sensor unit, and the acceleration sensor unit 4 can be prevented from being damaged. In FIG. 1, the acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the traveling direction of the step 1 is provided on the front side surface of the getting-on / off-floor support beam 3, but the acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the vertical direction is, for example, the lower surface of the getting-on / off floor 2. If it arrange | positions, etc., the collision phenomenon of the boarding / alighting floor 2 and the step 1 which generate | occur | produced by the foreign material, ie, can be more reliably separated from other phenomena.

  That is, when walking normally on the getting-on / off floor 2, the output of the acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the vertical direction is larger than the output of the acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the traveling direction of the step 1. When a foreign object is clogged, the output of the acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the traveling direction of the step 1 becomes larger than the output of the acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the vertical direction. Accordingly, since the output relationship between the acceleration sensor unit 4 having sensitivity in the vertical direction and the acceleration sensor unit having sensitivity in the traveling direction of the step 1 is reversed, the collision phenomenon between the getting-on / off floor 2 and the step 1 due to foreign matter can be specified.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing details of the mounting portion of the acceleration sensor 4. In the acceleration sensor unit 4, an acceleration IC chip 8 is installed on a substrate 9. The four corners of the substrate 9 are fastened to one side surface (right side surface in the figure) of the mounting block 10 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape by the substrate fastening members 11A to 11D. The mounting block 10 has a hole penetrating from the front side surface to the back side, and block fastening members 12 </ b> A and 12 </ b> B inserted into the hole fix the mounting block 10 to the getting-on / off floor support beam 3.

  According to the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor unit 4 can be additionally installed even with a passenger conveyor that has already been installed and used only by simple construction. When an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in the vertical direction is added, the acceleration IC chip 8 is mounted on the side surface of the mounting block 10 that is not used, for example, the left side surface so that the acceleration detection direction is the vertical direction. The substrate 9 may be attached. In this embodiment, the acceleration sensor unit 4 is configured by combining the acceleration IC chip 8 and the substrate 9, but the detection of acceleration is not necessarily limited to the IC chip. In short, it is only necessary that the acceleration in the traveling direction or the vertical direction of the step 1 can be detected.

  The board 9 and the mounting block 10 are fastened by board fastening members 11A to 11D, and the mounting block 10 and the landing floor support beam 3 are fastened by block fastening members 12A and 12B. Instead of using these fastening means, adhesion or the like is used. The fastening means can also be used. It goes without saying that the substrate 9 may be directly installed on the getting-on / off floor 2 or the getting-on / off floor supporting beam 3 without using the mounting block 10.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing details of another embodiment of the acceleration sensor unit 4. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the substrate 9 is covered with a resin film 13. This is to prevent the acceleration sensor unit 4 from malfunctioning due to splashing of lubricating oil used in the passenger conveyor 40 or attachment of rainwater. Thereby, the reliability of the acceleration sensor unit 4 is further improved.

  FIG. 4 shows a control block diagram of the control device 5 included in the safety device 50 of the passenger conveyor 40 shown in FIG. As described above, when the control device 5 of the safety device 50 of the passenger conveyor 40 receives the signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit 4, the low frequency component included in the acceleration signal detected by the high-pass filter processing circuit 14 is removed. The signal from which the low-frequency component has been removed is full-wave rectified by the full-wave rectification processing circuit 15. The rectified signal is integrated by the integration processing circuit 16. The high-pass filter processing circuit 14, the full-wave rectification processing circuit 15, and the integration processing circuit constitute the calculation unit 6.

  The acceleration signal processed by the calculation unit 6 is compared with a predetermined threshold value in the threshold value comparison circuit 17. When the detected acceleration signal is determined to be abnormal by the comparison of the threshold value comparison circuit 17, the stop device 18 stops the passenger conveyor 40. At the same time, the abnormality notification device 19 issues an abnormality to the outside. The threshold comparison circuit 17, the stop device 18, and the abnormality alarm device 19 constitute a control unit 7. The acceleration sensor unit 4 also includes a disconnection detection circuit 20 (not shown) that detects disconnection of the power supply line, the signal line, and the GND line.

The control device 5 configured as described above receives characteristic acceleration signals due to the phenomena listed below. (1) An acceleration signal generated when jumping from step 1 to boarding / exiting floor 2. (2) An acceleration signal generated when the landing 2 is bumped with an umbrella or the like. (3) An acceleration signal generated when the getting-on / off floor 2 and the step 1 collide with each other due to foreign matter. Due to each of these phenomena, characteristic vibrations are generated in the getting-on / off floor 2 or the getting-on / off floor supporting beam 3, and these are received as characteristic acceleration signals. That means
(1) Vibration or impact when jumping from step 1 to boarding / exiting floor 2:
Since passengers jump to the boarding / exiting floor 2 vigorously, energy that causes vibration is large. As a result, the amplitude of acceleration generated on the getting-on / off floor 2 is large. However, the impact is alleviated by the rubber or resin of the shoe sole, and the high frequency component is attenuated. Therefore, the acceleration sensor unit 4 attached to the getting-on / off floor 2 or the vicinity thereof detects an acceleration signal in which the high frequency component is weak and the low frequency component is dominant.
(2) Vibration or impact when an umbrella or the like hits the getting-on / off floor 2:
Depending on the stiffness of the tip of the umbrella, a force that excites up to a high frequency band is generated. Since the force generation state is impulse-like, the energy that causes vibration is small. Therefore, although the amplitude of the acceleration generated in the getting-on / off floor 2 is large immediately after the collision, it quickly attenuates.
(3) Vibration or impact when the boarding / exiting floor 2 and the step 1 collide with each other due to foreign matter:
The energy that causes vibration is large, and there are many high-frequency component forces. The acceleration caused by this collision is also large in amplitude and includes many high frequency components. What is characteristic of this phenomenon is that the acceleration of the collision occurs continuously for a long time.

  Since the detected acceleration differs depending on the phenomenon, the control device 5 separates the collision phenomenon of the getting-on / off floor 2 and the phenomenon of jumping onto the getting-on / off floor 2 as follows by the foreign matter. The detection signal output from the acceleration sensor unit 4 is passed through the high-pass filter processing circuit 14 to eliminate the influence due to the jump in which the low frequency component is dominant. Next, the collision phenomenon of the boarding / exiting floor 2 due to a foreign object, and the bump phenomenon due to an umbrella or the like are distinguished by the magnitude of energy. Therefore, the filtered acceleration waveform is full-wave rectified by the full-wave rectification processing circuit 15, converted into a waveform size, and converted into an energy value by the integration processing circuit 16.

  When a jumping phenomenon occurs during operation of the passenger conveyor 40, the acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit 4 is filtered by the control device 5 and becomes only a high-frequency component, and the integrated value of the acceleration signal becomes small. Therefore, in this case, since the integral value of the acceleration signal is smaller than the threshold value, it is not determined to be abnormal.

  Similarly, when a bumping phenomenon occurs during operation of the passenger conveyor 40, the integral value of the acceleration signal is small in this phenomenon where the energy that originally causes vibration is small. Since the integral value of the acceleration signal is smaller than the threshold value, this is not determined to be abnormal. On the other hand, if the collision phenomenon of the getting-on / off floor 2 due to foreign matter or the like occurs during operation of the passenger conveyor 40, the energy causing the vibration is large, and the acceleration signal detected contains a lot of high frequency components. The integral value of increases. Therefore, when a collision occurs due to a foreign object, the integrated value of the acceleration signal becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value determination circuit 17 compares the threshold value and the integrated value of the measured acceleration. When setting the threshold value, it is set to a value that can significantly compare foreign matter and other phenomena.

  In order to further improve the operation efficiency of the passenger conveyor 40, the threshold value of the integral value of the acceleration signal set by the control device 5 may be set in multiple stages. In this case, it is possible to determine the seriousness of the foreign object clogging. For example, when two kinds of threshold values are set, and the integrated value of the acceleration signal is larger than the first threshold value of the lower threshold value and smaller than the second threshold value of the higher threshold value, the collision due to the foreign matter generated on the passenger conveyor 40 is detected. It is judged that it is mild, and the passenger conveyor 40 is switched to low speed operation and the abnormality is notified to the outside. The mild abnormality is, for example, a situation in which a foreign object collides with the passenger floor 2 and breaks the comb 22.

  On the other hand, if the integral value of the acceleration signal is larger than the second threshold value, which is a high threshold value, it is determined that it is impossible to continue driving the passenger conveyor 40 and the passenger conveyor 40 is immediately stopped. At the same time, inform the outside of the abnormality. By setting a plurality of threshold values in this way, it is possible to continue the low-speed operation without stopping in the case of a collision about the comb 22 breakage and reduce the decrease in operation efficiency. Moreover, since the cause of the collision phenomenon caused by the foreign matter can be eliminated while the operation is continued at the low speed operation, it is possible to avoid a major accident during a minor abnormality.

  The control device 5 of this embodiment has a disconnection determination circuit 20. The operation of the disconnection determination circuit 20 will be described below. As described above, the acceleration sensor unit 4 of the safety device 50 includes a power line, a signal output line, and a GND line (not shown). The output signal of the acceleration sensor unit 4 includes a certain offset amount.

  In the acceleration sensor unit 4 configured as described above, any of the lines may be disconnected and a failure may occur. Therefore, the disconnection determination circuit 20 constantly monitors the offset amount included in the acceleration signal input to the high pass filter 14. If this offset amount is zero and it continues for a long time, it is determined that the power supply line and the signal output line are disconnected. Further, if the detected acceleration signal is equivalent to the maximum applied voltage and the state continues for a long time, it is determined that the GND line is disconnected. Therefore, the failure of the acceleration sensor unit 4 can be easily determined at an early stage only by monitoring the input signal.

  FIG. 5 is a side view showing details of another embodiment of the acceleration sensor unit according to the present invention. It is possible to detect the falling off of the board 9 and the loosening of the board fastening member 11 that may occur when the acceleration sensor unit 4 is fastened to the boarding / alighting floor 2 using a fastening material 12 such as a bolt. In the above embodiment, the board fastening members 11A to 11D are non-conductive, and a wiring pattern is provided to connect the signal output terminal of the acceleration IC chip 8 and the through holes of the board fastening members 11A to 11D. Is different. Flat seats 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> D are attached to the board fastening members 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> D so as to contact the wiring pattern extending to the through-hole portion.

  In this embodiment configured as described above, each flat seat 21 serves as a wiring fastening switch for connecting the through hole portions. That is, when looseness occurs even at one location of the board fastening members 11A to 11D, the output signal is blocked at the location where the looseness occurs. In this case, the state in which the output signal of the acceleration sensor unit 4 is zero continues for a long time, and the disconnection determination circuit 20 (see FIG. 4) can detect the looseness of the board fastening member 11.

  In this embodiment, the substrate fastening member 11 is made non-conductive, but the same effect can be obtained even if the mounting block 10 is made of a non-conductive material. When the mounting block 10 and the board fastening member 11 are made of a conductive material, the flat seat 21 is made of a double structure, and the side in contact with the board 9 is made conductive and the side in contact with the board fastening member 11 is made non-conductive. That's fine.

The perspective view of one Example of the safety device of the passenger conveyor which concerns on this invention. The perspective view of the acceleration sensor with which the safety apparatus of the passenger conveyor shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The perspective view of the other example of the acceleration sensor with which the safety apparatus of the passenger conveyor shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The control block diagram of the safety device of the passenger conveyor shown in FIG. The side view of the other Example of the safety device of the passenger conveyor which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Step, 2 ... Boarding / alighting floor, 3 ... Boarding / alighting support beam, 4 ... Acceleration sensor unit, 5 ... Control apparatus, 6 ... Calculation part, 7 ... Control part, 8 ... Acceleration IC chip, 9 ... Board | substrate, 10 ... Installation Blocks, 11A to 11D ... Board fastening members, 12A, 12B ... Block fastening members, 13 ... Resin film, 14 ... High-pass filter processing circuit, 15 ... Full wave rectification processing circuit, 16 ... Integration processing circuit, 17 ... Threshold comparison circuit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 ... Passenger conveyor stop device, 19 ... Abnormal alarm device, 20 ... Disconnection judgment circuit, 21A-21D ... Flat seat, 22 ... Comb.

Claims (7)

  In a passenger conveyor provided with a step formed in a loop shape and driven to circulate, and a landing floor provided at an end of the loop of the loop step and having a plurality of combs on the upper surface, the boarding floor or the boarding floor An acceleration sensor unit provided on the supporting floor support beam, and a control device for determining an abnormality of the passenger conveyor based on an acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit and instructing a control to stop or operate the passenger conveyor at a low speed. A safety device for a passenger conveyor, comprising:   2. The passenger conveyor safety device according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor unit has sensitivity in a traveling direction of the step, and is installed on both side ends or a back side of the boarding / exiting floor.   2. The passenger conveyor safety device according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor unit has an acceleration sensor portion covered with a resin. 3.   The control device includes a high-pass filter processing circuit that removes a low-frequency component from a detection signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit, a full-wave rectification processing circuit that performs full-wave rectification on the signal filtered by the high-pass filter processing circuit, An arithmetic processing unit having an integration processing circuit that integrates the full-wave rectified signal rectified by the full-wave rectification processing circuit, a threshold comparison circuit that compares a predetermined threshold value and an integration value output from the arithmetic processing unit, and The control unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a stop device that stops the passenger conveyor according to an output signal of the threshold value comparison circuit; and a unit that notifies an abnormality to the outside according to the output of the threshold value comparison circuit. Passenger conveyor safety device.   The control device includes means for setting at least two threshold values, and when the acceleration integrated value output from the integration processing circuit exceeds the first threshold value on the lower side and is lower than the second threshold value on the higher side. 5. The passenger conveyor according to claim 4, wherein a command can be given between a mode in which the vehicle is operated at a low speed and the abnormality is notified to the outside, and a mode in which the abnormality is stopped and the abnormality is notified to the outside when the second threshold value is higher than the second threshold value. Safety equipment.   The acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor unit is output by being offset by a predetermined amount, and the disconnection detection circuit for monitoring the offset amount of the output signal of the acceleration sensor unit is provided in the control device. Item 4. The passenger conveyor safety device according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The acceleration sensor unit is inserted into each of a board, an acceleration sensor attached to the board and having an output part, and a plurality of holes for attaching the acceleration sensor unit to the boarding / alighting floor, and fastens the acceleration sensor unit to the boarding / alighting floor. A conductive material fastening member; a wiring pattern formed by connecting the output portion and a plurality of holes; and a conductive flat seat interposed between the fastening member and the acceleration sensor unit. The safety device for a passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the safety device is a passenger conveyor.

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