JP2010064884A - Passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a passenger conveyor capable of ensuring the safety in stepping-in and -out when visited by an aged person or a physically-impaired passenger by allowing operation at an optimum operation speed according to the actual using state. <P>SOLUTION: An information reader 20 set in the vicinity of a platform reads identification information of a passenger who approaches the platform from a portable terminal carried by the passenger. An attribute determination part 31 of a control unit 23 determines the passenger's attribute based on the identification information of the passenger read by the information reader 20, and when the passenger who approaches the platform is an aged person or a physically-impaired passenger, a speed control part 13 of an escalator control device 10 switches the operation speed of an escalator to a low speed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways, and more particularly to passenger conveyors capable of switching operation speeds.

Passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways connect a number of steps with an endless chain, drive the chain with an electric motor, and circulate these many steps to allow passengers on the steps to exit from the entrance. It is a structure that conveys it to the exit. This type of passenger conveyor is known to control the frequency of power supplied to the motor using a power conversion device such as an inverter so that the moving speed (operating speed) of the step can be switched to a plurality of speeds. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a driving speed for each time zone is set in advance, and low speed driving is predicted in a time zone in which elderly people or people with physical disabilities are predicted to use intensively. It has also been proposed to ensure safety when passengers get on and off by switching to.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-198653 (page 4, FIG. 4)

  However, in the method of switching the operation speed of the passenger conveyor for each predetermined time period as described in Patent Document 1, selection of the optimal operation speed according to the passenger's usage status is based on past trends. Therefore, there is a problem that the driving at the optimum driving speed according to the actual usage situation is not necessarily performed.

  The present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and enables driving at an optimum driving speed in accordance with the actual use situation, and it impedes the elderly and the body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a passenger conveyor that can ensure safety when getting on and off when a passenger has it.

  The passenger conveyor according to the present invention approaches an entrance / exit based on an information reading device that reads passenger identification information from a portable terminal carried by a passenger approaching the entrance / exit, and the passenger identification information read by the information reading device. Attribute determining means for determining the attribute of the passenger, and speed control means for controlling the moving speed of the step based on the passenger attribute determined by the attribute determining means.

  According to the passenger conveyor according to the present invention, since the moving speed of the steps is controlled according to the attributes of passengers approaching the entrance / exit, it is possible to drive at the optimum driving speed according to the actual usage situation, for example, When elderly people or passengers with physical disabilities use, switching to low-speed driving can ensure the safety of passengers getting on and off.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, as an example of a passenger conveyor to which the present invention is applied, an escalator that conveys passengers across the upper and lower floors by exercising a number of steps continuously is illustrated. The present invention can also be effectively applied to a moving sidewalk (auto road) that conveys passengers by continuously moving the steps (treadboards).

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the escalator according to the present embodiment. This escalator circulates and moves a large number of steps 1 connected without any gaps, and conveys passengers on the steps 1 from a boarding / unloading port to a boarding / unloading port. A number of steps 1 are connected by an endless chain 2 and are arranged in a main frame 3 called a truss installed across the upper and lower floors of the building. Inside the main frame 3, for example, a driving sprocket 4a and a driven sprocket 4b are arranged on the upper floor side, respectively, and an endless step chain 2 is provided between the driving sprocket 4a and the driven sprocket 4b. It is wrapped around. The drive sprocket 4a is connected to a drive device 5 having a motor 5a, a reduction gear, and the like by a drive chain 5b, and rotates by driving of the drive device 5. Then, when the drive sprocket 4a rotates, a driving force is transmitted to the step chain 2 meshing with the drive sprocket 4a, and a number of steps 1 connected by the step chain 2 ride along guide rails (not shown). It has a structure that circulates between the mouth and the exit.

  On the main frame 3, skirt guards 6 are respectively installed on the left and right ends of the step 1 moving from the entrance to the exit, and a balustrade 7 is erected on the skirt guard 6. A belt-like handrail 8 is mounted around the balustrade 7. The handrail 8 is a handrail gripped by a passenger boarded on the step 1. For example, the driving force of the driving device 5 described above is transmitted so that the handrail 8 can move around the balustrade 7 in synchronization with the movement of the step 1. Go around.

  The operation of this escalator is controlled by the escalator control device 10. The escalator control device 10 is connected to a three-phase AC power supply 12 via a circuit breaker 11, and controls the start / stop of the escalator by controlling the supply / cutoff of power to the motor 5a of the drive device 5. Further, the escalator control device 10 controls the switching of the escalator operation direction (ascending operation, descending operation) by controlling the energization direction of the drive device 5 to the motor 5a. Furthermore, the escalator control device 10 includes a speed control unit 13 and an inverter circuit 14 inside, and the energization state (frequency and voltage) to the motor 5a is determined by the inverter circuit 14 according to the speed command output from the speed control unit 13. By variably controlling, the operating speed of the escalator (the moving speed of the step 1) is controlled.

  In particular, in the escalator of the present embodiment, information readers 20a and 20b (hereinafter referred to as “readers”) that read passenger identification information stored in the portable terminal from portable terminals carried by the passenger near the entrances and exits of the upper floor and the lower floor. In particular, the information reading device 20 is provided unless otherwise distinguished). In addition, for example, on the ceiling near the entrance / exit, etc., displays 21a and 21b for providing various information to passengers on the step 1 (hereinafter referred to as the display 21 unless otherwise specifically distinguished). ) And speakers 22a and 22b (hereinafter referred to as speakers 22 unless otherwise distinguished). Further, the escalator of the present embodiment includes a control unit 23 that performs various processes based on passenger identification information read by the information reader 20, and a passenger that stores information on passengers who frequently use the escalator of the present embodiment. A database 24 and a guidance control device 25 that controls provision of information to the passengers by the display 21 and the speaker 22 are provided.

  Passengers who frequently use the escalator of the present embodiment are registered in advance and given unique identification information for each passenger. And the portable terminal (for example, non-contact IC card, short-distance wireless communication apparatus etc.) which memorize | stored this passenger identification information is distributed to each passenger, and the passenger registered as a user is the escalator of this embodiment. When using the mobile phone, it is assumed that the mobile terminal in which the identification information is stored is carried. In addition, personal information of each passenger registered as a user, for example, information such as age, physical characteristics of whether or not the body has a disability, hobbies, preferences, etc. is associated with the identification information of each passenger in the passenger database 24.

  As a specific example, for example, when a membership card storing unique identification information is distributed to all registered members at a membership shopping center or sports facility, and each facility in the hall is used. Can be effectively applied in an environment where personal authentication is performed using a membership card, and the membership card in this case becomes a portable terminal.

  When the passenger registered as a user approaches the entrance / exit on the entrance side, the information reading device 20 performs wireless communication with the mobile terminal carried by the passenger and is stored in the mobile terminal. Read passenger identification information. Specifically, when a non-contact IC card is used as a portable terminal, the information reading device 20 is used when a passenger approaches the entrance and holds the non-contact IC card over the information reading device 20. Wireless communication is performed with the non-contact IC card, and the passenger identification information stored in the non-contact IC card is read. Further, when a short-range wireless communication device is used as a portable terminal, the information reading device 20 is a short-range wireless communication device carried by the passenger when the passenger approaches the entrance / exit. When entering the communicable range, the wireless communication is performed with the short-range wireless communication device, and the passenger identification information stored in the short-range wireless communication device is read. In addition, the escalator of this embodiment is capable of switching the driving direction, the lower floor side entrance / exit becomes the entrance during the ascending operation, and the upper floor side entrance / exit becomes the entrance during the descending operation. Mouth. For this reason, the identification information is read from the portable terminal by the information reading device 20b installed in the vicinity of the lower floor entrance during the ascending operation, and in the vicinity of the upper floor entrance during the descending operation. The identification information is read from the portable terminal by the installed information reading device 20a. Passenger identification information read from the portable terminal of the passenger by the information reading device 20 is input to the control unit 23.

  The control unit 23 is configured to include, for example, a microcomputer that stores a predetermined processing program. As a functional configuration realized by processing by the microcomputer, an attribute determination unit 31, a passenger number detection unit 32, information And a content determination unit 33. The control unit 23 may be configured by using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like in which each processing function is incorporated as a circuit, instead of the microcomputer.

  When the identification information of the passenger who has approached the entrance / exit on the entrance side is input from the information reading device 20, the attribute determination unit 31 refers to the passenger database 24, and determines the passenger from the information on the age and physical characteristics of the passenger. Determine the attributes of. Here, the attribute of the passenger indicates, for example, whether the passenger is desired to decelerate the driving speed when entering the escalator for the reason that the elderly person or the body has an obstacle. The passenger attribute information determined by the attribute determination unit 23 is input to the speed control unit 13 of the escalator control device 10 as needed.

  The passenger number detection unit 32 monitors the reading operation of the identification information by the information reading device 20 and detects the number of passengers per predetermined time. In other words, the passenger number detection unit 32 has a function of counting the input of identification information from the information reading device 20, and identifies each time the passenger identification information is input from the information reading device 20 during the past predetermined time. The number of times information is input is output as the number of passengers per predetermined time. Here, the predetermined time, which is a unit time for detecting the number of passengers, is set to be approximately the same as the required travel time for the passenger to move from the entrance / exit to the entrance / exit, for example. In this case, the number of passengers per predetermined time represents the number of passengers currently using the escalator, and the passenger detection unit 32 detects and outputs the number of passengers currently using the escalator every time a passenger enters the escalator. Will do. Moreover, the passenger number detection part 32 outputs the information which shows that there is no passenger using the escalator, when predetermined time passes, without the input of the identification information from the information reader 20. FIG. Information on the number of passengers detected by the passenger number detection unit 32 is input to the speed control unit 13 of the escalator control unit 10 as needed.

  When the identification information of the passenger approaching the entrance / exit on the entrance side is input from the information reading device 20, the information content determination unit 33 refers to the passenger database 24 to determine the hobby, preference, etc. of the passenger, The content of information when providing information to the passenger from the display 21 or the speaker 22 is determined. That is, as the information provided to the passengers from the display 21 and the speaker 22, for example, various information such as information related to various products in a shopping center is prepared in advance. The information content determination unit 33 selects information that suits the hobbies, preferences, etc. of passengers approaching the entrance / exit from among the various information prepared in advance, and determines the information to be provided to the passengers To do.

  The operation of providing information to passengers by the display 21 and the speaker 22 is controlled by the guidance control device 25. The guidance control device 25 controls the control unit 23 as information suitable for the hobbies and preferences of the passenger after the passenger approaching the entrance / exit on the entrance side gets on the escalator and before getting off the entrance / exit on the exit side. The information selected by the information content determination unit 33 is displayed on the display 21 and is output from the speaker 22 by voice. In addition, the display 21 and the speaker 22 installed near the entrance / exit on the exit side are used for providing information to passengers, and the display 21a installed near the entrance / exit on the upper floor side when the escalator is in the ascending operation Information is provided to the passenger by the speaker 22a, and information is provided to the passenger by the display 21b and the speaker 22b installed near the entrance on the lower floor side when the escalator is in the descending operation.

  In the escalator of this embodiment, the speed control unit 13 of the escalator control device 10 includes passenger attribute information input from the attribute determination unit 31 of the control unit 23 and passengers input from the passenger number detection unit 32 of the control unit 23. It has a function of controlling the operating speed of the escalator based on the numerical information.

  Specifically, when the passenger attribute information input from the attribute determination unit 31 of the control unit 23 indicates that the passenger has an obstacle to the elderly or the body, the speed control unit 13 In order to ensure safety when passengers get on and off, a speed command for reducing the operating speed of the escalator is output to the inverter circuit 14. Then, after the escalator is operated at a low speed, a speed command for returning the operation speed of the escalator to the rated speed is transmitted to the inverter circuit 14 when a predetermined time has elapsed without newly inputting similar attribute information. Output.

  In addition, when the speed control unit 13 indicates that the passenger number information input from the passenger number detection unit 32 of the control unit 23 indicates that there are more passengers than the predetermined number of passengers, In order to increase the conveying force by the escalator and reduce the stagnation of passengers at the entrance / exit, a speed command for reducing the operating speed of the escalator is output to the inverter circuit 14. Then, after operating the escalator at high speed, a speed command for returning the operating speed of the escalator to the rated speed is output to the inverter circuit 14 when the number of passengers is less than the prescribed number of passengers. . However, when the attribute information of the passenger indicating that the elderly person or the body has a disability has been input during the past predetermined time, that is, the elderly person or body in the passenger currently using the escalator. If there are passengers with disabilities and the escalator operation speed is switched to low speed operation, even if the number of passengers exceeds the specified number of passengers, switching to high speed operation is not performed and low speed operation is continued. Let

  In addition, when the escalator control device 10 switches the escalator operation speed, the speed change information is input to the guidance control device 25, and the sound that the operation speed is switched before the escalator operation speed is switched. It is desirable to output the guidance from the speaker 22. Thereby, the passenger can be informed in advance of switching of the operating speed of the escalator.

  Moreover, the speed control part 13 has not detected the new passenger over the predetermined time for the passenger number information input from the passenger number detection part 32 of the control unit 23, that is, the passenger who is currently using the escalator. If it is information indicating that there is no error, an escalator stop command is output to cut off the power supply to the motor 5a and stop the escalator. Moreover, when the passenger attribute information is newly input from the attribute determination unit 31 in a state where the escalator is stopped, the speed control unit 13 outputs an escalator start command to start power supply to the motor 5a. Activate the escalator.

  Here, the case where the operating speed of the escalator can be switched in three stages of a low speed (for example, 20 m / min), a rated speed (for example, 30 m / min), and a high speed (for example, 40 m / min) will be described as an example. A specific example of the operation speed switching control by the escalator will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S1, the control unit 23 monitors the reading operation of the identification information by the information reading device 20, and whether the information reading device 20 has read the identification information from the portable terminal of the passenger approaching the entrance / exit, that is, information It is determined whether or not passenger identification information is input from the reading device 20 to the control unit 23.

  If the identification information is not read by the information reading device 20, the passage of time is counted in step S2, and if the predetermined time has passed without reading the identification information by the information reading device 20 (YES in step S2). In the case of determination), passenger number information indicating that no new passenger has been detected for a predetermined time from the passenger number detection unit 32 of the control unit 23 to the speed control unit 13 of the escalator control device 10. Output. As a result, in step S3, an escalator stop command is output from the speed controller 13 of the escalator control device 10, and the escalator stops. In this case, the escalator waits in a stopped state, and when a passenger approaches the entrance / exit and the identification information is read by the information reading device 20 (YES in step S1), the speed control of the escalator control device 10 is performed. An escalator activation command is output from the unit 13 and the escalator is activated.

  If the information reading device 20 has read the identification information, then in step S4, the attribute determination unit 31 of the control unit 23 checks the passenger database 24 based on the passenger identification information, thereby The determination result is output to the speed control unit 13 of the escalator control device 10 as passenger attribute information. In step S5, the number-of-passengers detection unit 32 of the control unit 23 uses the number of times identification information has been input during the past predetermined time, that is, the number of passengers in the past predetermined time as the number of passengers escalator control device. 10 to the speed control unit 13.

  Next, in step S6, the speed control unit 13 of the escalator control device 10 determines that the passenger approaching the entrance / exit has an obstacle to the elderly or the body based on the attribute information of the passenger from the attribute determination unit 31 of the control unit 23. It is determined whether or not the passenger is a passenger. And when the speed control part 13 determines with the passenger who approached the entrance / exit being an elderly person or a passenger with a physical disorder, the speed for making the driving speed of an escalator low (for example, 20 m / min) A command is output to the inverter circuit 14. As a result, in step S7, the energization state of the drive device 5 to the motor 5a is controlled to be switched to the low speed side, and the escalator is operated at a low speed.

  On the other hand, if the speed control unit 13 determines that the passenger approaching the entrance / exit is not an elderly person and is not a passenger with a physical disability, in step S8, from the passenger number detection unit 32 of the control unit 23 Based on the passenger number information, it is determined whether or not the number of passengers detected during the past predetermined time (the number of passengers currently using the escalator) is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of passengers. When the number of passengers detected during the past predetermined time is less than the prescribed number of passengers, a speed command for setting the operating speed of the escalator to a rated speed (for example, 30 m / min) is sent to the inverter circuit 14. Output. As a result, in step S9, the energization state of the drive device 5 to the motor 5a is switched to a state corresponding to the rated speed, and the escalator is operated at the rated speed.

  If the speed control unit 13 determines that the number of passengers detected during the past predetermined time is equal to or greater than the prescribed number of passengers, then the speed control unit 13 detects during the past predetermined time in step S10. It is determined whether there are elderly passengers or passengers with disabilities in the passengers. And when there are no elderly people or passengers with physical disabilities among the passengers detected during the predetermined time in the past, a speed command for increasing the operating speed of the escalator (for example, 40 m / min) Is output to the inverter circuit 14. As a result, in step S11, the energization state of the drive device 5 to the motor 5a is controlled to be switched to the high speed side, and the escalator is operated at high speed. On the other hand, if there are elderly passengers or passengers with physical disabilities among passengers detected during a predetermined time in the past, the escalator is in a state of low speed operation, so without switching the speed Maintain low-speed operation.

  As described above in detail with reference to specific examples, in the escalator of the present embodiment, the information reader 20 installed in the vicinity of the entrance / exit allows the mobile terminal carried by the passenger near the entrance / exit to The identification information of the passenger is read. And the attribute determination part 31 of the control unit 23 determines a passenger's attribute based on the identification information of the passenger read with the information reader 20, for example, the passenger who approached the entrance / exit has a disorder | damage | failure to an elderly person or a body. When the passenger is a passenger, the speed controller 13 of the escalator control device 10 switches the escalator operation speed to a low speed operation. Therefore, according to the escalator of this embodiment, the safety | security at the time of getting on and off of the elderly person and the passenger with a body obstacle can be ensured reliably. In addition, the switching of the driving speed according to the passenger attribute is not performed based on the prediction based on the past tendency, but is performed after determining the attribute of the passenger actually approaching the entrance / exit. Therefore, it is possible to drive at an optimum driving speed according to the actual usage situation.

  Moreover, in the escalator of this embodiment, the passenger number detection part 32 of the control unit 23 monitors the reading operation of the identification information by the information reader 20, detects the number of passengers in the past predetermined time, and in the past predetermined time. If the number of passengers is equal to or greater than the prescribed number of passengers, the speed control unit 13 of the escalator control device 10 switches the escalator operation speed to a low speed operation. Therefore, according to the escalator of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the stay of passengers at the entrance and exit by increasing the conveying power of the escalator at the time of congestion, and switching the operation speed according to such a congestion situation, Rather than making predictions based on past trends, the actual number of passengers per predetermined time is detected, so driving is performed at the optimal driving speed based on actual usage conditions. be able to.

  Moreover, the escalator of this embodiment is provided with the display 21 and the speaker 22 which provide various information with respect to a passenger, and the information content determination part 33 of the control unit 23 reads the identification information of the passenger read by the information reader 20. The content of the information determined by the information content determination unit 33 is output from the display 21 or the speaker 22 by determining the content of the information to be provided to the passenger by determining the hobbies and preferences of the passenger. I have to. Therefore, according to the escalator of this embodiment, it is possible to provide useful information according to hobbies and preferences to passengers.

  The embodiment described above is merely an example of application of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the contents described in the above embodiment. Absent. That is, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific technical matters disclosed in the above embodiments, but includes various modifications, changes, alternative techniques, and the like that can be easily derived from this disclosure.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, as an attribute of a passenger to be determined based on passenger identification information, it is determined whether the passenger is an elderly person or a passenger with a physical disability. If the personal information is stored in more detail, the attributes of passengers can be determined more precisely.For example, in the case of a passenger who is elderly but has strong feet and legs, switching to the low speed side Various speed controls according to the attributes of the passengers are possible, such as a control that does not perform the escalator, and a control that switches to low speed driving in the case of a child who is not using the escalator.

  Moreover, although embodiment demonstrated above illustrated the case where the driving speed of an escalator was switched in three steps, a low speed, a high speed, and a rated speed, it was made to switch the driving speed of an escalator in more steps according to a passenger's attribute. Also good.

  In the embodiment described above, the number of passengers per predetermined time is detected to determine the congestion status of the escalator, and when it is crowded, the operation speed of the escalator is switched to high speed operation to increase the conveyance force. When the number of passengers per hour is excessively large, a situation in which the passengers are running up on the step 1 is also assumed. Therefore, the passengers may be alerted by voice guidance from the speaker 22 or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the personal information of each passenger is stored in the passenger database 24 in advance. For example, the passenger writes new information on the mobile terminal, and the information reading device 20 The new information may be read simultaneously with the reading of the identification information, and the personal information in the passenger database 24 may be updated with the new information. Further, the date, day of the week, time zone, frequency of use, etc., of the identification information of the passenger by the information reading device 20 can be accumulated in the passenger database 24 as a usage history. It is also possible to perform control such as determining the contents of information provision to passengers.

The schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the escalator to which this invention is applied. The flowchart which shows a specific example of the switching control of the driving speed by the escalator to which the present invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Step 5 Drive apparatus 5a Motor 10 Escalator control apparatus 13 Speed control part 14 Inverter circuit 20 (20a, 20b) Information reader 21 (21a, 21b) Display 22 (22a, 22b) Speaker 23 Control unit 24 Passenger database 25 Guidance control Device 31 Attribute determination unit 32 Passenger number detection unit 33 Information content determination unit

Claims (3)

In a passenger conveyor that conveys passengers by circulating and moving a number of steps connected endlessly,
An information reading device installed in the vicinity of the entrance / exit and reading the identification information of the passenger stored in the mobile terminal by performing wireless communication with a mobile terminal carried by a passenger approaching the entrance / exit;
Based on the identification information of the passenger read by the information reader, attribute determination means for determining the attribute of the passenger approaching the entrance / exit,
And a speed control means for controlling the moving speed of the steps based on the attributes of the passengers determined by the attribute determination means. Passenger number detection means for detecting the number of passengers per unit time by monitoring the identification information reading operation by the information reading device,
The speed control means controls the moving speed of the step based on the passenger attributes determined by the attribute determination means and the number of passengers per unit time detected by the passenger number detection means. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1. An information providing device installed in the vicinity of the movement path of the step and providing various information to passengers on the step;
The information content determination means which determines the information content provided to a passenger from the said information provision apparatus based on the identification information of the passenger which the said information reading apparatus read, The further comprising, The information content determination means characterized by the above-mentioned. Passenger conveyor.

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