JP2010189080A - Information providing device for passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing device for a passenger conveyor, capable of relieving and reducing a boring feeling and an irritating feeling embraced by a user of a passenger conveyor, by providing various information for the user of the passenger conveyor in a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This information providing device includes a data receiving part 5 for receiving character information output from an external information provider 4, a voice converting part 6 for converting the received character information into voice information, and broadcasting part 8 for broadcasting the voice information converted by the voice converting part 6. The broadcasting part 8 successively broadcasts the character information received by the data receiving part 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor information providing apparatus for providing information to a user of a passenger conveyor such as a moving sidewalk or an escalator.

  Passenger conveyors are installed in various places such as shopping centers, stations, public transportation such as airports, and are used by many people.

  The escalator is often installed in the range of 4m to 7m above the floor, and the usage time in this case is about several tens of seconds, but the escalator has a floor height exceeding 10m and the usage time is about 1 minute. There is also a thing. On the moving sidewalk, the captain may exceed 50m and the usage time may reach 1 minute or more.

  Since such a passenger conveyor is often installed in an indoor space close to undecorated, the user has a problem that he / she feels bored or frustrated before reaching the target floor.

  Therefore, as a conventional technology to alleviate and reduce the feeling of bored and frustrated by passenger passenger users, information from the remote monitoring system is received and information is displayed on a display device installed at a position where passengers on the passenger conveyor can check. And those that display information such as characters and figures on a moving handrail of a passenger conveyor are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).

  However, the following Patent Document 1 uses a system that remotely monitors passenger conveyors, elevators, and the like provided in buildings and the like, and thus cannot be applied when there is no remote monitoring system in buildings. In addition, when a passenger conveyor is added to a building or the like after the system construction, there is a problem that it is necessary to change or rebuild not only the passenger conveyor extension work but also the system in the building.

  Moreover, in patent document 2 below, there is a problem that it is difficult to provide information to a visually impaired person when providing information to a passenger conveyor user using a display device.

Japanese Patent No. 2889281 JP 2005-82400 A

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and provides various information to passenger conveyor users with a simple configuration, and alleviates and reduces boredom and frustration that passenger conveyor users have. An object of the present invention is to provide an information providing device for a passenger conveyor.

  An information providing apparatus for a passenger conveyor according to the present invention includes a data receiving unit that receives character information output from the outside, a voice conversion unit that converts character information received by the data receiving unit into voice information, and the voice conversion A broadcasting unit that broadcasts the audio information converted by the unit, wherein the broadcasting unit sequentially broadcasts the character information received by the data receiving unit.

  In the passenger conveyor information providing apparatus according to the present invention, with the above-described configuration, various information received from the outside can be sequentially broadcast by voice, so that the feeling of boredom and frustration felt by passenger passenger users is reduced. Can do.

It is a block diagram which shows the passenger conveyor to which the information provision apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the information provision apparatus in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the passenger conveyor to which the information provision apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the information provision apparatus in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the passenger conveyor 20 is an escalator installed so as to straddle the upper and lower floors of a building, and a large number of steps 21 are connected to an entrance on the upper floor side and an entrance on the lower floor side. The passengers who have boarded the steps 21 are transported across the upper floor and the lower floor by circulating between them. A number of steps 21 are connected by an endless chain 22 and are arranged in a main frame 23 called a truss installed under the floor of the building. Inside the main frame 23, sprockets 24a and 24b are arranged on the upper floor side and the lower floor side, respectively, and a chain 22 is wound between the upper floor side sprocket 24a and the lower floor side sprocket 24b. It is hung. The upper sprocket 24a is connected to a driving device 25 having a motor, a speed reducer, and the like.

  The drive device 25 is driven and controlled by the control unit 3 that controls the entire passenger conveyor 20, and the sprocket 24 a is rotated by the power of the drive device 25. Then, the driving force is transmitted to the chain 22 that meshes with the sprocket 24a, so that a large number of steps 21 connected by the chain 22 are guided by guide rails (not shown) and on the upper floor side entrance and lower floor side. It is structured to circulate between the entrance and exit.

  A pair of balustrades 27 are erected on both sides of the step 21 along the moving direction of the step 21, and a belt-like moving handrail 28 is mounted around the balustrade 27. The moving handrail 28 is a handrail gripped by a passenger boarded on the step 21. For example, the moving handrail 28 circulates around the balustrade 27 in synchronization with the movement of the step 21 by transmitting the driving force of the driving device 25. To do.

  The passenger conveyor 20 is configured as a so-called automatic operation type passenger conveyor, and includes passenger detection sensors 12a and 12b provided near the entrance and exit on the upper floor side and the lower floor side, respectively. The passenger detection sensors 12a and 12b are connected to the automatic operation control unit 14, and the automatic operation control unit 14 controls the control unit 3 when a passenger entering the entrance / exit is detected by the passenger detection sensor on the side serving as the entrance. The passenger conveyor 20 is controlled to operate at a normal speed. When a passenger entering the entrance / exit is not detected for a predetermined time or more by the passenger detection sensor on the side serving as the entrance, the automatic operation control unit 14 determines that there is no user on the passenger conveyor 20 and the automatic operation control unit 14 instructs the control unit 3 to The conveyor 20 is controlled to stop operation or to operate at low speed.

  Here, the driving direction of the passenger conveyor 20 is switched by the setting of the driving direction changeover switch operated by the administrator of the passenger conveyor 20, and in the case of ascending operation, the lower floor side entrance is the entrance. In the case of descending operation, the entrance on the upper floor side becomes the entrance. Therefore, in the case of the ascending operation, the ascending operation is started at the normal speed when the passenger is detected by the passenger detecting sensor 12b on the lower floor side, and in the case of the descending operation, the passenger detecting sensor 12a on the upper floor side is used. The descent operation at the normal speed is started when is detected.

  These passenger detection sensors 12a and 12b are attached to, for example, support columns 31a and 31b respectively installed in the entrances to the entrance and exit on the upper floor side and the lower floor side, and passengers passing through the entrance path to the entrance and exit are detected. Detect. In addition, as this passenger detection sensor 12a, 12b, the sensor of all the systems generally known as a sensor which can detect a human body can be utilized.

  The information providing apparatus 1 in the passenger conveyor 20 configured as described above includes a data receiving unit 5, a voice converting unit 6, a data storing unit 7, a broadcasting unit 8, and a display control unit 9, and the control unit 3 includes these units 5. , 6, 7, 8, and 9 are controlled.

  The data receiving unit 5 receives character information distributed from the external information provider 4 via the communication network 50 and inputs the received character information to the voice conversion unit 6 and the data storage unit 7. The data receiving unit 5 is connected to an external terminal 52 operated by an administrator of the passenger conveyor 20 and receives character information input from the external terminal 52.

  The voice conversion unit 6 converts the input character information into voice information, and inputs the converted voice information to the data storage unit 7.

  The data storage unit 7 records the character information input from the data reception unit 5 and records the voice information input from the voice conversion unit 6 in association with the character information. The data storage unit 7 records the character information and the voice information input from the data reception unit 5 and the voice conversion unit 6 in a rewritable manner. In addition, in the repeat data storage unit 7a provided in the data storage unit 7, repeat audio information for repetitive broadcasting from the broadcast unit 8 is recorded in a rewritable manner.

  When the data receiving unit 5 receives the character information input from the external terminal 52, the repeat voice information recorded in the repeat data storage unit 7a is deleted, and the voice conversion unit 6 converts the character information from the external terminal 52 into a voice. Then, new repeat sound information is generated and recorded in the repeat data storage unit 7a.

  The broadcast unit 8 reads out the audio information stored in the data storage unit 7 and broadcasts it from a plurality (three in this embodiment) of speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c. The speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c are arranged on the opposing surfaces of the pair of balustrades 27 at predetermined intervals along the moving direction of the step 21, for example, near the entrance / exit of the passenger conveyor 20 (the longitudinal direction of the passenger conveyor 20) Near both ends) and in the longitudinal center of the passenger conveyor 20. In addition, the broadcast unit 8 reads the repeat audio information from the data storage unit 7 every predetermined time and repeatedly broadcasts it from the speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c.

  The display control unit 9 reads out the character information stored in the data storage unit 7 and displays the character information on a plurality (three in this embodiment) of the display devices 11a, 11b, and 11c. The display devices 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged at predetermined intervals along the moving direction of the steps 21 as in the speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c. The display devices 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged in the vicinity of the entrance / exit of the passenger conveyor 20 and in the longitudinal direction of the passenger conveyor 20 It is installed in a location that is easy for the user to see, such as the central ceiling.

  Moreover, the control part 3 is provided with the memory 3a, and the predetermined character (keyword) and the operation | movement content of the passenger conveyor 20 matched with the said character are recorded on the said memory.

  Next, operation | movement of the information provision apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether the passenger conveyor 20 is activated. If it is activated, the process proceeds to step S2, and if it is not activated, the control is terminated.

  In step S <b> 2, in response to an instruction from the control unit 3, the data reception unit 5 receives character information distributed from the external information provider 4 via the communication network 50. The data received by the data receiving unit 5 includes, for example, the latest news, traffic information, weather information, weather forecast, disaster information, etc. that can be acquired from the network, and sales floor information if the installation location of the passenger conveyor 20 is a shopping center. , Discount information, holiday information, etc. When the data receiving unit 5 receives the character information, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the control unit 3 searches the character information received by the data receiving unit 5 for a character that matches the keyword recorded in advance in the memory. For example, when “rain” of weather information is recorded as a keyword, the keyword “rain” is searched in the character information received by the data receiving unit 5, and “earthquake” of earthquake warning is recorded as a keyword. In this case, the keyword “earthquake” is searched in the character information received by the data receiving unit 5. If a character matching the keyword is detected, the process proceeds to step S4, and if not detected, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S4, the control part 3 changes the operation control of the passenger conveyor 20 based on the operation | movement content recorded on the memory 3a. For example, if “Rain” is set as a keyword, the broadcast section 8 will broadcast a caution broadcast related to “Rain” such as “Today's weather is rain. Please note that your feet are slippery.” Do. Further, when “earthquake” is set as a keyword, the control unit 3 gently stops the passenger conveyor 20 at the time of an initial fine movement (P wave) of a small shake, and then a large shake (S wave) that arrives thereafter. By the time, the broadcasting unit 8 broadcasts the user to evacuate. Thus, by changing the operation control of the passenger conveyor 20, caution / guidance broadcasting and safety control according to the current external situation of the passenger conveyor 20 can be performed.

  In step S5, the voice converting unit 6 converts the character information received by the data receiving unit 5 into voice information, and proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, the voice information converted by the voice conversion unit 6 and the character information received by the data reception unit 5 are stored in the data storage unit 7, and the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, every time voice information and character information are stored in the data storage unit 7, the broadcasting unit 8 and the display control unit 9 sequentially read the voice information and character information stored in the data storage unit 7. The broadcast unit 8 broadcasts the audio information read from the speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c, and the character information read by the display control unit 9 is displayed on the display devices 11a, 11b, and 11c, and then the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, the voice information and character information stored in the data storage unit 7 are deleted, and the process returns to step S1.

  As described above, in the information providing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the character information distributed from the information providing source 4 on the network is converted into voice information and sequentially broadcast, and the data receiving unit 5 receives the information. New character information is received from the provider 4. Therefore, broadcast and displayed voice information and text information are updated sequentially, and various latest information can be provided to the user by voice and display while using the passenger conveyor. Can be relaxed.

  Moreover, the information providing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the data receiving unit 5, the audio converting unit 6, and the broadcasting unit 8, and by connecting the data receiving unit 5 to the information providing source 4 through the communication network 50, The latest information can be provided to the user of the passenger conveyor 20 by voice. Therefore, the latest information can be provided to the user of the passenger conveyor 20 with a simple configuration without requiring a system for remotely monitoring a passenger conveyor or an elevator provided in a building or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the data reception unit 5 is configured to start receiving information from the external information provider 4 due to the operation of the passenger conveyor 20, but for example, external information is provided to the control unit 3 in advance. The time zone received from the original 4 is set, the character information is received by the data receiving unit 5 only within the set time, and broadcast and displayed by the broadcasting unit 8 and the display control unit 9, or installed at the entrance / exit Only when the user is detected by the passenger detection sensors 12a and 12b, the text information may be received by the data receiving unit 5 and broadcast and displayed by the broadcasting unit 8 and the display control unit 9. By setting the timing for starting and ending the reception of character information from the information provider 4 in this way, the latest information can be provided according to the number of users and the presence or absence of users. Information can be provided.

  In addition, a conversion word / phrase is registered in advance in the voice conversion unit 6 so that the character information input from the data receiving unit 5 can be converted into a foreign language or a local dialect. It may be processed into local dialects and broadcast. In this way, by processing the received character information into various words and languages and broadcasting, it is possible to provide broadcast contents suitable for the installation environment and provide humorous information.

  Further, in the information providing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the administrator of the passenger conveyor 20 or the like can rewrite repeat voice information for repeated broadcasting at an arbitrary timing by inputting character information from the external terminal 52. . If the broadcast content determined in advance for a long period of time is repeatedly broadcast at a predetermined interval, the user of the passenger conveyor 20 may become used to the broadcast content, and the broadcast content may not be transmitted to the user. The information providing apparatus 1 can easily rewrite the repeat voice information before the user gets used to the broadcast content.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Elements that are the same as or correspond to those in the above-described embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that it includes a dividing unit 2 that divides character information received by the data receiving unit 5 and audio information converted by the audio converting unit. The point is that the speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c are operated so that the audio information divided into the speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c positioned in front of the moving direction in accordance with the movement of the step 21 is broadcasted sequentially.

  Specifically, the dividing unit 2 divides the character information received by the data receiving unit 5 from the information providing source 4 based on an instruction from the control unit 3. For example, the text information obtained from the information provider 4 is "December 24, weather information for the Kanto region. It will be mostly cloudy in the morning, but it will rain in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 60%. If it was, "the division part 2 will change this text information to" Weather information on Kanto region on December 24. "," It will be mostly cloudy in the morning, but it will rain from the afternoon. " It will come down. ”And“ The probability of precipitation is 60%. ”It is divided into three, and the divided character information is labeled as first information, second information, and third information, respectively. .

  The dividing unit 2 divides the audio information converted by the audio conversion unit 6 based on the command of the control unit 3 for the audio information converted by the audio conversion unit 6, as well as the character information. Reference numerals for the first information, the second information, and the third information are assigned.

  Then, the dividing unit 2 stores the divided character information and voice information in association with the code in the data storage unit 7.

  The memory provided in the control unit 3 records the first time, the second time, and the third time corresponding to the number of speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c and display devices 11a, 11b, and 11c. The first time, the second time, and the third time are estimated from the average walking speed of the user, and are arranged from the positions of the passenger detection sensors 12a and 12b installed at the entrance to the speakers 10a, 10b, and 10c. It is the time to reach the installation position. For example, when the driving direction of the passenger conveyor 20 is ascending operation, the first time is the time from the passenger detection sensor 12b on the entrance side to the speaker 10c near the entrance, and the second time is passenger detection on the entrance side. The time from the sensor 12b to the speaker 10b disposed in the longitudinal center of the passenger conveyor 20, the third time is the time from the passenger detection sensor 12b on the entrance side to the speaker 10a near the exit. It is.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation of the information providing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the passenger conveyor 20 is activated in step S11. If it is activated, the process proceeds to step S2, and if it is not activated, the control is terminated.

  In step S12, in response to an instruction from the control unit 3, the data receiving unit 5 receives character information distributed from the external information provider 4 via the communication network 50, and the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the voice converting unit 6 converts the character information received by the data receiving unit 5 into voice information, and proceeds to step S14.

  In step S <b> 14, the dividing unit 2 divides the character information received by the data receiving unit 5 and the voice information converted by the voice conversion unit 6, respectively, based on a command from the control unit 3. A reference numeral is assigned to each, and the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, the character information and voice information divided by the dividing unit 2 and the codes are associated with each other and stored in the data storage unit 7, and the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S16, it is determined whether or not a passenger detection sensor (in this embodiment, for example, the passenger detection sensor 12b on the lower floor side) installed at the entrance detects a user. If a user is not detected, it will progress to Step S17, and if a user is detected, it will progress to Step S18.

  In step S17, the voice information and character information stored in the data storage unit 7 are deleted, and the process returns to step S11.

  In step S18, it is determined whether or not the first time recorded in the control unit 3 has elapsed since the time when the user was detected by the passenger detection sensor 12b installed at the entrance. If the first time has elapsed, step S19 is performed. If not, step S18 is repeated.

  In step S19, the broadcasting unit 8 and the display control unit 9 read the first information stored in the data storage unit 7 into the speaker 10c and the display device 11c near the entrance. Then, the divided audio information corresponding to the first information read by the broadcasting unit 8 is broadcast from the speaker 10c, and the divided character information corresponding to the first information read by the display control unit 9 is sent to the display device 11c. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

  In step S20, it is determined whether or not the second time recorded in the control unit 3 has elapsed since the time when the user was detected by the passenger detection sensor 12b installed at the entrance. If the second time has elapsed, step S21 is performed. If not, step S20 is repeated.

  In step S <b> 21, the broadcast unit 8 and the display control unit 9 read the second information stored in the data storage unit 7 into the speaker 10 b and the display device 11 b disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the passenger conveyor 20. Then, the divided audio information corresponding to the second information read by the broadcasting unit 8 is broadcast from the speaker 10b, and the divided character information corresponding to the second information read by the display control unit 9 is transmitted to the display device 11b. Then, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, it is determined whether or not the third time recorded in the control unit 3 has elapsed since the time when the user was detected by the passenger detection sensor 12b installed at the entrance. If the third time has elapsed, step S23 is determined. If not, step S22 is repeated.

  In step S23, the broadcasting unit 8 and the display control unit 9 read the third information stored in the data storage unit 7 into the speaker 10a and the display device 11a near the exit. Then, the divided audio information corresponding to the third information read by the broadcasting unit 8 is broadcast from the speaker 10a, and the divided character information corresponding to the third information read by the display control unit 9 is sent to the display device 11a. Then, the process proceeds to step S17.

  As described above, in the information providing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the broadcasting unit 8 and the display control unit 9 are configured such that the speakers 10a, 10b, 10c and the display device 11a, which are positioned forward in the moving direction in accordance with the movement of the step 21 The voice information and the character information divided into 11b and 11c can be broadcasted and displayed in sequence, and information can be provided according to the user moving on the passenger conveyor 20.

Therefore, even if it is fixed speaker 10a, 10b, 10c and display apparatus 11a, 11b, 11c, information can be provided to the user of passenger conveyor 20 without omission.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information provision apparatus 3 ... Control part 4 ... Information provision source 5 ... Data receiving part 6 ... Audio | voice conversion part 7 ... Data storage part 8 ... Broadcasting part 9 ... Display control part 10a, 10b, 10c ... Speaker 12a, 12b ... Passenger Detection sensor 14 ... automatic operation control unit 20 ... passenger conveyor 50 ... communication network 52 ... external terminal

Claims (8)

An information providing device provided on a passenger conveyor,
A data receiver for receiving character information output from the outside;
A voice converter that converts the character information received by the data receiver into voice information;
A broadcasting unit that broadcasts the audio information converted by the audio conversion unit,
The information providing apparatus for a passenger conveyor, wherein the broadcasting unit sequentially broadcasts character information received by the data receiving unit. With a display installed around the passenger conveyor,
The passenger display information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit sequentially displays the character information received by the data receiving unit.   The data receiving unit sets a time zone for receiving character information from the outside, and the broadcasting unit sequentially broadcasts the character information received by the data receiving unit during the set time zone. 2. An information providing device for a passenger conveyor according to 2. Comprising a sensor for detecting that a person has approached the passenger conveyor;
3. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the broadcasting unit sequentially broadcasts the character information received by the data receiving unit only when the sensor detects that a person approaches the passenger conveyor. Information providing device. A language conversion unit that converts the character information received by the data reception unit into character information of a different language;
The voice conversion unit converts the character information converted in the language conversion unit into voice information,
The information providing apparatus for a passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the broadcast unit sequentially broadcasts the audio information converted by the audio conversion unit. A recording unit for recording predetermined characters, a control unit for controlling a passenger conveyor, and a search unit for searching for characters recorded by the recording unit from among character information received by the data receiving unit,
6. The passenger conveyor information according to claim 1, wherein when the search unit detects a character recorded in the recording unit, the control unit changes operation control of the passenger conveyor. 7. Providing device. A repeat data storage unit for repetitively recording repeat audio information for the broadcast unit to repeatedly broadcast;
The said repeat data storage part rewrites the recorded repeat data audio | voice information with the character information input from the external terminal, The information provision apparatus of the passenger conveyor of any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. A plurality of speakers arranged at predetermined intervals in the moving direction of the steps of the passenger conveyor, a dividing unit for dividing the voice information converted by the voice conversion unit, a data storage unit for storing the divided voice information, With
The broadcast unit operates the plurality of speakers so that the divided audio information is sequentially broadcast to speakers located in front of the moving direction in accordance with the movement of the steps. The information provision apparatus of the passenger conveyor of any one of -7.

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