JP2012041175A - Escalator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an escalator capable of reliably preventing an object such as a baggage of a passenger overflowing to the outside of a moving handrail from being pinched between the ceiling of a building and the moving handrail.SOLUTION: The escalator includes: a foot step 13 which circulates and travels so as to convey a passenger from a platform 2 of the lower floor side to a platform 2 of the upper floor side; a pair of moving handrails 17 which are guided by the peripheral edges of a pair of parapets 15 erected opposite to each other so as to sandwich the foot step 13 between the parapets; a distance/height information gaining device 33 which is arranged on an opening shaped space 21 formed between the moving handrail 17 and the ceiling 20 of the building and gains and outputs information corresponding to a distance to the object overflowing to the outside of the moving handrail 17 and information corresponding to a height of the object from the moving handrail 17; and an escalator control board 40 which controls a traveling speed of the footstep 13 based on a distance between the object and the distance/height information gaining device 33 derived based on the output of the distance/height information gaining device 33 and the height of the object from the moving handrail 17.

Description

  The present invention relates to an escalator having a function of preventing a passenger's luggage from being caught between a handrail and a ceiling, for example.

  The conventional escalator delta section pinching prevention device is formed so as to be horizontally displaceable on the front end side of the triangular plate provided in the delta section of the escalator composed of the moving handrail and the building ceiling when viewed from the width direction of the moving handrail. A contact switch, and a first switch and a second switch provided on the triangular plate, and when the first switch is activated in the first stage of the horizontal displacement of the contact bar, the alarm means is sounded, and The operation of the escalator is stopped by operating the second switch in the second stage of horizontal displacement (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the conventional escalator delta portion pinching prevention device configured in this way, for example, before the passenger's luggage that protrudes outside the moving handrail is sandwiched between the moving handrail that forms the delta portion and the ceiling In addition, the warning means prompts the passenger to be alerted, and the escalator stops when the baggage still protrudes from the moving handrail. For this reason, it was prevented that a passenger's luggage was pinched | interposed between the ceiling of a building and a moving handrail.

JP-A-8-12239

  However, it is not realistic to attach a large triangular plate to the delta portion in the conventional escalator delta portion pinching prevention device, and the contact bar is arranged in the vicinity of the portion where the handrail crosses the building ceiling. It will be.

  For example, if the height of the part of the passenger's luggage that protrudes outside the handrail is high from the handrail, the passenger's luggage will be placed on the ceiling of the building and the handrail before the second switch is activated and the escalator is stopped. There is a risk of being caught between.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an escalator capable of reliably preventing an object such as a passenger's luggage protruding outside the moving handrail from being caught between the ceiling of the building and the moving handrail. The purpose is to obtain.

  The escalator according to the present invention is a step that circulates between a pair of entrances on the upper and lower floors adjacent to a building so as to convey passengers from the entrance on the lower floor side to the entrance on the upper floor side. And a pair of moving handrails that are guided and moved by the periphery of a pair of balustrades that are erected so as to sandwich the step, and formed between the moving handrail and the ceiling of the building as viewed from the width direction of the step Is located on the crossing side of the moving handrail and ceiling of the mouth-open space, and is guided by the upper edge of the balustrade and information according to the distance to the object that moves outside the moving handrail and moves with the steps Distance height information acquisition device that acquires and outputs information according to the height of an object from a traveling handrail that travels, and an object and distance height information acquisition device that are derived based on the output of the distance height information acquisition device, Guided to the upper edge of the balustrade and the balustrade And a footstep speed control means for controlling the traveling speed of the steps based on the height of the object from the handrail to travel Te.

  In the escalator according to the present invention, the step speed control means has a distance between the object protruding outside the moving handrail and the distance height information acquisition device, and the height of the object from the moving handrail that is guided by the upper edge of the balustrade. Based on this, the running speed of the step is controlled. For example, when the height of a part of a passenger's luggage or the like protruding from the handrail is high, the step can be stopped before the luggage approaches the intersection of the handrail and the ceiling of the building. Thereby, it can prevent reliably that objects, such as a passenger's luggage, are pinched | interposed between a moving handrail and the ceiling of a building.

It is a schematic diagram of the escalator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is the principal part front view seen from the A direction of FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an escalator according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the step stop distance used for control of the escalator concerning one embodiment of this invention, step deceleration start distance, warning reference distance, and reference height. In the escalator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, it is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a protrusion object recognition part. It is a figure which shows a mode that the passenger | carrying luggage of the escalator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention has protruded from the moving handrail. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the escalator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the step speed control process when the escalator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention detects a protrusion object. It is a flowchart explaining the alarm control process when the escalator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention detects a protrusion object.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an escalator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a main part viewed from the direction A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram of the escalator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a step deceleration start distance, a step stop distance, an alarm reference distance, and a reference height used for controlling the escalator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The configuration of the escalator 1 will be described.
1 and 2, the escalator 1 includes a truss 3 installed between a pair of entrances 2 provided on the floor adjacent to the top and bottom of the building, and an upper part installed on each of the upper and lower floors of the truss 3. The machine room 4A and the lower machine room 4B, the electric motor 5 as driving means arranged in the upper machine room 4A, the driving sprocket 6 arranged in the upper machine room 4A, and the electric motor 5 and the driving sprocket 6 are connected. A drive chain 7 that rotates the drive sprocket 6 in conjunction with the drive of the electric motor 5, an upper sprocket 8 that is arranged coaxially with the drive sprocket 6, and a lower sprocket 9 that is arranged in the lower machine chamber 4B. I have.

  The escalator 1 includes a step chain 11 wound endlessly on the upper sprocket 8 and the lower sprocket 9 and connected to the step chain 11 in an endless manner. The escalator 1 is connected to the upper floor side from the entrance 2 on the lower floor side. A plurality of steps 13 that circulate between the pair of entrances and exits 2 so as to convey passengers to the entrance 2 and a pair of balustrades 15 that are erected so as to sandwich the steps 13 on both sides of the truss 3; A pair of moving handrails 17 that are guided by the respective peripheral edges of the pair of balustrades 15 and move in synchronization with the step 13, an escalator control panel 40 that controls the operation of the escalator 1 in general, a handrail 17 that moves, and the ceiling 20 of the building And an anti-pinch device 30 for preventing an object such as a passenger's baggage from being pinched.

  The pinching prevention device 30 is a pair of protrusion detection alarm devices installed in a mouth-open space 21 formed near the intersection of the pair of handrails 17 and the ceiling 20 of the building when viewed from the width direction of the step 13. 31 and an escalator control panel 40 as step speed control means and alarm control means.

  The protrusion detection alarm device 31 includes a housing 32 fixed to the opening-like space 21, a distance height information acquisition device 33 supported by the housing 32, a speaker 22 as a sound alarm notification means for notifying passengers of an alarm, And a light emitting diode 23 (LED 23) as a light emission warning notification means for notifying passengers of a warning.

The housing 32 is formed in a hollow body having a triangular cross-sectional outer shape.
The distance height information acquisition device 33 includes a video camera 34 as a photographing unit provided in the housing 32 and a laser distance measuring device 35 as a distance information acquisition device provided in the housing 32.

The video camera 34 is attached to the housing 32 such that a lens (not shown) is exposed on the side surface of the housing 32.
The laser distance measuring device 35 has a configuration equivalent to that described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-142488, and as shown in FIG. 2, a beam for transmitting a pulsed optical signal as a beam. An optical signal transmitter 36 as a transmitter and an optical signal receiver 37 as a beam receiver capable of receiving an optical signal are provided.

The optical signal transmitter 36 and the optical signal receiver 37 are attached so as to be exposed on the same side as the side surface of the housing 32 to which the video camera 34 is attached. Then, an optical signal transmitted from the optical signal transmitter 36 and reflected by the object and returned is received by the optical signal receiver 37.
The laser distance measuring device 35 detects and outputs a time τ until the optical signal transmitted from the optical signal transmitter 36 is received by the optical signal receiver 37. Since the time τ is proportional to the distance between the laser distance measuring device 35 and the object that reflects the optical signal, the time τ includes distance information between the laser distance measuring device 35 and the object that reflects the optical signal.

The LED 23 is attached to the housing 32 so that the light emitting portion thereof is exposed on one surface of the housing 32 to which the video camera 34 is attached.
The speaker 22 is attached to the housing 32 so that a predetermined sound can be notified.

The protrusion detection alarm device 31 configured as described above has the lens of the video camera 34 and the light emitting portion of the LED 23 directed toward the entrance 2 on the lower floor side, and the moving handrail 17 and the ceiling of the building in the open space 21. 20 is arranged on the crossing side and attached to the ceiling 20.
The protrusion detection alarm device 31 is provided in each of the pair of mouth-open spaces 21 located in the vicinity of both sides of the pair of handrails 17 in the width direction of the step 13.

The shooting area of one video camera 34 is one moving handrail 17 of the pair of moving handrails 17 positioned below the video camera 34 and one of the spaces on both sides of the pair of moving handrails 17. A space (a space outside the moving handrail 17) is included.
Note that the shooting area of the other video camera 34 includes the other moving handrail 17 and the other space among the spaces on both sides of the pair of moving handrails 17.
As described above, the shooting area of the video camera 34 includes the moving handrail 17 (hereinafter referred to as the upper moving handrail 17) that is guided by the upper edge of the balustrade 15 and the surrounding area. The image data output from the image includes information corresponding to the height of the object that has entered the imaging area from the upper moving handrail 17.

  Further, the escalator control panel 40 can control the drive of the electric motor 5 based on the output information of the distance height information acquisition device 33, in other words, can control the traveling speed of the step 13, The LED 23 is configured to be capable of controlling light emission, and has a function as a step speed control means and an alarm control means.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the escalator control panel 40 includes an image processing unit 41, a protruding object recognition unit 42, a distance derivation unit 43, a speed signal generation unit 44, and an alarm control unit 45. In addition, the function of each part which comprises the escalator control panel 40 is mentioned later.

  The escalator control panel 40 includes a CPU (not shown) as arithmetic processing means, a RAM (not shown) used as a temporary storage area when the CPU performs arithmetic processing, an image processing unit 41, and a protruding object The authentication unit 42, the distance deriving unit 43, the speed signal generating unit 44, and the alarm control unit 45 are configured by a ROM (not shown) storing a program for causing the CPU to execute the functions.

Next, the system configuration of the escalator 1 will be described.
In FIG. 3, a video camera 34 and an image processing unit 41 are communicably connected.
Further, the laser distance measuring device 35 and the distance deriving unit 43 are communicably connected.
Further, the image processing unit 41 is connected so as to be communicable with the protruding object recognition unit 42.
Further, the protruding object recognition unit 42, the distance deriving unit 43, and the speed signal generating unit 44 are connected to be communicable, and the distance deriving unit 43 and the speed signal generating unit 44 can monitor the recognition result of the protruding object determining unit 42. It has become.

The distance deriving unit 43, the speed signal generating unit 44, and the alarm control unit 45 are communicably connected, and the speed signal generating unit 44 and the alarm control unit 45 can recognize the output of the distance deriving unit 43.
Moreover, the alarm control part 45 is connected to the speaker 22 so that the audio | voice alerting | reporting by the speaker 22 is controllable.
The speed signal generation unit 44 is connected to the electric motor 5 so that a speed command value for causing the step 13 to travel at a desired speed can be transmitted to the electric motor 5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the ROM of the escalator control panel 40 has a step deceleration start distance L1, a step stop distance L2, a first alarm reference distance L3, a second alarm reference distance L4, and a reference height Hr. Is set.

Each of the step deceleration start distance L1, the step stop distance L2, the first alarm reference distance L3, and the second alarm reference distance L4 is parallel to the extending direction of the inclined portion of the moving handrail 17 from the laser distance measuring device 35, and The distance in the direction toward the entrance 2 on the lower floor side is set.
Here, the first alarm reference distance L3> the second alarm reference distance L4> the step deceleration start distance L1> the step stop distance L2.

The step stop distance L2 is, for example, a position corresponding to the step stop distance L2 in a state in which a passenger who has entered the step 13 causes the luggage to largely protrude above the moving handrail 17 outside the pair of moving handrails 17. Even when approaching, the portion of the luggage that protrudes outside the pair of moving handrails 17 and moves together with the steps 13 (the protruding object 28) is not sandwiched between the moving handrail 17 and the ceiling 20 of the building. It is set.
At this time, the size of the luggage is assumed to be the largest of the common-sense luggage that can be brought together by passengers who enter the step 13.

  The step deceleration start distance L1 is set to a distance longer than the step stop distance L2 by a predetermined distance so that the step 13 traveling at the rated speed can be decelerated and stopped without difficulty.

The reference height Hr is set as follows.
The load is appropriately set to a value lower than the height H of the load when a common sense size load that can be brought together by the passengers on the step 13 is placed on the upper surface of the handrail 17.

Next, the operation of each component of the escalator control panel 40 will be described.
The image processing unit 41 converts the image data output from the video camera 34 into a data format that can be analyzed by the following protruding object recognition unit 42 and distance derivation unit 43.

The ROM stores comparison image data whose format has been converted by the image processing unit 41 with respect to image data output from the video camera 34 when no passenger is on the step 13.
The protruding object recognition unit 42 performs ON / OFF control of the protruding object detection flag provided in the RAM, as will be described below.
Hereinafter, the ON / OFF control operation of the protruding object detection flag will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the protruding object recognition unit in the escalator according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating that the passenger's luggage of the escalator according to the embodiment of the present invention protrudes from the moving handrail. FIG.
In FIG. 5, steps 101 to 104 are denoted as S101 to S104 for convenience of explanation.

In step 101 of FIG. 5, the protruding object recognition unit 42 determines whether there is an object protruding outside the pair of moving handrails 17 as described below. For example, the object protruding outside the pair of moving handrails 17 is, for example, a passenger's luggage.
The protruding object recognition unit 42 compares the region image data currently captured by the video camera 34 and acquired through the image processing unit 41 with the comparison image data, and compares the comparison image data in the space outside the moving handrail 17. When a different object that is not present enters, as shown in FIG. 6, it is determined that the protruding object 28 is present.

When the protruding object recognition unit 42 determines in step 101 that there is no protruding object 28, it sets the protruding object detection flag to OFF (step 102) and returns to step 101.
In step 101, when the protruding object recognition unit 42 determines that there is the protruding object 28, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the moving handrail 17 from the surface of the moving handrail 17 facing upward as shown in FIG. 6. It is determined whether or not the height H of the protruding object 28 is equal to or greater than a preset reference height Hr (step 103).

In step 103, when the protruding object recognition unit 42 determines that the height H of the protruding object 28 from the handrail 17 is less than the reference height Hr, the protruding object detection flag is set to OFF (step 102). If it is determined that the height of the protruding object 28 from the moving handrail 17 is equal to or higher than the reference height Hr, the protruding object detection flag is set to ON (step 104).
As described above, the protruding object recognition unit 42 operates.

  Further, when the protruding object detection flag is ON, the distance deriving unit 43 always sets the distance L between the laser distance measuring device 35 and the protruding object 28 from the laser distance measuring device 35 as shown in FIG. Derived based on the output time τ described above.

The speed signal generation unit 44 calculates a speed command value for causing the step 13 to travel at a desired speed based on ON / OFF of the protruding object detection flag and the distance L derived by the distance deriving unit 43. 5 is output.
The electric motor 5 controls the driving force for running the step chain 11 so that the step 13 runs at a speed according to the input speed command value.

  Although details will be described later, the alarm control unit 45 controls the speaker 22 and the LED 23 based on the ON / OFF of the protruding object detection flag and the distance L derived by the distance deriving unit 43.

Next, the overall operation of the escalator 1 will be described.
The image data captured and acquired by the video camera 34 is always input to the image processing unit 41 and is output to the protruding object recognition unit 42. The protruding object recognition unit 42 recognizes the presence or absence of the protruding object 28, Depending on the authorization result, the protruding object detection flag is switched ON / OFF as described above.

Hereinafter, control of the traveling speed of the step 13, notification control of the speaker 22, and light emission control of the LED 23 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the escalator according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 7, steps 201 to 204 are described as S201 to S204 for convenience of explanation.

In step 201 of FIG. 7, the distance deriving unit 43, the speed signal generating unit 44, and the alarm control unit 45 determine whether or not the protruding object detection flag is ON.
In step 201, when the distance deriving unit 43, the speed signal generating unit 44, and the alarm control unit 45 determine that the protruding object detection flag is OFF, the process proceeds to step 202, and the distance deriving unit 43 does not operate. The alarm control unit 45 stops sound notification by the speaker 22 and light emission by the LED 23. In addition, the speed signal generation unit 44 generates a speed command value for causing the step 13 to travel at the rated speed and outputs the speed command value to the electric motor 5. As a result, the step 13 travels at the rated speed.

In step 201, when the distance deriving unit 43, the speed signal generating unit 44, and the alarm control unit 45 determine that the protruding object detection flag is ON, the distance deriving unit 43 determines that the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device. The distance L between the first and second sensors 35 is derived in real time based on the output of the laser distance measuring device 35 and is output to the speed signal generator 44 and the alarm controller 45 (step 203).
Further, the speed signal generation unit 44 performs a step speed control process at the time of detection of the protruding object for controlling the traveling speed of the step 13 according to the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35, and an alarm control unit 45 performs an alarm control process at the time of detection of a protruding object for controlling sound notification by the speaker 22 and light emission of the LED 23 (step 204).

Hereinafter, the step speed control process when the protruding object is detected will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the step speed control process when the escalator according to the embodiment of the present invention detects a protruding object.
In FIG. 8, steps 301 to 307 are referred to as S301 to S307 for convenience of explanation.

In step 301 in FIG. 8, the speed signal generation unit 44 reads the output of the distance deriving unit 43 and determines whether or not the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the step deceleration start distance L1. Judging.
If the speed signal generator 44 determines in step 301 that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is not within the step deceleration start distance L1, it determines whether or not the protruding object detection flag is ON. It is judged again (step 302).

  In step 302, the speed signal generation unit 44 returns to step 301 when it determines that the protruding object detection flag is ON, and when it determines that the protruding object detection flag is OFF, the object that protrudes outside the pair of moving handrails 17. Assuming that (the protruding object 28) disappears, the control is terminated.

  In step 301, when the speed signal generation unit 44 determines that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the step deceleration start distance L1, it generates a speed command value for starting the deceleration of the step 13. Then, it is transmitted to the electric motor (step 303). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when the protruding object 28 is within the step deceleration start distance L <b> 1 from the laser distance measuring device 35, the driving force of the electric motor 5 is weakened and the traveling speed of the step 13 is reduced.

In step 304, the speed signal generation unit 44 determines whether or not the protruding object detection flag is ON.
In step 304, when the speed signal generation unit 44 determines that the protruding object detection flag is OFF, the speed signal generation unit 44 generates a speed command value for causing the step 13 to travel at the rated speed, and transmits it to the electric motor 5, assuming that the protruding object 28 has disappeared. To do. As a result, the traveling speed of the step 13 is returned to the rated speed (step 305).

  In step 304, when the speed signal generation unit 44 determines that the protruding object detection flag is ON, it determines whether or not the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the step stop distance L2. (Step 306).

If the speed signal generation unit 44 determines in step 306 that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is not within the step stop distance L2, the process returns to step 304.
In step 306, when the speed signal generator 44 determines that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the step stop distance L2, the speed signal generator 44 generates a speed command value for stopping the step 13 and Send to 5. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when reaching the position of the step stop distance L2 from the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35, the motor 5 is stopped and the running of the step 13 is also stopped (step 307).

  As described above, in the escalator control panel 40, the protruding object 28 constitutes the distance height information acquisition device 33 while the height of the protruding object 28 from the moving handrail 17 exceeds the predetermined reference height Hr. When it is determined that the distance from the laser distance measuring device 35 is close to the position of the step deceleration start distance L1, it functions as step speed control means for decelerating the step 13 and when it is determined that the position is close to the position of the step stop distance L2, the step 13 is stopped. .

Next, an alarm control process when a protruding object is detected will be described.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining alarm control processing when the escalator according to the embodiment of the present invention detects a protruding object.
In FIG. 9, steps 401 to 411 are referred to as S401 to S411 for convenience of explanation.

In step 401 of FIG. 9, the speed signal generator 44 and the alarm controller 45 determine whether or not the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the first alarm reference distance L3. .
In step 401, when the speed signal generation unit 44 and the alarm control unit 45 determine that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is not within the first alarm reference distance L3, the protruding object detection flag. Is again determined (step 402).

  In step 402, when the alarm control unit 45 determines that the protruding object detection flag is ON, the process returns to step 401. When the alarm control unit 45 determines that the protruding object detection flag is OFF, the object (see FIG. It is determined that the protruding object 28) has disappeared, and the control ends.

  In step 401, when the alarm control unit 45 determines that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the first alarm reference distance L3, the LED 23 blinks as shown in FIG. Control is performed to urge passengers to call attention (step 403).

In step 404, the alarm control unit 45 determines whether or not the protruding object detection flag is ON.
In step 404, when the alarm control unit 45 determines that the protruding object detection flag is OFF, the LED 23 is extinguished and the warning to the passenger is terminated by assuming that the protruding object 28 is gone (step 405), and the control is performed. Finish.
When the alarm control unit 45 determines in step 404 that the protruding object detection flag is ON, the alarm control unit 45 determines that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the second alarm reference distance L4. It is determined whether or not (step 406).

  In step 406, when the alarm control unit 45 determines that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is not within the second alarm reference distance L4, the process returns to step 404, and the protruding object 28 and the laser are measured. If it is determined that the distance to the distance measuring device 35 is within the second alarm reference distance L4, as shown in FIG. 4, “Please do not protrude luggage from the handrail 17 on the speaker 22”. "Is notified by voice, and the passenger is urged to call attention (step 407).

In step 408, the alarm control unit 45 determines whether or not the protruding object detection flag is ON.
In step 408, when the alarm control unit 45 determines that the protruding object detection flag is OFF, the LED 23 is turned off and the notification by the speaker 22 is stopped to alert the passengers that the protruding object 28 has disappeared. The process ends (step 409) and the control ends.

  If the warning control unit 45 determines in step 408 that the protruding object detection flag is ON, it determines whether or not the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is within the step stop distance L2. (Step 410). That is, it is determined whether or not the step 13 is stopped.

In step 410, when the alarm control unit 45 determines that the distance between the protruding object 28 and the laser distance measuring device 35 is not within the step stop distance L2, the alarm control unit 45 returns to step 408 and within the step stop distance L2. If it is determined, for example, a management room (not shown) is notified that the step 13 has stopped, and the speaker 22 is notified that the manager has been called.
As described above, the escalator control panel 40 allows the protruding object 28 to constitute the distance height information acquisition device 33 while the height of the protruding object 28 from the moving handrail 17 exceeds a predetermined reference height. When it is determined that the distance from the distance device 35 is within the predetermined first and second alarm reference distances L3 and L4, the LED 23 and the speaker 22 are informed of an alarm and function as an alarm control means for prompting the passenger to be alerted.

According to the escalator 1 of the present invention, the escalator control panel 40 serving as the step speed control means includes an object that protrudes outside the pair of moving handrails 17 (the protruding object 28) and a laser distance measuring device that constitutes the distance height information acquisition device 33. The traveling speed of the step 13 is controlled based on the distance from the device 35 and the height of the protruding object 28 from the moving handrail 17 that is guided by the upper edge of the balustrade 15. Therefore, for example, it has been recognized that the height of the portion of the passenger's luggage (the protruding object 28) placed on the moving handrail 17 and protruding from the moving handrail 17 from the moving handrail 17 is larger than the reference height Hr. In this case, the step 13 can be stopped before the protruding object 28 approaches the intersection of the moving handrail 17 and the ceiling 20 of the building.
Thereby, it can prevent reliably that a passenger's luggage etc. are pinched | interposed between the moving handrail 17 and the ceiling 20 of a building.

In addition, the escalator 1 includes a speaker 22 and an LED 23 provided so as to be able to issue a warning to a passenger who has boarded the step 13 rising toward the mouth-opening space 21 side, and a moving handrail above the protruding object 28. When the laser distance measuring device 35 determines that the predetermined first and second alarm reference distances have been reached while the height from 17 exceeds the predetermined reference height Hr, an alarm for informing the speaker 22 and the LED 23 of an alarm An escalator control panel 40 as control means is provided.
Accordingly, by setting the first and second alarm reference distances L3 and L4 to be longer than the step deceleration start distance L1 and the step stop distance L2, it is confirmed that the passenger's luggage or the like has protruded from the moving handrail 17. Since attention can be given early, it can be expected that the passenger pulls the luggage back inside the pair of handrails 17 before the luggage reaches the position corresponding to the step deceleration start distance L1. This prevents the step 13 from being decelerated or stopped unnecessarily.

In the above-described embodiment, the first alarm reference distance L3> the second alarm reference distance L4 is described, and after the alert by blinking the LED 23, the alert is urged by the voice notification from the speaker 22, but the speaker After the alert by 22, the alert by blinking the LED 23 may be urged.
That is, when the escalator control panel 40 determines that the protruding object 28 has entered the region within the first alarm reference distance L3 from the distance height information acquisition device 33, the escalator control panel 40 notifies one of the speaker 22 and the LED 23 of an alarm, If 28 determines that it has entered the area within the second alarm reference distance L4 that is smaller than the first alarm reference distance from the distance height information acquisition device 33, control is performed so as to notify the other of the speaker 22 and the LED 23 of the alarm. Good.

In addition, even if no warning is given by the speaker 22 and the LED 23, the traveling of the step 13 is stopped before the passenger's luggage is sandwiched between the moving handrail 17 and the ceiling 20, so the speaker 22 and the LED 23 are not necessarily provided. It does not have to be.
Moreover, alerting may be performed by either one of the speaker 22 and the LED 23.

  Moreover, although the distance height information acquisition apparatus 33 was demonstrated as what is comprised by the video camera 34 and the laser ranging apparatus 35, the distance height information acquisition apparatus 33 is not limited to this. For example, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-198378, an object is generated based on an optical signal transmitted from an optical signal transmitter, reflected by an object and returned and received by an optical signal receiver 37. It is also possible to use an optical radar device capable of recognizing the distance and the shape of the object. If an optical signal of this type of optical radar apparatus passes through the area including the moving handrail 17 and its periphery and is transmitted along the moving handrail 17 in the direction toward the lower floor, the protruding object 28 and the optical radar apparatus And the height of the protruding object 28 from the height position of the moving handrail 17 can be acquired.

  In the above-described embodiment, the reference height Hr has been described as being a predetermined value. For example, the reference height is a lower floor side entrance / exit along the moving handrail 17 from the laser distance measuring device 35. You may set so that it may become large continuously for a while as it goes to 2. FIG. Further, the laser distance measuring device 35 and the lower floor side entrance / exit side may be divided into a plurality of regions, and different reference heights may be set for each region. At this time, it is preferable that the reference height corresponding to the area on the lower floor side entrance 2 side is set to a larger value.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Escalator, 13 steps, 15 balustrade, 17 moving handrail, 20 ceiling, 21 open mouth space, 32 distance height information acquisition apparatus, 22 speaker (alarm alarm means, voice alarm alarm means), 23 light emitting diode (alarm alarm means) , Light emission alarm notification means), 40 escalator control panel (step speed control means, alarm control means).

Claims (5)

A step that circulates between a pair of entrances on the floor adjacent to the building to convey passengers from the entrance on the lower floor side to the entrance on the upper floor side; and
A pair of moving handrails that are guided in the periphery of a pair of balustrades that are erected so as to sandwich the step and move in synchronization with the step;
When viewed from the width direction of the step, the movable handrail is formed on the crossing side of the ceiling of the mouth-shaped space formed between the moving handrail and the ceiling of the building, and on the outside of the moving handrail. The distance to acquire and output information according to the distance to the object that protrudes and moves with the steps, and the information according to the height of the object from the moving handrail that is guided by the upper edge of the railing A height information acquisition device;
The distance between the object derived from the output of the distance height information acquisition device and the distance height information acquisition device, and the height of the object from the moving handrail guided by the upper edge of the balustrade An escalator comprising: step speed control means for controlling the traveling speed of the step based on the height. An alarm notification means capable of notifying an alarm toward a passenger who has got on the step rising toward the mouth-opening space side;
When the height of the object protruding outside the moving handrail from the moving handrail exceeds a predetermined reference height and enters the area within the predetermined alarm reference distance from the distance height information acquisition device. The escalator according to claim 1, further comprising: an alarm control unit that causes the alarm notification unit to notify the alarm when the determination is made.   The escalator according to claim 2, wherein the alarm notification unit is a voice alarm notification unit that notifies a warning by voice.   The escalator according to claim 2, wherein the alarm notification means is a light emission alarm notification means for notifying an alarm by light emission. The warning notification means includes a voice warning notification means and a light emission warning notification means,
When the alarm control means determines that the object has entered the area within the first alarm reference distance from the distance height information acquisition device, the alarm control means notifies an alarm to one of the voice alarm notification means and the light emission alarm notification means. If the object is determined to have entered the area within the second alarm reference distance that is smaller than the first alarm reference distance from the distance height information acquisition device, the other of the audio alarm notification means and the light emission alarm notification means The escalator according to claim 2, wherein an alarm is notified.

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