JP2015003792A - Conveyor apparatus, and braking performance diagnosis method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyor apparatus and a braking performance diagnosis method of the apparatus which are capable of performing diagnosis of a braking device accurately.SOLUTION: A conveyor apparatus includes a conveyor that conveys personnel, a drive unit 25 that drives the conveyor and a braking device 26 that brakes the conveyor, and outputs rotation of the drive unit by pulse. A braking performance diagnosis method of the conveyor apparatus comprises: a braking start step in which the drive unit is stopped and the braking device is activated while the drive unit is being activated; a pulse number change calculation step in which pulse output by the drive unit is acquired, and a change Δn of a pulse number at each predetermined time Δt is calculated; and a determination step in which whether braking performance of the braking device is normal or not is determined by comparing the change Δn of a pulse number calculated by the pulse number change calculation step with a previously set threshold value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor device that conveys personnel such as an escalator and a moving sidewalk, and more specifically to a method for diagnosing braking ability of a conveyor device.

  In a conveyor device that transports personnel such as an escalator or a moving sidewalk, when an abnormality such as a foreign object being caught is detected, a safety device is activated to make an emergency stop. The braking (braking) capability at that time is stipulated by law as the braking distance of the step in the case of an escalator and the braking distance of the sidewalk in the case of a moving sidewalk. When the rated speed of the escalator is 30 m / min, the braking distance is 0.1 to 0.6 m with no load (no occupant), and many manufacturers have 0.2 to 0.5 m. Is set. The braking distance can be converted from, for example, the number of pulses of an encoder attached to the drive shaft.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, the braking capability of the conveyor device is from the encoder pulse, the conveyor device stop command input, that is, from when the administrator performs a stop start operation with a key switch until the conveyor is completely stopped. Counting is performed, the braking distance is calculated based on the number of pulses, and diagnosis is performed by determining whether or not the distance is within a predetermined threshold. As a result of the diagnosis, if there is an abnormality in the braking distance, an abnormality is reported on the monitoring panel, for example, a lamp is turned on to notify the administrator. The causes of the abnormality in the braking ability include that the braking device is not operating and that even if it is operating, the braking distance is extended due to wear of the brake pads that are in sliding contact with the brake disc.

JP-A-2-282189

However, in the above diagnosis, a signal is actually transmitted to the braking device from the stop start operation by operating the key switch to the conveyor device, and the braking force of the braking device acts on the conveyor device before the brake torque is generated. Free run time is included.
Since the idling time varies depending on the length and structure of the escalator, the structure and performance of the braking device, etc., an error occurs when the idling time is included in the diagnosis result, and the calculated braking distance also has an error. There is a problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device and a method for diagnosing braking ability thereof, which can accurately diagnose a braking device.

The method for diagnosing braking capacity of the conveyor device of the present invention
A method for diagnosing braking capacity of a conveyor device comprising a conveyor for carrying personnel, a driving device for driving the conveyor, and a braking device for braking the conveyor, wherein the rotation of the driving device is output by a pulse.
A braking start step of stopping the driving device and operating the braking device while the driving device is operating;
A pulse number change calculating step of acquiring a pulse output by the driving device and calculating a change Δn of the pulse number per predetermined time Δt;
A determination step of determining whether or not the braking capability of the braking device is normal by comparing the change Δn of the pulse number calculated in the pulse number change calculation step with a preset threshold value;
With

The conveyor device according to the present invention is
In a conveyor device comprising a conveyor for carrying personnel, a driving device for driving the conveyor, and a braking device for braking the conveyor, and outputting the rotation of the driving device to the control device by pulses,
The control means includes
A control unit for stopping the drive device and operating the braking device while the drive device is operating;
A pulse number change calculating unit that obtains a pulse output by the driving device and calculates a pulse number change Δn for each predetermined time Δt;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the braking performance of the braking device is normal by comparing the change Δn in the pulse number calculated by the pulse number change calculation unit with a preset threshold value;
With

  According to the conveyor apparatus and the braking capacity diagnosis method of the present invention, since the braking capacity of the braking system is determined based on the change in pulse number Δn per predetermined time Δt, the idle running time without the change in the pulse number is determined. Not included. Therefore, an accurate braking ability diagnosis can be performed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an escalator which is a conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a braking capability diagnosis degree according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3A is a graph showing the speed of the escalator body, FIG. 3B is a graph showing the number of pulses per time Δt, and FIG. 3C is a graph showing the change Δn in the number of pulses per time Δt.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an escalator (10) that is a conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Below, although an escalator is illustrated as a conveyor apparatus, if it is a conveyor apparatus which conveys personnel, it can apply also to a moving walkway.

  The escalator (10) includes an escalator body (20), a driving device (motor (25)), a braking device (26), and a control device (40).

  More specifically, the escalator body (20) includes a chain (22) and a handrail (23) to which a footboard (21) as a conveyor is attached, and receives the power transmitted from the driving device to receive the footboard (21) and The handrail (23) circulates.

  The drive device can exemplify a motor (25), and the output of the motor (25) is transmitted to the escalator body (20) via a reduction gear (24) which can be constituted by a gear or the like. Control of the motor (25) can be performed by a drive control unit (30) constituting a drive circuit of the motor (25).

  Further, the brake device (26) can be exemplified by a structure in which a brake pad is slidably contacted with a brake disc provided on an output shaft of the motor (25).

  An encoder (27) is provided on the output shaft of the motor (25). In the encoder (27), for example, when the slit plate attached to the output shaft of the motor (25) rotates, the optical path between the pair of light emitting / receiving elements provided at the fixed position is turned on / off. Is detected by the light receiving element to generate an encoder pulse. The generated encoder pulse is transmitted to the control device (40).

  An operation part (28) including a key switch and an emergency stop button is provided at the entrance / exit of the escalator body (20). In the example of FIG. 1, the operation unit (28) is provided on the upper floor side in order to simplify the drawing. The operation unit (28) is electrically connected to the control device (40), and controls the start and end of operation of the drive device and the braking device (26) by ON / OFF operation of the key switch.

  The control device (40) executes all the controls of the escalator (10). More specifically, the control device (40) is realized by a CPU, a storage unit (memory), various programs stored in the storage unit, and the like. In FIG. Only functional blocks related to the present invention are drawn. It should be understood that these functional blocks can be realized by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

  The control device (40) includes a control unit (41) serving as the core thereof. The operation unit (28) and the drive control unit (30) described above are electrically connected to the control unit (41). In addition, signals can be transmitted and received bidirectionally with the braking unit (42) that controls the braking device (26).

  In normal operation, the control unit (41) operates the drive control unit (30) in response to the administrator's key switch ON operation to the operation unit (28), and operates the motor ( 25) is driven, and the braking device (26) is released via the braking section (42), and the escalator body (20) is operated based on a predetermined operation program. The operation status of the escalator body (20) can be obtained by referring to the encoder pulse. When an abnormality in the encoder pulse, operation of the emergency stop button, or other abnormality is detected, the braking unit (42) stops the motor (25) and operates the braking device (26) to Anomaly is reported at (50).

  Further, the brake unit (42) stops the motor (25) as the drive device and activates the brake device (26) in response to the key switch OFF operation to the operation unit (28). When this operation is stopped, the braking capability of the braking device (26) is diagnosed.

  As described above, the diagnosis of the braking ability is performed in response to the key switch OFF operation on the operation unit (28). The control device (40) includes the above-described braking unit (42), a pulse number change calculating unit (43) that obtains encoder pulses and calculates the pulse number change Δn, and the calculated pulse number change Δn. A torque calculation unit (44) for calculating a brake torque based on the braking force and a determination unit (45) for determining whether the braking capability of the braking device (26) is normal based on the calculated brake torque. Yeah.

  The diagnosis of the braking ability of the present invention by the control device (40) will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 (a) is a graph showing the speed of the escalator body (20), FIG. 3 (b) is the number of pulses per predetermined time Δt, and FIG. 3 (c) is the time per Δt. It is a graph showing change (DELTA) n of a pulse number.

  If the key switch is turned off to the operation unit (28) during normal operation of the escalator (10) (Yes in step S1), the control unit (41) turns off the output of the drive control unit (30). Then, the motor (25) is stopped and the braking device (26) is operated by the braking unit (42) (see step S2 and FIG. 3 (a)).

  Further, the pulse number change calculation unit (43) acquires a pulse from the encoder (27) (see step S3 and FIG. 3 (b)), and calculates a change Δn in the pulse number for each predetermined time Δt (step S3). 4 and FIG. 3 (c)). The predetermined time Δt can be set to, for example, 5 msec to 200 msec, depending on the design of the stop distance, assuming that the time during which the brake torque is generated is approximately equal to 10.

  During normal operation or during an idle running period when the braking device (26) does not actually apply the braking torque, the number of pulses output during a predetermined time Δt is constant as shown in FIG. 3 (c). Therefore, the change Δn in the number of pulses is substantially zero. On the other hand, when the brake torque is actually applied by the braking device (26), the number of pulses output during the time Δt decreases. Therefore, by referring to the change Δn in the number of pulses per time Δt, the idle running period is excluded. The start time when the brake torque actually acts can be determined by the braking device (26). In this case, immediately before the travel of the escalator body (20) is stopped or stopped by the braking device (26), the change in pulse number Δn also approaches 0 as much as possible, so refer to the change in pulse number Δn. Thus, the period during which the braking device (26) actually generates the brake torque can be determined.

  Based on the change Δn in the number of pulses during the period in which the brake device (26) is generating the brake torque calculated in step S3, the torque calculator (44) calculates the brake torque of the brake device (26). (Step S5). The brake torque can be calculated based on preset inertia data of the escalator (10). The inertia data may be stored in a storage unit (not shown).

  The calculated brake torque is transmitted to the determination unit (45) and compared with a preset brake torque threshold value (step S6). If the brake torque is within the predetermined threshold value, the brake torque is normal (no abnormality). Is determined (Yes in step S7), the diagnosis of the braking ability is completed.

  If the calculated brake torque does not fall within the predetermined threshold, it is determined that there is an abnormality (No in step S7), an abnormality is reported to the monitoring panel (50) (step S8), and the braking capacity is Diagnosis ends.

  As described above, by diagnosing the braking device (26) based on the change Δn in the number of pulses, the idle running period that has errors due to variations in the length and structure of the escalator and the structure and performance of the braking device is eliminated. Since the brake torque can be calculated and determined only during the actual braking period, an accurate diagnosis can be performed.

  In the present embodiment, the control device (40) calculates the brake torque based on the pulse number change Δn, and determines whether the brake device (26) has a braking capability based on whether the brake torque is within a predetermined threshold. However, the determination can be made directly from the change Δn in the number of pulses. In this case, the torque calculation unit (44) and step S5 described above are unnecessary.

  Further, the braking device (26) may be diagnosed by calculating the rotational speed of the output shaft of the motor (25), the actual moving speed or deceleration of the escalator body (20) from the change Δn in the number of pulses. .

  Furthermore, the start and end of calculation of the change Δn in the number of pulses can be determined by referring to the integrated value of the number of pulses during the time Δt. In this case, for example, when 90% to 95% of the integrated value of the number of pulses in the normal operation is set as the start of calculation of the change Δn of the number of pulses, the integrated value of the number of pulses in the normal operation is 5% to 10%. The end of the calculation of the change Δn in the number of pulses can be made.

  The above description is for explaining the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention described in the claims or limiting the scope thereof. Further, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the technical scope described in the claims.

  For example, the pulse number change calculation unit (43) acquires the pulse from the encoder (27) after operating the braking device (26) by the braking unit (42), but also acquires the pulse during normal operation. The change Δt in the number of pulses may be output to the control unit (41) or the like to monitor whether the escalator (10) is abnormal during normal operation.

(10) Escalator
(20) Escalator body
(25) Motor (drive device)
(26) Braking device
(27) Encoder
(30) Drive controller
(40) Control device
(41) Control unit
(42) Braking part
(43) Pulse number change calculator
(44) Torque calculator
(45) Judgment part

Claims (4)

A method for diagnosing braking capacity of a conveyor device comprising a conveyor for carrying personnel, a driving device for driving the conveyor, and a braking device for braking the conveyor, wherein the rotation of the driving device is output by a pulse.
A braking start step of stopping the driving device and operating the braking device while the driving device is operating;
A pulse number change calculating step of acquiring a pulse output by the driving device and calculating a change Δn of the pulse number per predetermined time Δt;
A determination step of determining whether or not the braking capability of the braking device is normal by comparing the change Δn of the pulse number calculated in the pulse number change calculation step with a preset threshold value;
A method for diagnosing braking ability of a conveyor device, comprising: In the determination step, the change Δn in the number of pulses is converted into a brake torque based on inertia data of a preset conveyor device, and the determination is performed by comparing with a preset brake torque threshold value.
The method for diagnosing braking ability of the conveyor device according to claim 1. In a conveyor device comprising a conveyor for carrying personnel, a driving device for driving the conveyor, and a braking device for braking the conveyor, and outputting the rotation of the driving device to the control device by pulses,
The control means includes
A control unit for stopping the drive device and operating the braking device while the drive device is operating;
A pulse number change calculating unit that obtains a pulse output by the driving device and calculates a pulse number change Δn for each predetermined time Δt;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the braking performance of the braking device is normal by comparing the change Δn in the pulse number calculated by the pulse number change calculation unit with a preset threshold value;
Conveyor device characterized by comprising. The determination unit performs the determination by converting the change Δn in the number of pulses into a brake torque based on a preset inertial data of the conveyor device and comparing it with a preset threshold value of the brake torque.
The conveyor apparatus of Claim 3.

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