JP2020142887A - Passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a passenger conveyor with more improved energy-saving performance.SOLUTION: A passenger conveyor control device increases a driving speed from a low peed to a medium speed when a user is detected by a user detection part while driving a footstep at a low speed, increases the driving speed from the medium speed to a rated speed when the user is detected by the user detection part while driving the footstep at the medium speed, and decelerates the driving speed to the low speed when the state where the user is not detected by the user detection part since the latest user is detected lasts for a half circumference running time added for 30 seconds, while driving the footstep at the medium speed or the rated speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor.

Patent Document 1 discloses an escalator that performs low-speed operation or high-speed operation based on a passenger detection result by a detection sensor in order to save energy.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-198656

The present invention provides a passenger conveyor with further improved energy saving performance.

The passenger conveyor of the present invention
With the steps connected in an endless manner,
A drive unit that circulates the steps and
A user detection unit that detects users passing through the entrance,
Equipped with a control device,
Based on the result of the user's detection by the user detection unit, the control device sets the step by the drive unit to either the rated speed, the medium speed slower than the rated speed, or the low speed slower than the medium speed. It is configured to be driven by
The control device is
When a user is detected by the user detection unit while driving the tread at a low speed, the driving speed is increased from low speed to medium speed.
When a user is detected by the user detection unit while driving the tread at medium speed, the driving speed is increased from medium speed to rated speed.
While driving the tread at a medium speed or a rated speed, if the state in which the user is not detected by the user detection unit continues for a predetermined time after the latest user is detected, the driving speed is reduced to a low speed.

According to the passenger conveyor of the present invention, when a user is detected while driving a step at a low speed, the drive speed is increased from a low speed to a medium speed, and the user is driving the step at a medium speed. When detected, the drive speed is increased from medium speed to rated speed. That is, when the user is detected while driving the tread at a low speed, the driving speed is not increased at once from the low speed to the rated speed, but is increased only to the medium speed. If no passengers are detected for a predetermined time after speeding up to medium speed, the drive speed is returned to low speed without speeding up to the rated speed. Therefore, the power consumption can be reduced and the energy saving performance can be further improved as compared with the case where the driving speed is increased from the low speed to the rated speed at once.

It is a schematic side view of the escalator in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is an enlarged side view of the entrance part of the escalator in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is an enlarged plan view of the entrance part of the escalator in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which showed the electrical structure of the control system of the escalator in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which showed the electrical structure of the control device of the escalator in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the operation control by the control device of the escalator in Embodiment 1. It is an enlarged side view of the entrance part of the escalator in Embodiment 2. It is an enlarged plan view of the entrance portion of the escalator in Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
1. 1. Configuration FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the escalator according to the first embodiment. The escalator 1 is an example of a passenger conveyor.

The escalator 1 includes an escalator main body 10, a motor 20, an inverter 30, a control device 40, and the like.

The escalator main body 10 is installed in a state of being bridged between two floors F1 and F2 of the building. The escalator main body 10 includes a plurality of step 11s connected in an endless manner, a pair of left and right endless handrails 12, and a power transmission mechanism (not shown) for transmitting the power of the motor 20 to the steps 11 and the handrail 12. It has a floor plate 19 and the like that form the floor surfaces of the entrance 5 and the exit 6. The plurality of steps 11 and the handrail 12 are circulated and driven by the power of the motor 20 driven by the electric power supplied from the inverter 30. In the escalator 1 of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the floor F1 is provided with the entrance 5 and the floor F2 is provided with the exit 6, but in the present invention, the floor F2 is provided with the entrance 5. And an exit may be provided on the floor F1.

The control device 40 controls the drive of the motor 20 by controlling the operation of the inverter 30, and thus controls the drive of the step 11, that is, the operation of the escalator 1.

2 and 3 are an enlarged side view and an enlarged plan view of the entrance 5 portion of the escalator 1 in the first embodiment.

The escalator main body 10 has left and right balustrades 18 that support the left and right handrails 12 so as to be travelable. Each of the left and right handrails 12 has nuell portions 12n (folded portions) that are curved in an arc shape and folded back at both ends in the longitudinal direction. Below each nuell portion 12n, an inlet guard 17 having an inlet 16 for allowing the handrail 12 to enter and exit the power transmission mechanism accommodation space below the balustrade 18 is provided.

The balustrade 18 is provided with a photoelectric sensor 61 in the vicinity of the nuell portion 12n.

The photoelectric sensor 61 is provided to detect a user who passes the position Pd near the tip of the nuel portion 12n of the handrail 12 in order to get on the escalator 1. The photoelectric sensor 61 is an example of a user detection unit. The photoelectric sensor 61 has a light emitting unit 61a and a light receiving unit 61b that are arranged so as to face each other in a direction perpendicular to and horizontal to the moving direction of the step 11. The light projecting unit 61a continuously projects the sensor light, and the light receiving unit 61b receives the sensor light projected from the light projecting unit 61a. The light receiving unit 61b outputs a sensor signal indicating whether or not the sensor light projected from the light emitting unit 61a is being received to the control device 40. The situation where the sensor signal is not received by the light receiving unit 61b occurs when the user passes the position Pd near the tip of the nuel unit 12n and the sensor light is blocked.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the control system of the escalator 1 according to the first embodiment.

The control device 40 inputs a sensor signal from the photoelectric sensor 61, generates an inverter control signal based on the input sensor signal, and outputs the inverter control signal to the inverter 30.

The inverter 30 inputs an inverter control signal from the control device 40, and supplies AC power to the motor 20 based on the input inverter control signal. Specifically, the inverter 30 supplies and stops AC power to the motor 20 based on the inverter control signal, and changes the frequency of the AC power supplied to the motor 20.

The motor 20 operates at a rotation speed corresponding to the frequency of the AC power supplied from the inverter 30. As a result, the driving speed of the step 11 is changed according to the frequency of the AC power supplied from the inverter 30. The motor 20 is composed of, for example, an induction motor.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the control device 40 of the escalator 1 according to the first embodiment.

The control device 40 has a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, and an input / output interface 43. The control device 40 is configured by using a programmable logic controller (PLC).

The storage unit 42 is composed of, for example, a flash memory, and stores a program and various data. The program includes a program for realizing various functions in the control device 40 of the present embodiment.

The control unit 41 is composed of, for example, a CPU, an MPU, or the like, reads a program and data from the storage unit 42, and performs arithmetic processing based on the read program and data. As a result, various functions in the control device 40 are realized.

The input / output interface 43 is an interface for inputting / outputting signals to / from various devices connected to the control device 40, and performs signal format conversion and the like.

The control device 40 may be configured by using a general-purpose computer. Further, the control device 40 may be composed only of hardware such as an electronic circuit and a relay sequence circuit.

2. 2. The operation control device 40 determines whether or not the user has passed the position Pd near the tip of the nuel portion 12n of the handrail 12 of the entrance 5 based on the sensor signal output from the photoelectric sensor 61. Specifically, the control device 40 uses the tip vicinity position Pd when the sensor signal output from the photoelectric sensor 61 indicates that the sensor light is not received (shielded) by the light receiving unit 61b. Judge that the person has passed. Here, when the user detection unit is configured by the photoelectric sensor 61, the sensor light is not blocked when the user simply passes near the tip of the nuel portion 12n of the handrail 12 without using the escalator 1. Therefore, as will be described later, it is possible to prevent the step 11 from being unnecessarily accelerated.

The control device 40 controls the driving speed of the step 11 in three stages based on the determination result of whether or not the user has passed.

Specifically, the control device 40 sets the driving speed of the step 11 to the rated speed, a speed slower than the rated speed (hereinafter referred to as "medium speed"), and a speed slower than the medium speed (hereinafter "medium speed") according to the determination result. It is controlled to either "low speed"). The rated speed is 30 m / min or 20 m / min. The medium speed is 5 m / min slower than the rated speed. When the rated speed is 30 m / min, the medium speed is 25 / min, and when the rated speed is 20 m / min, the medium speed is 15 / min. The low speed is, for example, 10 m / min. The low speed is as slow as possible within the range in which the user can appropriately recognize that the escalator 1 is moving. Driving the step 11 at a rated speed, a medium speed, or a low speed also means operating the escalator 1 at a rated speed, a medium speed, or a low speed.

The operation control of the escalator 1 by the control device 40 will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation control of the escalator 1 by the control device 40.

When the escalator 1 is activated, the control device 40 first drives the step 11 at a low speed (S21). That is, the escalator 1 is operated at a low speed.

The control device 40 determines whether or not the user has been detected by the photoelectric sensor 61 at the entrance 5 (S22). Specifically, the control device 40 determines whether or not the signal output from the photoelectric sensor 61 at the entrance 5 indicates that the sensor light is blocked.

When the user is detected (YES in S22), the control device 40 determines whether or not the step 11 is being driven at a low speed (S23).

When driving at a low speed (YES in S23), the control device 40 drives the step 11 at a medium speed (S24). As a result, the drive speed is increased from low speed to medium speed. The acceleration at the time of this acceleration is set to 0.1 mm / s ² or less for the safety of the user who is getting on first and the user who is going to get on.

When not driving at a low speed (NO in S23), that is, when the speed has already been increased to a medium speed or a rated speed, the control device 40 drives the step 11 at the rated speed (S25). As a result, when the drive speed is a medium speed, the drive speed is increased to the rated speed, and when the drive speed is the rated speed, the drive speed is maintained at the rated speed.

In step S22, when the user is not detected (NO in S22), the control device 40 determines whether or not 1/2 lap time + 30 seconds have elapsed from the time of the latest user detection (S26). .. 1/2 lap time + 30 seconds is an example of a predetermined time. As the latest user detection time, the time determined to be YES in the determination in step S22 is used. Each time the control device 40 determines YES in the determination in step S22, the control device 40 may store the time in the storage unit 42 as the latest user detection time. The 1/2 lap time is the time required for the step 11 to be circulated to be driven for 1/2 lap. The 1/2 lap time is a certain amount of time longer than the time until the step 11 coming out from the tip of the comb of the floor plate 19 of the entrance 5 is hidden by the tip of the comb of the floor plate 19 of the exit 6. .. That is, the 1/2 lap time is almost the same time as the time for the user who got on the step 11 from the floor plate 19 at the entrance 5 to get off from the step 11 to the floor plate 19 at the exit 6. In the present embodiment, as the driving speed of the step 11 is changed to a low speed, a medium speed, or a rated speed according to the detection result of the user, the 1/2 lap time in this step S26 is set to 1. It is changed according to the current driving speed of the step 11. That is, the 1/2 lap time is set according to whether the current driving speed of the step 11 is low speed, medium speed, or rated speed. The "30 seconds" added to the 1/2 lap time is the time set in consideration of the walking time from when the user is detected by the photoelectric sensor 61 until the user actually gets on the step 11. is there.

If 1/2 lap time + 30 seconds has not elapsed since the latest user detection (NO in S26), the control device 40 returns to step S22 and performs the process.

When 1/2 lap time + 30 seconds have elapsed from the latest user detection (YES in S26), the control device 40 drives the step 11 at a low speed (S27). For example, if the current drive speed is medium or rated, the drive speed will be reduced to a lower speed, and if the current drive speed is low, the drive speed will be maintained at a lower speed. The Rukoto. When decelerating due to the condition of YES being satisfied in step S26, since there is no user on the step 11, the deceleration may be performed by natural deceleration.

3. 3. Action of escalator of this embodiment The action of the escalator 1 of this embodiment will be described. When a predetermined activation operation is performed by a building manager or the like, the escalator 1 is activated and the step 11 is driven at a low speed. When the user is detected while driving the step 11 at a low speed, the driving speed is increased from the low speed to the medium speed. After that, when the next user is detected while driving the step 11 at a medium speed, the driving speed is increased from the medium speed to the rated speed. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the user is detected while driving the step 11 at a low speed, the driving speed is not increased at once from the low speed to the rated speed, but is increased only to the medium speed. I won't let you. After increasing to medium speed, if no passengers are detected for 1/2 lap time + 30 seconds, the driving speed is returned to low speed. That is, after the drive speed is increased to the medium speed, if no passenger is detected for 1/2 lap time + 30 seconds, the drive speed is returned to the low speed without being increased to the rated speed. Therefore, the power consumption can be reduced and the energy saving performance can be further improved as compared with the case where the driving speed is increased to the rated speed at once.

Further, when the user detection unit is configured by the photoelectric sensor 61, the sensor light is not blocked when the user simply passes near the tip of the nuel portion 12n of the handrail 12 without using the escalator 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the step 11 from being unnecessarily accelerated. Therefore, the energy saving performance can be further improved.

(Embodiment 2)
The escalator 1 of the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the entrance 5 portion of the escalator 1 in the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the entrance 5 portion of the escalator 1 in the second embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the reflection type beam sensor 161 is provided as the user detection unit in place of the photoelectric sensor 61 of the first embodiment.

The reflection type beam sensor 161 is provided to detect a user who passes through the detection region Rd in order to get on the escalator 1. The reflective beam sensor 161 is arranged on each of the left and right inlet guards 17. Each reflective beam sensor 161 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. Each light projecting unit continuously projects the sensor light. Each light receiving unit receives the sensor light that is projected from the light projecting unit and reflected by the passing user. The light receiving unit outputs a sensor signal indicating whether or not reflected light having a light intensity or the like satisfying a predetermined condition is received to the control device 40. When the sensor signal indicates that the reflected light satisfying the predetermined condition is received by the light receiving unit, the control device 40 determines that the user has passed the detection region Rd. The detection region Rd has a width substantially equal to the distance (width) between the left and right handrails 12, and extends from the tip position of the nuel portion 12n to the side opposite to the step 11 by a predetermined protrusion amount. The predetermined protrusion amount is set to, for example, about 10 cm to 50 cm so that a person who only passes in the vicinity of the nuel portion 12n is not detected as much as possible.

Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

When the user detection unit is configured by the reflection type beam sensor 161 as in the present embodiment, the user who gets on the escalator 1 can be detected at an earlier timing than the case where the user detection unit is configured by the photoelectric sensor 61. When the step 11 is driven at a low speed (10 m / min), the user may feel a sense of discomfort that the step 11 is driven slowly. However, in the present embodiment, since the user can be detected at an earlier timing, the drive speed can be increased to the medium speed at the earliest possible timing even when accelerating at an acceleration of, for example, 0.1 mm / s ² . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable that the step 11 is driven slowly.

(Summary of embodiments)
(1) The escalator 1 (an example of a passenger conveyor) of the first and second embodiments is
Step 11 connected in an endless manner and
A motor 20 (an example of a drive unit) that circulates and drives the steps,
A user detection unit (for example, a photoelectric sensor 61 or a reflection type beam sensor 161) that detects a user passing through the entrance 5 and
With a control device 40
Based on the result of the user's detection by the user detection unit, the control device 40 uses the motor 20 to set the step 11 at a rated speed, a medium speed slower than the rated speed, and a low speed slower than the medium speed. It is configured to be driven by either
The control device 40
When a user is detected by the user detection unit while driving the step 11 at a low speed, the driving speed is increased from a low speed to a medium speed.
When a user is detected by the user detection unit while driving the step 11 at a medium speed, the driving speed is increased from the medium speed to the rated speed.
While driving the step 11 at medium speed or rated speed, the state in which the user is not detected by the user detection unit after the latest user is detected continues for 1/2 lap time + 30 seconds (an example of a predetermined time). If so, the drive speed is reduced to a low speed.

According to the escalator 1 of the first and second embodiments, as described above, the power consumption can be reduced as compared with the case where the driving speed is increased from the low speed to the rated speed at once. Therefore, the energy saving performance can be further improved.

(2) The escalator 1 of the first embodiment is
Further equipped with left and right handrails 12 that are circulated and driven in conjunction with the step 11,
The photoelectric sensor 61 (an example of the user detection unit) detects that the user has passed between the nuell portions 12n of the left and right handrails 12 at the entrance 5.

When the user detection unit is configured by the photoelectric sensor 61, as described above, when the user does not use the escalator 1 and only passes near the tip of the nuel portion 12n of the handrail 12, the sensor light is blocked. I can't. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the step 11 from being unnecessarily accelerated. Therefore, the energy saving performance can be further improved.

(3) The escalator 1 of the second embodiment is
Further equipped with left and right handrails 12 that are circulated and driven in conjunction with the step 11.
The reflection type beam sensor 161 (an example of the user detection unit) is a region Rd set so that the user projects a predetermined amount of protrusion from the tip position of the nuel portion 12n of the left and right handrails 12 to the opposite side at the entrance 5. Detects that it has passed.

When the user detection unit is configured by the reflection type beam sensor 161, the user can be detected at an earlier timing as described above, so that the drive speed can be increased to the medium speed at the earliest possible timing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable that the step 11 is driven slowly.

(Other embodiments)
The escalator 1 of the above embodiment is an example of the passenger conveyor of the present invention. In the present invention, the passenger conveyor may be a passenger conveyor such as a so-called moving walkway arranged horizontally or diagonally on one floor.

1 Escalator 5 Entrance 6 Exit 10 Escalator body 11 Step 12 Handrail 12n Nuel part 16 Inlet 17 Inlet guard 18 Banquet 19 Floor plate 20 Motor 30 Inverter 40 Controller 41 Control unit 42 Storage unit 61 Photoelectric sensor 161 Reflective beam sensor f2 Rated frequency Pd Position Rd region

Claims (3)

With the steps connected in an endless manner,
A drive unit that circulates and drives the steps
A user detection unit that detects users passing through the entrance,
Equipped with a control device,
Based on the result of the user's detection by the user detection unit, the control device sets the step by the drive unit at a rated speed, a medium speed slower than the rated speed, and a slower speed than the medium speed. It is configured to drive at either low speed and
The control device is
When a user is detected by the user detection unit while driving the step at the low speed, the driving speed is increased from the low speed to the medium speed.
When a user is detected by the user detection unit while driving the step at the medium speed, the driving speed is increased from the medium speed to the rated speed.
While driving the step at the medium speed or the rated speed, if the state in which the user is not detected by the user detection unit continues for a predetermined time after the latest user is detected, the driving speed is changed to the low speed. Decelerate to
Passenger conveyor. Further equipped with left and right handrails that are circulated and driven in conjunction with the steps.
The user detection unit detects that the user has passed between the nuell portions of the left and right handrails at the entrance.
The passenger conveyor according to claim 1. Further equipped with left and right handrails that are circulated and driven in conjunction with the steps.
The user detection unit detects that the user has passed a region set so as to project a predetermined amount of protrusion from the tip position of the nuell portion of the left and right handrails to the opposite side at the entrance.
The passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

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