JP2022130965A - Measurement device, elevator system, and elevator operation method - Google Patents

Abstract

To quickly and accurately measure a moving distance and/or moving speed of a movable body which is movable at high speed along a moving path.SOLUTION: A measurement device 110 includes a light transmitting unit for transmitting light irradiating a stationary structure arranged in a first direction parallel to a moving direction of a movable body along a moving path in response to a gate signal generated for every frame of a prescribed period, an image forming unit for forming an image of scattered light from the stationary structure caused by the light on an imaging surface, an imaging unit for taking an optical signal of the scattered light formed on the imaging surface over an exposure period based on the gate signal and converting the optical signal into an electric signal to be imaged, and an image processing unit 240 for generating a gate signal and calculating and transmitting a moving distance and/or a moving speed of the movable body on the basis of the electric signal converted by the imaging system. The scattered light imaged by the imaging system is scattered light from n pieces of imaging regions (n is an integer of 2 or greater) which are arranged in series in the first direction of the stationary structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a measuring device, an elevator system, and an elevator operating method, and is suitable for application to, for example, a measuring device, an elevator system, and an elevator operating method that calculate information related to movement of a moving object.

Conventionally, in an elevator equipped with a car (hereinafter referred to as "elevator car" or "car") as a moving body, a governor rope is used as a safety device for monitoring the position of the elevator car, the moving speed of the elevator car, and the like. It's here. In recent years, a non-contact type sensor (hereinafter referred to as a "position/speed sensor") that measures the position and moving speed of an elevator car has been known as an alternative to the governor rope.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an optical position/speed sensor that measures the position and moving speed of an elevator car by photographing structures existing in a hoistway using an image sensor installed on the elevator car. . A non-contact position/speed sensor does not require a long structure such as a governor rope, so it has the effect of improving the ease of installation and maintenance. be.

WO2019/239536

By the way, in recent years, as buildings in urban areas have become taller, the operating speed of elevators has increased, so the maximum measurable moving speed (maximum measurable speed) for position and speed sensors has been extended to a high speed range. are required to do so.

However, in the case of the non-contact position/speed sensor disclosed in Patent Document 1, the imaging area of the image sensor is narrow, and the maximum measurable moving speed is limited. In order to address the above problem while maintaining the detection resolution and widening the imaging area, it is necessary to use an image sensor with a larger number of pixels. and the processing load in calculating the speed increases. On the other hand, in high-speed elevators, it is necessary to keep the time (update time) required to update the position and speed measurement results of the elevator car sufficiently short in order to safely stop the moving object (elevator car). For this reason, it has been necessary to suppress an increase in the processing time required for transfer processing of captured images and processing for calculating the position and speed of a moving body.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points. ratio of the maximum measurable amount to ), so that the distance traveled and/or the travel speed of a moving object (e.g. elevator car) capable of moving at high speed in a travel path (e.g. hoistway) can be determined rapidly and with high accuracy. It is intended to propose a measuring device, an elevator system, and an elevator operation method capable of measuring.

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides a measuring device installed on a moving body moving on a moving path to measure the moving distance and/or moving speed of the moving body, wherein an optical transmission system for transmitting light to irradiate a stationary structure arranged along a first direction parallel to the moving direction of the moving object on the moving path in response to the gate signal received; an imaging system that forms an image of the scattered light from the stationary structure on an imaging surface; an imaging system that converts and captures an image; an image processing unit that generates the gate signal, calculates and transmits the moving distance and/or moving speed of the moving body based on the electrical signal converted by the imaging system; wherein the scattered light imaged by the imaging system is scattered light from n (n is an integer of 2 or more) imaging regions arranged in series in the first direction in the stationary structure, A measurement device is provided.

In order to solve such problems, the present invention provides an elevator car that moves in a hoistway, and guide rails that are arranged in the hoistway along a first direction parallel to the moving direction of the elevator car. , an elevator control unit that controls the operation of the elevator car; and a measuring device that is arranged in the elevator car and measures the moving distance and/or the moving speed of the elevator car, wherein the measuring device has a predetermined cycle. an optical transmission system that transmits light to irradiate the guide rail in response to a gate signal that is generated for each frame; an imaging system that takes in an optical signal of the scattered light imaged on the imaging surface over an exposure time based on the gate signal, converts it into an electrical signal, and takes an image; an image processing unit that calculates the moving distance and/or moving speed of the elevator car based on the converted electrical signal and transmits the moving distance and/or moving speed to the elevator control unit, and the scattered light captured by the imaging system is , scattered light from n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) imaging areas arranged in series in the first direction on the guide rail.

Further, in order to solve such problems, the present invention provides the following elevator operation method by an elevator system for controlling the operation of an elevator car. The elevator system includes an elevator car moving in a hoistway, guide rails disposed in the hoistway along a first direction parallel to a direction of travel of the elevator car, and controlling movement of the elevator car. a measuring device arranged in the elevator car to measure the moving speed of the elevator car; and a safety device for stopping the elevator car by an emergency stop, wherein the measuring device has a predetermined cycle a light transmission system for transmitting light to irradiate the guide rail in response to a gate signal generated for each frame; an imaging system that captures an optical signal of scattered light imaged on the imaging surface over an exposure time based on the gate signal, converts the optical signal into an electrical signal, and captures an image; an image processing unit that calculates the moving speed of the elevator car based on the electric signal converted by and transmits the calculated moving speed to the elevator control unit; The scattered light to be imaged is scattered light from n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) imaging regions arranged in series in the first direction on the guide rail, and the image processing unit performs the frame calculating the moving speed of the elevator car in between and transmitting it to the elevator control unit; In this elevator operation method, a first step in which the measuring device measures the moving speed of the elevator car and transmits it to the elevator control unit, and the elevator control unit receives from the measuring device in the first step a second step of determining whether or not the moving speed of the elevator car has exceeded an operable threshold speed; and the elevator control unit determines in the second step that the moving speed of the elevator car has exceeded the threshold speed. a third step of transmitting a signal to the safety device to activate an emergency stop when the elevator car is operated; and a fourth step of causing the safety device, having received the signal, to operate the emergency stop to stop the elevator car; Prepare.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the moving distance and/or moving speed of the mobile body which can move a moving course at high speed can be measured at high speed and with high precision.

It is a figure showing an example of composition of elevator system 10 concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a measuring device 110; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of an image processing unit 240; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining changes in an image captured by a single imaging unit 230 when the elevator car 120 is moving; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the correlation of images captured by a plurality of imaging units 230 when the elevator car 120 is moving; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of correlation of imaging regions with different imaging times in tabular form; 4 is a timing chart showing an example of transmission timings of a gate signal of imaging timing and an input signal of a captured image; 3 is a diagram showing an internal configuration example of a movement amount calculation unit 330. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of movement amount calculation processing by a movement amount calculation unit 330; FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining the positional relationship between the optical transmission unit 210 and the imaging unit 220 and a stationary structure; FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the positional relationship between the optical transmission unit 210 and the imaging unit 220 and a stationary structure; FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram (part 1) for explaining an amplification effect of scattered luminance obtained from the positional relationship between the light transmitting section 210 and the imaging section 220 and a stationary structure; FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram (Part 2) for explaining the scattering luminance amplification effect obtained from the positional relationship between the light transmitting section 210 and the imaging section 220 and the stationary structure; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement configuration of an imaging unit 220 in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement configuration of the imaging unit 220 in the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining derivation of the maximum measurable speed of an elevator car 120 by a measuring device 110; FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration example of an imaging unit 1720 in a measuring device 1700 according to the second embodiment; FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration example of an imaging unit 1820 in a measuring device 1800 according to the second embodiment; FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration example of an imaging unit 1920 in a measuring device 1900 according to the third embodiment; It is a figure which shows the structural example of the vehicle movement distance and speed detection system 2000 which applied the measuring device 110 to a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a crane travel distance/speed detection system 2100 in which the measuring device 110 is applied to a crane;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment of the present invention, which will be described in detail below, a device for measuring the position, velocity, acceleration, etc. of a moving object at high speed and with high accuracy using a measurement unit (optical transmission unit, imaging unit, and imaging unit) , systems, methods, and the like, techniques that can extend the detectable measurement range of a moving object while maintaining a fast (short time) update time of the position and/or velocity of the moving object will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to each embodiment described below.

The measuring device shown in each embodiment is placed on the upper part of the moving body, and information related to the movement of the moving body along the route (moving route) for guiding the moving body (specifically, the moving distance of the moving body, the movement At least one of the moving speed of the body, the acceleration of the moving body, the vibration of the moving body, etc.) is measured. For example, the measuring device irradiates (transmits) light from the moving object toward the surface of the stationary structure, which is the object, from the light transmitting unit in response to the gate signal generated by the control unit. Then, the measurement device captures the light bounced off the surface of the stationary structure (light that may include specularly reflected light and diffusely reflected light, hereinafter referred to as "scattered light") through the imaging unit. An optical signal is photoelectrically converted into an electric signal in the imaging unit. Then, based on the image generated from the converted electric signal, the measuring device measures information related to the movement of the moving object in the image processing unit. Then, the measuring device transmits the information related to the movement of the mobile body to the mobile body control unit that controls the operation of the mobile body or the safety device. Then, the moving body control unit performs operation control of the moving body and control of the safety device based on the information regarding the movement of the moving body calculated by the measuring device.

Further, in some embodiments, an elevator car will be described as an example of a moving body in which the measuring device according to the present invention is installed, but the moving body to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the elevator car. The technology shown in each embodiment is applied to moving objects (such as automatic doors, trains, cars, cranes, etc.) that move along stationary structures (such as guide rails, railroad tracks, roads, etc.) that have artificial polishing scratches. etc.) can also be applied. In this specification, "light" refers to electromagnetic waves, and specifically, microwaves, terahertz waves, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, etc. may be used in addition to visible light. Similarly, the measurement system to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to a measurement system incorporated in an elevator system, but is also applicable to, for example, a vehicle positioning system in which automatic operation is controlled, a crane positioning system, etc. It is possible.

In addition, in the following description, when describing the same type of elements without distinguishing between them, the common part (the part excluding the branch numbers) of the reference numerals including the branch numbers is used, and the same type of elements are distinguished and explained. In some cases, reference numerals including branch numbers may be used. For example, when the optical transmitters are described without particular distinction, the term “optical transmitter 210” is used. 1”, “optical transmission unit 210-2”, . . . , “optical transmission unit 210-n”.

(1) First Embodiment (1-1) Configuration of Elevator System 10 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an elevator system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator system 10 includes a measuring device 110 mounted on the upper part of an elevator car 120 that ascends and descends in a hoistway (movement path (movement path) of a moving body) of a building (not shown). composed of Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the elevator system 10 includes an elevator car 120, an elevator control unit 130, or a guide rail 140. At least one of these components is assumed to be included in the measuring device 110. good too.

The measurement device 110 outputs useful signal information for controlling the operation of the elevator car 120 (for example, signal information regarding the position, moving speed, acceleration, etc. of the elevator car 120) to the elevator control unit 130. The elevator control unit 130 controls the operation of the elevator car 120, the safety device, and the like. In addition, the measurement device 110 is not limited to the upper part of the elevator car 120, and may be arranged other than the upper part, for example, the side part or the lower part.

The guide rail 140 is an example of a stationary structure arranged in the hoistway, and is arranged in the hoistway along the moving direction of the moving body (the y-axis direction in FIG. 1), and serves as the guide roller of the elevator car 120. (illustration omitted) to support the movement of the moving body (elevator car 120).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the measuring device 110. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the measurement apparatus 110 includes an optical transmission unit 210, a plurality of (n (n≧2) in FIG. 2) imaging units 220, a plurality (n (n≧2) in FIG. 2) It includes an imaging unit 230 and an image processing unit 240 . In FIG. 2, the optical path is indicated by a dashed line with an arrow, and the electric signal path is indicated by a solid line with an arrow.

The light transmission unit 210 includes a light source (not shown) and is arranged to emit light toward the guide rail 140, which is a subject. As the light source of the light transmitting unit 210, a temporally and spatially incoherent light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a halogen lamp may be used, or a temporally and spatially coherent light source such as a laser light source may be used. any light source may be used. Note that, in the measurement apparatus 110 shown in FIG. 2, n (n≧2) optical transmission units 210 are provided in the same manner as the imaging unit 220 and the imaging unit 230, but the number of optical transmission units 210 is not limited. For example, by using a single light source that is long in the ascending/descending direction of the elevator car 120, one optical transmitter 210 can be used as a component in the minimum configuration.

The imaging unit 220 captures an image of scattered light obtained by scattering emitted light (emitted light), which is light emitted from the light transmitting unit 210 toward the surface of the guide rail 140, on the surface of the guide rail 140. It is configured as an optical system that forms an image on a surface.

The imaging unit 230 captures the optical signal from the imaging unit 220 (the optical signal indicating the scattered luminance distribution on the surface of the guide rail 140), which is imaged on an imaging surface including a plurality of pixels. , into an electric signal corresponding to the luminance of the pixel, and the converted electric signal is transmitted to the image processing unit 240 as an image signal representing a dark field image. In this embodiment, the image signal that the imaging unit 230 transmits to the image processing unit 240 is not limited to that representing a dark-field image, and may represent, for example, a bright-field image. For example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, or the like can be used for the imaging unit 230 . Further, the imaging unit 230 may be a two-dimensional area sensor, or a one-dimensional line sensor having a function of spatial resolution in the vertical direction of the car 120 .

Note that the measurement apparatus 110 is provided with a wavelength selective filter such as a band-pass filter in addition to the imaging unit 220 in the path of the emitted light from the light transmission unit 210 and its scattered light, so that external light with a wavelength other than the desired wavelength is detected. may be removed. Further, the measurement device 110 may be provided with a window material or the like in the paths of the incident light and the scattered light for the purpose of protecting the measurement device 110 from dust, dirt, and the like.

The image processing unit 240 performs predetermined image processing (details will be described later) on the image signal received from the imaging unit 230 (an electrical signal obtained by converting the optical signal imaged on the imaging surface), and converts the image into an image. Information related to the movement of the elevator car 120 (car movement-related information) is calculated based on the captured image generated by the process, and this information is transmitted to the elevator control unit 130 . The image processing unit 240 may be configured by an information processing storage medium such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a microcontroller, or a logic such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). It may be configured by a circuit element or the like.

(1-2) Configuration of Image Processing Unit 240 and Measurement Processing by Image Processing Unit 240 The internal configuration of the image processing unit 240 and the processing performed by the image processing unit 240 will be described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an internal configuration example of the image processing unit 240. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing unit 240 includes a timing control unit 310, a plurality of (n (n≧2) in FIG. 3) image generation units 320, a movement amount calculation unit 330, and a communication unit 340. Configured.

The timing control unit 310 generates a plurality of gate signals (gate pulse signals), transmits a portion of the generated gate signals to the optical transmission unit 210, and transmits another portion of the gate signals to the imaging unit 230. , and the remaining plurality of gate signals are sent to the image generator 320 . The gate signal transmitted to the optical transmitter 210 is used as a timing signal that defines the driving time of the light source in the optical transmitter 210 . The gate signal transmitted to the imaging section 230 is used as a timing signal that defines the exposure time in the imaging section 230 . In synchronization with the gate signal received from the timing control unit 310 of the image processing unit 240, the imaging unit 230 converts the electric signal photoelectrically converted in the imaging unit 230 (for example, an image signal representing a dark field image) into the image of the image processing unit 240. It is transmitted to the generation unit 320 .

The image generating section 320 receives the electrical signal from the imaging section 230 , performs predetermined image processing on the received electrical signal, and transmits the processed image to the movement amount calculating section 330 . Note that the image processing by the image generation unit 320 is, specifically, for example, an electric signal (for example, an image signal representing a dark field image) from the imaging unit 230 is transformed into an image according to the scattered luminance distribution on the surface of the guide rail 140. This is a process of spatial decomposition.

The movement amount calculation unit 330 calculates signal information (car movement-related information) related to movement of the elevator car 120 based on the image processing result received from the image generation unit 320, and transmits the calculated signal information to the communication unit 340. Send. The car movement-related information specifically includes, for example, information indicating the position (moving position) and moving speed of the elevator car 120 .

The communication unit 340 converts the car movement-related information received from the movement amount calculation unit 330 according to a communication protocol receivable by the elevator control unit 130 (for example, a protocol such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication), and outputs a converted signal The information is output to elevator control unit 130 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining changes in an image captured by a single imaging unit 230 while the elevator car 120 is moving. When the image capturing unit 230 captures the guide rail 140 as an object from the elevator car 120 moving at the moving speed V, the same image capturing area of the image capturing unit 230 moves together with the elevator car 120, so the captured image changes with time. . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, an image 421 of the scattered luminance distribution 411 of the surface of the object (surface of the guide rail 140) at the past time t−Δt and the surface of the object (the surface of the guide rail 140) at the current time t ) and the picked-up image 422 of the scattering luminance distribution 412, there is a shift Δy in the movement direction (movement amount Δy).

Then, the movement amount calculation unit 330 calculates (or measures) the movement amount Δy by performing comparison processing of captured images between different frames such as the captured images 421 and 422 . In the present embodiment, the movement amount calculation process using the correlation function method will be described later for ease of understanding, but the movement amount calculation method is not limited to the correlation function method.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the correlation of images captured by the plurality of imaging units 230 when the elevator car 120 is moving.

In the measuring device 110, a plurality of imaging units 230 (four imaging units 230-1 to 230-4 in the example of FIG. 5) are provided, and the imaging regions of the respective imaging units 230 are arranged in series in the travel path direction. be. For example, in the case of FIG. 5, imaging regions 521-1 to 521-4 by the imaging units 230-1 to 230-4 at imaging time t−Δt are arranged in series at equal intervals in the y-axis direction. In the following description, the length of the side in the direction (y-axis direction) along the moving path of the imaging region is defined as "L _obs ", and the interval between adjacent imaging regions (which may be read as captured images) is defined as "L _gap ”. It should be noted that the size of each imaging area is the same or substantially the same.

FIG. 5 shows the four imaging units 230 photographing the guide rail 140 (more specifically, the scattering luminance distributions 511 and 512 on the surface of the guide rail 140) as an object while the elevator car 120 is moving. An imaging region (captured image) 521 at time t−Δt and an imaging region (captured image) 522 at time t are shown as an example of the imaging region (captured image). The shift Δy (movement amount Δy) in the movement direction between the captured image 521 at time t−Δt and the captured image 522 at time t will be described below with reference to FIG.

When the moving speed of the elevator car 120 is V, the moving amount Δy at the time Δt, which is the time difference between the time t−Δt and the time t, is calculated by Δy=V×Δt. Therefore, the moving speed of the elevator car 120 is As V becomes faster, the amount of movement Δy increases. Therefore, when the moving speed V increases, the correlation between the captured image 521-1 at the time t−Δt and the captured image 522-1 at the time t may disappear (there is no common image portion). Assumed, in this case, the movement amount Δy cannot be measured with a configuration in which a single imaging unit 230 is provided.

As a configuration for solving the above problem, the measurement apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of imaging units 230, and arranges a plurality of imaging regions in a direction along the movement route so that the moving speed V is Even if the speed is increased, there is a correlation between any of the plurality of captured images with different imaging timings. Specifically, for example, in the case of FIG. 5, there is a correlation between an image 521-1 captured by the imaging unit 230-1 at time t−Δt and an image 522-2 captured by the imaging unit 230-2 at time t. occur. Therefore, the movement amount calculation unit 330 performs comparison processing to calculate the displacement Δy′ (movement amount Δy′) in the movement direction between the correlation images (captured images 521-1 and 522-2). is possible.

FIG. 6 is a table showing an example of the correlation of imaging regions with different imaging times. A correlation table 610 shown in FIG. 6 represents the presence or absence of correlation between the captured images (imaging regions) 521 and 522 at different imaging timings (past time t-Δt, current time t) in the example of FIG. , and "○" is written when there is a correlation, and "X" is written when there is no correlation. For example, a combination of region 1 at past time t−Δt and region 2 at current time t is marked with “○” to indicate that the above-described captured image 521-1 and captured image 522-2 have a correlation. is represented.

According to FIGS. 5 and 6, the image 521-1 captured by the imaging unit 230-1 has no correlation with the image 522-1 captured by the imaging unit 230-1 after the time Δt has passed. There is a correlation (at least a partial overlap) with an image 522-2 picked up by the imaging unit 230-2 having an adjacent imaging area. The captured image 521-1 and the captured image 522-2 having correlation are shifted by Δy' in the moving path direction. Therefore, the movement amount calculation unit 330 calculates the movement amount Δy of the image captured by the same image capturing unit as the time Δt elapses as between the captured images 521 and 522 (correlation images) having a correlation before and after the time Δt. In the shift Δy′, the distance between the centers of the imaging regions of the imaging unit 230 that captured the correlation image at the same time (specifically, for example, the center of the imaging region 521-1 of the imaging unit 230-1 at the time t−Δt , and the center of the imaging region 521-2 of the imaging unit 230-2, and can be calculated by adding L _obs +L _gap ). In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, which will be described later, the n imaging units 230 are arranged in series in the movement path direction. , the distance between the centers (for example, the optical axis) of the corresponding imaging units 230 can also be used for calculation. Then, the movement amount Δy calculated as described above is the movement amount of the moving body (elevator car 120). In the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6, the movement width of the image captured by the same imaging unit 230 over time was for one imaging region, but for example, it was a movement width for two imaging regions. In this case, the amount of movement Δy can be calculated by adding twice L _obs +L _gap to the shift Δy′.

Also, in this embodiment, L _gap is configured not to exceed L _obs (L _gap ≦L _obs ). That is, in the measurement device 110, the interval L _obs +L _gap between the centers of adjacent imaging regions is set to be less than or equal to twice the length L _obs of the sides of the imaging regions in the moving direction (L _obs +L _gap ≤2×L _obs ), and a plurality of imaging units 230 are arranged. With such a configuration, the imaging regions 522 at the current time t are located in the gaps between the imaging regions 521 at the past time t−Δt, and no correlation is obtained between the captured images. can be prevented.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an example of the transmission timing of the gate signal of the imaging timing and the input signal of the captured image. FIG. 7 shows timing signals (gate signals) transmitted from the timing control unit 310 to the plurality of imaging units 230-k (k=1, 2, . . . , n), and 2 shows captured images 521-k (k=1, 2, . . . , n) of dark field images, which are transmitted to corresponding image generators 320-k (k=1, 2, . . . , n). A timing chart is shown with which the transmission and reception timings of each signal can be compared with the image signal (input signal).

As shown in FIG. 7, the timing control unit 310 of the image processing unit 240 transmits a gate signal 710 to the imaging unit 230 every frame period Δt (gate signals 710-1 and 710-2 in FIG. 7). ). Then, in response to the pulse of the gate signal 710 transmitted from the timing control unit 310, the imaging unit 230 performs exposure for the time of the pulse width T (exposure time T), and the optical signal imaged on the imaging surface. is imaged. In the measuring device 110, by using the gate signal 710 at the imaging timing of the plurality of imaging units 230, the simultaneity of the captured images can be ensured. Then, the captured images 521-k (k=1, 2, . . . , n) that have been captured are transmitted in parallel to the image generating units 320-k corresponding to the respective imaging units 230 as electrical signals. Assuming that the number of pixels of the captured image is N _x ×N _y and the transfer clock time is t _clk , the transfer time is at least N _x ×N _y ×t _clk . In this configuration, by transferring the captured images in parallel, the transfer time required for transferring the plurality of captured images 521 captured by the plurality of imaging units 230 at the same timing to the plurality of image generation units 320 can be reduced to a single It can be kept as short as in the case of the configuration in which the imaging unit 230 is provided.

In addition, in the measurement apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment, in parallel with the transmission of the gate signal 710 from the timing control unit 310 to the imaging unit 230, the timing control unit 310 also transmits the gate signal 710 to the optical transmission unit 210, The optical transmitter 210 that receives the gate signal 710 may turn on the light source only during the exposure time T. FIG. By performing such lighting control, the average output power per unit time of the optical transmission unit 210 can be lowered, so that the power required for driving and the effect of suppressing heat dissipation can be obtained.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an internal configuration example of the movement amount calculation unit 330. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the movement amount calculation unit 330 includes a plurality of storage elements 800-k (k=1, 2, . . . , n), n×n (n≧2) correlation calculation units 810- (k, l) (k, l=1, 2, . . . , n);

The storage element 800-k receives and stores an image signal representing a dark-field image I _k (i) (k=1, 2, . . . , n) transmitted from the corresponding image generator 320-k. do. Note that the storage element 800 may be a volatile memory such as a register included in the image processing unit 240 or an overall control unit (not shown) in the measuring device 110, or may be a A nonvolatile memory or the like externally connected to the device 110 may be used. Also, in this description, the dark field image I may be simply referred to as image I for the sake of simplification of description.

The movement amount calculation unit 330 reads the dark field image I _k (i) of the frame i stored in the storage element 800-k from the storage element 800, and also reads the frame ( ij) dark-field image I _l (ij) is read from the storage element 800, and the read-out dark-field image I _k (i) and dark-field image I _l (ij) are stored as n×n , respectively to the correlation calculator 810-(k,l). As for the selection method of the dark field image I _l (ij) of the frame (ij), the dark field image one frame before the frame i may be selected (j=1), It is also possible to select a dark-field image from several frames before (j=an integer equal to or greater than 2).

Next, the correlation calculator 810-(k, l) calculates the cross-correlation function C(k, l) between the input dark field image I _k (i) and the dark field image I _l (ij). do. The calculation method of the cross-correlation function is not limited to a specific calculation method. Then, the correlation calculation unit 810-(k, _l ) determines whether there is a cross-correlation between the dark-field image Ik(i) and the dark-field image Il(ij) from the cross-correlation function C( _k ,l). Furthermore, the peak coordinate position Δy′(k, l) of the cross-correlation function C(k, l) is estimated, and these results are sent to the integration calculator 820 . As a method for determining the presence or absence of cross-correlation, for example, when the peak value of the cross-correlation function C (k, l) is large with respect to a threshold value determined from the degree of noise in the cross-correlation function, it is determined that there is correlation, and if it is small In this case, a method of determining that there is no correlation may be used.

As described above, the integrated calculation unit 820 obtains the presence or absence of cross-correlation in each set (k, l) from the n×n correlation calculation units 810-(k, l), the cross-correlation function C(k, l ) (k, l=1, 2, . . . , n). The peak coordinate position Δy′(k,l) received at this time indicates the deviation between the darkfield image Ik(i) and the darkfield image _Il (ij) for each combination of _k ×l. , and the peak coordinate position Δy′ in the pair (k, l) having cross-correlation corresponds to the shift Δy′ described with reference to FIG. Therefore, the integrated calculation unit 820 organizes the received presence/absence of cross-correlation into a format such as the correlation table 610 shown in FIG. The movement amount Δy is calculated by the method described above with reference to FIG.

Note that the integrated calculation unit 820 may transmit to the communication unit 340 a result obtained by performing further arithmetic processing on the movement amount Δy separately from the movement amount Δy or in addition to the movement amount Δy. For example, the integrated calculation unit 820 may transmit the velocity or acceleration calculated by dividing the movement amount Δy by the frame time j×Δt, or may transmit the movement to the reference position measured by a method such as mark recognition. Position information calculated by accumulating the amount Δy may be transmitted.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 8, the movement amount calculation unit 330 of the present embodiment is provided with n×n (n≧2) matrix-like correlation calculation units 810-(k, l), and mutually By adopting a configuration for calculating the correlation function C(k, l), the processing time for calculating the movement amount Δy of the moving object (elevator car 120) can be reduced by the single correlation calculation unit 810. can be kept as short as in the case of

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing procedure of movement amount calculation processing by the movement amount calculation unit 330 . The movement amount calculation process shown in FIG. 9 is a process of calculating the movement amount Δy of the moving body (elevator car 120) during the elapse of time Δt. As an example, the movement amount calculation process using the correlation function method will be described below, but the method of calculating the movement amount Δy in the present embodiment is not limited to using the correlation function method.

The movement amount calculation unit ₃₃₀ starts the movement amount calculation process shown in FIG. ) are acquired in parallel from the image generation unit 320-k, and the acquired dark field image I _k (i) of the frame i is stored in the storage element 800-k in the movement amount calculation unit 330 (step S901).

Next, the movement amount calculation unit 330 reads the dark field image I _k (i) of the frame i stored in the storage element 800-k in step S901 from the storage element 800-k, and also reads out the dark field image I k (i) of the frame i from the storage element 800-k in step S901. The dark-field image I _l (ij) of the frame (ij) stored in 800 is read out from the storage element 800, and the read-out dark-field image I _k (i) and dark-field image I _l (ij) are input to n×n correlation calculators 810-(k, l) (step S902). The image I _l (i−j) for which the difference from the latest image I _k (i) is to be selected may be selected by selecting an image one frame before (j=1), or by selecting an image of a plurality of frames. The previous image may be selected (j=an integer equal to or greater than 2).

Next, the n×n (n≧2) matrix-like correlation calculation units 810-(k,l) compute the dark-field image I _k (i) and the dark-field image I _l (i) input in step S902. −j) are calculated in parallel for all combinations of k×l (step S903). Note that the cross-correlation function C may be calculated using another calculation method.

Next, each correlation calculator 810-(k, l) calculates the dark-field image I _k (i) and the dark-field image I _l (i- j), and further, the peak coordinate position Δy′ (k, l ) is estimated (step S904).

Note that each peak coordinate position Δy′(k, l) estimated in step S904 is the dark field image I _k (i) and the dark field image I _l (i−j) of each combination of k×l. Among them, the peak coordinate position Δy′ in the pair (k, l) having cross-correlation corresponds to the displacement Δy′ (movement amount Δy′) described with reference to FIG. Also, the method of estimating the movement amount Δy′(k, l) from the y component of the peak coordinate position in step S904 is not limited to a specific method. For example, it may be estimated from the peak coordinates of the maximum position, or may be estimated by performing least-squares fitting using several points near the maximum position.

Next, in the movement amount calculation unit 330, the determination result of the presence or absence of cross-correlation in step S904 and the estimation result of the peak coordinate position Δy′(k,l) are sent from each correlation calculation unit 810-(k,l). is input to the integrated calculation unit 820, and the integrated calculation unit 820 uses these input information to calculate the movement amount Δy of the elevator car 120 (step S905).

To explain the method of calculating the movement amount Δy in step S905 in detail, first, the integrated calculation unit 820 sorts out the presence or absence of cross-correlation, and calculates the peak coordinate position Δy′(k , l). As described above, the peak coordinate position Δy'(k,l) extracted in this manner corresponds to the movement amount Δy' described with reference to FIG. Therefore, the integrated calculation unit 820 adds twice L _obs +L _gap to the movement amount Δy′ to calculate the movement amount Δy between the captured images for each pair (k, l) having cross-correlation. (Δy=Δy′+(L _obs +L _gap )×2). The movement amounts .DELTA.y calculated in this way are all theoretically the same value, but in practice there may be some differences. In such a case, the integrated calculation unit 820 may determine one final movement amount Δy by, for example, averaging the calculated movement amounts Δy.

Further, in step S905, the integrated calculation unit 820 calculates the calculated movement amount _Δy as the elapsed time _j × The moving speed V of the elevator car 120 may be calculated, for example, by dividing by Δt (V=Δy/(j×Δt)).

Then, the integrated calculation unit 820 outputs the information regarding the movement of the elevator car 120 calculated in step S905 (also referred to as car movement-related information. Specifically, for example, the movement amount Δy and the movement speed V) to the communication unit 340 ( step S906). Furthermore, in step S906, the timing control unit 310 adds "1" to the i value of the frame i.

After that, the movement amount calculation unit 330 checks whether power is being supplied to the measuring device 110 (for example, the image processing unit 240) (step S907), and as long as power is being supplied (step YES in S907), the processing of steps S901 to S906 is repeated, and when the power supply is interrupted (NO in step S907), the movement amount calculation processing ends.

As described above, by executing the processing of steps S901 to S907 in FIG. 9, the movement amount calculation unit 330 continuously calculates car movement-related information in each frame while power is supplied to the measuring device 110. can be output.

(1-3) Configuration of Optical Transmission Unit 210 and Imaging Unit 220 FIGS. 2). In this example the stationary structure is the guide rail 140 .

In FIG. 10, the optical transmission unit 210 is configured such that the optical axis of the light source is aligned in the uneven direction of the guide rail 140 (the x-axis direction in the figure) and in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the guide rail 140 (the z-axis direction in the figure). It is arranged so that it is incident obliquely with respect to the z-axis direction within the plane (inside the xz plane in the drawing). The imaging unit 220 captures scattered light from the surface of the guide rail 140 (imaging area 1010 ) and forms an image on the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230 . Note that the irregularities in the guide rail 140 described above include, for example, scratches due to polishing performed in the finishing process of the guide rail 140 , and represent characteristic scratches present on the guide rail 140 .

11 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in the bird's-eye view of FIG. 10 viewed from the positive direction of the y-axis. In FIG. 11, emitted light rays (incident light incident on the guide rail 140) from the light transmitting section 210 are indicated by L1 to L3, and scattered light rays (scattered light) from the guide rail 140 are indicated by L11 to L13. .

12 and 13 are conceptual diagrams (part 1 and part 2) for explaining the scattering luminance amplification effect obtained from the positional relationship between the light transmitting section 210 and the image forming section 220 and the stationary structure. As in FIGS. 10 and 11, the stationary structure in this example is the guide rail 140 .

FIG. 12 shows an arrangement example of the optical transmission section 210 and the imaging section 220 in the measurement apparatus 110 according to this embodiment, and the optical transmission section 210 is arranged in the xz plane. On the other hand, for comparison with FIG. 12, FIG. shows an example of arrangement when irradiating .

In the arrangement example of FIG. 13, the emitted light beam 1310 from the light transmitting unit 210 is incident in the direction along the irregularities of the stationary structure (the guide rail 140), so the scattered light beam 1320 from the guide rail 140 is Scattering due to the unevenness is less likely to occur. On the other hand, in the case of the arrangement example of FIG. The scattered light ray 1220 is likely to be scattered by the unevenness, and an effect of greatly amplifying the scattered brightness can be expected.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement configuration of the imaging section 220 in the first embodiment. In FIG. 14, scattered light rays from the guide rail 140 are indicated by dashed lines with arrows, and this also applies to FIG. 15, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the imaging section 220 includes an objective lens 1421 and a diaphragm 1422 and forms an image of scattered light from the guide rail 140 on the imaging section 230 . Specifically, the objective lens 1421 is arranged to face the guide rail 140 and collects scattered light scattered by the guide rail 140 . The diaphragm 1422 limits the amount of scattered light condensed by the objective lens 1421 and sends it toward the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230 .

In the arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 14, n (n≧2) image forming units 220 are used. are arranged in series at regular intervals in the direction of movement, and are arranged in series in the movement path direction so that the scattered light from the imaging region 1430 is imaged on the imaging unit 230 . As in the above description, L _obs is the length of the side of the imaging region 1430 in the movement path direction, and L _gap is the interval between adjacent imaging regions 1430. These are also shown in FIGS. It is the same.

Specifically, in order to realize the arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 14, the captured images of adjacent imaging regions (for example, the captured image of the imaging region 1430-1 and the captured image of the imaging region 1430-2) are arranged in the moving route direction. The focal length, magnification, and distance between adjacent imaging units 220 (for example, the distance between imaging units 220-1 and 220-2) are adjusted so that the positions are separated by L _gap . ). That is, the imaging units 220 are arranged such that the distance between the centers of the adjacent imaging units 220 (for example, the distance between the optical axis L1400-1 and the optical axis L1400-2 in FIG. 14) is L _obs +L _gap . do. However, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, in this embodiment, L _gap does not exceed L _obs (L _gap ≦L _obs ).

Note that the arrangement configuration of the plurality of imaging units 220 in the measurement device 110 according to this embodiment is not limited to the example of FIG. 14 . Therefore, another example of the arrangement configuration of the imaging unit 220 will be described with reference to FIG. 15 .

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement configuration of the imaging unit 220 in the first embodiment. A measuring device 110A shown in FIG. 15 is another example of the measuring device 110 according to the present embodiment, and a plurality of imaging units 220 are arranged in a configuration different from that in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the imaging unit 220 in the measurement device 110A includes an objective lens 1521 and a diaphragm 1522 and forms an image of scattered light from the guide rail 140 on the imaging unit 230 . Specifically, the objective lens 1521 is arranged to face the guide rail 140 and collects scattered light scattered by the guide rail 140 . A diaphragm 1522 limits the amount of scattered light condensed by the objective lens 1521 and sends it toward the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230 .

In the arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 15, n (n≧2) image forming units 220 are used, and these image forming units 220 each have an imaging region 1530 (the length of the side in the travel path direction is L _obs ) are arranged in series without a space in the movement path direction, and are arranged in series in the movement path direction so that the scattered light from the imaging region 1530 is imaged on the imaging unit 230 .

Specifically, in order to realize the arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 15, captured images of adjacent imaging regions (for example, a captured image of the imaging region 1530-1 and a captured image of the imaging region 1530-2) are The focal length, magnification, and distance between adjacent imaging portions 220 (eg, the distance between imaging portions 220-1 and 220-2) in adjacent or partially overlapping imaging portions 220 determine. That is, the distance between the optical axes of adjacent imaging units 220 (for example, the distance between optical axis L1500-1 and optical axis L1500-2 in FIG. 15) is L _obs or less (in other words, L _gap ≦0). The imaging unit 220 is arranged as follows. However, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, in this embodiment, L _gap does not exceed L _obs (L _gap ≦L _obs ). For ease of understanding, FIG. 15 shows a case where the distance between the optical axes _L1500 of adjacent imaging units 220 is equal to L _obs . Adjacent. Also, in the case where the distance between the optical axes L1500 of adjacent imaging units 220 is smaller than L _obs , L _gap <0 and the adjacent imaging regions 1530 partially overlap.

As shown in the arrangement configuration of FIG. 15, the cross-correlation function C between the captured image at the current time and the captured image at the past time is calculated by making adjacent captured images contact (or partially overlap). 14, the area of the common region can be increased, and the peak value of the cross-correlation function C (peak coordinate position Δy′) can be obtained. As a result, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the peak coordinate position Δy′, so that the movement amount Δy calculated using the peak coordinate position Δy′ can also be calculated with higher accuracy.

(1-4) Measurement range of the measuring device 110 The elevator system 10 according to the present embodiment uses the measuring device 110 to measure the elevator car 120 even when the elevator car 120 is designed to move at an ultra-high speed. Velocity can be detected with high precision and in a short time. The reason for this will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining derivation of the maximum measurable speed of the elevator car 120 by the measuring device 110. As shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 16, the measurement device 110 is assumed to have four imaging units 230 . Captured images 1621 and 1622 are images captured by the imaging unit 230 with scattered luminance distributions 1611 and 1612 on the surface of the guide rail 140 as objects. More specifically, for example, the captured image 1621-1 is an image captured by the imaging unit 230-1 at past time t−Δt, and the captured image 1622-4 is an image captured by the imaging unit 230-4 at current time t. It is a captured image.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, there is a correlation between the first captured image 1621-1 at time t−Δt and the fourth captured image 1622-4 at time t. , the displacement Δy′ can be calculated by performing the above-described comparison processing by the movement amount calculation unit 330 . The maximum shift amount Δy′ _Max that can be calculated by comparing captured images having overlapping portions in the imaging regions with a time difference of Δt is half the size (L _obs ) of the imaging regions. That is, Δy′ _Max =L _obs /2.

Then, the _maximum moving distance Δy _Max of the moving body that can be calculated in the example of FIG. 16 is the distance (specifically Specifically, it is the distance between the center of the imaging unit 230-1 and the center of the imaging unit 230-4, which corresponds to three times L _obs +L _gap ). That is, Δy _Max =Δy′ _Max +3×(L _obs +L _gap ).

Based on the above, when the measurement device 110 is configured to include n imaging units 230, the maximum movement distance Δy _Max detectable by the measurement device 110 is given by Equation 1 below.

Further, the resolution δy when the measuring device 110 measures the moving distance Δy of the moving body is determined according to the number of pixels Ny in the moving path direction ( _y -axis direction) of the imaging area of the imaging unit 230, and δy=L _obs / _Ny . When the measurement range r of the measurement device 110 is defined by the ratio of the maximum moving distance Δy _Max to the measurement resolution δy=L _obs /N _y , the measurement range r of the measurement device 110 having a configuration including n imaging units 230 is given below. is given by Equation 2 of

According to the above formula 2, the measurement device 110 configured to include n imaging units 230 can expand its measurement range r by increasing the number n of imaging locations (imaging regions, imaging units). .

To give a specific example, in the measurement device 110, the number n of imaging units 230 arranged in series is 2, the size L _obs of the imaging region is 12 mm, the number of pixels N _y in the y-axis direction is 100, and the adjacent imaging regions ( When the distance L _gap between the captured images) is 2 mm and the frame period Δt is 1 ms, the maximum moving distance Δy _Max that can be measured by the measuring device 110 is 20 mm, and the moving distance resolution δy is 0.12 mm. The maximum moving speed measurable by the measuring device 110 is 1200 m/min.

Regarding the data update speed of the measurement device 110, if a sensor with 100 pixels Nx in the _x -axis direction and Ny in the _y -axis direction is used, and the transfer clock time _tclk is 200 nanoseconds, the measurement device The time required for parallel transfer at 110 is 2 milliseconds. As a result, even if the time required for parallel computation in the image processing unit 240 is separately considered, the time required for updating data in the measuring device 110 can be suppressed to several milliseconds (eg, 4 milliseconds) or less.

For comparison with the calculation result of the measurement apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment described above, the same calculation is performed with a measurement apparatus having a conventional configuration including a single imaging unit 230 (when calculating with n=1, ), the maximum moving speed Δy _Max measurable by the conventional measuring device is 6 mm as a result of Δy _Max =L _obs /2, and the maximum measurable moving speed is 360 m/min. According to such calculation results, the measuring apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment can increase the moving speed of the measurable moving body by 3.3 times compared to the measuring apparatus having the conventional configuration, and It can be confirmed that this configuration is useful for ultra-high-speed elevators exceeding 360m.

As described above, according to the elevator system 10 according to the present embodiment, when the moving body (elevator car 120) moves, the measuring device 110 mounted on the moving body captures an image of the guide rail 140. By performing the movement amount calculation processing and the like shown in FIG. It is possible to improve the measurable measurement range while suppressing an increase in the processing time required for calculation and arithmetic processing. As a result, the measuring device 110 can measure the moving distance and/or the moving speed of the moving body at high speed and with high accuracy even when the moving body can move at high speed like an ultra-high speed elevator. Therefore, in the elevator system 10, a predetermined control unit (elevator control unit 130) controls the operation of the moving body and operates safety devices based on information related to the movement of the moving body (car movement-related information) calculated by the measuring device 110. can be controlled.

Specifically, the moving object operating method for safely operating the elevator car 120 by the elevator system 10 according to the present embodiment can be realized, for example, by the following steps. That is, a first step in which the measuring device 110 measures the moving speed of the elevator car 120 and transmits it to the elevator control unit 130, and the elevator control unit 130 receives the moving speed of the elevator car from the measuring device 110 in the first step. A second step of determining whether or not the elevator has exceeded an operable threshold speed, and when the elevator control unit 130 determines that the moving speed of the elevator car 120 has exceeded the threshold speed in the second step, the emergency stop is activated. and a fourth step in which the safety device activates the emergency stop to stop the elevator car 120. If a predetermined threshold speed is exceeded, the elevator car 120 can be brought to an emergency stop.

(2) Second Embodiment FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration example of an imaging unit 1720 in a measuring device 1700 according to a second embodiment.

A measuring device 1700 according to the second embodiment (or a measuring device 1800 to be described later with reference to FIG. 18 ) replaces the imaging unit 220 in the measuring device 110 according to the first embodiment with the z-axis direction of the elevator car 120 It is characterized in that it has a robust imaging unit 1720 (or an imaging unit 1820) that can keep the imaging magnification of the imaging unit 230 unchanged against the shake of the camera. Note that, similarly to the measuring apparatus 110 according to the first embodiment having n imaging units 220 (n≧2), the measuring apparatus 1700 according to the second embodiment has n imaging units (n≧2). , and the measurement apparatus 1800 includes n (n≧2) imaging units 1820 . Other configurations of the measuring devices 1700 and 1800 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the measuring device 110 according to the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 17, rays of scattered light from guide rail 140 are indicated by dashed lines with arrows. As shown in FIG. 17 , the imaging section 1720 forms an image of the scattered light from the guide rail 140 on the imaging section 230 . Specifically, the objective lens 1721 is arranged to face the guide rail 140 and collects scattered light scattered by the guide rail 140 . The diaphragm 1722 limits the amount of scattered light condensed by the objective lens 1721 and sends it toward the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230 .

As shown in FIG. 17, in the measuring device 1700, the imaging unit 1720 measures the change in magnification when the guide rail 140, which is a subject (detection target), moves relative to the elevator car 120 in the z-axis direction. In order to eliminate the influence, at least the object side (guide rail 140 side) is provided with a telecentric optical arrangement.

That is, in the measuring device 1700, the center of the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230, the center of the diaphragm 1722, and the optical axis of the objective lens 1721 are arranged on the same straight line, and the diaphragm 1722 is located on the objective lens 1721. It is arranged at the focal position on the imaging unit 230 side. In addition, in the case of the arrangement configuration of FIG. 17 , an interval L _gap is generated in the moving direction in the imaging region 1730 corresponding to each imaging unit 230 .

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration example of the imaging unit 1820 in the measuring device 1800 according to the second embodiment. As described above, the measurement device 1800 is another example of the measurement device 1700 according to the second embodiment, and differs from the measurement device 1700 in that it includes a plurality of imaging units 1820 having a structure different from that of the imaging unit 1720. different.

In FIG. 18, scattered light rays from the guide rail 140 are indicated by dashed lines with arrows. As shown in FIG. 18 , the imaging section 1820 forms an image of the scattered light from the guide rail 140 on the imaging section 230 . Specifically, the imaging unit 1820 is configured including an objective lens 1821 (first lens), a diaphragm 1822, and a condenser lens 1823 (second lens). The objective lens 1821 is arranged to face the guide rail 140 and collects scattered light scattered by the guide rail 140 . A diaphragm 1822 limits the amount of scattered light collected by the objective lens 1821 . The condenser lens 1823 is arranged between the diaphragm 1822 and the imaging unit 230, collects the scattered light whose light amount is limited by the diaphragm 1822, and transmits the collected scattered light toward the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230. do.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the measurement device 1800, the imaging unit 1820 measures the change in magnification when the guide rail 140, which is a subject (detection target), moves relative to the elevator car 120 in the z-axis direction. In order to eliminate the influence, the object side (guide rail 140 side) is made telecentric optical arrangement, and in order to suppress the geometrical aberration occurring in the imaging section 230, an image is formed on the imaging section 230 by two or more lenses. Furthermore, the image forming unit 1820 may also have a telecentric optical arrangement on the image side (imaging unit 230 side). tolerance).

That is, in the measuring device 1800, the center of the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230, the optical axis of the condenser lens 1823, the center of the diaphragm 1822, and the optical axis of the objective lens 1821 are arranged on the same straight line, and , the diaphragm 1822 is arranged at the focal position of the objective lens 1821 on the imaging unit 230 side, and is arranged at the focal position of the condenser lens 1823 on the objective lens 1821 side. In addition, in the arrangement configuration of FIG. 18 , an interval L _gap is generated in the moving direction in the imaging region 1830 corresponding to each imaging unit 230 .

As described above, the measuring device 1700 (or the measuring device 1800) according to the present embodiment includes the image forming unit 1720 (or the imaging unit 1720) with a telecentric optical arrangement that is robust against shaking of the elevator car 120 in the z-axis direction. By providing the imaging unit 1820), even if the image on the guide rail 140 is blurred in the optical axis direction (z-axis direction), the magnification of the image formed on the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230 can be kept unchanged. Furthermore, the measurement device 1700 (or the measurement device 1800) is configured such that the magnification of the image formed on the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230 is unchanged even when the mounting position of the imaging unit 230 is shifted in the z-axis direction. can also As a result of these, the measuring device 1700 (or the measuring device 1800) can have a large dimensional tolerance when attaching the imaging unit 1720 (or the imaging unit 1820) and the imaging unit 230, and a more robust optical system can be achieved. Can be configured.

In addition, by using a plurality of lenses including an objective lens 1821 and a condenser lens 1823 in the imaging unit 1820 as in the measurement apparatus 1800, the influence of geometrical aberration of the imaging unit 1820 generated in the imaging unit 230 can be reduced. You can also expect to

In this embodiment, the objective lens 1721 (or the objective lens 1821) in the imaging unit 1720 (or the imaging unit 1820) is spherical on both sides, or spherical on one side and flat on the other side, and is made of glass. It may be configured as a lens. Also, the condensing lens 1823 may be configured as a glass lens with spherical surfaces on both sides or a spherical surface on one side and a flat surface on the other side. By adopting such a configuration, the measurement device 1700 (or the measurement device 1800) according to the present embodiment can configure the imaging unit 1720 (or the imaging unit 1820) that is less expensive and has high durability. can.

In addition, since the measurement device 1700 (or the measurement device 1800) according to the present embodiment is configured in the same manner as the measurement device 110 according to the first embodiment except for the arrangement configuration of the imaging unit, the first embodiment Similarly to the form, even if the moving body can move at high speed like an ultra-high speed elevator, the moving distance and/or moving speed of the moving body can be measured at high speed and with high accuracy. As a result, in the elevator system in which the measurement device 1700 (or the measurement device 1800) according to the present embodiment is arranged, a predetermined control unit (Elevator control unit 130) can perform operation control of the moving body and control of the safety device.

(3) Third Embodiment FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration example of an imaging unit 1920 in a measuring device 1900 according to a third embodiment.

As in the second embodiment, the measurement apparatus 1900 according to the third embodiment is robust in that the imaging magnification of the imaging unit 230 can be kept unchanged against the shaking of the elevator car 120 in the z-axis direction. The imaging unit 1920 is provided, and n (n≧2) imaging units 1920 are arranged so that adjacent captured images are in contact with each other. Other configurations of the measuring device 1900 according to the third embodiment are the same as those of the measuring device 110 according to the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 19, scattered light rays from the guide rail 140 are indicated by dashed lines with arrows. For ease of understanding, FIG. 19 also shows an arrangement configuration example in which the measurement apparatus 1900 includes three imaging units 1920 (1920-1 to 1920-3).

In FIG. 19, scattered light rays from the guide rail 140 are indicated by dashed lines with arrows. As shown in FIG. 19 , in measuring apparatus 1900 , beam splitter 1940 is arranged between imaging unit 1920 and guide rail 140 , so scattered light from guide rail 140 is split by beam splitter 1940 . Imaging units 1920-1 and 1920-3 transmit transmitted light split by beam splitter 1940 out of the scattered light scattered on the surface of guide rail 140 to imaging units 230-1 and 230-3. It is configured as an optical system that forms an image on an imaging plane. On the other hand, the imaging unit 1920-2 serves as an optical system for forming an image of the reflected light split by the beam splitter 1940 out of the scattered light scattered on the surface of the guide rail 140, on the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230-2. It is configured.

As shown in FIG. 19, the image forming unit 1920 in this embodiment has a guide rail 140 as a subject (detection target) relative to the elevator car 120, similar to the image forming unit 1720 in the second embodiment. At least the object side (the guide rail 140 side) is provided with a telecentric optical arrangement in order to eliminate the influence of the change in magnification when the image is shaken in the z-axis direction.

Here, the telecentric optical arrangement is characterized in that the principal rays (scattered rays L1901 to L1903) are perpendicular to the surface of the guide rail 140, which is the object (detection target). Scattered rays other than the principal ray spread around the principal ray and enter the imaging unit 1920. Therefore, as shown in FIG. becomes larger than _obs . Therefore, in the arrangement configurations shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 in the second embodiment, the image forming unit 1720 does not have an arrangement relationship in which adjacent imaging regions are in contact with each other as in the arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 15 in the first embodiment. and the imaging unit 1820 could not be spatially brought closer.

To solve the above problem, in the third embodiment, a beam splitter 1940 is provided to split the scattered light as shown in FIG. It is possible to achieve compatibility with a configuration in which the region 1930 (which may be read as a captured image) is in contact.

Note that the beam splitter 1940 may use an optical element such as a half mirror that has a transmittance and a reflectance of 1:1.

The beam splitter 1940 can also use an optical element such as a polarizing beam splitter that switches between reflection and transmission depending on polarized light. In this case, it is preferable to change the polarization of the light emitted from the light transmitting section 210 (not shown in FIG. 19) depending on the arrangement of the corresponding imaging section 230 . For example, beam splitter 1940 is oriented such that the polarization of light passing through beam splitter 1940 is, for example, in the y-axis direction. Light polarized in the y-axis direction by the beam splitter 1940 is incident on the imaging regions 1930-1 and 1930-3 imaged by the imaging units 230-1 and 230-3. The polarization of the optical transmitter is determined so that light polarized in the x-axis direction by the beam splitter 1940 enters the imaging region 1930-2 imaged by the beam splitter 1940. FIG.

As described above, the measurement apparatus 1900 according to the present embodiment is provided with the image forming unit 1920 having a telecentric optical arrangement that is robust against shaking of the elevator car 120 in the z-axis direction. Similar to the form, even if the image on the guide rail 140 is shaken in the optical axis direction (z-axis direction), the magnification of the image formed on the imaging surface of the imaging unit 230 can be kept unchanged.

Further, in the measurement apparatus 1900 according to the present embodiment, by arranging the beam splitter 1940 between the imaging unit 1920 and the guide rail 140, even when the imaging unit 1920 is in a telecentric optical arrangement, adjacent imaging It can be arranged so that the regions 1930 (captured images) are in contact with each other. As a result, when calculating the cross-correlation function C, it is possible to increase the area of the common area between the captured images, so that it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the moving amount Δy and the moving speed of the moving object.

In addition, the measurement apparatus 1900 according to the present embodiment is configured in the same manner as the measurement apparatus 110 according to the first embodiment except for the arrangement configuration of the image forming unit and the imaging unit, and thus is the same as the first embodiment. In addition, even if the moving body can move at high speed like an ultra-high speed elevator, the moving distance and/or the moving speed of the moving body can be measured at high speed and with high accuracy. As a result, in the elevator system in which the measuring device 1900 according to the present embodiment is arranged, a predetermined control unit (elevator control unit 130) can control the operation of moving bodies and safety devices.

(4) Fourth Embodiment In the above-described first to third embodiments, the case where the measuring device is applied to the device for measuring the position or moving speed of the elevator car 120 in the elevator system was described, but the present invention is not limited to the above applications, and can be widely applied to various other systems, devices, methods, and programs.

For example, the measuring device 110 according to the first embodiment (measuring devices according to other embodiments may be used) can be used not only to operate elevators, but also to move vehicles such as automobiles and trains that run at a higher speed than the elevator car 120. It can be applied to applications for detecting the position and speed of a vehicle with high accuracy. For example, in self-driving cars, the measuring device 110 can be applied for the purpose of position monitoring or speed monitoring on highways, or for the purpose of highly accurate position determination at parking lots, gas stations, charging stations, etc. is.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle movement distance/speed detection system 2000 in which the measuring device 110 is applied to a vehicle.

In the vehicle travel distance/speed detection system 2000 shown in FIG. 20, the measuring device 110 is arranged on the side or bottom of a vehicle 2010 (eg, automobile or train) running on a road surface 2020 (eg, on a railroad track). The measuring device 110 measures the moving distance and/or speed of the vehicle 2010 (information related to the movement of the vehicle 2010), and transmits signal information useful for controlling the operation of the vehicle 2010 to a vehicle control unit (not shown). Output. The vehicle control unit, for example, performs operation control for safely operating and stopping the vehicle 2010 .

By applying the measuring device 110 to the vehicle 2010 as described above, the vehicle movement distance/speed detection system 2000 can accurately measure the movement distance and/or the movement speed in a short time even from a vehicle moving at a higher speed. Since it can be measured, it can be useful for controlling the vehicle 2010 to operate and stop safely.

Further, for example, the measuring device 110 according to the first embodiment (or measuring devices according to other embodiments) can be applied to crane operation control.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a crane movement distance/speed detection system 2100 in which the measuring device 110 is applied to a crane.

In the crane travel distance/speed detection system 2100 shown in FIG. In the case of FIG. 21, rail 2120 corresponds to the stationary structure.

The measuring device 110 captures an image of the wall surface of the rail 2120, measures the movement amount or speed of the crane 2110 (information related to the movement of the crane 2110), and outputs signal information useful for controlling the operation of the crane 2110 to crane control. (not shown). Based on the information input from the measuring device 110, the crane control unit monitors the operation of the crane 2110 and detects abnormal position and abnormal speed.

By applying the measuring device 110 to the crane 2110 as described above, the crane movement distance/speed detection system 2100 can improve the safety in operation control of the crane 2110 .

In addition, each embodiment described above is for demonstrating this invention intelligibly, and does not limit the scope of this invention. For example, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, for example, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

Further, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them using an integrated circuit. Moreover, each of the above configurations, functions, etc. may be realized by software by a processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in recording devices such as memories, hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

Further, in the drawings, control lines and information lines are shown as necessary for explanation, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown on the product. In fact, it may be considered that almost all configurations are interconnected.

10 elevator system 110, 110A, 1700, 1800, 1900 measuring device 120 elevator car 130 elevator control unit 140 guide rail 210 optical transmission unit 220, 1720, 1820, 1920 imaging unit 230 imaging unit 240 image processing unit 310 timing control unit 320 Image generation unit 330 Movement amount calculation unit 340 Communication unit 411, 412, 511, 512, 1611, 1612 Scattered brightness distribution 421, 422, 1621, 1622 Captured image 521, 522 Imaged area (captured image)
610 Correlation Table 710 Gate Signal 800 Storage Element 810 Correlation Calculator 820 Integrated Calculator 1010, 1430, 1530, 1730, 1830, 1930 Imaging Area 1210, 1310 Emitted Light Rays 1220, 1320 Scattered Light Rays 1421, 1521, 1721, 1821 Objective Lens 1422 , 1522, 1722, 1822 diaphragm 1823 condenser lens 1940 beam splitter 2000 vehicle travel distance/speed detection system 2010 vehicle 2020 road surface 2100 crane travel distance/speed detection system 2110 crane 2120 rail

Claims (14)

A measuring device that is installed on a moving body that moves on a moving path and measures the moving distance and/or moving speed of the moving body,
Light transmitting light for irradiating a stationary structure arranged along a first direction parallel to the moving direction of the moving object on the moving path in response to a gate signal generated every frame of a predetermined period. a transmission system;
an imaging system that forms an image of scattered light from the stationary structure caused by the light on an imaging surface;
an imaging system that acquires an optical signal of the scattered light imaged on the imaging surface over an exposure time based on the gate signal, converts the optical signal into an electrical signal, and performs imaging;
an image processing unit that generates the gate signal, calculates and transmits the moving distance and/or moving speed of the moving body based on the electrical signal converted by the imaging system;
with
The scattered light captured by the imaging system is scattered light from n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) imaging regions arranged in series in the first direction in the stationary structure. measurement equipment. The n imaging regions are arranged in series in the first direction in the stationary structure, have substantially the same size, and are arranged at regular intervals;
2. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the centers of said adjacent imaging regions is two times or less the length of the sides of said imaging regions in said first direction. The imaging system has n imaging units arranged in series along the first direction,
The imaging system has n imaging units arranged in series along the first direction,
each imaging unit forms an image of the scattered light from the imaging region on the imaging surface of the imaging system;
When each of the imaging units receives the gate signal that is synchronized in time, the imaging unit captures the scattered light imaged on the imaging surface by the imaging unit substantially simultaneously for each period of the gate signal. The measuring device according to claim 1 or 2. further comprising a beam splitter positioned between the imaging system and the stationary structure;
The imaging system has n imaging units that form an image of scattered light from the imaging region on an imaging surface of the imaging system,
When the imaging system receives the gate signal synchronized in time, the imaging system includes n imaging units that capture the scattered light imaged on the imaging surface by the imaging unit substantially simultaneously for each period of the gate signal. have
The n imaging units are divided into a first imaging unit that captures the scattered light transmitted through the beam splitter and a second imaging unit that captures the scattered light reflected by the beam splitter,
The measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the centers of the adjacent imaging regions is equal to or less than the length of the sides of the imaging regions in the first direction. the beam splitter is a polarizing beam splitter;
The optical transmission system includes a first optical transmission unit that irradiates an imaging area of the first imaging unit and a second optical transmission unit that irradiates an imaging area of the second imaging unit,
the polarization direction of the light emitted from the first optical transmission unit substantially coincides with the polarization direction transmitted by the polarizing beam splitter;
5. The measuring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the polarization direction of the light emitted from the second optical transmitter substantially matches the polarization direction reflected by the polarizing beam splitter. Each of the imaging units includes:
a first lens that collects scattered light from the imaging region;
a diaphragm that limits the amount of scattered light transmitted through the first lens;
has
The measuring device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the first lens and the diaphragm are telecentrically arranged on the stationary structure side. The imaging unit is
a first lens that collects scattered light from the imaging region;
a diaphragm that limits the amount of scattered light transmitted through the first lens;
a second lens disposed between the diaphragm and the imaging unit for condensing scattered light whose light amount is limited by the diaphragm;
has
The measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the first lens, the diaphragm, and the second lens are telecentrically arranged on both the stationary structure side and the imaging unit side. The image processing unit
The n first captured images captured in the first frame and the n second captured images captured in the second frame subsequent to the first frame have a correlation between the captured regions. Calculating the image deviation between the first captured image and the second captured image,
performing an addition operation for adding the distance between the center of the imaging area of the first captured image and the center of the imaging area of the second captured image to the calculated shift;
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the calculated value obtained by the addition operation is the moving distance of the moving object between the first frame and the second frame. measuring device. When the n imaging units are arranged in series along the first direction in the imaging system,
The image processing unit, in the addition operation,
The distance between the center of the imaging unit that captured the first captured image and the center of the imaging unit that captured the second captured image is added to the calculated shift. measuring device. The image processing unit is characterized in that, for all combinations of the first captured image and the second captured image whose imaging regions are correlated, the deviation calculation and the addition operation for each combination are executed in parallel processing. The measuring device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein The image processing unit divides the value calculated by the addition operation by the elapsed time from the first frame to the second frame, and calculates the value of the moving object between the frames from the first frame to the second frame. 11. The measuring device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the moving speed is set as the moving speed. The ratio of the maximum measurable amount to the resolution of the movement distance and/or the movement speed calculated by the image processing unit using the addition operation increases in the first direction due to an increase in the number n of the imaging regions. 12. The measuring device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the measuring device is extended along. An elevator car that moves in the hoistway,
guide rails disposed within the hoistway along a first direction parallel to the direction of travel of the elevator car;
an elevator control unit that controls the operation of the elevator car;
a measuring device arranged in the elevator car to measure the moving distance and/or moving speed of the elevator car;
with
The measuring device is
an optical transmission system that transmits light for irradiating the guide rail in response to a gate signal generated for each frame of a predetermined cycle;
an imaging system that forms an image of scattered light from the guide rail caused by the light on an imaging surface;
an imaging system that acquires an optical signal of the scattered light imaged on the imaging surface over an exposure time based on the gate signal, converts the optical signal into an electrical signal, and performs imaging;
an image processing unit that generates the gate signal, calculates the moving distance and/or moving speed of the elevator car based on the electrical signal converted by the imaging system, and transmits the moving distance and/or moving speed to the elevator control unit;
has
The scattered light captured by the imaging system is scattered light from n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) imaging regions arranged in series in the first direction on the guide rail. elevator system. An elevator operation method by an elevator system for controlling operation of an elevator car,
The elevator system includes an elevator car moving in a hoistway, guide rails disposed in the hoistway along a first direction parallel to a direction of travel of the elevator car, and controlling movement of the elevator car. an elevator control unit, a measuring device that is arranged in the elevator car to measure the moving speed of the elevator car, and a safety device that stops the elevator car with an emergency stop,
The measurement device includes a light transmission system that transmits light to irradiate the guide rail in response to a gate signal generated for each frame of a predetermined cycle, and a light that is scattered from the guide rail by the light and spreads onto an imaging surface. an imaging system for forming an image, an imaging system for taking in an optical signal of scattered light imaged on the imaging surface over an exposure time based on the gate signal, converting it into an electric signal and imaging the signal, and the gate signal. , calculates the moving speed of the elevator car based on the electrical signal converted by the imaging system, and transmits the calculated moving speed to the elevator control unit,
In the measuring device, the scattered light captured by the imaging system is scattered light from n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) imaging regions arranged in series in the first direction on the guide rail. , the image processing unit calculates the moving speed of the elevator car between the frames and transmits it to the elevator control unit;
a first step in which the measuring device measures the moving speed of the elevator car and transmits the measured speed to the elevator control unit;
a second step in which the elevator control unit determines whether or not the moving speed of the elevator car received from the measuring device in the first step exceeds an operable threshold speed;
a third step of transmitting a signal for activating an emergency stop to the safety device when the elevator control unit determines in the second step that the moving speed of the elevator car exceeds the threshold speed;
a fourth step in which the safety device that has received the signal activates the emergency stop to stop the elevator car;
An elevator operating method comprising:

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