JP2022182725A - Passenger conveyor and passenger situation detection method for passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a passenger conveyor and a passenger situation detection method for detecting situations of passengers not only in an area beyond the tip of a deck board or a handrail but also in an area between this area and the step.SOLUTION: A passenger conveyor 10 comprises: a stagnation detection sensor 40 installed at an entrance and detecting situations of objects at the entrance; a control unit 31 that controls speed of a motor 17 that circularly drives a step 11 based on the detection results of the stagnation detection sensor. The stagnation detection sensor is capable of acquiring the situations of the objects existing respectively in a first area α beyond the tip of a deck board 19 or a handrail 12 with respect to the step and in a second area β on the step side of the first area. The control unit controls the speed of the motor based on the situations of the objects existing in the first area and the second area respectively obtained by the stagnation detection sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a method for detecting the condition of passengers on a passenger conveyor such as an escalator. relates to a method for detecting passenger conditions in two areas.

Some passenger conveyors, such as escalators and moving walkways, are provided with retention detection sensors (hereinafter referred to as "sensors" as appropriate) for detecting passengers at exits. For example, in Patent Literature 1, when a sensor detects a passenger's stagnation, overturning, stopping, etc. at an exit, the speed of the escalator (rotational speed of the motor) is reduced.

In the escalator of Patent Document 1, an area sensor such as a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor is used as the sensor. The sensor detects passengers in an area (hereinafter referred to as "first area") farther than the tip of the deck board or handrail when viewed from the escalator (step side). Then, the first area is planarly scanned by a sensor, the position of the center of gravity is calculated from the distance data to the object (passenger) existing in the first area, and the moving speed is calculated. If the movement speed of the center of gravity obtained as a result is equal to or less than a predetermined movement speed, it is determined that passengers are staying in the first area, and the speed of the escalator is adjusted.

Sensors can be installed only in a limited number of places because they can maintain detection accuracy, avoid collisions with passengers and luggage carried by passengers, and prevent tampering. In Patent Document 1, a deck board of an escalator is formed longer than usual, and a sensor is installed on the lower surface of the extended deck board. Due to restrictions on the installation position, the area in which the sensor detects passengers is limited to the above-described first area.

Japanese Patent No. 6816836

However, even in an area closer to the step than in the first area, that is, in an area closer to the step than the tip of the deck board or handrail (hereinafter referred to as the "second area"), passengers may fall or stop. Since the second area is closer to the step side than the first area, if a passenger falls or stops, the effect on the operation of the escalator is greater than that in the first area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a passenger conveyor and a passenger detection method for detecting the condition of passengers not only in the area beyond the tip of a deck board or handrail, but also in the area on the step side of this area.

The passenger conveyor of the present invention includes:
A passenger conveyor provided with a retention detection sensor installed at a boarding gate for detecting the state of objects at the boarding/alighting gate, and a controller for controlling the speed of a motor that circulates steps based on the detection result of the retention sensor. and
The residence detection sensor acquires the status of objects existing in a first area farther than the tip of the deck board or handrail with respect to the step and in a second area closer to the step than the first area. is possible and
The control device controls the speed of the motor based on the states of the objects existing in the first area and the second area obtained by the retention detection sensor.

The stay detection sensor may be an area sensor that continuously and sequentially acquires distance data of the object existing in the first area and the second area.

The retention detection sensor has a measurement angle of 135° or more, at least 90° of which detects the first region, and at least 45° of which detects the second region.

A method for detecting the situation of passengers on a passenger conveyor according to the present invention includes:
A method for detecting the status of passengers on a passenger conveyor provided with a retention detection sensor installed at a boarding/alighting gate for detecting the status of an object at the boarding/alighting gate,
By the residence detection sensor, the situation of the object existing in each of the first region on the far side of the deck board or the tip of the handrail with respect to the step and the second region on the step side of the first region is continuously monitored. A region determination step that sequentially acquires to
a center-of-gravity position calculation step of calculating the center-of-gravity positions of the objects existing in the first region and the second region in chronological order from the states of the objects sequentially acquired;
a center-of-gravity moving speed calculating step of calculating a moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of each of the first region and the second region;
and

The center-of-gravity moving speed calculating step can calculate only the moving speed of the passenger conveyor in the traveling direction in the first area and the second area.

The second area may be an area up to the step.

The second area may be an area including a step portion that is horizontal to the floor plate of the entrance/exit.

Further, a speed control method for a passenger conveyor using the passenger situation detection method of the passenger conveyor of the present invention includes:
A passenger conveyor speed control method using the above passenger conveyor passenger situation detection method,
A speed control step of controlling rotation of a motor that cyclically drives the steps based on the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of the first region and the second region calculated by the center-of-gravity moving speed calculating step.

The speed control step may control the motor regardless of the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of the first region when the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of the second region is less than or equal to a predetermined speed.

In the speed control step, if the object is not detected in the second area, the motor may not be controlled based on the moving speed of the center of gravity position in the first area.

According to the passenger conveyor and passenger situation detection method of the present invention, the passenger situation not only in the first area farther than the deck board or the tip of the handrail but also in the second area on the step side of the first area, that is, Passenger stagnation, overturning, stopping, etc. can be detected at an early stage. By detecting the condition of the passengers in the second area on the step side, it is possible to control the operation of the escalator early, and to eliminate the stagnation or the like early.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an escalator to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the exit. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the installation position of the residence detection sensor. FIG. 4 is a plan view near the exit showing the first area and the second area. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the vicinity of the exit where the second area is set wider than in FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the measurement range of the residence detection sensor. FIG. 7 shows an example of distance data of the first area and the second area detected by the stay detection sensor. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the escalator control system of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flow chart according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 10 shows the subroutine of the speed command generation step.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the escalator 10 is taken as an example of the passenger conveyor, but the passenger conveyor may be a so-called moving walkway.

An escalator 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. be done. A truss 13 that forms the frame of the escalator 10 has sprockets 14 and 15 on the upper and lower sides, and a step chain 16 that connects and circulates a large number of steps 11 is hung between the sprockets 14 and 15 . One sprocket 14 is linked to a motor 17 via a speed reducer 18 so as to be able to transmit power. Rails (not shown) are provided between the upper and lower floors of the truss 13, and the steps 11 are pulled by the step chains 16 to travel on the rails.

In this embodiment, the escalator 10 is assumed to operate downward, and the entrance 20a is assumed to be the upper floor 20, and the exit 21a is assumed to be the lower floor 21. As shown in FIG. In the case of upward operation, the upper floor side floor 20 serves as the exit, the lower floor side floor 21 serves as the entrance, and the traveling direction of step 11 is reversed.

A boarding plate 22 continuous with a floor plate 25 is provided at each of the entrance 20a and the exit 21a. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 for the exit 21a, a comb 23 through which the steps 11 pass is formed at the tip of the board 22. As shown in FIG. The step 11 passes under the boarding plate 22 and is sent out from the comb 23 at the boarding gate 20a, and the step 11 enters under the boarding board 22 through the comb 23 at the boarding gate 21a.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the escalator 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention has a sensor 40 near the exit 21a. As the sensor 40, an area type sensor (ranging sensor) such as a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor can be exemplified. The ToF sensor measures the time it takes the laser light emitted from the light projecting part to reflect off an object and return to the light receiving part while rotating the laser light projecting part and the light receiving part. A sensor that outputs distance data to an object. Note that the sensor 40 is not limited to a ToF sensor.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sensor 40 is formed by forming the edge of the deck board 19 longer than usual, and the sensor 40 is arranged on the lower surface of the projecting deck board 19 . Thereby, the sensor 40 can carry out a planar scan of the height near the passenger's feet. The installation position of the sensor 40 is not limited to this, and the sensor 40 can be installed on a skirt guard or a newel cover, or a separate pole can be erected at the exit 21a to mount the sensor 40 thereon. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sensors 40 may be arranged on either the left or right side, but may be arranged on the left and right sides of the exit 21a one by one. The illustrated sensor installation position is the tip of the deck board 19 on the right side in the traveling direction, and is a position slightly retreated from the tip of the handrail 12 where the handrail 12 is bent in an arc shape.

4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of the exit 21a viewed from above. An area detected by the sensor 40 is set at the exit 21a. These regions are referred to as a first region α and a second region β. The first area α is an area farther than the tip of the deck board or handrail when viewed from the step 11 side, and the second area β is an area closer to the step 11 than the first area.

More specifically, the first area α corresponds to the measurement area of Patent Literature 1 disclosed in Prior Art Documents, and is an area that partially includes the floor plate 25 of the entrance/exit. Not only passengers of the escalator 10 pass through the first area α, but also persons other than passengers may cross the first area α.

The second area β is an area closer to the step 11 than the first area α. As a specific embodiment, the second region β can be the region from the proximal side of the first region α to the comb 23 immediately before the step 11, as shown in FIG. Further, the escalator 10 has a horizontal portion 11a (see FIGS. 2 and 3) on the front side of the comb 23 where the step 11 is substantially horizontal with the floor plate 25 (boarding plate 22). This horizontal portion 11a can be included in the second region β. In this case, the second region β is the region shown in FIG. 5, and is a region including a horizontal portion 11a where the step 11 is substantially horizontal with the floor plate 25 beyond the comb 23 from the base end side of the first region α. Become. The horizontal portion 11a can be set to a length corresponding to one to three steps (welfare specifications, etc.). By widening the second region β, it is possible to detect the stagnation of passengers on the horizontal portion 11a of the step 11 as well as on the boarding plate 22 side.

This second area β is usually an area that only passengers of the escalator 10 do not enter, and is closer to the step 11 than the first area α. It is an area that greatly affects the operation of 10. In addition, below, the embodiment which employ|adopted as 2nd area|region (beta) the area|region containing the floor plate 25 shown in FIG. 5 and one step 11 substantially horizontal is described.

The first area α and the second area β described above are defined when the traveling direction of the passenger at the exit 21a (arrow A in FIG. 2 etc.) is the Y axis and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the Y axis in the plane is the X axis. , XY coordinates. For example, the position of the sensor 40 is set on the X-axis (zero of the Y-axis), and the Y-axis (zero of the X-axis) is set at the widthwise center of the exit 21a. As shown in FIG. 5, the first area α can be defined by a rectangular area from -X _α to X _α in the X-axis direction and from 0 to Y _α in the Y-axis direction. Similarly, the second region β can be defined by a rectangular region from -X _β to X _β in the X-axis direction and from -Y _β to 0 in the Y-axis direction located closer to the step 11 than the first region α. Although the width of the first region α is wider than that of the second region β in FIG. 5, the widths may be the same. Also, these lengths (Y _α and Y _β ) may be the same or different.

FIG. 6 shows the detectable range of sensor 40 . For example, the sensor 40 can have a measurement angle of 135° or more, and is set up to detect at least 90° in the first region α and at least 45° in the second region β. In FIG. 6, the sensor 40 detects the first region at a measurement angle of 90° and the second region β at 65°. In addition, when the commercially available sensor 40 is adopted, the measurement angle is approximately 270°. In this case, the rotation angle between the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion of the sensor 40 should be set to at least 135° or more. Also, the detection range can be widened by moving the position of the sensor 40 back and forth or arranging it inside. In the range where measurement is unnecessary, processing such as substituting zero for the measured distance data may be performed.

When the sensor 40 is on either the left or the right, a blind area γ that cannot be measured occurs in the second area β as shown in FIG. It is desirable to install the sensor 40 so that the blind area γ is as narrow as possible. However, since the blind area γ is a relatively narrow area, it is extremely unlikely that passengers will stay only in the blind area γ, and there is no operational problem. By arranging the sensors 40 one by one on the left and right sides, although it leads to an increase in cost, it is possible to measure the entire range of the second area β, in which substantially the blind area γ occurs.

Accordingly, the first area α and the second area β are planarly scanned by the sensor 40, and the sensor 40 outputs the distance data of the object (passenger 50) existing in these areas to the control device 31 described below. For example, the sensor 40 may be configured to scan the surface of the exit 21a every predetermined time, for example, every 25 msec, and continuously and successively detect the distance data of the detected object as, for example, coordinate values.

FIG. 7 shows an example of distance data representing detection results of a two-dimensional coordinate system for one scan obtained by planarly scanning the first area α and the second area β using the ToF sensor as the sensor 40 . For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when two passengers 50α in the first area α and one passenger 50β in the second area get off the step 11 and walk in the direction of travel, the passenger 50α , 50β, distance data detected by the sensor 40 (indicated by black circles in the figure) are obtained as shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 7, in the first region α, a set of points 50a and 50b indicating the contour of the leg of the passenger 50α is confirmed, and in the second region β, a set 50c of points indicating the contour of the leg of the passenger 50β is confirmed. can do.

Distance data from the sensor 40 is output to the controller 31 of the escalator 10 . FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the control system 30 of the escalator 10 showing the configuration of the essential parts related to control according to the present invention. The control system 30 includes a control device 31, receives distance data output from the sensor 40, determines the passenger's situation in the first area α and the second area β of the exit 21a, and based on the determination result. to control the rotation speed of the motor 17 . For example, the control device 31 controls the motor 17 based on the situation determined by the situation determination means 32 (described later) that determines the status of the passengers at the exit 21a from the detection results from the sensor 40, and the status determined by the situation determination means 32. and an inverter control means 34 for inverter-controlling the motor 17 based on the speed command. Note that the rotational speed control of the motor 17 is not limited to inverter control.

The situation determination means 32 determines which area the distance data acquired from the sensor 40 corresponds to, and calculates the moving speed of the center of gravity of the object 50 existing in each of the areas α and β. , and the width of the object 50 are calculated to determine the passenger status for each of the regions α and β. In the following embodiment, the passenger status is determined based on the moving speed of the center of gravity of the object 50 and the width of the object 50 for both the first region α and the second region β. The passenger's condition may be determined based only on the moving speed of the center of gravity of the vehicle. Alternatively, the area of the object may be calculated and used instead of the width.

As a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the situation determination means 32 includes an area determination unit 32a that receives distance data from the sensor 40 and determines which area each distance data corresponds to, A center-of-gravity calculator 32b that calculates the center-of-gravity position of the object 50 existing in each of the regions α and β based on the distance data of each of the regions α and β; A speed calculation unit 32c, a width calculation unit 32d that calculates the width of the object 50 by obtaining the distance data of the first region α and the second region β from the region determination unit 32a, and the center-of-gravity moving speed and the width calculated by these It is possible to construct a configuration having a situation determination section 32e that determines the situation of the exit 21a based on the above.

These functions determine the status of passengers at the exit 21a from the distance data from the sensor 40 in the following manner. Specific calculations, calculation methods, calculation formulas, etc. will be described in Examples.

The distance data measured by the sensor 40 at predetermined time intervals is continuously and sequentially obtained by the area determination unit 32a. The region determination unit 32a determines which region the distance data (coordinate values) that is input is the distance data. That is, it is determined whether the distance data is data of the first area α, data of the second area β, or data of an area other than these. Specifically, the area determination unit _{32a determines} that the coordinate values of the distance data are within the first area α shown in FIG. If it is within Y _α , it is determined as the distance data of the first region α. Further, if the X coordinate of the distance data is within -X _β to X _β and the Y coordinate is within -Y _β to 0, it is determined that the distance data of the second area β is. In the case of other coordinate values, if it is within the rectangular area, it is determined as the second area β. If the coordinates of the distance data are outside of these regions α and β, they can be removed as unnecessary data by substituting zero for the distance data.

The distance data acquired for each of the regions α and β by the region determining section 32a are also sequentially and continuously transmitted to the center-of-gravity calculating section 32b and the width calculating section 32d.

The center-of-gravity calculator 32b calculates the center-of-gravity positions of the passengers 50α and 50β in each of the areas α and β from the distance data received for each of the areas α and β. The center-of-gravity positions calculated by the center-of-gravity calculator 32b are indicated by reference numerals 51α and 51β in FIG. The center-of-gravity calculation unit 32b can calculate the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β by, for example, adding the X-axis direction component and the Y-axis direction component of the distance data for each of the received regions α and β and dividing by the number of distance data. .

Note that the center-of-gravity calculation unit 32b calculates the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β of the objects 50α and 50β detected in each of the regions α and β as one object in each region. Calculated. On the other hand, the position of the center of gravity may be calculated for each mass of each distance data group, and the moving speed of each position of the center of gravity may be calculated. In this case, by analyzing the movement speed of each center-of-gravity position in the X-axis direction, it is possible to determine the movement of the center-of-gravity position of not the passengers who got off the escalator 10 but the users who just crossed the exit 21a, especially the first area α. It can also be excluded from the speed calculation. As a result, it is possible to more accurately determine the flow and retention of passengers on the escalator 10 at the exit 21a.

The calculated center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β of the regions α and β are transmitted to the center-of-gravity moving speed calculator 32c. Then, the center-of-gravity movement speed calculator 32c calculates the movement speed of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and β from the center-of-gravity positions 51α and β that are sequentially received. The center-of-gravity movement speed calculator 32c can calculate the movement speed of the passenger 50α within the first area α, for example, from the difference between the sequentially received center-of-gravity positions 51α. Also, the moving speed of the passenger 50β within the second region β can be calculated from the difference in the center-of-gravity positions 51β that are sequentially received. In addition, when calculating the moving speed of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β, it is desirable to extract the speed only in the traveling direction of the escalator 10 . Further, in order to suppress the influence of measurement errors and the like, the moving speeds of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β are, for example, a moving average, so that minute changes in the calculated data can be smoothed.

The width calculation unit 32d calculates the width of the object 50α existing in the first area α based on the distance data obtained from the area determination unit 32a for the passenger 50α existing in the first area α. The width occupied by the object 50α can be calculated, for example, from the maximum and minimum values of the X-axis direction component of the obtained distance data, assuming that the object 50α is rectangular. By calculating the width of the object 50α for the first area α in this way, it is possible to determine whether the first area α is occupied by an object that is too large for the passenger to pass through. can determine whether there is Similarly, for the second area β, the width occupied by the object 50β can be calculated from the maximum and minimum values of the X-axis direction components of the distance data obtained by regarding the object 50β as a rectangle.

Then, the movement speed of the center-of-gravity position 51α of the first region α calculated by the center-of-gravity movement speed calculator 32c, the movement speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β of the second region β, and the width calculator 32d calculated The widths of the objects 50α and 50β are transmitted to the situation determination section 32e. For the regions α and β, the situation determination unit 32e determines the situation such as the flow and retention of passengers based on the moving speed and width.

For example, if the movement speed of the center-of-gravity position 51α of the first area α is high and the width of the object 50α with respect to the first area α is small, it can be determined that passengers are flowing smoothly in the first area α. Also, regarding the second region β, if the movement speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β is high and the width of the object 50β with respect to the second region β is small, it can be determined that the passengers are flowing smoothly. On the other hand, if the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51α of the first area α is less than or equal to a predetermined value, or if the width of the object 50α with respect to the first area α is large, it is determined that a stagnation or the like occurs in the first area α. can. Similarly, when the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β of the second region β is less than or equal to a predetermined value and/or when the width of the object 50β with respect to the second region β is large, stagnation or the like occurs in the second region β. can be judged.

Therefore, the situation determination unit 32e uses the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51α of the first region α and the width of the object 50α as parameters, and the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β of the second region β and the width of the object 50β as parameters. A function or table for calculating conditions such as flow and retention may be provided, and the conditions such as passenger flow and retention may be quantified (hereinafter referred to as "status values") from these parameters.

The conditions such as flow and stagnation of passengers in the first area α and the second area β of the exit 21a determined by the status determination unit 32e can be used for the operation speed control of the escalator 10. FIG. The situation (situation value) determined by the situation determination section 32e is transmitted to the speed command generation means 33 shown in FIG. The speed command generating means 33 generates a command value for the rotational speed of the motor 17 so that the operating speed of the escalator 10 is optimized based on the situation value. For example, the speed command generating means 33 may have a memory storing a table of status values and motor rotation speed command values, and generate a rotation speed command value for the motor 17 by referring to the table. The command value for the rotation speed of the motor 17 can be changed to follow the situation value in real time, that is, controlled to have a variable threshold value according to the situation of the first area α and the second area β, or can be changed stepwise. It may be a speed command that changes to

Based on the speed command generated by the speed command generation means 33, the inverter control means 34 controls the rotation speed of the motor 17, so that the escalator 10 is The running speed is controlled. In general, when the moving speed of the center of gravity positions 51α and 51β is slow and/or when the width of the objects 50α and 50β occupying the first area α and the second area β is large, passengers are staying. By determining that, the operation speed of the escalator 10 is slowed down, the number of passengers arriving at the exit 21a by the escalator 10 is reduced, and the stagnation at the exit 21a can be eliminated. Before slowing down the operation speed of the escalator 10, if necessary, an announcement or the like may be made to alert the escalator to move from the exit 21a. Also, if there is no stagnation at the exit 21a, the operating speed of the escalator 10 should be returned to the rated speed.

On the other hand, when comparing the first region α and the second region β, the second region β is a region closer to the step 11 than the first region α. Handrails 12 and balustrades are erected on the left and right sides of the second area β. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the stagnation of the passenger 50β in the second area β more intensively than in the first area α.

Therefore, the situation determination unit 32e first determines the situation of the passenger 50β in the second area β. Instead, it is desirable to stop the escalator 10 or slow down its operation speed. In addition, if the width of the object 50β in the second region β is greater than or equal to a predetermined width, it is desirable to stop the escalator 10 or further slow down the running speed. Conversely, when no passenger is detected in the second area β, even if a stagnation or the like occurs in the first area α, there is no passenger heading from the second area β to the first area α. It is preferable to set it as the control which does not perform a stop and operation speed control.

According to the present invention, passenger conditions at the exit 21a are divided into a first area α and a second area β, and one sensor 40 measures passenger conditions in these areas. Then, determination can be made based on the moving speed of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β of the regions α and β calculated based on the measured distance data. By controlling the operating speed of the escalator 10 based on the determined situation, it is possible to prevent passengers from staying at the exit 21a and ensure a smooth flow.

It should be noted that the width calculator 32d is unnecessary to obtain the situation value based only on the moving speeds of the gravity center positions 51α and 51β. In this case, the moving speeds of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β calculated by the center-of-gravity moving speed calculation unit 32c are transmitted to the situation determination unit 32e, and the situations such as the flow and retention of passengers in the first region α and the second region β are determined. Then, the speed control of the escalator 10 and the like can be performed. For example, it can be determined that the faster the moving speed of the center of gravity positions 51α and 51β is, the smoother the flow of passengers is, and the slower the moving speed of the center of gravity positions 51α and 51β is, the more passengers are staying at the exit 21a. Even in this case, it is desirable to focus on the second region β near step 11 for control.

Below, distance data is measured by the sensor 40 with respect to the first area α and the second area β of the exit 21a indicated by dotted lines in FIG. Based on the width of , the passenger's condition was determined and the speed control of the escalator 10 was performed.

The first region α is the X axis shown in FIG. 5 and the following formulas (1-1) and (1-2), the region β is shown in FIG. 5 and the following formulas (1-3) and (1-4), The sensor 40 is arranged on the X axis, and the zero point of the Y axis is the center of the escalator 10 in the width direction.

The width of the first area α is set to be slightly wider than the width of the escalator 10 . Further, the second region β is a region closer to the step 11 than the first region α, and the width direction is set substantially equal to the width of the step 11 . The second area β is an area including a horizontal portion 11a (FIGS. 2 and 3) where the step 11 is horizontal to the floor plate 25 from the base end side of the first area α.

Control according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the plane of the exit 21a, FIGS. 5 to 7, flowcharts of FIGS.

<Region determination step>
When the measurement of the situation of the passenger 50 is started, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the sensor 40 planarly scans the area including the first area α and the second area β (step S1 in FIG. 9), and obtains the distance data. to the control device 31 (step S2). In FIG. 7, distance data are coordinate-displayed by black circles. The region determination unit 32a determines which region the acquired distance data of the sensor 40 is, or whether it is data of a range other than that (step S3). Specifically, the distance data is XY coordinates centered on the zero point, and when the distance data satisfies the above (1-1) and (1-2), the distance data of the first area α, (1- 3) If the conditions (1-4) are satisfied, the distance data is determined as the second region β. Other distance data are removed as unnecessary data by substituting zero.

Then, the region determination unit 32a transmits each distance data of the first region α and the second region β to the center-of-gravity calculation unit 32b (step S3). At the same time, the distance data is also transmitted to the width calculator 32d.

As for the distance data of the first area α, as shown in steps S4 to S6, the center of gravity position 51α and its moving speed and width are calculated. Also, for the distance data of the second area β, as shown in steps S8 to S10, the center-of-gravity position 51β and its moving speed and width are calculated.

<Gravity center position calculation step>
The center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β of the regions α and β are calculated by using the following formulas (1-5) and (1-6) for the average values in the depth direction and horizontal direction of the respective distance data groups of the first region α and the second region β. ) (steps S4 and S8). Note that the barycentric positions 51 and 51β thus calculated are not the barycentric positions of the individual objects actually existing in the respective regions α and β, but the barycentric positions of the entire distance data groups of the respective regions α and β. Become.

<Gravity center movement speed calculation step>
From the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β sequentially calculated as described above, the moving speeds of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β are calculated using the following equations (1-7) and (1-8) (steps S5 and S9). Here, the sampling period can be set to 25 msec, for example.

Note that the center-of-gravity velocity calculated in (1-7) and (1-8) above indicates the speed at which the distance data obtained by the sensor 40 moves as a mass, and the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β are calculated. Therefore, it is affected by the distribution degree (distribution shape) of the distance data of each region α and β. That is, even if the moving speed of the passengers is constant, depending on the timing when the leading passenger leaves the areas α and β in the direction of travel or the timing when the trailing passenger enters the areas α and β , the degree of distribution of the distance data changes abruptly, and a sudden change in the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position, which does not actually occur, is detected. Both of these two timings are detected as a speed opposite to the traveling direction. For this reason, it is desirable to extract only the moving speed that makes the speed in the same direction as the traveling direction positive. Therefore, in the center-of-gravity position movement speed calculation step (steps S5 and S9), the movement speed in the regions α and β calculated by the equations (1-7) and (1-8), with the direction of travel being positive, is calculated by the following equation ( 1-9) is applied to calculate the moving speeds of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β based on the speed obtained by adding the absolute values of the moving speeds, thereby extracting only positive speeds. As a result, the moving speed detected in the direction opposite to the traveling direction becomes zero, and a negative speed that does not actually occur can be prevented from being reflected in the moving average described later.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the distance data groups in the regions α and β of the sensor 40 are each processed for each sampling, minute changes in velocity may occur due to the influence of measurement errors, etc., which may cause erroneous determination. . Therefore, it is desirable to calculate the moving average of the obtained moving speed of the center of gravity position by using a moving average filter such as the following formula (1-10), and smooth the minute changes. Of course, data processing is not limited to moving averages.

The moving speeds of the center-of-gravity positions 51α and 51β obtained as described above are transmitted to the situation determination unit 32e (steps S7 and S11).

<Calculation of object width>
In the present embodiment, the width calculator 32d regards the object as a rectangle and calculates the width of the object from the obtained distance data of the object (steps S6 and S10). For example, the width can be calculated from the difference between the maximum value and minimum value in the X-axis direction of the distance data of the first region α and the second region β.

Subsequently, the width calculator 32d transmits the widths of the objects 50α and 50β in the regions α and β thus obtained to the situation determination unit 32e (steps S7 and S11).

<Situation determination step>
The situation determination unit 32e determines the flow, retention, etc. of passengers at the exit 21a based on the moving speed of the center of gravity position 51 calculated by the center of gravity moving speed calculating unit 32c and the width of the object 50 calculated by the width calculating unit 32d. A situation value obtained by digitizing the situation of is calculated (steps S7 and S11). Specifically, the status values are the moving speed and width of the center-of-gravity position 51α for the first region α. Also, the status values of the second region β are the moving speed and width of the center-of-gravity position 51β.

<Speed command generation step>
The situation value calculated by the situation determination unit 32e is transmitted to the speed command generation means 33 (step S12, subroutine FIG. 10). Based on this, a command value for the rotational speed of the motor 17 is generated so that the operating speed of the escalator 10 is optimized (subroutine FIG. 10).

In this embodiment, of the first region α and the second region β, emphasis is placed on the second region β closer to the step 11 side to determine the passenger situation and control the operation of the escalator 10 .

Specifically, as shown in the subroutine FIG. 10, first, it is determined whether or not an object exists in the second region β itself (step S13). Whether or not an object exists can be determined by whether or not the distance data of the second area β exists and whether or not the moving speed is calculated. Then, when the object does not exist in the second area β, the process proceeds to step S18, which will be described later, and the situation of the first area α is determined (No in step S13).

If the object exists in the second region β (Yes in step S13), it is determined whether or not the moving speed of the center of gravity position 51β is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed (100 mm/sec in the example) (step S14). If the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β in the second region β is less than or equal to the predetermined speed, stagnation or the like occurs in the second region β, so deceleration of the escalator 10 is made based on the situation of passengers in the second region β. (No in step S14).

If the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β of the second area β is less than or equal to the predetermined speed (No in step S14), it is determined whether or not the second area β has enough width for passengers to pass (step S15). The width of the second region β can be determined by referring to the width of the object present in the second region β.

As a result, when the width of the second area β is not secured (No in step S15), the speed command generating means 33 generates a speed command that greatly decelerates the escalator 10 (for example, up to 5 m/min), It waits for the retention or the like to be resolved (step S16). Note that the second region β has a greater influence on the operation of the escalator 10 due to passenger stagnation than the first region α. You may make it

On the other hand, if the width of the second area β is secured (Yes in step S15), the passengers can pass by avoiding the stagnation that occurs in the second area β. (step S17). Specifically, the speed command generating means 33 generates a speed command for decelerating to a predetermined operating speed (for example, 10 m/min). The deceleration should be about 0.1m/ ^s2 .

If the speed change exceeds a predetermined value (for example, 9 m/min) as a result of steps S16 and S17 (Yes in step S27), an announcement to the effect of deceleration is made to the passengers (step S28).

Through steps S14 to S17, the operation of the escalator 10 can be controlled based on the moving speed and width of the object (passenger 50β) present in the second area β. Since the second region β is closer to the step 11 than the first region α, the operation of the escalator 10 is controlled early according to the passenger situation in the second region β, thereby quickly eliminating the effects of passenger stagnation and the like. can do.

If step S13 is No or step S14 is Yes, there is no stagnation or the like in the second region β. In this case, the speed command generator 33 may control the running speed of the escalator 10 based on the object 50α in the first area α. Steps S18 to S26 are one example.

Specifically, if step S13 is No or step S14 is Yes, it is determined whether or not the object 50α exists in the first area α (step S18). If the object 50α does not exist in the first area α (No in step S18), the step S13 is No or the step S14 is Yes, indicating that there is no stay in the second area β and the object 50α stays in the first area α as well. There is no need to limit the speed of the escalator 10, so if the escalator 10 has been decelerated in another step, it is accelerated to return to the rated speed (eg 30 m/min) (step S19). The same applies when the object 50α exists in the first area α (Yes in step S18) and the moving speed of the object 50α is a predetermined speed (for example, 100 mm/sec or more) (Yes in S20, step S21).

On the other hand, when the object 50α exists in the first area α (Yes in step S18) and the moving speed of the center of gravity position 51α of the object 50α falls within a predetermined range (for example, 50 mm/sec to 100 mm/sec) (step S20 No, Yes in step S22), the escalator 10 is slightly decelerated (step S23). If the moving speed of the center of gravity position 51α is still slower (No in step S22), the width of the object existing in the first area α is referred to determine whether the first area α is wide enough for the passenger to pass through. It judges (step S24).

As a result, if the width of the first area α is not secured (No in step S24), the speed command generating means 33 generates a speed command that greatly decelerates the escalator 10 (for example, up to 5 m/min), It suffices to wait until the retention or the like is resolved (step S25).

On the other hand, if the width of the first area α is secured (Yes in step S24), the passengers can pass by avoiding the stagnation that occurs in the first area α. (step S26).

In any of the above cases, when the speed change exceeds a predetermined value (for example, 9 m/min) (Yes in step S27), an announcement is made to the passengers to decelerate (step S28). Then, the process returns to step S1 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 (step S29).

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

10 Escalator 12 Handrail 17 Motor 19 Deck board 21a Exit 31 Control device 32 Situation determination means 32a Area determination unit 32b Center of gravity calculation unit 32c Center of gravity movement speed calculation unit 33 Speed command generation means 34 Inverter control means 40 Sensor 50 Passenger (object)
α First region β Second region

Specifically, as shown in the subroutine FIG. 10, first, it is determined whether or not an object exists in the second region β itself (step S13). Whether or not an object exists can be determined by whether or not the distance data of the second area β exists and whether or not the moving speed is calculated. Then, if there is no object in the second area β (No in step S13) , the process proceeds to step S18, which will be described later, to determine the situation of the first area α .

If the object exists in the second region β (Yes in step S13), it is determined whether or not the moving speed of the center of gravity position 51β is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed (100 mm/sec in the example) (step S14). If the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β in the second region β is less than the predetermined speed, stagnation or the like occurs in the second region β. (No in step S14).

If the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51β of the second region β is less than the predetermined speed (No in step S14), it is determined whether or not the second region β has enough width for passengers to pass (step S15). The width of the second region β can be determined by referring to the width of the object present in the second region β.

On the other hand, when the object 50α exists in the first region α (Yes in step S18) and the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position 51α of the object 50α falls within a predetermined range (for example, 50 mm/sec or more and less than 100 mm/sec) (step No in S20, Yes in step S22), the escalator 10 is slightly decelerated (step S23). If the moving speed of the center of gravity position 51α is still slower (No in step S22), the width of the object existing in the first area α is referred to determine whether the first area α is wide enough for the passenger to pass through. It judges (step S24).

Claims (10)

A passenger conveyor provided with a retention detection sensor installed at a boarding gate for detecting the state of objects at the boarding/alighting gate, and a controller for controlling the speed of a motor that circulates steps based on the detection result of the retention sensor. and
The residence detection sensor acquires the status of objects existing in a first area farther than the tip of the deck board or handrail with respect to the step and in a second area closer to the step than the first area. is possible and
The control device controls the speed of the motor based on the conditions of the objects present in the first area and the second area obtained by the retention detection sensor.
passenger conveyor. The residence detection sensor is an area sensor that continuously and sequentially acquires distance data of the object existing in the first area and the second area,
Passenger conveyor according to claim 1. The second area is an area up to the step,
A passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or claim 2. The second area is an area including a step portion that is horizontal with the floor plate of the entrance/exit,
A passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or claim 2. The retention detection sensor has a measurement angle of 135° or more, and at least 90° detects the first region and at least 45° detects the second region.
A passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A method for detecting the status of passengers on a passenger conveyor provided with a retention detection sensor installed at a boarding/alighting gate for detecting the status of an object at the boarding/alighting gate,
By the residence detection sensor, the situation of the object existing in each of the first region on the far side of the deck board or the tip of the handrail with respect to the step and the second region on the step side of the first region is continuously monitored. A region determination step that sequentially acquires to
a center-of-gravity position calculation step of calculating the center-of-gravity positions of the objects existing in the first region and the second region in chronological order from the states of the objects sequentially acquired;
a center-of-gravity moving speed calculating step of calculating a moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of each of the first region and the second region;
and
A method for detecting the situation of passengers on a passenger conveyor. The center-of-gravity moving speed calculating step calculates only the moving speed in the traveling direction of the passenger conveyor in the first area and the second area.
The method for detecting the situation of passengers on a passenger conveyor according to claim 6. A passenger conveyor speed control method using the passenger conveyor passenger situation detection method according to claim 6 or claim 7,
a speed control step of controlling rotation of a motor that cyclically drives the steps based on the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of the first region and the second region calculated by the center-of-gravity movement speed calculating step;
Speed control method for passenger conveyor. The speed control step controls the motor regardless of the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of the first region when the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position of the second region is equal to or less than a predetermined speed.
A speed control method for a passenger conveyor according to claim 8. In the speed control step, when the object is not detected in the second region, the motor is not controlled by the moving speed of the center-of-gravity position in the first region.
A speed control method for a passenger conveyor according to claim 7 or 9.

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