JP4584065B2 - Elevator passenger detection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an elevator passenger detection device that detects the presence or absence of a passenger near an elevator door using an optical distance sensor.

  A conventional passenger detection device for an elevator has a transmission device provided at one of a pair of doors and a reception device provided at the other door. The transmission device transmits an infrared beam obliquely toward the landing. When there is a passenger in front of the door, the infrared beam is reflected by the passenger, and the reflected light is detected by the receiving device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3088936

  In the conventional passenger detection apparatus as described above, the detection target is detected based on the amount of reflected light received by the light receiving element. For example, the reflectance of the detection target is different, such as a difference in the color of the clothes of the passenger. Due to the difference, a sufficient amount of reflected light cannot be obtained, and the detection target may not be detected. There is also a problem that it is easily affected by ambient light.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an elevator passenger detection device that can more accurately detect the presence or absence of an object to be detected in a predetermined area. To do.

  An elevator passenger detection device according to the present invention includes a light projecting unit that projects a detection beam, a sweep unit that sweeps the detection beam, and an imaging optical that forms an image of the reflected light of the detection beam reflected by the detection target. System, and an imaging position detector that generates a signal corresponding to the position of the imaging point of the reflected light in the imaging optical system, from a distance sensor provided in the elevator door, and an imaging position detector And a determination unit that determines the presence / absence of an object to be detected in a predetermined region.

  In the elevator passenger detection device according to the present invention, since the detection signal corresponding to the position of the imaging point of the reflected light from the detected object is obtained by the imaging position detection unit, not the amount of reflected light but the reflected light. The position of the detected object can be detected based on the position of the image point, and the presence or absence of the detected object in a predetermined region can be detected more reliably. Further, since the detection beam is swept, even when a detection beam having a small diameter is used, the detection target can be detected in a wider range.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a plan view showing a passenger detection device for an elevator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, an optical distance sensor 2 is mounted at the tip of an elevator door (a car door or a landing door) 1. The distance sensor 2 projects a detection beam 3 such as infrared light or visible light obliquely downward toward the landing side. The projection angle θ within the horizontal plane of the detection beam 3 can be swept.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the distance sensor 2 of FIG. The distance sensor 2 includes a light projecting unit 4, a light receiving unit 5, and a sweeping unit 6. The light projecting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are arranged one above the other. The light projecting unit 4 includes a light emitting element 7 and a light projecting lens 8 that collimates the light generated by the light emitting element 7. For example, a light emitting diode or a semiconductor laser can be used as the light emitting element 7.

  The light receiving unit 5 receives reflected light (scattered light) 10 of the detection beam 3 reflected by the detection target 9 such as a passenger or a carriage. The light receiving unit 5 includes a light receiving lens 11 that is an imaging optical system that forms an image of the reflected light 10, and an imaging position detection unit 12 that is disposed at a position where the reflected light 10 is imaged by the light receiving lens 11. Have. As the imaging position detection unit 12, a position detection element, an imaging element, a photodiode array, or the like can be used.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the sweep means 6 of FIG. The sweep means 6 includes a sweep mirror 13 that reflects the detection beam 3 and a sweeping actuator (not shown) that sweeps the emission direction of the detection beam 3 by rotating the sweep mirror 13. As the sweeping actuator, for example, a motor or the like can be used.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the passenger detection device of FIG. A detection signal from the imaging position detection unit 12 including the position information of the detection target is output to the processing unit 14. The processing unit 14 includes a calculation unit 15 that calculates a distance between the light projecting unit 4 and the detection target 9 based on the input position information as a calculation value, and a calculation value obtained by the calculation unit 15. And a determination unit 16 that determines the presence or absence of the detection target 9 within a predetermined region.

  Next, the operation will be described. When the elevator door 1 is closed, the detection beam 3 is continuously projected onto the landing. At this time, if the detected object 9 is located within the detectable range, the reflected light 10 from the detected object 9 is incident on the light receiving lens 11 and a focused spot is formed on the imaging position detecting unit 12. The The position of this condensing spot changes according to the distance L between the light projecting unit 4 and the detection target 9. Therefore, if the position of the focused spot on the imaging position detector 12 is detected, the distance L can be calculated based on the principle of triangulation.

  The determination unit 16 outputs determination information related to the presence / absence and position of the detected object 9 to a door opening / closing control device (not shown). The door opening / closing control device is in a door closing operation when the detected object 9 is located within a predetermined region, that is, when the detected distance L is within a predetermined range (for example, 0.3 m ≦ L ≦ 1 m). The elevator door 1 is reversed in the door opening direction. In other cases, that is, when the detected object 9 is not detected or when the detected object 9 is located outside the predetermined region, the door closing operation of the elevator door 1 is continued as it is.

  Here, since the detection range at a certain moment is only the irradiation direction of the detection beam 3, the detected object 9 outside the detection range cannot be detected. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the detection beam 3 is swept in the horizontal direction at a period sufficiently shorter than the time when the elevator door 1 is closed. At this time, the position of the focused spot on the imaging position detector 12 is also swept in the direction corresponding to the horizontal direction by sweeping the detection beam 3. However, since the light projecting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are arranged one above the other, the sweeping direction of the focused spot is orthogonal to the detection direction necessary for the triangulation method.

  For example, when a position detection element (PSD) that detects the luminance gravity center position in the one-dimensional direction of the focused spot is used as the imaging position detection unit 12, the position detection direction is the Y direction, and the direction orthogonal to the Y direction is X. Assuming that the position of the focused spot is shifted in the X direction by sweeping the detection beam 3 in the horizontal direction, if there is no change in the position in the Y direction, the luminance barycentric position detected by this one-dimensional PSD is It does not change unless the spot is removed from the light receiving surface of the PSD.

In such a passenger detection device for an elevator, a detection signal corresponding to the position of the imaging point of the reflected light 10 from the detected object 9 is obtained by the imaging position detection unit 12, not the light amount of the reflected light 10, Based on the position of the imaging point of the reflected light 10, the position of the detected object 9 can be detected. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably detect the presence / absence of the detection target 9 within a predetermined region.
Further, since the detection beam 3 is swept in the horizontal direction (a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the light projecting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are arranged), even when the detection beam 3 having a small diameter is used, the detection target is detected in a wider range. 9 can be detected.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing sweeping means 6 of an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The sweep means 6 includes a sweeping actuator 17 that displaces (translates) the light projecting lens 8 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction thereof. As the projection lens 8 is continuously displaced by the sweeping actuator 17, the emission angle of the detection beam 3 from the projection lens 8 is continuously swept. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Also with such a passenger detection device, the detection beam 3 is swept in the horizontal direction, so that the detected object 9 can be detected over a wider range even when the detection beam 3 having a small diameter is used.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Next, FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an elevator passenger detection apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the figure, an optical distance sensor 2 is mounted at the tip of the elevator door 1. The distance sensor 2 simultaneously projects a plurality of detection beams 3 obliquely downward toward the landing at a plurality of different emission angles.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a main part of the distance sensor 2 of FIG. The light projecting unit 4 is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements 7 and a light projecting lens 8 facing the light emitting elements 7. Thereby, the light projection part 4 of Embodiment 3 can project the some detection beam 3 simultaneously. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In such an elevator passenger detection device, a plurality of detection beams 3 are projected at different emission angles in a direction (X direction) orthogonal to a direction (Y direction) in which the light projecting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are arranged. Even when the detection beam 3 having a small diameter is used, the detection target 9 can be detected in a wider range. Further, the detection range can be further expanded by appropriately widening the angular interval of the detection beams 3.

  At this time, when a plurality of detection beams 3 are irradiated to objects at different distances, the light reception spot of the reflected light by the light receiving unit 5 is arranged at a position corresponding to the distance to each object, which is necessary for the triangulation method. Since the luminance centroid position in the Y direction becomes the luminance centroid sum of these multiple spots, even if one detection beam detects an object in the detection range, it is pulled by the signal of the other detection beam and the detection range There is a possibility that it is determined to be outside. In this case, if the light emitting elements 7 are not caused to emit light simultaneously but sequentially, the detection beam 3 is swept at a discrete angle as in the first embodiment, and the above-described problem can be avoided. .

Embodiment 4 FIG.
Next, FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a main part of an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The light projecting unit 4 includes a light emitting element 7, a light projecting lens 8 facing the light emitting element 7, and a diffraction grating 22 facing the light projecting lens 8 on the side opposite to the light emitting element 7. The diffraction grating 22 disperses the detection beam 3 transmitted through the light projecting unit 4 into a plurality of detection beams 3 having different emission angles. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In such a passenger detection device, a plurality of detection beams 3 are projected at different emission angles in the direction (X direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the light projecting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are arranged (Y direction). Even when the small detection beam 3 is used, the detection target 9 can be detected over a wider range.

  The configuration of the light projecting unit is not limited to the third and fourth embodiments. For example, a diode array in which a plurality of light emitting elements are mounted in advance may be used.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
9 is a perspective view showing an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In the figure, an optical distance sensor 2 is mounted at the tip of the elevator door 1. The distance sensor 2 projects the detection beam 3 whose section along the traveling direction is fan-shaped obliquely downward toward the landing side. That is, the width (irradiation region) of the detection beam 3 gradually increases as it advances.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the distance sensor 2 of FIG. The light projecting unit 4 includes a light emitting element 7, a light projecting lens 8 that faces the light emitting element 7, and a cylindrical lens 24 that faces the light projecting lens 8 on the side opposite to the light emitting element 7. The cylindrical lens 24 emits the detection beam 3 transmitted through the light projecting unit 4 in a fan shape. The configurations of the light receiving unit and the processing unit are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In such an elevator passenger detection device, the width of the detection beam 3 is widened in the direction (X direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the light projecting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are arranged (Y direction). The detected object 9 can be detected. At this time, as long as the width of the detection beam 3 is widened in the direction (X direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the light projecting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are lined up (Y direction), it is triangular as in the first embodiment. The luminance gravity center position in the Y direction necessary for the surveying method does not change.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
Next, FIG. 11 is a side view showing an essential part of an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. In the figure, a light projecting unit 4 includes a light emitting element 7, a light projecting lens 8 that converts light generated by the light emitting element 7 into parallel light, and a deflection that reflects light from the light emitting element 7 and guides it to the light projecting lens 8. And a reflecting mirror 25 as means. The reflection mirror 25 deflects the optical path in the distance sensor 2 by reflection. That is, the light emitted from the light emitting element 7 substantially vertically is bent by approximately 90 ° by the reflecting mirror 25 and is projected as a substantially horizontal detection beam 3. The configurations of the light receiving unit and the processing unit are the same as those in the embodiment.

  In such a passenger detection device, light from the light emitting element 7 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 25 and guided to the light projecting lens 8, so that the light emitting element 7 is arranged on the optical axis of the light projecting lens 8. Thus, the thickness t of the light projecting unit 4 can be reduced. Therefore, the distance sensor 2 can be easily arranged in a narrow space at the tip of the elevator door 1.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
Next, FIG. 12 is a side view showing an essential part of an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention. In this example, the light emitted from the light emitting element 7 substantially vertically is bent at a substantially acute angle by the reflecting mirror 25 and is projected obliquely downward to the landing side as the detection beam 3. Other configurations are the same as those of the sixth embodiment.

  As described above, the thickness t of the light projecting portion 4 of the distance sensor 2 is also compared with the type in which the detection beam 3 is projected obliquely downward as compared with the case where the light emitting element 7 is disposed on the optical axis of the light projecting lens 8. Can be reduced.

Embodiment 8 FIG.
Next, FIG. 13 is a side view showing an essential part of an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention. In the figure, a light projecting unit 4 includes a light emitting element 7, a light projecting lens 8 that converts light generated by the light emitting element 7 into parallel light, and a deflection that deflects the optical path of the detection beam 3 emitted from the light projecting lens 8. And a prism 26 as means. Other configurations are the same as those of the sixth embodiment.

  In such a passenger detection device, since the detection beam 3 from the projection lens 8 is bent by the prism 26 and projected, the projection lens 8 and the light emitting element are arranged on the optical axis of the detection beam 3 to be projected. Compared with the case where 7 is disposed, the thickness t of the light projecting portion 4 can be reduced. Therefore, the distance sensor 2 can be easily arranged in a narrow space at the tip of the elevator door 1.

Embodiment 9 FIG.
Next, FIG. 14 is a side view showing an essential part of an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 9 of the present invention. In the figure, a light projecting unit 4 includes a light emitting element 7, a light projecting lens 8 that converts light generated by the light emitting element 7 into parallel light, and a deflection that deflects the optical path of the detection beam 3 emitted from the light projecting lens 8. And a deflection diffraction grating 27 as means. Other configurations are the same as those of the sixth embodiment.

  In such a passenger detection device, since the detection beam 3 from the projection lens 8 is bent and projected by the deflection diffraction grating 27, the projection lens 8 and the optical axis of the detection beam 3 to be projected are projected. Compared with the case where the light emitting element 7 is disposed, the thickness t of the light projecting portion 4 can be reduced. Therefore, the distance sensor 2 can be easily arranged in a narrow space at the tip of the elevator door 1.

In the sixth to ninth embodiments, the optical path of the light to be projected is deflected by the deflecting unit. However, the optical path on the light receiving unit side may be deflected by the deflecting unit.
Further, the deflecting means may be applied in combination with the passenger detection apparatus of the first to fifth embodiments, or may be applied to an apparatus that does not sweep the detection beam.

Embodiment 10 FIG.
Next, FIG. 15 is a side view showing an elevator passenger detection apparatus according to Embodiment 10 of the present invention. In the figure, an optical distance sensor 2, a transparent cover 28 that protects the distance sensor 2, and a dirt sensor 29 that detects dirt on the cover 28 are mounted at the tip of the elevator door 1. The cover 28 prevents the passenger from directly touching the light projecting lens 8 and the light receiving lens 11. As the dirt sensor 29, for example, an optical sensor that detects light transmittance of the cover 28 or reflection of light due to dirt can be used. The configuration of the processing unit is the same as that of the first embodiment.

In such a passenger detection device, if dirt adheres to the cover 28, scattered stray light is generated from the dirt, which may cause erroneous detection of passengers. On the other hand, by arranging the dirt sensor 29 in parallel with the distance sensor 2, the dirt of the cover 28 can be detected and erroneous detection can be prevented beforehand. When the dirt on the cover 28 is detected, the operation of stopping the operation of the distance sensor 2 or notifying the elevator maintenance person that the dirt has occurred becomes possible.
Note that the cover 28 and the dirt sensor 29 may be applied in combination with the passenger detection apparatus of the first to ninth embodiments, or may be applied to an apparatus that does not sweep or deflect the detection beam.

Embodiment 11 FIG.
Next, FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 11 of the present invention, and FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the passenger detection device of FIG. In the figure, the elevator door 1 is provided with an interval sensor 30 for detecting an opening interval (opening distance) of the elevator door 1. The determination unit 16 determines the presence / absence of the detected object 9 in a predetermined region based on a signal from the distance sensor 2 when the opening interval of the elevator door 1 is within a predetermined range.

  Here, when the space between the elevator doors 1 is largely open, it is considered that detection of the distance sensor 2 is not necessary because there is a low possibility that passengers are still caught between the elevator doors 1. On the contrary, it is considered that it is not necessary to detect a passenger at a distant position immediately before the elevator door 1 has a small opening interval and is completely closed. Furthermore, if the elevator door 1 is opened by unnecessary passenger detection, the operation efficiency of the elevator will be reduced.

Therefore, in the eleventh embodiment, based on the information obtained from the distance sensor 30, the detection range of the distance sensor 2 is changed depending on how the elevator door 1 is opened (closed), or the operation of the distance sensor 2 is turned on / off. Or turn it off. Thereby, the area | region which should determine the presence or absence of the to-be-detected body 9 can be narrowed, and the operation | movement which opens the elevator door 1 when it is unnecessary can be suppressed. Therefore, only passengers likely to be caught between the elevator doors 1 can be detected, and the elevator can be operated smoothly.
The determination process as shown in the eleventh embodiment may be applied in combination with the passenger detection apparatus according to the first to tenth embodiments, or may be applied to an apparatus that does not sweep or deflect the detection beam. .

Embodiment 12 FIG.
Next, FIG. 18 is a side view showing an essential part of an elevator passenger detection device according to Embodiment 12 of the present invention. In this example, the detection beam 3 is projected obliquely downward, and the light receiving unit 5 is disposed on the side opposite to the projection direction of the detection beam 3 with respect to the light projecting unit 4, that is, on the upper side.

  If it arrange | positions in this way, the reflected light by the cover 28 of the detection beam 3 will be reflected below like a figure. On the other hand, since the light receiving unit 5 is disposed on the upper side, stray light is prevented from entering the light receiving unit 5 and the measurement accuracy of the distance sensor 2 can be increased.

It is a top view which shows the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the distance sensor of FIG. It is a top view which shows the sweep means of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the passenger detection apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the sweep means of the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the distance sensor of FIG. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the distance sensor of FIG. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 8 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 9 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 10 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 11 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the passenger detection apparatus of FIG. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the passenger detection apparatus of the elevator by Embodiment 12 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Elevator door, 2 Distance sensor, 3 Detection beam, 4 Light projection part, 6 Sweep means, 9 Detected object, 10 Reflected light, 11 Light receiving lens (imaging optical system), 12 Imaging position detection part, 16 Determination part , 25 reflecting mirror (deflecting means), 26 a prism (deflecting means), 27 deflecting diffraction grating (deflecting means), 28 cover, 29 dirty sensor, 30 spacing sensor.

Claims (5)

A light projecting unit that projects a detection beam, a sweeping unit that sweeps the detection beam, an imaging optical system that forms an image of reflected light of the detection beam reflected by the detection target, and a reflection in the imaging optical system An image forming position detection unit that generates a signal corresponding to the position of the light image forming point, a distance sensor using a triangulation method provided in the elevator door, and a signal from the image forming position detection unit Based on a determination unit for determining the presence or absence of the detected object in a predetermined region,
The passenger detection device for an elevator characterized in that a sweep direction of the detection beam is orthogonal to a plane formed by the light projecting unit, the imaging position detection unit, and a detection target. The aforementioned distance sensor, according to claim 1 Symbol placement of an elevator passenger detection device wherein the deflecting means is provided for deflecting the light path within the distance sensor. 3. The elevator passenger detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the deflecting means is a reflection mirror. 3. The elevator passenger detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the deflecting means is a prism. 3. The elevator passenger detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the deflection means is a deflection diffraction grating.

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