JP5735770B2 - Backward prevention device for escalators, etc. - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing a visually handicapped person from entering a escalator or a moving sidewalk by mistakenly assuming it as a ride entrance.

  There are dangers when visually impaired people use escalators or moving walkways. For example, it is a big problem that the position of an escalator or the like is difficult to understand, and that it is difficult to distinguish between the entrance and the exit.

In the passenger conveyor device of Patent Document 1, a sensor is attached to an entrance of an escalator or the like, and when a user is detected at the entrance, control is performed to perform a caution broadcast for a predetermined time.
Further, in the escalator of Patent Document 2, protrusions having different shapes are formed on the floors of the entrance and the exit to distinguish between the entrance and the exit, respectively.

JP 2006-76674 A JP 2004-161455 A

  However, the device of Patent Document 1 cannot cope with a visually handicapped person who erroneously attempts to enter from the exit side. In addition, the technique of Patent Document 2 requires processing on both floors of the entrances and exits of each escalator, which requires considerable cost and is a relatively large protrusion, and thus a user other than the visually handicapped stumbles. There is also a fear.

  In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for preventing reverse movement in an escalator or the like that prevents a visually handicapped person from entering the entrance of the escalator by misidentifying it as a ride entrance.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following configurations. The numbers in parentheses are reference numerals in the drawings described later, and are attached for reference.
A first aspect of the present invention is a reverse travel prevention device (1) installed on the exit side of an escalator (4) or the like, and is arranged at a predetermined interval in the forward direction along a passage on the exit side. The sensor unit (2) having the first sensor (21) and the second sensor (22) and the detection signals from the first sensor (21) and the second sensor (22) can be received. A control unit (23), and an alarm unit (24) that issues an acoustic alarm under the control of the control unit (23), and the control unit (23) is connected to the first sensor (21) first. When the detection signal is received from the second sensor (22) after receiving the detection signal, it is determined that the user is moving forward, while the detection signal is first from the second sensor (22). When a detection signal is received from the first sensor (21) after receiving The first means for determining that the user is moving in the reverse direction and the control unit is configured to issue an acoustic alarm to the alarm unit (24) when it is determined that the user is moving in the reverse direction. And second means. .

  In the above aspect, the determination means in the control unit (23) is configured to continue the detection signal of the first sensor (21) after receiving the detection signal from the first sensor (21) first. When the detection signal from the second sensor (22) is received during the operation, or after the detection signal is received first from the second sensor (22), the second sensor (22 It is preferable to make the determination only when the detection signal from the first sensor (21) is received while the detection signal of (1) is continued.

  In the above aspect, the reverse travel prevention device (1) includes a support portion (3) that stands on the floor so as to install the sensor portion (2) at a predetermined height on the floor, and the support portion (3) Is preferably removable from the floor.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, the side wall outer surface of the escalator (4) is provided on either or both of the entrance side and the exit side of the escalator (4) in addition to the reverse travel prevention device in the first aspect. 42), and includes an LED direction indicating device (7) in which a plurality of LED elements (71a) are arranged along the direction of the belt (41). The blinking control of each of the plurality of LED elements (71a) The lighting state is controlled so as to move in the forward direction.

  The reverse travel prevention device according to the present invention can be applied to an automatic transport device for humans such as an escalator or a moving walkway. Hereinafter, the case where it applies to an escalator is demonstrated as an example.

  An anti-reverse device in an escalator includes a sensor unit including a pair of sensors, a control unit that receives detection signals from these sensors, and an alarm unit that is controlled by the control unit. Yes. The first sensor and the second sensor are arranged at a predetermined interval in the forward direction along the passage of the exit of the escalator. That is, the first sensor is closer to the exit of the escalator, and the second sensor is farther. Therefore, the user who has come down from the escalator is first detected by the first sensor and then detected by the second sensor. Such forward movement of the user is a normal action. On the other hand, when it tries to enter the exit side of the escalator by mistake, it is first detected by the second sensor and then detected by the first sensor. Such movement of the user in the reverse direction is determined to be abnormal by the control unit. The control unit determined to be abnormal performs control to issue an acoustic alarm to the alarm unit. Thereby, it can prevent entering an escalator from the exit side.

  The first sensor and the second sensor are arranged at a predetermined interval. By using this interval, it is possible to prevent malfunctions caused by objects other than human beings. By appropriately setting the distance between the pair of sensors with respect to the width of the human body to be detected, an object having a width smaller than this distance can be removed from the detection target. Specifically, when the detection signal is received first from the first sensor, the detection is performed only when the detection signal from the second sensor is received while the detection signal of the first sensor is sustained. Judge that Or, when the detection signal is received first from the second sensor, it is determined that the detection is detected only when the detection signal from the first sensor is received while the detection signal of the second sensor is continued. To do.

  The reverse travel prevention device according to the present invention can be installed at an appropriate height on the floor by the support portion. By making this support part detachable from the floor, it is possible to carry the reverse prevention device and move it to another place. For example, an escalator sometimes reverses the direction of travel, and the entrance and exit are reversed. Even in such a case, the reverse travel prevention device can be easily moved.

  In addition to the above-described reverse travel prevention device, it is convenient for general users by installing the LED direction indicating device along the belt on either or both of the entrance side and the exit side. In this LED direction indicating device, a plurality of LED display elements are arranged along the direction of the belt, and blinking control is performed so that the lighted portion moves in the forward direction. Thereby, it is possible to easily distinguish which direction the escalator is moving.

(A) (b) is a figure which shows the condition which installed the reverse-motion prevention apparatus by this invention in each ascending and descending escalator, respectively. It is a figure which shows the structure and operation | movement of a reverse drive prevention apparatus. (A) (b) is a figure which shows typically the processing operation which a control part performs based on the detection signal received from each sensor. (A) (b) is a figure which shows typically another processing operation which a control part performs based on the detection signal received from each sensor. (A) (b) is a figure which shows the direction indicator which can be used in combination with the reverse-motion prevention apparatus of this invention demonstrated in FIGS. 1-4. (A) is the figure which showed the whole structure of the LED direction indicator apparatus containing a pair of LED display unit installed along the belt of both the right and left of an escalator, and a display control part, (b) It is a bottom view which shows a part of LED display unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings showing examples.
The reverse movement prevention device in an escalator or the like according to the present invention can be applied to an automatic conveyance device for human beings such as an escalator or a moving sidewalk. In the following, description will be made mainly based on an application example to an escalator, but the same can be applied to a moving sidewalk.

  1 (a) and 1 (b) are views showing a situation where the reverse travel prevention device 1 according to the present invention is installed on an escalator 4. FIG. (A) is a case where it is installed in a passage on the exit side of the rising escalator 4, and (b) is a case where it is installed in a passage on the exit side of the descending escalator 4. A white arrow indicates a normal traveling direction of the escalator 4 and the user 5, that is, a forward direction. The shaded arrow indicates the wrong direction of travel, ie the reverse direction.

  The passage on the exit side where the reverse travel prevention device 1 is installed is a position on the side of the passage that is close to the exit of the escalator 4 and does not hinder traffic. The reverse travel prevention device 1 is attached to an appropriate height in an appropriate support portion 3 fixed to the floor. For example, the height of the waist or torso of an adult of average height is used. The reverse travel prevention device 1 includes a sensor unit 2 and an alarm unit 24 housed in an appropriate casing, and is installed so that the sensor unit 2 faces the passage side.

  The support portion 3 stands on the floor so that the reverse movement preventing device 1 is installed at an appropriate height on the floor. Although the support part 3 is fixed to the floor when the apparatus is in operation, it is preferable if it can be attached to and detached from the floor. For various reasons, for example, the traveling direction of the ascending escalator in FIG. 1A may be reversed to switch to the descending escalator. In such a case, the exit until then becomes the entrance and the entrance becomes the exit. Therefore, the support 3 may be removed from the floor, carried to a new exit, and fixed again.

  As another example, in the case of an escalator that frequently reverses the direction of travel, the reverse travel prevention device 1 may be installed in advance at both entrances. Then, only the reverse prevention device that becomes the exit is operated, and the reverse prevention device that becomes the entrance is stopped.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the reverse travel prevention device 1. The main components of the reverse travel prevention device 1 are a sensor unit 2, a control unit 23, an alarm unit 24, and a power supply unit 25. The sensor unit 2 includes a first sensor 21 and a second sensor 22. Each sensor is an object / human body detection sensor. As such sensors, sensors based on various principles such as optical, temperature, and ultrasonic are known. However, since the present invention is intended for a walking human body, a sensor suitable for this is selected. To do. For example, a photoelectric sensor that emits signal light such as infrared rays from a light projecting unit and detects light reflected by a detection object by a light receiving unit is suitable. Since this signal light is irradiated in a single line, the sensing range is limited to one point in front of the sensor.

  The first sensor 21 and the second sensor 22 are arranged in the forward direction along the passage of the exit of the escalator 4. That is, the first sensor 21 is closer to the exit of the escalator 4 and the second sensor 22 is farther away. The signal light of each sensor is irradiated so as to cross the passage. The first sensor 21 and the second sensor 22 are arranged with a predetermined interval W. The interval W is, for example, about 10 cm. The detectable distance L of each sensor is, for example, 0.2 to 2 m. This is set to a range in which a user who is a detection target can be reliably detected and an object which is not a detection target is not detected.

  The control unit 23 receives the detection signal output from each of the first and second sensors 21 and 22. Based on the received detection signal, it is determined whether the user is moving in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. If it is determined that the movement is in the reverse direction, a control signal is transmitted to the alarm unit 24 so as to issue an alarm. The control unit 23 is preferably a microcomputer including a CPU and a memory, and executes a function as a control unit by an appropriate program.

  The alarm unit 24 generates an acoustic alarm under the control of the control unit 23. For example, an alarm sound such as a buzzer or a message sound. A plurality of sound qualities and message contents may be stored in a memory and changeable. A volume may be provided so that the volume can be set appropriately. The duration of this acoustic alarm may be set to a preset time, for example, and then automatically stopped.

  The power supply unit 25 supplies power to the apparatus internal devices such as the control unit 23 and the alarm unit 24. In the illustrated example, the power source is a built-in power source housed in the apparatus, but power may be supplied from the outside.

  3A and 3B are diagrams schematically illustrating processing operations performed by the control unit based on detection signals received from the sensors. (A) is a case where the user is moving in the forward direction, and (b) is a case where the user is moving in the reverse direction.

  In FIG. 3A, the first sensor is first turned on after both sensors have been off for a preset time or longer. That is, the control unit receives the detection signal from the first sensor. At this point, the control unit starts detection processing. Next, the second sensor is turned on, and the control unit receives a detection signal from the second sensor. At this time, the first sensor is kept on. This means that an object having a width larger than the interval W between the first sensor and the second sensor shown in FIG. 2 has been detected. When the second sensor is turned on, the control unit determines that the user is moving in the forward direction. When the user is moving in the forward direction, the control unit does not control the alarm unit.

  After determining forward movement, a plurality of users may continue to enter the sensing range of the sensor and be detected. In such a case, the control unit does not perform determination and control. Then, both sensors are turned off again, and after a preset time has elapsed, a preparation stage for the next detection, that is, a reset state is entered.

  In FIG. 3 (b), after both sensors remain off for a preset time or longer, first, the second sensor is turned on. That is, the control unit receives a detection signal from the second sensor. At this point, the control unit starts detection processing. Next, the first sensor is turned on, and the control unit receives a detection signal from the first sensor. At this time, the second sensor is kept on. This means that an object having a width larger than the interval W between the first sensor and the second sensor shown in FIG. 2 has been detected. When the first sensor is turned on, the control unit determines that the user is moving in the reverse direction. When the user is moving in the reverse direction, the control unit controls the alarm unit. Thereby, an alarm part emits an acoustic alarm. Then, both sensors are turned off again, and after a preset time has elapsed, a preparation stage for the next detection, that is, a reset state is entered.

  4A and 4B are diagrams schematically illustrating another processing operation performed by the control unit based on the detection signal received from each sensor. (A) corresponds to the case where an object that is not a detection target moves in the forward direction and (b) corresponds to the reverse direction.

  In FIG. 4 (a), after both sensors remain off for a preset time or longer, first, the first sensor is turned on and the control unit starts the detection process. Subsequently, the first sensor returns to off. At this point, the second sensor remains off. In this case, the control unit ends the detection process. Thereafter, even if the second sensor is turned on / off, it is ignored.

  In FIG. 4B, after both sensors remain off for a preset time or longer, first, the second sensor is turned on, and the control unit starts the detection process. Subsequently, the second sensor returns to off. At this point, the first sensor remains off. In this case, the control unit ends the detection process. Thereafter, even if the second sensor is turned on / off, it is ignored.

  4 (a) and 4 (b) are detected when an object having a width smaller than the interval W shown in FIG. 2 passes, or when it is detected by only one sensor and then immediately turned back. It corresponds to. Such a case is not detected because it is not a detection target of the reverse travel prevention device of the present invention.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an LED direction indicating device 7 that can be used in combination with the reverse travel prevention device 1 of the present invention described in FIGS. 1 to 4. (A) is a side view which shows a part of escalator 4, (b) is A sectional drawing of (a).

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the LED direction indicating device 7 is attached to the left and right side wall outer surfaces 42 of the escalator 4. It may be attached to either or both of the entrance and the exit. Preferably, it is preferable that the belt 41 be attached to a region where the belt 41 bends from the horizontal direction to the inclined direction in the vicinity of the entrance or exit, because the angle is given and the belt 41 is easy to see. The LED direction indicating device 7 is accommodated in an appropriate case 72, and the case 72 is attached to the escalator 4. The case 7 is formed of a transparent material at least around the LED display unit 71 so that the light emission of the LED display unit 71 can be visually recognized. In the illustrated example, the LED display unit 71 has a band shape, and is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the belt 41, that is, bent similarly to the belt 41. For example, the LED display unit 71 has a length of about 2 m and a width of about 20 mm. A plurality of LED elements 71 a are provided on the lower surface of the LED display unit 71. The plurality of LED elements 71a are arranged in two rows, but are inclined so that each row is slightly outward. Since the LED has extremely high luminance, the LED is faced down so as not to be seen directly.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an overall configuration of the LED direction indicating device including a pair of LED display units 71 and 71 installed along both the left and right belts of the escalator and a display control unit 73. . (B) is a bottom view showing a part of the LED display unit 71, and shows an example of a blinking display pattern of the LED element 71a. The plurality of LED elements 71a are, for example, 8 in 4 rows and 2 rows are mounted on one plate, and 20 to 25 plates are connected in the longitudinal direction. The display control unit 73 is a microcomputer including a CPU and a memory, and generates a predetermined dynamic display pattern by controlling blinking of each LED element 71a by a predetermined program. Electric power is usually supplied from an external AC power source.

  The upper pattern in FIG. 6B is a display pattern in which six lights are turned on and six lights are turned off in the longitudinal direction, and the lower pattern is a display pattern in which three lights are turned on and four lights are turned off in the longitudinal direction. In either case, the lighting state is controlled so as to move in the forward direction of the escalator. This makes it easy to visually recognize which direction the escalator is moving.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reverse rotation prevention apparatus 2 Sensor part 21 1st sensor 22 2nd sensor 23 Control part 24 Alarm part 25 Power supply part 3 Support part 4 Escalator 41 Belt 42 Side wall outer surface 5 User 7 LED direction indicator 71 LED display unit 71a LED element 72 Case 73 Display controller

Claims (3)

A reverse travel prevention device (1) installed on the exit side of an escalator (4),
A sensor section (2) comprising a first sensor (21) and a second sensor (22) arranged at a predetermined interval in the forward direction along the passage on the exit side;
A control unit (23) capable of receiving detection signals from the first sensor (21) and the second sensor (22);
An alarm unit (24) that emits an acoustic alarm under the control of the control unit (23),
Wherein the control unit (23), the user when receiving a detection signal from said second sensor (22) after receiving the previously detected signal from said first sensor (21) is advanced in the forward direction On the other hand, if the detection signal is received from the first sensor (21) after receiving the detection signal first from the second sensor (22), the user is moving in the reverse direction. A first means for determining, and a second means for controlling the alarm unit (24) to issue an acoustic alarm when it is determined that the user is moving in the opposite direction;
Wherein the control unit (23) first means, the detection signal is sustained in the first even after having received the detection signal first from the sensor (21) said first sensor (21) when receiving a detection signal from the second sensor (22) during am, or, wherein the second from the sensor (22) even after having received a detection signal earlier second sensor (22) A reverse travel prevention apparatus for an escalator or the like, characterized in that a determination is made only when a detection signal from the first sensor (21) is received while the detection signal is maintained.   The reverse travel prevention device (1) includes a support portion (3) that stands on the floor so that the sensor portion (2) is installed at a predetermined height on the floor, and the support portion (3) is located on the floor. The reverse travel prevention device for an escalator or the like according to claim 1, wherein the reverse travel prevention device is detachable. The belt (41) on the outer surface (42) of the side wall of the escalator (4) on one or both of the entrance side and the exit side of the escalator (4) in addition to the reverse travel prevention device according to claim 1 or 2. An LED direction indicating device (7), which is attached to a region that bends from a horizontal direction to an inclined direction and has a plurality of LED elements (71a) arranged along the direction of the belt (41), includes the plurality of LED elements ( Each flashing control of 71a) is controlled so that the part of a lighting state moves to a forward direction, The reverse prevention apparatus in an escalator etc. characterized by the above-mentioned.

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