JP7375894B1 - escalator - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an escalator that can protect passengers as much as possible from falling luggage and the like. [Solution] A gate 41 that switches between an open state and a closed state a passenger conveyance path in a diagonal section where a plurality of steps 12 running in a circular manner runs in the form of stairs, and a congestion degree index acquisition means for acquiring a crowding degree index indicating the degree of crowding of passengers; a human sensor 32 serving as a passenger detection means for detecting that the passengers being transported in the diagonal section approach the gate 41; and a control section that controls the opening and closing of the gate 41, and the control section opens the gate 41 while the congestion index acquired by the congestion index acquisition means is higher than a predetermined congestion index, and controls the opening and closing of the gate 41. The gate 41 is closed while the congestion level is lower than the congestion index, and when the human sensor 32 detects a passenger while the gate 41 is closed, the gate 41 is opened at least until the passenger passes through the gate 41 position. Execute. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to escalators, and particularly to technology for protecting passengers from falling luggage and the like.

A passenger on an escalator carrying luggage such as a carry bag may accidentally drop the luggage. In this case, the luggage may slide down the stairs, gradually increasing its speed, and colliding with the passengers below.

In order to deal with this situation, in Patent Document 1, fine irregularities 31 (FIGS. 4A and 4B of Cited Document 1) having a coefficient of friction larger than that of the tread are provided at the corner formed by the tread and the riser of the step. . According to this, it is stated that the sliding load comes into sliding contact with the unevenness 31, and the sliding speed of the load is suppressed due to frictional resistance (paragraph [0033] of Patent Document 1).

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an escalator that can further suppress the falling speed of sliding luggage compared to the escalator described in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 2, a corner formed by a tread and a riser has a region having a first slip resistance coefficient (first tread end) and a second region having a size different from the slip resistance coefficient in the length direction. It is formed in a region (second tread end) having a slip resistance coefficient of . According to this, the sliding load rotates due to the difference in the slip resistance coefficient between the first tread end and the second tread end, and the sliding speed is further reduced compared to the case where the load slides down in a straight line. It is believed that it can be suppressed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-1854 Patent No. 7068672

By the way, depending on the shape of the baggage and the posture at the time it starts falling, the baggage may roll down (fall) instead of sliding down. In addition, the falling luggage may hit the corner formed by the tread and the riser, bounce, and then fall.

In these cases, with the techniques of Cited Documents 1 and 2, it is difficult to suppress the speed at which the luggage falls, resulting in a lack of protection for passengers riding in the destination where the luggage falls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an escalator that can protect passengers as much as possible from falling luggage and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, an escalator according to the present invention includes a diagonal section in which a plurality of steps are connected in a circular manner and run in a circular manner in the form of a staircase, and the escalator transports passengers riding on the steps. The escalator comprises a gate that opens and closes the passageway for passengers in the diagonal section by opening and closing the escalator, and a congestion degree index that indicates the degree of crowding of passengers on the plurality of steps. a congestion degree index acquisition means for acquiring a congestion degree index; a passenger detection means for detecting that a passenger being transported through the diagonal section approaches the gate; and a control section for controlling opening and closing of the gate; The unit opens the gate while the congestion index obtained by the congestion index acquisition means is higher than a predetermined congestion index, closes the gate while it is lower than the predetermined congestion index, and closes the gate. If the passenger detecting means detects a passenger while the gate is closed, the gate is opened at least until the passenger passes through the gate position.

Further, the congestion degree index is the magnitude of a load applied to a motor that is a power source for driving the plurality of steps, and the control unit is configured to determine the magnitude of the load that is acquired by the congestion degree index acquisition means. The gate is opened when the size is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the gate is closed when the amount is less than the predetermined size.

Alternatively, if a new passenger is detected by the passenger detecting means before the passenger detected by the passenger detecting means passes the gate position, the control unit may detect whether the new passenger is at least at the gate position. The gate is kept open until the vehicle passes through the gate.

The present invention is characterized in that it has N gates (N is a positive integer), and each of the N gates is arranged at a position that equally divides the oblique section by approximately (N+1).

According to the escalator according to the present invention having the above configuration, while the congestion index is lower than the predetermined congestion index, that is, while the tops of the steps are relatively empty, the gate is closed and passengers transportation route will be closed. As a result, falling luggage and the like are stopped by the closed gate before they can gain considerable momentum, so it is possible to prevent luggage and the like falling with considerable force from colliding with passengers as much as possible.

Further, when it is detected that a passenger to be transported approaches the gate while the gate is closed, the gate is opened at least until the passenger passes through the gate position. The conveyance path is opened. Thereby, passengers are transported to the gate position without interfering with the gate.

On the other hand, while the congestion degree index is higher than the predetermined congestion degree index, that is, while the tops of the stairs are relatively crowded, even if the baggage, etc. falls, the baggage, etc. will be relatively far from the starting position of the fall. There is a high possibility that it will hit a passenger being transported nearby and be stopped from falling further. In other words, since the fall is stopped before it gains considerable momentum, there is a low possibility that luggage, etc. falling with considerable force will collide with passengers.In order to avoid frequent opening and closing of the gate, it is recommended that the gate be left open. maintained.

(a) is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of an escalator according to an embodiment, and (b) is an enlarged view of the gate unit in the perspective view. (a) is a perspective view of the escalator viewed from a different direction from that in FIG. 1(a), and (b) is an enlarged view of the gate unit in the perspective view. (a) is a front view of the escalator, and (b) is a plan view. (a) is a front view of the escalator in a state where the flap of the gate unit is closed, and (b) is a plan view of the escalator. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device and devices connected to the control device. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the gate opening/closing process program executed by the said control apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an escalator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in each figure, the scales among the constituent elements are not necessarily unified.

FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a) are perspective views showing the schematic configuration of the escalator 10 according to the embodiment, viewed from different directions. FIG. 1(b) shows an enlarged view of a gate unit 40A, which will be described later, and FIG. 2(b) shows an enlarged view of a gate unit 40B, which will be described later. Further, FIG. 3(a) shows a front view of the escalator 10, and FIG. 3(b) shows a plan view thereof.

The escalator 10 has a plurality of steps 12, which are endless conveyors that are connected in an annular manner and travel in circulation. The escalator 10 includes a diagonal section in which a plurality of steps 12 run in the form of stairs, and transports passengers riding on the steps 12 from the entrance side to the exit side. Railings 14 and 16 are installed on both sides of the passenger path PW including the running path of the steps 12 and the upper and lower entrances and exits.

The balustrade 14 and the balustrade 16 are symmetrical with the passageway PW in between, and are basically made of the same structural members. Therefore, corresponding constituent members are given the same number. When distinguishing the constituent members between the parapet 14 and the parapet 16, add "A" to the above number for the constituent members of the handrail 14, and add "B" to the above number for the constituent members of the handrail 16. do. Further, if there is no need to distinguish between the balustrade 14 and the balustrade 16, the subscripts (A, B) will be omitted.

Each of the balustrades 14, 16 has a plurality of balustrade panels 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 arranged in a row along the passageway PW. Each of the balustrade panels 18 to 24 is made of glass, for example, and has translucency. A gate unit 40, which will be described later, is installed between the balustrade panel 21 and the balustrade panel 22.

Among the plurality of balustrade panels 18 to 24, the balustrade panels 18 and 24 provided at both ends in the arrangement direction have arcuate ends that project in the horizontal direction. If it is necessary to particularly distinguish between the balustrade panels 18 and 24, they will be referred to as "end balustrade panels 18 and 24," and balustrade panels other than the end balustrade panels 18 and 24 will be referred to as "intermediate panels 19, ..., 23." shall be.

A plurality of guide rails (not shown) are provided at the upper ends of the balustrade panels 18 to 24 and at the arcuate ends of the end balustrade panels 18, 24. The plurality of guide rails include an endless belt-shaped handrail 26 that is guided by the guide rails and circulates at the same speed in the same direction as the steps 12 (that is, runs in synchronization with the plurality of steps 12). is installed.

The handrail 26 guided by a guide rail (not shown) runs horizontally and then curves in the section where it runs along the upper edge of the handrail panels 18,..., 24 (the section where passengers grab it). It travels diagonally in a straight line, then curves and travels horizontally again. The handrail 26 that has traveled in the horizontal direction reverses its running direction along the arcuate end of one end balustrade panel, and then runs to the other end balustrade panel.

The plurality of steps 12 and the handrail 26 are driven by a transport motor 30 installed in the upper machine room 28 as a power source via a power transmission mechanism (not shown). The escalator 10, which spans between the upper floor US and the lower floor DS of a building, can be used both for going up and down by switching the rotation direction of the transport motor 30 between forward and reverse rotation. An example will be described in which the escalator 10 is used for going down, that is, the upper US side is the entrance and the lower DS side is the exit.

Next, the gate 41 will be explained. The gate 41 is composed of a pair of gate units 40A and 40B. In this example, the gate 41 is provided approximately in the center of the diagonal section where the plurality of steps 12 run in the form of stairs (at a position that roughly divides the diagonal section into two). Specifically, it is provided between the intermediate panel 21 and the intermediate panel 22.

The gate unit 40 has a housing 42 in the shape of a rectangular box. In the gate unit 40, the lower end portion of the housing 42 is fixed to a truss (not shown) inside (below) the inner deck 36 and the outer deck 38, and the upper end portion is fixed to the guide rail (not shown), is set up.

The housing 42 has a rectangular recess, and a rectangular plate-shaped flap 44 is housed in the recess. A rotating shaft 46 is fixed to one end of the flap 44 . Each of both ends of the rotating shaft 46 is connected to a rotor of a known rotary damper (both not shown) within the housing 42, and is rotatably supported around the axis RX of the rotating shaft 46. The rotary damper momentarily exerts a high resistance force (braking force) when torque is applied impulsively in the direction of rotation of the rotary shaft 46, and when a torque exceeding a predetermined value is applied, the rotary damper gently stops the rotation of the rotary shaft 46. These are known and have acceptable properties.

The flap 44 is always urged to rotate in the direction of arrow A by a torsion coil spring (not shown).

A gate motor 48 (FIG. 5) is installed within the housing 42. The rotational power of the gate motor 48 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 46 via an unillustrated reducer (power transmission mechanism) connected to an output shaft (not shown) of the gate motor 48, and the flap 44 is rotated in the direction of arrow B. Rotate it. The gate motor 48 is also provided with a rotary encoder (not shown) that detects the rotation angle of the motor output shaft. The rotation angle of the flap 44 can be detected from the rotation angle output from the rotary encoder. Further, a known excitation actuated brake (not shown) is provided on the input shaft of the deceleration shaft connected to the output shaft. The excitation-operated brake applies a brake to the input shaft while energized, and releases the brake when the energization is interrupted. The magnitude of the brake torque of the excitation-operated brake will be described later.

The escalator 10 also includes a human sensor 32 as a passenger detection means for detecting passengers who are transported upstream in the running direction in the oblique section of the steps 12 with respect to the gate 41 (FIG. 1). The human sensor 32 is a type of sensor that senses people but not objects, and for example, a known infrared sensor can be used.

On the sides of the lower ends of the parapet panels 19 to 24, there is a panel made of stainless steel plate or the like arranged along the running path with a slight gap between the endless conveyor (a plurality of connected steps 12). A skirt guard 34 is provided. Further, an inner deck 36 made of a panel such as a stainless steel plate is provided between the lower end portions of the parapet panels 18 to 28 and the skirt guard 34. An outer deck 38 is provided on the opposite side of the inner deck 36 across the parapet panels 18 to 24. The human sensor 32 is provided inside one of the inner decks 36A and the skirt guard 34A. There is a window on inner deck 36A. The human sensor 32 is provided in such a position that it can detect passengers being transported on the steps 12 through the window. For convenience, the human sensor 32 is shown in FIG. 1 at the window.

The human sensor 32 is provided at a position upstream of the rotation shaft 46 of the gate unit 40 by 3 to 4 steps (3 to 4 steps of the steps 12). The human sensor 32 detects that a passenger being transported through the diagonal section approaches the gate 41.

A control device 50 including a gate control section 62 that controls opening and closing of the gate 41 is installed in the upper machine room 28. FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of the control device 50.

The control device 50 has a configuration in which a ROM 54, a RAM 56, an operation control section 58, a load detection section 60, a gate control section 62, and a human sensor 32 are connected to a CPU 52.

The operation control unit 58 controls the running speed of the steps 12, that is, the operating speed, by controlling the rotational speed of the conveyance motor 30 according to instructions from the CPU 52.

The load detection unit 60 detects the magnitude of the load applied to the transport motor 30 by detecting the magnitude of the drive current flowing through the transport motor 30. The detection result is used as an index of the degree of passenger congestion on the plurality of steps 12.

In order to run the steps 12 at a constant running speed, it is necessary to flow a current (drive current) to the transport motor 30 depending on the size of the load, that is, the number of passengers on the plural steps 12. This is because by detecting the magnitude of , it is possible to know the load applied to the transport motor 30 and, by extension, the number of passengers (ie, the degree of congestion).

The magnitude of the drive current flowing through the transport motor 30 is defined as "In", and "In" is defined as a "crowding degree index" that indicates the degree of crowding of passengers on the plurality of steps 12. For example, let Is1 be the magnitude of the drive current flowing through the transport motor 30 when 10 adults of average weight are being transported on the steps 12 over the entire length of the transport area of a plurality of steps 12. . If the drive current In is greater than or equal to Is1 (In≧Is1), it can be estimated that at least 10 passengers are being carried on the plurality of steps 12. On the other hand, if the drive current In is less than Is1, it is estimated that there are fewer than 10 passengers on the plurality of steps 12. In this example, "Is1" is used as a threshold (predetermined congestion degree index) for determining the degree of congestion on the plurality of steps 12. The specific use of the magnitude In of the drive current flowing through the transport motor 30 (the magnitude of the load applied to the transport motor 30) will be described later.

The gate control unit 62 controls the rotation of the gate motors 48A, 48B in accordance with the instructions from the CPU 52, referring to the rotation angle output from the rotary encoder, and opens and closes the flaps 44A, 44B. Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a state in which the flap 44 is accommodated in the recess of the casing 42 is referred to as a "gate open state", and a state in which the flap 44 is accommodated in the recess of the casing 42 is referred to as a "gate open state". A state in which the gate 41 is rotated 90 degrees in the direction of arrow B from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the gate is closed. When the gate is opened, the passenger conveyance path in the diagonal section (middle) is opened, and when the gate is closed, the passenger conveyance path in the diagonal section (middle) is closed. Become.

Specifically, when the gate control unit 62 is instructed to close the gate by the CPU 52, it starts the gate motors 48A, 48B, and refers to the rotation angle output from the rotary encoder to control the flaps 44A, 44B. Rotate 90 degrees and close the gate. When the gate is closed, the excitation actuated brake is energized, and the excitation actuated brake applies a brake to the input shaft (both not shown) of the reduction gear, which in turn applies the brake to the rotation shafts 46A, 46B of the flaps 44A, 44B. The brakes are applied and the power to the gate motors 48A and 48B is cut off. As a result of the above, the gate is maintained in a closed state.

When instructed by the CPU 52 to open the gate, the gate control unit 62 cuts off the power to the excitation-operated brake. As a result, the brakes on the input shafts (both not shown) of the speed reducer are released, and in turn, the brakes on the rotation shafts 46A, 46B of the flaps 44A, 44B are released. Then, the flaps 44A, 44B are rotated by the restoring force (elastic force) of the torsion coil spring until they are accommodated in the recess of the housing 42. As a result of the above, the gate is placed in an open state.

The ROM 54 stores programs executed by the CPU 52. The RAM 56 serves as a work area when the CPU 52 executes the program.

Next, the gate opening/closing program executed by the CPU 52, which is the control unit of the control device 50, will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The gate opening/closing program is activated when the escalator 10 starts operating and the steps 12 reach a steady running speed. The CPU 52 compares the drive current In with the threshold value Is1 (step S1), and if the drive current In is greater than or equal to the threshold value Is1 (Yes in step S1), the gate is held open (step S2) and the passenger Open the transport path (Figure 3).

When the drive current In (that is, the magnitude of the load applied to the transport motor 30) is equal to or greater than the threshold value Is1 (predetermined magnitude), it is assumed that at least 10 passengers are being transported by a plurality of steps 12, as described above. It is estimated that the tops of the steps 12 are relatively crowded.

When the plurality of steps 12 are crowded, the distance between the passengers to be transported is relatively short. Therefore, for example, even if a passenger's baggage rolls down (falls down), it will hit another passenger who is being transported directly below before it gains momentum, preventing it from falling any further. . For this reason, in consideration of smooth transportation of passengers, it is better not to close the gate (not to close the transportation route).

On the other hand, if the drive current In is less than the threshold value Is1 (No in step S1), the gate is closed (step S3) and the passenger transport path is closed (FIG. 4). When the drive current In (that is, the magnitude of the load applied to the transport motor 30) is less than the threshold value Is1 (predetermined magnitude), as described above, the number of passengers being transported by the plurality of steps 12 is less than 10. It is estimated that the tops of the steps 12 are relatively empty.

When the plurality of steps 12 are vacant, the distance between the passengers to be transported is relatively long. In this case, if the baggage of a certain passenger who is being transported at a higher location than the gate 41 rolls down (falls down), the baggage will be transported up to the entire length of the transport path (if the gate 41 is not installed). There is a risk that the vehicle may fall and collide with other passengers with considerable force. Therefore, a gate (flap 44) stops the baggage or the like that falls above the middle of the conveyance path before it gains momentum.

Note that the luggage that falls from a place lower than the installation position of the gate 41 reaches the exit and stops. Even in this case, the longest fall distance is the same as in the case of falling from a place higher than the gate unit 40 installation position.

When the human sensor 32 (FIGS. 1 and 5) detects a passenger while the gate is closed (step S3), the CPU 52 closes the gate so as not to interfere with the transportation of the passenger. The control unit 62 is instructed to open the gate (step S5), and upon receiving the instruction, the gate control unit 52 cuts off the power to the excitation-operated brake and opens the gate. Thereby, passengers can pass through the installation position of the gate 41 without interfering with the gate (flaps 44A, 44B).

The CPU 52 instructs the gate control unit 62 to open the gate (step S5), and also sets an internal timer (not shown) to a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) when a passenger is detected (step S4). Start the countdown from ``Yes''. This predetermined time is at least the time required for the passenger detected by the human sensor 32 to pass through the installation position of the gate 41.

When a new passenger is detected by the human sensor 32 (Yes in step 7), the CPU 52 resets the internal timer again (step S6). After the most recent passenger is detected (Yes in step S4 or S7), when the predetermined time has elapsed (when the count value of the internal timer reaches 0 (Yes in step S8)), that is, when the human sensor 32 When the most recent detected passenger passes through the installation position of the gate 41 (Yes in step S8), the process returns to step S1.

The escalator 10 according to the present embodiment described above has the following effects.
(1) When the plurality of steps 12 are vacant, the gate is closed and the conveyance path is closed. As a result, when a passenger's baggage or the like rolls down (falls down), the baggage is stopped by the closed gate (flap 44) before the baggage reaches a considerable falling speed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent baggage and the like that have gained momentum from colliding with passengers as much as possible.

(2) When the gate is closed, the human sensor 32 detects a passenger, and when it is detected that the passenger to be transported approaches the gate 41, the gate is opened. 44B) can pass through the installation position of the gate 41. As mentioned above, the human sensor 32 detects people but not objects, so even if an object such as baggage falls through the detection area of the human sensor 32, the gate remains closed. Since the condition is maintained, the object is stopped by the gate (flap 44).

(3) As described above, when the gate is closed, the flap 44 is maintained in its position by the braking force of the excitation actuation brake. In this case, if the braking torque of the excitation-operated brake is too large, the fall will be stopped by hitting the flap 44, and there is a risk that the flap 44 and the like will be damaged by baggage or the like being pushed by the steps 12. Therefore, by setting the brake torque to a level that allows rotation of the flap 44 when an external force (torque) to the extent of being pushed by the step 12 is applied, it is possible to prevent the flap 44 etc. from occurring due to the above-mentioned situation. Damage can be prevented.

Further, the rotation shaft 44 of the flap 44 is supported by a rotary damper (not shown) having the characteristics described above. As a result, even if baggage or the like collides with the flap 44, the flap 44 will not open immediately due to the high resistance of the rotary damper, and the baggage or the like will be prevented from falling. Then, after the fall is stopped, the pressing force from the steps 12 is applied to the baggage, etc., and when the flap 44 is pushed by the baggage, etc., the rotating shaft 44 rotates gently, and damage to the flap 44 can be prevented. be.

Note that by setting the brake torque of the excitation-operated brake to a level that allows the passenger to push open the flap 44 with his or her own power, the gate can be prevented from opening automatically due to a malfunction of the human sensor 32, etc. Even if the gate disappears, passengers will be able to open the gate on their own and pass through the gate location. Thereby, it is possible to prevent passengers from staying at the gate installation position in the event of a failure of the human sensor 32 or the like.

(4) As described above, the flap 44 is constantly biased by a torsion coil spring (not shown) so that it rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIGS. 1 and 2 (that is, so that the gate opens). . Therefore, depending on the nature of the failure that has occurred in the gate unit 40 or the like, the flap 44 may rotate in the direction of arrow A due to the biasing force (restoring force) of the torsion coil spring (that is, the gate may open). can prevent interference with

Although the escalator according to the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and, for example, the following embodiments may also be adopted.
(1) In the above embodiment, the magnitude of the current flowing to the transport motor 30 (the load applied to the transport motor 30) is used as an index of the degree of congestion on the steps 12, but the index is not limited to this. do not have. For example, the following may be used.

(a) Passengers being transported on a plurality of steps 12 are photographed with a camera. The images obtained by photography are subjected to known image processing to extract the number of passengers in the images taken at one time, and this is used as an index of the degree of congestion. As a result of the extraction, if there are 10 or more people, it is judged that the place is crowded (high degree of congestion), and if there are less than 10 people, it is judged that it is empty (the degree of congestion is low). Photographing is performed, for example, every second, and the number of passengers is extracted each time, and the result is reflected in the gate opening/closing control (steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 6).

In the case of the above embodiment in which the magnitude of the load applied to the transport motor 30 is used as an index of the degree of congestion, the index may reflect the weight of the luggage to some extent, but in the case of the above photograph, the number of passengers is reflected in the index. Since only the above can be used as an index of the degree of congestion, it is possible to obtain a more accurate index of the degree of congestion. Furthermore, in the case of photography, the congestion degree index may be used as an index that takes into account not only the number of passengers but also the distance between passengers.

Furthermore, the congestion degree index used as a reference for gate opening/closing may be adjusted (corrected) by identifying the baggage, etc., and taking into consideration the amount and size of the baggage, etc. That is, for example, if the number of luggage or the like placed on the steps 12 is small (for example, one), there is little need to close the gate, so the congestion degree index is corrected in the direction of opening the gate.

Alternatively, for example, if no luggage or the like placed on the steps 12 is detected, there is little need to close the gate, so the gate may be kept open regardless of the level of the congestion index. .

Note that in the above example, the shooting interval was set to 1 second to perform intermittent shooting, but the shooting interval may be further shortened to perform continuous shooting.

(b) A human sensor is installed at the entrance to detect the number of passengers passing through the entrance (i.e., the number of people boarding the steps 12) per unit time (for example, 10 seconds), and this is used as an indicator of the degree of congestion. shall be. As a result of the detection, if there are two or more people, it is determined that the place is crowded (high degree of congestion), and if there are fewer than two people, it is determined that the place is empty (the degree of congestion is low). The number of people passing through is detected every unit time, and the result is reflected in the gate opening/closing control (steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 6).

(2) In the above embodiment, the human sensor 32 (FIG. 1) is used as the passenger detection means for detecting that the passenger to be transported approaches the gate 41, but the passenger detection means is not limited to this. For example, the following configuration may be used.

A camera is installed to photograph the gate 41 and the conveyance path near the gate 41. The image obtained by photographing is subjected to known image processing to identify the person (passenger) within the photographed area. Photographs are taken at fixed time intervals (for example, at 0.5 second intervals), and when the passenger to be transported reaches 3 to 4 steps upstream of (the rotation axis 46 of) the gate 41, it is assumed that the passenger has approached the gate 41. I will consider it.

(3) In the above embodiment, the gate 41 (a pair of gate units 40A, 40B) is provided at one location per escalator, but the gate 41 is not limited to this, and may be provided at two or more locations. In this case, depending on the rise height of the escalator (the length of the diagonal section), the higher the rise, the more locations the escalator is provided.

The installation position shall be a position that equally divides the above-mentioned oblique section. That is, when N gates 41 (N is a positive integer) are provided, each of the N gates 41 is arranged at a position that equally divides the oblique section by approximately (N+1).

(4) For example, a foamed urethane mat may be provided as a cushioning material on one side of the flap constituting the gate unit. The purpose of this cushioning material is to protect passengers in the event that they hit the flap of the gate while it is still closed, so it is provided on the upstream surface in the transport direction.

(5) When the cargo collides with the flap 44 of the closed gate, the CPU 52 may instruct the operation control section 58 to stop at a safe deceleration. The flap 44 is provided with an acceleration sensor, and the CPU 52 can detect that the baggage has collided with the flap 44 based on the output from the acceleration sensor.

(6) In the above embodiment, the gate is closed when the flap 44 is rotated from the stored state to perpendicular to the passenger transport direction (rotated 90 degrees); however, the gate is not limited to this. It is okay to stop before reaching the point. By doing so, the gap between the two flaps 44A, 44B is increased, and the feeling of blockage of the conveyance path by the flaps 44A, 44B is alleviated, so that a sense of security can be given to the passengers.

(7) In the above embodiment, the gate is transitioned from the closed state to the open state only by the restoring force (elastic force) of the torsion coil spring, but the gate is not limited to this, and the following may also be used. . When the gate control unit 62 is instructed by the CPU 52 to open the gate, it cuts off the power to the excitation-operated brake, releases the brake for the input shaft (none of which is shown) of the reduction gear, and also opens the gate motor. 48A and 48B are energized, and referring to the rotation angle output from the rotary encoder, the flaps 44A and 44B are rotated 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 2(b) to open the gate. open. Then, when the gate is opened, power to the gate motors 48A and 48B is cut off.

If the gate is opened using only the restoring force of the coil spring, the flaps 44A and 44B will rotate vigorously, and when they are stored in the recess of the housing 42, they may collide with the bottom of the recess, causing an unpleasant collision sound. be. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the flaps 44A, 44B using the gate motors 48A, 48B and opening them smoothly, the collision noise can be eliminated or reduced.

(8) In the above embodiment, the gate is maintained in a closed state by the excitation actuation brake provided on the input shaft of the deceleration shaft, but the excitation actuation brake is not used and the gate motors 48A and 48B continue to be energized. Therefore, the gate may be maintained in a closed state.

(9) The present invention is particularly useful for a down escalator like the above embodiment. Passengers tend to place their luggage, etc. on the step one step in front of the step they are riding on. In the case of an up escalator, the passengers themselves become obstacles to prevent the luggage, etc., from falling. On the other hand, in the case of a down escalator, the baggage is located below the passengers, so it will fall straight down.

In addition, in the case of an ascending escalator, if a certain passenger's luggage falls, other passengers who are being conveyed below that particular passenger are likely to notice this because they are facing the falling luggage, and they will easily notice the falling luggage. Collisions are more likely to be avoided. On the other hand, in the case of a down escalator, if one passenger's luggage falls toward another passenger, the other passenger has his back turned to the falling luggage, so it is difficult for him to notice the fall.

However, passengers may place their baggage on the side of the stairs they ride on, and in this case, even if the passenger is on an ascending escalator, the passenger will not be an obstacle to the luggage, so it is similar to the case on a descending escalator. There is a possibility that the luggage may fall.

Therefore, the present invention may be applied to an ascending escalator. In the case of a descending escalator as in the above embodiment, the gate is closed by rotating the flap in the stored state upward, but in the case of an ascending escalator, the gate is closed by rotating the flap downward from the stored state. . The other configurations of the ascending escalator are basically the same as those of the descending escalator.

The escalator according to the present invention can be suitably used, for example, as an escalator with a high rise.

10 Escalator 12 Steps 32 Human sensor 40A, 40B Gate unit 41 Gate 50 Control device 52 CPU
54 ROM
56 RAM
60 Load detection section 62 Gate control section

Claims (4)

An escalator that includes a diagonal section in which a plurality of steps connected in a ring and run in a circular manner forms a staircase, and transports passengers riding on the steps,
a gate that opens and closes the passenger transport path in the diagonal section by opening and closing;
Crowding degree index acquisition means for acquiring a crowding degree index that indicates the degree of crowding of passengers on the plurality of steps;
passenger detection means for detecting that a passenger being transported through the diagonal section approaches the gate;
a control unit that controls opening and closing of the gate;
has
The control unit includes:
The gate is opened while the congestion index obtained by the congestion index acquisition means is higher than a predetermined congestion index, and the gate is closed while it is lower than the predetermined congestion index;
An escalator characterized in that when the passenger detecting means detects a passenger while the gate is closed, the gate is opened at least until the passenger passes through the gate position. The congestion degree index is the magnitude of the load applied to the motor that is the power source for driving the plurality of steps,
The control unit may open the gate while the load obtained by the congestion index obtaining means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and close the gate while the load is less than the predetermined value. The escalator according to claim 1. When a new passenger is detected by the passenger detection means before the passenger detected by the passenger detection means passes through the gate position, the control unit is configured to control at least the new passenger to pass through the gate position. 2. The escalator according to claim 1, wherein the gate is kept open for an extended period of time. It has N gates (N is a positive integer),
The escalator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the N gates is disposed at a position that equally divides the oblique section by approximately (N+1).