JP7427718B2 - passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the invention relate to passenger conveyors.

In order to support the safe boarding and alighting of passengers on passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways, a lighting device called a COM light and speakers installed near the boarding and alighting gates are activated so that passengers approaching the boarding gate can It calls attention to the existing stepped portion (see Patent Documents 1 to 5 below).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-147414 JP2017-88375A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-53669 JP2021-123481A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-083576

However, warnings using lighting devices and speakers are not necessarily effective for all passengers using passenger conveyors. For example, in the case of lighting devices, passengers with poor eyesight or passengers who are engrossed in operating their smartphones may have difficulty noticing the warnings provided by the lighting devices. Additionally, in the case of speakers, announcements may be difficult to hear for passengers with poor hearing or those who listen to music with earphones in their ears.

Therefore, an object of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passenger conveyor that allows passengers to easily notice the stepped portion at the exit and prevents passengers from falling when getting off the passenger conveyor.

An embodiment of the present invention includes: a pair of left and right handrails extending from the entrance to the exit; skirt portions located at the bottom of the pair of left and right handrails; and a plurality of steps that run between the pair of left and right skirt portions; an air outlet provided in the skirt portion near the exit; and a blower device that supplies air to the air outlet and blows air from the air outlet above the step, the upper end of the skirt portion The step is provided with an inclined part that is inclined upward toward the outside in the width direction of the step, and the blower device is housed in a space whose upper part is covered by the inclined part.

A side view schematically showing a passenger conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention Cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 1 An enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the entrance on the upper floor side of Figure 1 A block illustrating the electrical configuration of a passenger conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention Side view schematically showing the passenger conveyor of modification example 1 Side view schematically showing the passenger conveyor of modification example 2

Hereinafter, a passenger conveyor 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, the passenger conveyor 1 is an escalator in which a large number of steps 30 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "stairs 30") circulate between an entrance 17 on the upper floor and an entrance 18 on the lower floor. However, the present invention can also be applied to a moving walkway in which the steps move horizontally.

In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the truss 2 may be referred to as the front-rear direction, and the width direction of the truss 2 may be referred to as the left-right direction. Further, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction refer to directions when looking at the upper floor from the lower floor, with the upper floor side being the front side and the lower floor side being the rear side.

(1) Passenger conveyor 1
As shown in FIG. 1, a truss 2, which is the framework of the passenger conveyor 1 and extends in the front-rear direction (the direction of movement of the steps 30), spans the upper and lower floors of the building using support angles (not shown). Supported. In addition, in FIG. 1, the member on the right side of the passenger conveyor 1 is omitted.

The passenger conveyor 1 is located near the entrances 17 and 18 of the upper and lower floors, and has a horizontal part where the steps 30 move horizontally, an intermediate inclined part where the steps 30 move linearly at a predetermined inclination angle, and a horizontal part and an intermediate part. It is composed of a pair of upper and lower curved parts that gently connect the sloped parts and allow the step 30 to move in a curved manner.

The steps 30 are connected by endless step chains 11 arranged on both sides thereof, and are arranged in a truss 2 installed under the floor of a building.

The step 30 includes a pair of left and right step frames 31 having substantially triangular side surfaces, a cleat surface 32 formed on the upper surface of the step frame 31, and a riser surface 33 formed on the rear surface of the step frame 31. The step frame 31, cleat surface 32, and riser surface 33 are integrally formed by die-casting aluminum.

On the surface of the cleat surface 32, that is, on the surface of the steps 30 on which a passenger rides, a plurality of cleat protrusions extending along the moving direction (front and rear direction) of the steps 30 are provided parallel to each other at predetermined intervals, A cleat groove is formed between adjacent cleat protrusions.

At the front ends of the pair of left and right step frames 31, a pair of left and right front wheels 35 are provided via bearings on support shafts that protrude outward in the width direction of the step 30. Further, a pair of left and right rear wheels 37 are provided at the rear lower end portions of the pair of left and right step frames 31 via bearings on the outside of the tip portions of attachment portions formed integrally with the step frames 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, on both sides of the step 30 in the width direction, a pair of left and right front guide rails 42 and a rear guide rail 43 fixed to the truss 2 via a support member 40 extend along the direction of movement of the step 30. It is arranged. The front guide rail 42 includes a rolling surface on which the front wheel 35 provided on the step 30 rolls, and guides the front wheel 35 along the traveling direction of the step 30. The rear guide rail 43 includes a rolling surface on which the rear wheel 37 provided on the step 30 rolls, and guides the rear wheel 37 along the traveling direction of the step 30.

Inside the machine room 5 on the upper floor side at the upper end of the truss 2, there are a drive device 6 for running the steps 30, a pair of left and right drive sprockets 7, a pair of left and right handrail belt sprockets (not shown), and a control unit 16. is provided.

The drive device 6 includes a motor including an induction motor, a speed reducer, an output sprocket attached to the output shaft of the speed reducer, a step chain 11 driven by the output sprocket, and a motor that stops rotating the motor. It also has a disc brake that keeps the vehicle stopped. The drive sprocket 7 is rotated by a drive chain 8. The pair of left and right drive sprockets 7 and the pair of left and right handrail belt sprockets are connected by a connecting belt (not shown) and rotate synchronously.

A driven sprocket 10 is provided inside the machine room 9 on the lower floor side at the lower end of the truss 2. A pair of left and right endless step chains 11 are stretched between the driving sprocket 7 on the upper floor side and the driven sprocket 10 on the lower floor side. Front wheels 35 of a plurality of steps 30 are attached to a pair of left and right step chains 11 at equal intervals.

When the drive sprocket 7 rotates in response to rotational force from the drive device 6, the step chain 11 circulates between the drive sprocket 7 and the driven sprocket 10. Along with this, the front wheel 35 and rear wheel 37 provided on the step 30 run on the front guide rail 52 and the rear guide rail 53, and also touch the recess on the outer periphery of the drive sprocket 7 and the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 10. When engaged with a certain recess, the step 30 is turned upside down. As a result, the steps 30 move from one entrance/exit (boarding entrance) 17, 18 toward the other entrance/exit (exit) 18, 17 to convey passengers, and on the lower part of the outgoing route from the exit. The vehicle circulates between the entrance 17 on the upper floor side and the entrance 18 on the lower floor, alternately passing through the return route moving toward the entrance.

Boards 19 and 20 are provided at the entrances 17 and 18 on the upper and lower floors so as to cover the upper surfaces of the machine rooms 5 and 9. Combs 44 and 45 having a plurality of comb teeth protruding at equal intervals are provided at the tips of the boarding plates 19 and 20. The comb teeth become thinner toward the tip and slope downward, and the ends are bent and rounded. By meshing with the cleat protrusion provided on the step 30, the comb teeth can protect the feet of passengers on the step 30, foreign objects, etc. It is scooped up onto the boarding boards 19 and 20 to prevent the passenger's feet and foreign objects from being caught between the steps 30 and the boarding boards 19 and 20.

A pair of left and right handrails 13 are erected on both the left and right sides of the truss 2. A handrail rail 14 is provided above the balustrade 13, and a handrail belt 15 moves in synchronization with the steps 30 along this handrail rail 14.

An upper front skirt guard 21 is provided at the lower front of the upper floor of the parapet 13, and a lower front skirt guard 22 is provided at the lower front of the lower floor. Inlet portions 23 and 24, which are entrances and exits for the handrail belt 15, protrude from the front skirt guards 21 and 22 on the upper and lower floors, respectively.

Further, an operation panel 46 and a speaker 48 are provided on the inner surface of one of the pair of left and right front skirt guards 21 on the upper floor side (for example, the right front skirt guard 21). Further, an operation panel 47 and a speaker 49 are provided on the inner surface of one of the pair of left and right front skirt guards 22 on the lower floor side.

The operation panels 46 and 47 are provided with a starting switch (not shown) for starting the passenger conveyor 1. An operation command signal is output to the control section 16 by operating this start switch. When the control unit 16 receives the operation command signal, it controls the motor of the drive device 6 to switch the operation and stop of the passenger conveyor 1, and to switch the steps 30 from the lower floor entrance 18 to the upper floor entrance/exit. It switches between an ascending operation in which it moves to the entrance 17 and a descending operation in which the steps 30 move from the entrance 17 on the upper floor to the entrance 18 on the lower floor.

A skirt portion 25 is provided along the front-rear direction at the lower side of each of the pair of left and right handrails 13 extending from the entrance 17 to the entrance 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the skirt portion 25 includes a plate-shaped inner ledge 26 that covers the step 30 side (widthwise inner side) at the bottom of the balustrade 13, an outer ledge 27 that covers the outside of the bottom of the balustrade 13, and a side surface of the step 30. and a plate-shaped skirt guard 28 arranged in the vertical direction facing the. A step 30 runs between a pair of left and right skirt guards 28. The inner ledge 26 protects the passenger's feet together with the skirt guard 28, and is installed at an angle between the upper end of the skirt guard 28 and the lower part of the handrail 13 on the step 30 side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the skirt portion 25 includes, in order from the upper floor side to the lower floor side, an upper floor side horizontal portion 25a, an upper floor side curved portion 25b, an intermediate sloped portion 25c, and a lower floor side curved portion 25d. and a lower floor side horizontal portion 25e.

The upper floor side horizontal part 25a is a part forming the upper floor side end of the skirt part 25, and is a part where the upper end part of the skirt part 25 (that is, the inner ledge 26 and the outer ledge 27) extends in the horizontal direction. be. The lower floor side horizontal portion 25e is a portion forming the lower floor side end of the skirt portion 25, and is a portion where the upper end portion of the skirt portion 25 extends in the horizontal direction. The intermediate inclined portion 25c is a portion provided at the center of the skirt portion 25 in the front-rear direction, and is a portion where the upper end portion of the skirt portion 25 is inclined along the moving direction of the steps 30. The upper-floor curved portion 25b is a portion that gently connects the upper-floor horizontal portion 25a and the intermediate inclined portion 25c, and is a portion where the upper end of the skirt portion 25 is curved so as to swell upward. . The lower floor side curved portion 25d is a portion that gently connects the lower floor side horizontal portion 25e and the intermediate inclined portion 25c, and is a portion where the upper end portion of the skirt portion 25 is curved so as to swell downward. .

The pair of left and right skirt portions 25 are provided with exit proximity guidance devices 100A and 100B near the entrance 17 on the upper floor and the entrance 18 on the lower floor to inform passengers that they will soon arrive at the exit. ing.

(2) Exit proximity guide device 100A, 100B
Next, the exit proximity guide devices 100A and 100B will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Note that the exit proximity guide device 100A provided near the boarding/exit 17 on the upper floor side and the exit proximity guide device 100B provided near the boarding/exit 18 on the lower floor side have the same configuration. Therefore, the exit proximity guide device 100A provided near the entrance/exit 17 on the upper floor side will be described here.

The exit proximity guide device 100A includes a blower device 101, a blower pipe 102, and a passenger detection section 103, which are provided on the upper curved portion 25b of the skirt portion 25.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the blower device 101 has a compressor that generates compressed air, and sends the compressed air generated by the compressor to the vicinity of the entrance 17 on the upper floor side through the blower pipe 102. Air is discharged diagonally downward from the provided air outlet 104 above the steps 30, specifically toward the cleat surface 32 or slightly above it, and blows air to the portion below the knees of the passenger on the steps 30. .

In this embodiment, a plurality of ventilation ports 104 are provided at the upper part of the skirt guard 28 at intervals in the moving direction of the steps 30 along the curved shape of the upper end of the upper floor side curved part 25b. The air pipe 102 branches in the middle and is connected to each of the plurality of air outlets 104, and discharges compressed air generated by the air blower 101 from each air outlet 104.

The passenger detection section 103 is a photoelectric sensor that includes a light emitting section provided on one of the pair of left and right skirt guards 28 and a light receiving section provided on the other skirt guard 28 . Light is always sent from the light emitting part of the passenger detection part 103 to the light receiving part, and when the passenger's foot blocks this light, it is determined that a passenger passing through the upper floor side curved part 25b is detected and the control part 16 Outputs passenger detection signal. Such a passenger detection unit 103 is provided on the lower floor side (that is, on the upstream side in the movement direction of the steps 30 during ascending operation) than the air outlet 104 from which air is blown out.

In this embodiment, the air outlet 104 of the exit proximity guide device 100A is provided on the upper floor side curved portion 25b, but if it is on the lower floor side than the tip of the comb 44 provided at the entrance/exit 17, it is provided on the upper floor side. An air outlet 104 may be provided in the horizontal portion 25a. In addition, the air outlet 104 has a length (for example, 40 cm) or more of the cleat surface 32 of the steps 30 corresponding to one step from the tip of the comb 44 to the lower floor side, and the length of the cleat surface 32 of the steps 30 corresponding to three steps. It is preferable to provide it within a range of 120 cm or less.

(3) Electrical configuration of passenger conveyor 1 The electrical configuration of passenger conveyor 1 will be explained with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 4.

The control unit 16 is connected to the motor of the drive device 6, and is also connected to the operation panels 46, 47, speakers 48, 49, the air blower 101 of the upper floor entrance proximity guidance device 100A, the passenger detection unit 103, and the lower floor A blower device 101 and a passenger detection unit 103 of the side exit proximity guide device 100B are connected. The control unit 16 receives operation command signals from the operation panels 46 and 47, receives passenger detection signals from the passenger detection units 103 of the exit proximity guide devices 100A and 100B, and controls the operation of the passenger conveyor 1 based on the input signals. Control behavior.

(4) Operation of the exit proximity guide devices 100A, 100B Next, the operation of the exit proximity guide devices 100A, 100B will be described.

When the passenger conveyor 1 is in ascending operation, the exit proximity guide device 100B provided near the lower floor side entrance/exit 18 serving as the entrance does not operate, and the exit entrance 17 on the upper floor side serving as the exit does not operate. The exit proximity guide device 100A provided nearby is activated.

Specifically, in the exit proximity guidance device 100B provided near the entrance/exit 18 on the lower floor side, the blower device 101 does not operate regardless of whether the passenger detection unit 103 detects a passenger or not. Air is not discharged from the air outlet 104 toward the steps 30. On the other hand, in the exit proximity guidance device 100A provided near the entrance/exit 17 on the upper floor side, the air blower 101 does not operate while the passenger detection unit 103 does not detect a passenger, and when the passenger detection unit 103 detects a passenger, the air blower 101 does not operate. , each blower device 101 provided on the left and right skirt portions 25 is activated, and air is discharged from the blower port 104 toward the steps 30. As a result, air is blown onto the feet of the passengers on the steps 30 near the entrance 17 on the upper floor side, thereby informing the passengers that they will soon reach the exit.

In addition, when the passenger conveyor 1 is performing a descending operation, the exit proximity guidance device 100A provided near the entrance 17 on the upper floor side, which is the entrance, detects whether the passenger detection unit 103 detects a passenger. Regardless of whether or not the air blower 101 is activated, air is not discharged from the air outlet 104 toward the steps 30. On the other hand, in the exit proximity guide device 100B provided near the entrance/exit 18 on the lower floor side, the air blower 101 does not operate while the passenger detection section 103 does not detect a passenger, and when the passenger detection section 103 detects a passenger. , each blower device 101 provided on the left and right skirt portions 25 is activated, and air is discharged from the blower port 104 toward the steps 30. As a result, air is blown onto the passengers on the steps 30 near the entrance 18 on the lower floor side, thereby informing the passengers that they will soon reach the exit.

(5) Effects In the passenger conveyor 1 of this embodiment, when a passenger approaches the exit, air is blown onto the passenger's feet on the steps 30 from the air outlet 104 provided near the exit, so the passenger can't see or hear. You can tell by your sense of touch that you will soon reach the exit. In particular, since the air outlet 104 is provided at the upper part of the skirt guard 28, the air does not hit the passenger's shoes but the feet above it, making it easy for passengers to notice that the air is hitting them. This makes it possible to prevent various passengers using the passenger conveyor from falling at the exit, including passengers with poor eyesight or hearing or those who are preoccupied with operating their smartphones.

In addition, in this embodiment, the exit proximity guide devices 100A and 100B operate the air blower 101 to discharge air from the air outlet 104 when the passenger detection unit 103 detects a passenger. No air is expelled.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

A plurality of modification examples will be described below, but any one of the plurality of modification examples may be applied to the above embodiment, or any two or more of the plurality of modification examples may be combined. May be applied.

(Change example 1)
As shown in FIG. 5, lighting devices 110 and 112 are provided to illuminate the vicinity of the entrance 17 on the upper floor side and the vicinity of the entrance 18 on the lower floor side, and passenger detection by the exit proximity guide devices 100A and 100B on the exit side is provided. When the unit 103 detects a passenger, the lighting state of one of the lighting devices 110 and 112 provided near the exit may be changed.

Specifically, the lighting devices 110 and 112 are provided on the skirt guard 28 of the upper horizontal portion 25a and the lower horizontal portion 25e of the skirt portion 25. The lighting devices 110 and 112 continue to illuminate the feet of the passengers near the comms 44 and 45 while the passenger conveyor 1 is in operation.

When the passenger conveyor 1 is in ascending operation, when the passenger detection unit 103 of the exit entrance proximity guide device 100A installed near the entrance 17 on the upper floor side, which is the entrance, detects a passenger, the passenger is detected on the upper floor side. As air blows out from the air outlet 104, the lighting device 110 that illuminates the vicinity of the entrance/exit 17 on the upper floor side starts blinking.

In addition, when descending operation is performed, when the passenger detection unit 103 of the exit entrance proximity guide device 100B installed near the lower floor side entrance/exit 18 serving as the exit gate detects a passenger, the lower floor side air outlet 104 detects a passenger. At the same time, the lighting device 112 that illuminates the vicinity of the entrance/exit 18 on the lower floor side starts blinking.

In this modified example, passengers can recognize that they are about to reach the exit not only by touch but also visually, making it easier for passengers to recognize that they are about to reach the exit.

In this modification example, the lighting conditions of the lighting devices 110 and 112 provided on the skirt guard 28 have been changed, but for example, the lighting conditions of the lighting devices provided on the balustrade 13 on the upper floor side end and the lower floor side end are changed. The lighting state may be changed, or the lighting state of a lighting device provided in the building so as to be located above the entrances and exits 17 and 18 may be changed.

Further, in this embodiment, when the passenger detection unit 103 detects a passenger, the lighting devices 110 and 112 are changed from a constantly lit state to a blinking state. 112 may change the brightness with which the entrances and exits 17 and 18 are illuminated.

(Change example 2)
As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of ventilation ports 104 of the exit proximity guide devices 100A and 100B may be provided at intervals in the vertical direction. By providing a plurality of vents 104 in the vertical direction in this way, the air blown out from the vents 104 tends to hit areas where passengers can easily feel the wind, making it easier for passengers to notice that they will soon reach the exit.

(Change example 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the passenger detection unit 103 is provided in the exit proximity guidance device 100A, 100B, and when the passenger detection unit 103 on the exit side detects a passenger, the blower device 101 is activated to discharge air from the ventilation port 104. However, while the passenger conveyor 1 is in operation, the exit proximity guide devices 100A and 100B on the exit side may be operated to continue blowing air from the air outlet 104.

(Change example 4)
In the above-described embodiment, a photoelectric sensor composed of a light emitting section provided on one of the pair of left and right skirt guards 28 and a light receiving section provided on the other skirt guard 28 is adopted as the passenger detection section 103. However, a proximity sensor that detects the proximity of a part of a person's body may be employed in the passenger detection unit 103.

When exit proximity guide devices 100A and 100B that employ proximity sensors as the passenger detection unit 103 are provided on the left and right skirt portions 25, the proximity sensors on one side of the left and right do not detect passengers, and only the proximity sensor on the other side detects passengers. When a passenger is detected, air may not be discharged from the ventilation port 104 provided on the skirt guard 28 on one side, but air may be discharged from the ventilation port 104 provided on the skirt guard 28 on the side where the passenger is detected.

(Change example 5)
In the embodiment described above, a compressor is used as the blower device 101, but a blower whose fan is rotated by a motor is used to generate wind, and the air generated by the blower is discharged from the blower port 104 through the blower pipe 102. It's okay.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Passenger conveyor, 2... Truss, 13... Balustrade, 16... Control unit, 17... Boarding/exit, 18... Boarding/exit, 25... Skirt part, 25a... Upper floor side horizontal part, 25b... Upper floor side curved part, 25c ...Intermediate slope part, 25d...Lower side curved part, 25e...Lower side straight part, 26...Inner ledge, 27...Outer ledge, 28...Skirt guard, 30...Step, 44...Comm, 45...Comm, 46... Operation panel, 47... Operation panel, 48... Speaker, 49... Speaker, 100A... Exit proximity guide device, 100B... Exit proximity guide device, 101... Air blower, 102... Air pipe, 103... Passenger detection unit, 104... Air outlet

Claims (7)

A pair of handrails on the left and right that extend from the entrance to the exit,
skirt portions located at the bottom of the pair of left and right handrails;
a plurality of steps running between the pair of left and right skirt portions;
a ventilation port provided in the skirt portion near the exit;
an air blower that supplies air to the air outlet and blows the air from the air outlet above the step,
A slope portion is provided at the upper end of the skirt portion, and the slope portion slopes upward toward the outside in the width direction of the step, and the blower device is housed in a space whose upper side is covered by the slope portion. passenger conveyor. The step is a passenger conveyor that moves between an upper floor and a lower floor of the building,
The skirt portion has a curved portion having a curved upper end near the exit,
The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet is provided in the curved portion. A passenger detection unit for detecting a passenger riding on the step is provided upstream of the air outlet along the direction of movement of the step,
The passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the passenger detection unit detects a passenger, the blower device blows air to the blower port. comprising a lighting device that illuminates the vicinity of the exit,
The passenger conveyor according to claim 3, wherein when the passenger detection unit detects a passenger, the lighting state of the lighting device is changed. The passenger conveyor is capable of switching between a first operation in which the step moves from one entrance to the other entrance and a second operation in which the step moves from the other entrance to the one entrance. hand,
The air outlet includes a first air outlet provided in the skirt portion near the one entrance and exit, and a second air outlet provided in the skirt portion near the other entrance;
The air blower supplies air to the second air outlet during the first operation, blows the air from the second air outlet above the step, and supplies air to the first air outlet during the second operation. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the passenger conveyor is configured to supply and blow air from the first air outlet to above the step. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein air is blown out diagonally downward from the air outlet. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the air blowing ports are provided in the skirt portion at intervals in the vertical direction.

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