Passenger conveyor

Abstract

To provide a passenger conveyor capable of preventing passengers from falling into a machine room.SOLUTION: A passenger conveyor comprises steps that move back and forth along a truss, a motor that moves the steps, a control device that controls the motor to perform normal operation to transport passengers, a boarding and alighting plate disposed at the entrance of the truss, a fixing unit 120 that fixes the boarding and alighting plate to the truss, and a detection unit 70 that detects that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss by the fixing unit 120. The control device enables normal operation when it detects by the fixing unit 120 that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss, and prohibits normal operation when it does not detect that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a passenger conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] Passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways have a boarding and alighting platform at the entrance of the truss, and passengers pass over the boarding and alighting platform when getting on and off the passenger conveyor. Below the boarding and alighting platform is a machine room that houses the passenger conveyor's drive device, etc., and the boarding and alighting platform is removed from the truss during maintenance and inspection of the passenger conveyor.

[0003] For the safety of passengers and maintenance personnel, a passenger conveyor has been proposed that is provided with a detection device that detects whether a boarding and alighting plate is installed on the ceiling surface of the machine room. In such a passenger conveyor, when the detection device detects that a boarding and alighting plate is installed on the ceiling surface of the machine room, the normal operation mode for transporting boarded passengers is executed, and when the detection device does not detect that a board is installed on the ceiling surface of the machine room, the execution of the normal operation mode is prohibited and a maintenance operation mode is executed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-65546 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, if the boarding and alighting plate is installed on the ceiling surface of the machine room but is not properly fixed to the truss, there is a risk that the boarding and alighting plate will come off the truss and passengers may fall into the machine room. In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a passenger conveyor that can prevent passengers from falling into the machine room. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The passenger conveyor according to the embodiment comprises a truss extending in the longitudinal direction, steps that move in the longitudinal direction along the truss, a motor that moves the steps, a control device that controls the motor to perform normal operation to transport passengers, a boarding and alighting plate located at the boarding and alighting entrance of the truss, a fixing unit that fixes the boarding and alighting plate to the truss, and a detection unit that detects that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss by the fixing unit, and the control device enables the normal operation when it detects by the fixing unit that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss, and prohibits the execution of the normal operation when it does not detect that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view of an escalator showing one embodiment of the present invention, in which the structure on the left side is omitted when viewed from an upper floor to a lower floor. [Figure 2] Plan view of the upper boarding platform [Figure 3] Cross section of line AA in Figure 2 [Figure 4] Enlarged view of the main part of Figure 3 [Figure 5] Block diagram showing the control configuration of the escalator DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A passenger conveyor according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In this embodiment, an escalator 10 that transports passengers between upper and lower floors of a building 1 will be described as the passenger conveyor.

[0009] In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the truss 12 may be referred to as the front-to-rear direction, and the width direction as the left-to-right direction. The front-to-rear and left-to-right directions refer to the directions when looking from an upper floor to a lower floor, with the lower floor being the front side and the upper floor being the rear side.

[0010] (1) Escalator 10 The overall structure of the escalator 10 will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the escalator 10 as seen from the left side. However, in order to make the internal structure of the escalator 10 easier to understand, the components on one side (the left side) of the escalator 10 are not shown.

[0011] A truss 12, which is the framework of the escalator 10, spans the upper and lower floors of the building 1 and is supported in the front-to-rear direction using support angles 2 and 3.

[0012] A drive unit 18 for driving the steps 30 and a pair of left and right step sprockets 24, 24 are provided inside the upper-floor machine room 14 at the top end of the truss 12. The drive unit 18 has a motor 20, a reducer 21, a small drive sprocket 19 attached to the output shaft of the reducer 21, and a disk-type electromagnetic brake 23 that stops the rotation of the motor 20 and maintains the stopped state. A large drive sprocket 17 is attached coaxially to the pair of left and right step sprockets 24, 24, and an endless drive chain 22 is stretched between them. A control device 50 for controlling the motor 20, electromagnetic brake 23, etc. is also provided inside the upper-floor machine room 14.

[0013] A pair of left and right driven sprockets 26, 26 are provided inside the machine room 16 on the lower floor side at the bottom end of the truss 12. A pair of left and right endless step chains 28, 28 are stretched between the pair of left and right step sprockets 24, 24 on the upper floor side and the pair of left and right driven sprockets 26, 26 on the lower floor side. Pairs of left and right first wheels 301, 301 of multiple steps 30 are connected at regular intervals between the pair of left and right step chains 28, 28. When the motor 20 rotates, the first wheel 301 of the step 30 runs on a guide rail dedicated to the first wheel (not shown) fixed to the truss 12, and the second wheel 302 of the step 30 runs on a guide rail dedicated to the second wheel 25 fixed to the truss 12.

[0014] A pair of left and right balustrades 36, 36 are erected on both the left and right sides of the upper part of the truss 12. A handrail rail 39 is provided on the upper part of the balustrades 36, and an endless handrail belt 38 moves along the handrail rail 39.

[0015] An upper floor front skirt guard 40 is provided at the lower front part of the upper floor side of the pair of left and right parapets 36, and a lower floor front skirt guard 42 is provided at the lower front part of the lower floor side. Inlet parts 46, 48, which are the entrances and exits for the handrail belt 38, protrude from the front skirt guards 40, 42, respectively. Skirt guards (inner decks) 44 are provided at the lower sides of the pair of left and right parapets 36, respectively, and the steps 30 run between the pair of left and right skirt guards 44, 44.

[0016] The handrail belt 38 moves in synchronization with the steps 30 as a result of a belt sprocket (not shown) rotating together with the step sprocket 24 .

[0017] A boarding and alighting plate 32 is provided horizontally on the ceiling surface that defines the upper side of the upper floor machine room 14. The boarding and alighting plate 32 on the upper floor is fixed to the truss 12 by fixing parts 120, and forms a boarding and alighting entrance between a pair of left and right skirt guards 44, 44 on the upper floor.

[0018] A boarding and alighting plate 34 is provided horizontally on the ceiling surface that defines the upper side of the lower floor machine room 16. The boarding and alighting plate 34 on the lower floor is fixed to the truss 12 by fixing parts 120, and forms a boarding and alighting entrance between a pair of left and right skirt guards 44, 44 on the lower floor. A comb-tooth shaped comb 60 is provided at the tip of the board 32 on the upper floor side, and the steps 30 move in and out of this comb 60. In addition, a comb-tooth shaped comb 62 is also provided at the tip of the board 34 on the lower floor side.

[0019] Detecting units 70 are provided below the boarding and alighting plates 32, 34, respectively, for detecting whether the boarding and alighting plates 32, 34 are fixed to the truss 12 by the fixing units 120. The detecting units 70 will be described in detail later.

[0020] A pair of left and right balustrades 36, 36 are erected on both the left and right sides of the truss 12. A handrail belt 38 moves along the top of the balustrades 36. A front skirt guard 40 is provided to cover the lower front portion of the upper floor side of the balustrade 36, and a lower floor front skirt guard 42 is provided on the lower front portion of the lower floor side, with inlet portions 46, 48, which are entrances and exits for the handrail belt 38, protruding from in front of the front skirt guards 40, 42. A skirt guard 44 is provided on the lower side of the balustrade 36.

[0021] (2) Upper floor machine room 14 and boarding platform 32 Next, the upper floor machine room 14 and the boarding and alighting board 32 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Note that the upper floor machine room 14 and the boarding and alighting board 32 have the same structure as the lower floor machine room 16 and the boarding and alighting board 34, so only the upper floor machine room 14 and the boarding and alighting board 32 will be described, and a description of the lower floor machine room 16 and the boarding and alighting board 34 will be omitted.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the boarding / alighting board 32 on the upper floor side is composed of three divided boards: a first boarding / alighting board 32A, a second boarding / alighting board 32B, and a third boarding / alighting board 32C.

[0023] The first boarding / alighting plate 32A is a metal plate with a T-shaped planar shape that extends from between the pair of left and right handrails 36, 36 to the entrance side of the boarding / alighting opening. A comb 60 is provided at the front end of the first boarding / alighting plate 32A. The second boarding / alighting plate 32B is a rectangular metal plate located adjacent to the rear side of the first boarding / alighting plate 32A. The third boarding / alighting plate 32C is a rectangular metal plate located adjacent to the rear side of the second boarding / alighting plate 32B.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, downwardly protruding mounting portions 96 are provided along the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of these three boards, the first board 32A, the second board 32B, and the third board 32C.

[0025] The mounting portion 96 is made by bending a metal plate into a U-shaped cross section that opens outward in the width direction, and is equipped with an upper horizontal portion 96a that is provided along the underside of the three boarding and alighting plates 32A, 32B, and 32C, an inner portion 96b that protrudes downward from the inner end of the upper horizontal portion 96a in the width direction, and a mounting piece 96c that protrudes horizontally outward in the width direction from the lower end of the inner portion 96b.

[0026] The truss 12 that forms the machine room 14 on the upper floor is made up of an upper left member 74, an upper right member 76, a lower left member 78, and a lower right member 80, each made of a metal frame, assembled to form an internal space. That is, the upper left member 74 extending in the front-to-rear direction is disposed horizontally, the upper right member 76 extending in the front-to-rear direction at the same height as the upper left member 74 is disposed horizontally, the lower left member 78 extending in the front-to-rear direction is disposed horizontally below the upper left member 74, and the lower right member 80 extending in the front-to-rear direction is disposed horizontally below the upper right member 76. A left member 82 is disposed vertically between the rear end of the upper left member 74 and the rear end of the upper right member 76, and a right member 84 is disposed vertically between the rear end of the upper right member 76 and the rear end of the lower right member 80. Furthermore, an upper cross member 86 is provided horizontally between the rear end of the upper left member 74 and the rear end of the upper right member 76, and a lower cross member 87 is provided horizontally between the rear end of the lower left member 78 and the rear end of the lower right member 80. The machinery room 14 is surrounded by the upper left member 74, upper right member 76, lower left member 78, lower right member 80, left member 82, right member 84, upper cross member 86, and lower cross member 87. A control device 50 is attached to the rear surface of the machinery room 14 via a mounting plate 51.

[0027] A metal boarding / alighting plate support part 88 that protrudes horizontally toward the inside in the width direction (right side) is provided along the front-to-rear direction on the upper left member 74 at the top of the machine room 14. In addition, a metal boarding / alighting plate support part 90 that protrudes horizontally toward the inside in the width direction (left side) is provided along the front-to-rear direction on the upper right member 76.

[0028] These boarding and alighting plate support portions 88, 90 are provided with metal edges 91, 92 that protrude upward, respectively. The boarding and alighting plate support portions 88, 90 have mounting pieces 96c of mounting portions 96 provided on the three boards 32A, 32B, 32C mounted between the metal edges 91, 92, and support both left and right ends of the three boards 32A, 32B, 32C from below.

[0029] The boarding and alighting plates 32A, 32B, and 32C and the upper horizontal portion 96a and mounting piece 96c of the mounting portion 96 are provided with insertion holes for inserting fastening portions 120 such as screws, and female threaded portions 93 are provided on the boarding and alighting plate support portions 88 and 90. The fastening portions 120 are inserted into the insertion holes provided in the upper horizontal portion 96a and mounting piece 96c of the mounting portion 96 and screwed into the female threaded portions 93 of the boarding and alighting plate support portions 88 and 90, thereby connecting and fixing the boarding and alighting plates 32A, 32B, and 32C to the boarding and alighting plate support portions 88 and 90. As illustrated in Fig. 2, one fastening portion 120 is provided on each of the left and right ends of the three boarding and alighting plates 32A, 32B, and 32C.

[0030] (3) Detection unit 70 Next, the detection unit 70 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0031] Although a detection unit 70 is provided for each fixed portion 120 provided on the first boarding and alighting platform 32A, the second boarding and alighting platform 32B, and the third boarding and alighting platform 32C, all of them have the same configuration, so in this explanation, we will explain the detection unit 70 that detects the fixed portion 120 provided on the right end portion of the third boarding and alighting platform 32C.

[0032] The detection unit 70 includes, for example, a push plunger type limit switch. When the fixed portion 120 of the detection unit 70 is screwed into the female thread portion 93 of the boarding / alighting plate support portion 88 and the tip of the fixed portion 120 protrudes downward from the boarding / alighting plate support portion 88, the plunger (operating portion) 71 of the detection unit 70 is pressed downward by the tip of the fixed portion 120, the detection unit 70 turns on, and detects that the boarding / alighting plate 104 is fixed to the truss 12 by the fixed portion 120.

[0033] Furthermore, if the tip of the fixed portion 120 does not protrude downward from the boarding / alighting plate support portion 88 and the plunger 71 of the detection portion 70 is not pressed downward by the tip of the fixed portion 120, the plunger 71 protrudes and the detection portion 70 turns off, detecting that the boarding / alighting plate 104 is not properly fixed to the truss 12 by the fixed portion 120 (i.e., it is not fixed to the truss 12 or is not sufficiently fixed to the truss 12).

[0034] (4) Electrical configuration of escalator 10 Next, the electrical configuration of the escalator 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0035] An inverter circuit 52, a power regeneration unit 53, a reactor 54, and a noise filter 55 are connected to a control device 50 provided in the machine room 14 on the upper floor. Three-phase AC power supplied from a three-phase AC power source (not shown) passes through a noise filter 55 and a reactor 54, which are provided as countermeasures against high frequency waves, before reaching the power regeneration unit 53. The power regeneration unit 53 regenerates, into the three-phase AC power, the energy generated when the escalator 10 is operated downward. The inverter circuit 52 and electromagnetic brake 23 connected to the power regeneration unit 53 control the driving and stopping of the motor 20 based on control signals from the control device 50, thereby changing the operating speed and the direction of ascent or descent.

[0036] The control device 50 is also connected to a detection unit 70 provided for each of the fixing parts 120 that fix the boarding and alighting plates 32A, 32B, and 32C.

[0037] (5) Operation of the detector 70 and the controller 50 Next, the operations of the detection unit 70 and the control device 50 will be described.

[0038] First, when a maintenance worker is not performing maintenance work on escalator 10, the top surfaces of machine rooms 14, 16 are blocked by boards 32, 34, and boards 32A, 32B, 32C constituting boards 32, 34 are fixed to truss 12 by fixing parts 120. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4 , plungers 71 of all detection units 70 are pressed downward by the tips of fixing parts 120, and detection units 70 detect that boards 32 on the upper floor side and boards 34 on the lower floor side are all fixed to truss 12 by fixing parts 120.

[0039] When the control device 50 detects that all the detection units 70 are in the on state and that the upper and lower boarding and alighting boards 32, 34 are fixed to the truss 12 by the fixing units 120, it determines that normal operation can be performed by controlling the motor 20 to move the steps 30 between the upper and lower boarding and alighting entrances to transport passengers.

[0040] If the control device 50 determines that normal operation of the escalator 10 is possible, it starts normal operation when it receives an instruction to start operation from a start switch (not shown) while the steps 30 are stopped. Furthermore, the control device 50 continues to detect the fixed parts 120 by the detection units 70 even during normal operation, and executes normal operation if all of the detection units 70 detect the on state.

[0041] On the other hand, when a maintenance worker removes the fixing part 120 that connects and fixes the upper floor board 32 or the lower floor board 34 to the truss 12 for maintenance work, at least one of the detection parts 70 turns off, detecting that at least a portion of the upper floor and lower floor boards 32, 34 is not fixed to the truss 12 by the fixing part 120.

[0042] When control device 50 detects that at least a portion of boarding and alighting plates 32, 34 is not fixed to truss 12 by fixing portion 120, it will not start operation even if it receives a command to start operation from the start switch, and will prohibit normal operation. Also, if fixing portion 120 becomes detached for some reason during normal operation of escalator 10, normal operation will be stopped and escalator 10 will be stopped.

[0043] (6) Effects According to this embodiment, the control device 50 prohibits normal operation if it does not detect that the boarding and alighting plates 32, 34 are fixed to the truss 12 by the fixing portion 120, so that danger to the escalator 10 can be detected before the boarding and alighting plates 32, 34 reach a dangerous state in which they fall into the machine rooms 14, 16.

[0044] (7) Example of change In the above embodiment, a push plunger type limit switch is provided as the detector 70, but other types of limit switches may be used. Also, a proximity sensor such as an infrared proximity sensor, an induction type proximity sensor, or a capacitance type proximity sensor may be provided as the detector 70 to detect the presence or absence of the tip of the fixing portion 120 that protrudes downward from the boarding / alighting plate supports 88, 90.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the escalator 10 is described as the passenger conveyor, but the present invention may be applied to a moving walkway instead.

[0046] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...building, 10...escalator, 12...truss, 14...machine room, 16...machine room, 18...drive unit, 20...motor, 30...step, 32...boarding / alighting platform, 32A...first boarding / alighting platform, 32B...second boarding / alighting platform, 32C...third boarding / alighting platform, 34...boarding / alighting platform, 36...balustrade, 50...control device, 70...detection unit, 74...upper left member, 76...upper right member, 78...lower left member, 80...lower right member, 82...left member, 84...right member, 86...upper horizontal member, 87...lower horizontal member, 88...boarding / alighting platform support portion, 90...boarding / alighting platform support portion, 96...placement portion, 96c...placement piece, 120...fixing portion

Claims

1. a truss extending in the front-to-rear direction; A step that moves back and forth along the truss; a motor for moving the steps; a control device that controls the motor to perform normal operation for transporting passengers; A boarding and alighting plate disposed at the entrance of the truss; a fixing portion that fixes the boarding and disembarking plate to the truss; a detection unit that detects that the boarding / disembarking plate is fixed to the truss by the fixing unit, The control device enables the normal operation when the fixing unit detects that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss, and prohibits the normal operation when the fixing unit does not detect that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss.

2. the fixing portion includes a screw that connects the boarding and disembarking plate and the truss, 2. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes an operating unit that is pressed against a tip of the screw that connects the boarding and alighting plate to the truss, and detects that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss when the operating unit is pressed against the tip of the screw.

3. the fixing portion includes a screw that connects the boarding and disembarking plate and the truss, 2. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes a proximity sensor that detects a tip of the screw that connects the boarding and alighting plate to the truss, and when the proximity sensor detects the tip of the screw, it detects that the boarding and alighting plate is fixed to the truss.

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