Passenger conveyor

Abstract

To provide a passenger conveyor capable of accurately determining whether a passenger is walking on footsteps.SOLUTION: An escalator 10 comprises: a right side detection unit 44A disposed on a passenger passage SW to detect passage of a passenger; a right side detection unit 44B that is provided on the downstream side of the right side detection unit 44A so as to set a distance from the right side detection unit 44A to be a distance DS and that detects the passage of the passenger; and a use state determination unit 56 that, when passage time TX from the passenger passage detection of the right side detection unit 44A to the passenger passage detection of the right side detection unit 44B is shorter than minimum time TXmin, makes walking presence determination to determine that the passenger is walking on a plurality of footsteps 22 constituting an endless conveyance body 20 (see Fig, 3).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] In passenger conveyors that transport passengers from boarding areas to disembarking areas using an endless transport body made up of multiple connected steps, it is recommended that passengers remain stationary on the steps to prevent them from falling over.

[0003] However, some passengers using passenger conveyors may try to walk on the steps to get to the disembarkation area after boarding the steps from the boarding area. For this reason, some passenger conveyors are capable of determining whether passengers are walking on the steps while using the conveyors.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a passenger conveyor having a configuration that determines that a passenger is walking on the condition that the length of the rectangular wave when the passenger detection sensor is in the ON state detecting a passenger is within ΔP. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-216174 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the passenger conveyor described in Patent Document 1, for example, when a passenger uses the passenger conveyor while holding a long, thin object, such as an umbrella and standing still on a step, if the long, thin object is detected by the passenger detection sensor, it may be determined that the passenger is walking on the step (hereinafter referred to as "walking determination"). This causes a problem in that it is not possible to accurately determine whether a passenger is walking.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a passenger conveyor that can accurately determine whether or not a passenger is walking on a step. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The passenger conveyor of the present invention is a passenger conveyor equipped with an endless transport body consisting of a plurality of steps that transports passengers along a passenger passageway from a boarding area to a disembarking area, and is equipped with: a first passage detection unit that is arranged in the passenger passageway and detects the passage of passengers; a second passage detection unit that is arranged downstream of the first passage detection unit so that a predetermined distance is maintained between the first passage detection unit and the second passage detection unit and that detects the passage of passengers; and a usage status determination unit that performs a pedestrian presence determination, determining that a passenger is walking and moving on the plurality of steps that make up the endless transport body if the time required from when the first passage detection unit detects the passage of a passenger to when the second passage detection unit detects the passage of a passenger is shorter than a predetermined time.

[0009] In the passenger conveyor of the present invention, the preset time may be set based on the length of time required for a passenger standing still on the endless transport body to be transported a predetermined distance by the endless transport body.

[0010] In the passenger conveyor of the present invention, the multiple steps are configured to allow multiple passengers to board while lined up in the width direction of the passenger passage, the first passage detection unit and the second passage detection unit are configured to be able to detect passengers passing through one end and the other end in the width direction of the passenger passage, respectively, and the usage status determination unit may have a function to provide preset voice guidance according to the usage status of passengers passing through one end and the other end.

[0011] In the passenger conveyor of the present invention, the utilization status determination unit may include a memory unit that stores the passing timing at which the first passing detection unit detects the passage of a passenger, and the utilization status determination unit may calculate the required time using the longest passing timing stored in the memory unit when the second passing detection unit detects the passage of a passenger that has an elapsed time within a predetermined time limit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the passenger conveyor of the present invention, if the length of time required from when a passenger is detected by the first passage detector to when the passenger is detected by the downstream second passage detector is shorter than a preset time, it can be determined that a passenger is walking on the steps, thereby enabling accurate determination of the presence or absence of a passenger walking on the steps. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an escalator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the escalator as seen from the platform side. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram focusing on a control device included in the escalator shown in FIG. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a timing chart showing the state when the upstream right-side detection unit detects a passenger moving through the passenger passage while standing still on the steps during normal operation mode, and Figure 4(b) is a timing chart showing the state when the passenger detected by the right-side detection unit shown in Figure 4(a) is detected by the downstream left-side detection unit. [Figure 5] Figure 5(a) is a timing chart showing when the passage of a passenger is detected two times within a preset time while the normal operation mode is being executed, and Figure 5(b) is a timing chart showing when the passage of a passenger is detected three times within a preset time while the normal operation mode is being executed. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control process for determining whether or not a person is walking. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control process in the determination update process. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the guidance control. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of guidance control according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an escalator (passenger conveyor) 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the escalator 10 includes a passenger passage SW extending from a landing 12 on a lower floor to a landing 14 on an upper floor, and is equipped with an endless conveying body 20 that transports passengers from the landing 12 to the landing 14, and a control device 50 that controls the operation of the endless conveying body 20. The passenger passage SW is also provided with right-side detectors 44A and 44B (see Figure 2) and left-side detectors 42A and 42B (see Figure 2) that detect the passage of passengers (objects) moving from the landing 12 to the landing 14 on the endless conveying body 20.

[0015] The right-side detectors 44A and 44B have the role of detecting the presence or absence of passengers passing through the right half area of ​​the passenger passage SW (hereinafter referred to as the "right portion"), and the left-side detectors 42A and 42B have the role of detecting the presence or absence of passengers passing through the left half area of ​​the passenger passage SW (hereinafter referred to as the "left portion"). The right-side detector 44A and the left-side detector 42A correspond to first passage detectors, and the right-side detector 44B and the left-side detector 42B correspond to second passage detectors. The control device 50 has the function of providing various voice guidance according to the usage situation based on the detection status of each detector 42A, 42B, 44A, and 44B (described in detail later).

[0016] 1, the endless conveyor 20 is configured by endlessly connecting a plurality of steps 22A, 22B, 22C, ... (hereinafter, when no particular distinction is required, they will be referred to as "steps 22") via a step chain 21. The length of the steps 22 in the left-right direction, in other words, the width direction, is set to a length that allows two passengers to stand side by side, and is set to a length of 1000 mm, for example.

[0017] In this embodiment, the step 22 is sized to allow two passengers to stand side by side in the width direction, but the step 22 may be a relatively small step that allows only one passenger to stand on. In this case, it is necessary to provide only one of the left and right detectors 42A, 42B and the right detectors 44A, 44B.

[0018] A rotatably supported step sprocket 14P is provided in an upper floor machine room 14M located directly below the landing 14. Meanwhile, a rotatably supported step sprocket 12P is provided in a lower floor machine room 12M located directly below the landing 12. A step chain 21 constituting part of the endless conveying body 20 described above is wound around each of the step sprockets 12P, 14P, and as the step chain 21 is rotationally driven via a driven sprocket 14Q described below, the steps 22 move cyclically along the passenger passage SW from the landing 12 to the landing 14, i.e., along the conveying direction α.

[0019] An electric motor 24 is installed in the upper floor machine room 14M, and the driving force of the electric motor 24 is transmitted to an output shaft (not shown) via a reducer (not shown), which then rotates and drives a drive sprocket 24P. The rotational power of the drive sprocket 24P is transmitted to a driven sprocket 14Q via a roller chain 24C. The driven sprocket 14Q is attached to the shaft 14X together with the step sprocket 14P, so that rotating the driven sprocket 14Q also rotates the step sprocket 14P in conjunction with it.

[0020] As a result, the step chain 21 described above travels in a circular motion along the guide rail (not shown), and the steps 22 each connected endlessly to the step chain 21 travel in a circular motion accordingly.

[0021] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of escalator 10 as viewed from the landing 12 side. As shown in Figure 2, balustrades 31 and 32 are provided along passenger passage SW. Balustrades 31 and 32 are symmetrical with respect to passenger passage SW, and are made up of similar components. In the following explanation, balustrade 31 will be mainly described, and explanation of balustrade 32 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0022] 1 and 2, the balustrade section 31 includes a balustrade panel 33 that stands along the passenger passage SW, and a support section 34 that supports the balustrade panel 33. The balustrade panel 33 is made of, for example, a plurality of glass plates arranged in a row and has translucency. A movable handrail 35 is attached along the outer periphery of the balustrade panel 33.

[0023] 2, a skirt guard 34A is attached to the support portion 34 so as to cover the side surface on the passenger passage SW side. Similarly, a skirt guard 36A is attached to the support portion 36 of the balustrade portion 32 so as to cover the side surface on the step 22 side.

[0024] 1, speakers SP1 and SP2 (hereinafter referred to as "SP" as appropriate when no particular distinction is required) are built into the end of the support part 34 on the side of the landing 12 and the end on the side of the landing 14. Each speaker SP has the role of broadcasting audio guidance and the like.

[0025] The left-side detectors 42A, 42B and the right-side detectors 44A, 44B are respectively arranged on the upper and lower floors so as to face each other across the endless conveying body 20. Here, since the detectors 42A, 42B, 44A, 44B have the same configuration, the description will be mainly given taking the right-side detector 44A as an example, and the description of the right-side detector 44B and the left-side detectors 42A, 42B will be omitted as appropriate.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, the right-side detection unit 44A is attached to the skirt guard 34A at a position closer to the landing 12, and is configured by, for example, a reflective photoelectric sensor. The right-side detection unit 44A has the function of detecting the passage of an object by receiving reflected light that is generated when light that is irradiated onto a detection area AP shown by a dashed line in Fig. 2, i.e., a spatial area corresponding to the right half in the width direction of the passenger passage SW, is blocked by an object.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram centered on control device 50 included in escalator 10 shown in Fig. 1. Control device 50 is located in upper floor machine room 14M (see Fig. 1) and has the function of comprehensively controlling the operation of escalator 10. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, control device 50 includes a memory unit 58 consisting of a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. in which various control programs are stored, and an arithmetic processing device (not shown) such as a CPU.

[0028] The control device 50 functions as an operation control unit 52 that controls the drive of the electric motor 24 by having the arithmetic processing unit read out the control program from the memory unit 58 and perform arithmetic processing, a usage status determination unit 56 that determines the usage status based on the detection results of the detection units 42A, 42B, 44A, 44B, and a guidance control unit 54 that provides audio guidance through the speaker SP. The operation control unit 52 has a normal operation mode in which the operation control unit 52 controls the drive of the electric motor 24 to circulate the endless conveyor 20 so that the steps 22 move in the conveying direction α (see FIG. 1) within the passenger passage SW at a predetermined speed V (for example, 30 m / min).

[0029] 3 determines whether passengers are walking and the degree of congestion on the left side of the passenger passage SW based on the object detection status of the left side detectors 42A and 42B. Similarly, the utilization status determiner 56 determines whether passengers are walking and the degree of congestion on the right side of the passenger passage SW based on the object detection status of the right side detectors 44A and 44B.

[0030] Here, the methods of determining whether passengers are walking and the degree of congestion in the right and left portions of the passenger aisle SW by the utilization status determination unit 56 are almost the same. For this reason, the following explanation will mainly focus on the right portion of the passenger aisle SW, i.e., the method of determining whether passengers are walking and the degree of congestion using the right-side detectors 44A and 44B, and will omit explanations of the method of determining whether passengers are walking and the degree of congestion in the left portion of the passenger aisle SW, i.e., the method of determining whether passengers are walking and the degree of congestion using the left-side detectors 42A and 42B, as appropriate.

[0031] Figure 4(a) is a timing chart showing the state when the upstream right-side detection unit 44A detects passenger P1 moving through the passenger passage SW while stationary on the step 22 during normal operation mode, and Figure 4(b) is a timing chart showing the state when passenger P1 detected by the right-side detection unit 44A shown in Figure 4(a) is detected again by the downstream right-side detection unit 44B.

[0032] 4(a) and 4(b), if the elapsed (required) time TX from the time TA when passenger P1 is detected by the upstream right-side detector 44A to the time TB when passenger P1 is again detected by the downstream right-side detector 44B satisfies the relationship of the following formula (1), the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that the passenger is stationary on the steps 22 and moving toward the landing 14 (hereinafter referred to as "non-walking" determination). In the following formula (1), TXmin is the minimum time, and TXmax is the maximum time.

[0033] TXmin≦TX≦TXmax (1) Here, the minimum time TXmin is set to the time required for a passenger standing still on the step 22 to travel the distance DS (see Figure 2) between the two detection units 44A, 44B at the conveying speed of the endless conveying body 20, in other words, a time shorter than the time required to travel the distance (predetermined distance) DS at a predetermined speed V.

[0034] On the other hand, the maximum time (predetermined time limit) TXmax is set to the time required for a passenger standing still on the step 22 to travel the distance DS (see Figure 2) between the two detection units 44A, 44B at the conveying speed of the endless conveying body 20, in other words, a time longer than the time required to travel the distance (predetermined distance) DS at a predetermined speed V.

[0035] Furthermore, when using the escalator 10 and there is a passenger ahead, there is a tendency for many passengers to not board the adjacent step 22 immediately downstream in the conveying direction α of the step 22 on which the passenger ahead is boarding (in other words, immediately behind it), but rather to board another step 22 located further downstream in the conveying direction α than the adjacent step 22. For this reason, there is often a gap equivalent to one step 22 between each passenger on the escalator 10.

[0036] Therefore, it is preferable to set the minimum time TXmin to be shorter than the elapsed time TX by the amount of time required for one step 22 to pass through the above-mentioned detection area AP at the predetermined speed V, and the maximum time TXmax to be longer than the elapsed time TX by the amount of time required for one step 22 to move through the above-mentioned detection area AP at the predetermined speed V. With the above configuration, it is possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of passengers walking on multiple steps 22 while suppressing erroneous determinations caused by mistakenly detecting different passengers in front and behind.

[0037] Furthermore, if the elapsed time TX is shorter than the minimum time TXmin, it means that the passenger has moved the above-mentioned distance DS at a speed faster than the speed V of the steps 22 during normal operation mode. Therefore, if the elapsed time TX is shorter than the minimum time TXmin, the usage status determination unit 56 determines that the passenger is walking on the multiple steps 22 toward the landing 14 (hereinafter referred to as a "walking" determination).

[0038] On the other hand, if the elapsed time TX is longer than the maximum time TXmax, the passenger's usage status cannot be determined and the status is determined to be indeterminate (hereinafter referred to as "indeterminate" determination). For example, such an indeterminate determination may be made when a passenger changes their standing position from the right side to the left side within the same step 22.

[0039] Next, a method for determining the congestion level in the utilization status determination unit 56 will be described with reference to Figures 5(a) and 5(b). Figure 5(a) is a timing chart showing a case where the upstream right-side detection unit 44A detects the passage of a passenger two times within a preset time TJ while the normal operation mode is being executed, and Figure 5(b) is a timing chart showing a case where the upstream right-side detection unit 44A detects the passage of a passenger three times within a preset time TJ while the normal operation mode is being executed.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 5(a), the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that the right side of the passenger passage SW is not congested (hereinafter referred to as "empty" determination) if the right side detector 44A located closer to the landing 12 detects the passage of passengers (i.e., detects the timing at which the detection state switches from OFF to ON) two or less times within a preset time TJ. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that the right side of the passenger passage SW is congested (hereinafter referred to as "congested" determination) if the right side detector 44A detects the passage of passengers (i.e., detects the timing at which the detection state switches from OFF to ON) three or more times within a preset time TJ.

[0041] The utilization status determination unit 56 may be configured to consider the detection state of the right-side detection unit 44A to have switched from the ON state to the OFF state if the detection state does not switch from the ON state to the OFF state within a certain period of time after the detection state of the right-side detection unit 44A has switched from the OFF state to the ON state. This makes it possible to treat the multiple passengers as having been detected separately after a certain period of time has passed, even if, for example, the detection of multiple passengers overlaps without interruption for some reason, causing the ON state to continue.

[0042] In this embodiment, the utilization status determination unit 56 determines whether a seat is available by detecting passengers passing through two or fewer times within a preset time TJ, but it may also be set to one or fewer times, or three or more times.

[0043] In this embodiment, the utilization status determination unit 56 determines whether a station is crowded when passengers are detected passing through three or more times within a preset time TJ, but the condition for determining whether a station is crowded may also be when passengers are detected passing through two or four or more times.

[0044] Next, the flow of the process for determining whether or not a passenger is walking when the normal operation mode is being executed will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart SB1 showing the flow of the process for determining whether or not a passenger is walking in the use status determination unit 56. As shown in Fig. 6, when the use status determination unit 56 detects the passage of a passenger via the right-side detection unit 44A located upstream, that is, when the detection state of the right-side detection unit 44A changes from an OFF state to an ON state (step S1: YES), it starts measuring the elapsed time (step S2). In the following description, the measurement of the elapsed time started in step S2 will be referred to as a "timer" where appropriate.

[0045] This allows the time elapsed since the right-side detector 44A changed from an OFF state to an ON state to be measured. That is, each time a passenger is detected via the right-side detector 44A, measurement of the elapsed time is started (in other words, a new timer is set).

[0046] When the passage of a passenger is detected via the right-side detector 44B located downstream (step S3: YES), the utilization status determination unit 56 determines whether or not the timer set in step S2 exists (step S4). If a timer exists (step S4: YES), and the time length of the timer with the longest measurement time (hereinafter referred to as "timer MX") among the timers is shorter than the minimum time TXmin, the utilization status determination unit 56 performs the above-described walking presence determination (steps S5, S6). Here, timer MX corresponds to the above-described elapsed time TX (see FIG. 4(b)).

[0047] Furthermore, the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that the user is not walking if the time length of the timer MX is equal to or greater than the minimum time TXmin and equal to or less than the maximum time TXmax (steps S5, S7).

[0048] Furthermore, if the timer MX is greater than the maximum time TXmax, the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that the time is indefinite (steps S5, S8).

[0049] Next, the usage status determination unit 56 deletes the timer MX, which has the longest elapsed time among the timers (step S9). If there is a timer (hereinafter referred to as "timer NE") among the timers that has a time length equal to or longer than the maximum time TXmax, the usage status determination unit 56 also deletes the timer NE (step S10).

[0050] Also, in the above-mentioned step S3, if the passage of a passenger is not detected via the right-side detection unit 44B (step S3: NO), and if a timer does not exist in step S4 (step S4: NO), the usage status determination unit 56 erases the timer NE (step S10).

[0051] Furthermore, if there is no other timer, the usage status determination unit 56 ends the series of processes (step S11: NO). On the other hand, if there is another timer, the usage status determination unit 56 transitions to the process of step S1 (step S11: YES).

[0052] The utilization status determination unit 56 executes a determination update process (described later) based on the pedestrian presence / absence determination status (i.e., pedestrian presence determination, non-pedestrian presence determination, indeterminate determination) in steps S6 to S8 of the flowchart SB1 described above and whether the downstream right-side detection unit 44B has not detected the passage of a passenger after the detection by the right-side detection unit 44A. In this embodiment, the pedestrian presence / absence determination described above and the determination update process (described later) are executed independently. As an example, the pedestrian presence / absence determination control process is executed continuously in the utilization status determination unit 56, and the determination update process is executed at regular time intervals, such as every second, to successively update the determination status. The determination update process in the utilization status determination unit 56 will be described below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0053] Fig. 7 is a flowchart SB2 showing the flow of the determination update process in the utilization status determination unit 56. As shown in Fig. 7, if the utilization status determination unit 56 has not performed the non-pedestrian determination in the above-described flowchart SB1, that is, if the utilization status determination unit 56 has performed the pedestrian determination or the indeterminate determination, or if the right-side detection unit 44B has not detected the passage of a passenger after the detection by the right-side detection unit 44A, the utilization status determination unit 56 proceeds to step S22 (step S21: NO). Then, if the utilization status determination unit 56 has performed the pedestrian determination (step S22: YES), the utilization status determination unit 56 records the determination time HT at which the pedestrian determination was performed (step S23).

[0054] On the other hand, in the process of step S22, if the presence of walking determination has not been performed, that is, if an indefinite determination has been performed or if the downstream right-side detection unit 44B has not detected the passage of a passenger after the upstream right-side detection unit 44A has detected one (step S22: NO), and if the determination time HT is recorded (step S24: YES), the utilization status determination unit 56 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the determination time HT (step S25). Here, the predetermined time is set to a time interval of, for example, about 3 to 5 seconds.

[0055] Then, if the predetermined time has elapsed since the determination time HT, the utilization status determination unit 56 updates the determination to a non-walking determination (step S25: YES, step S26) and erases the determination time HT (step S27). As a result, if an indefinite determination has been made, it is possible to change the determination result by assuming that no passengers are walking on the steps 22 and moving toward the landing 14 after the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0056] On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed since the determination time HT, the utilization status determination unit 56 updates the determination state to a walking determination (step S25: NO, step S29). As a result, even if the determination state is indeterminate or the downstream right-side detection unit 44B does not detect the passage of a passenger after the detection by the upstream right-side detection unit 44A, it is still treated as if there is a passenger walking on the multiple steps 22 and heading toward the landing 14 until the predetermined time has elapsed since the determination time HT.

[0057] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned step S24, even if the determination time HT is not recorded, the utilization status determination unit 56 updates the determination to a non-walking determination (step S24: NO, step S28). As a result, even if the determination time HT is not recorded and an indefinite determination is made due to some factor or at least one of the right-side detection units 44A, 44B does not detect the passage of a passenger, it is possible to determine that there are no passengers walking on the multiple steps 22 and moving toward the landing 14, and make a non-walking determination.

[0058] The guidance control unit 54 executes voice guidance based on the results of the determination of whether passengers are walking and the congestion state by the above-mentioned utilization state determination unit 56. The voice guidance by the guidance control unit 54 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0059] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart SB3 illustrating the flow of voice guidance in the guidance control unit 54. As shown in Fig. 8, when the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that the passenger is not walking (step S30: NO), and there is no imbalance in the degree of congestion between the right and left parts of the passenger passage SW, the guidance control unit 54 repeatedly executes voice guidance such as "Thank you for stopping to board" (hereinafter referred to as appropriate as announcement A) through the speaker SP until a preset announcement execution time (for example, 10 seconds) has elapsed (step S31: NO, step S33, step S37: NO).

[0060] Here, a state in which there is no bias in the degree of congestion in the right and left parts of the passenger passage SW includes a case in which the above-mentioned vacancy determination is made in both the right and left parts of the passenger passage SW, and a case in which the above-mentioned congestion determination is made in both the right and left parts.

[0061] On the other hand, when the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that either the right or left side of the passenger passage SW is congested and the other side is vacant (in other words, this can be expressed as a state in which the congestion state is biased), the guidance control unit 54 repeatedly executes voice guidance to guide passengers to the side where the vacancy has been determined (hereinafter referred to as announcement B as appropriate) until the pre-set announcement execution time has elapsed (step S31: YES, step S34, step S38: NO).

[0062] More specifically, when the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that the right side of the passenger passage SW is crowded and the left side is empty, it issues a voice guidance such as "Please stop on the left side as well to board," as announcement B. This encourages passengers to board the escalator on the less crowded side of either the left or right side of the passenger passage SW, thereby promoting efficient use of the escalator 10.

[0063] In addition, when the usage status determination unit 56 determines whether there is walking (step S30: YES), if the determination is made on only one of the left and right parts of the passenger passage SW (step S32: NO), the guidance control unit 54 executes voice guidance (hereinafter referred to as announcement C as appropriate) urging passengers to stop at either the left or right part where the determination is made on whether there is walking and get on until the preset announcement execution time has elapsed (step S35, step S39: NO).

[0064] More specifically, when the utilization status determination unit 56 determines that there is walking on the right side of the passenger passage SW and determines that there is no walking on the left side of the passenger passage SW, the guidance control unit 54 executes voice guidance such as "Please stop on the right side as well to board the train" as announcement C. This prevents passengers from walking on the steps 22 toward the alighting area 14 because their path will be blocked by other passengers even if they try to walk on the steps 22 toward the alighting area 14.

[0065] Furthermore, if the usage status determination unit 56 determines that there is walking on both the left and right sides of the passenger passage SW (step S32: YES), the guidance control unit 54 executes voice guidance (hereinafter referred to as "Announcement D") urging passengers not to walk on the steps 22 toward the exit 14 until a preset announcement execution time has elapsed (steps S36, S40: NO). More specifically, voice guidance such as "It is dangerous to walk. Please stop and board" is executed as announcement D.

[0066] With the above configuration, by executing each of the announcements A to D suited to the usage situation of the escalator 10, it is possible to encourage passengers to use the escalator 10 suited to the situation.

[0067] According to the escalator 10 of this embodiment, if the elapsed time TX required from when a passenger is detected by the upstream right-side detection unit 44A until when the passenger is detected by the downstream right-side detection unit 44B is shorter than the minimum time TXmin, it can be determined that a passenger is walking on the multiple steps 22 and heading toward the exit 14.

[0068] Similarly, according to the escalator 10, if the elapsed time TX required from when a passenger is detected by the upstream left-side detector 42A until when the passenger is detected by the downstream left-side detector 42B is shorter than the minimum time TXmin, it can be determined that a passenger is walking on the steps 22 and heading toward the alighting station 14. This makes it possible to accurately determine whether or not there is a passenger walking on the steps 22.

[0069] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the guidance control unit 54 executes one of announcements A to D for a preset announcement execution time, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to provide a pause during which no announcements are made after executing one of announcements A to D for a preset execution time. This makes it possible to prevent different types of announcements from being made consecutively, such as when announcement A for the escalator 10 is followed immediately by announcement D. This makes it less likely that passengers will mishear the content of the announcements.

[0070] The flow of guidance control in guidance control unit 54 according to this modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 shows a flowchart SB4 of guidance control when a pause is provided after an announcement is made. Steps S50 to S60 in flowchart SB4 have the same configuration as the processes in steps S30 to S40 in flowchart SB3 described above.

[0071] In steps S57 to S60, the guidance control unit 54 executes one of announcements A to D until a preset execution time has elapsed, and then does not make any announcements until a preset pause time (e.g., 3 seconds) has elapsed (step S61: NO). Even in this case, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the preset pause time may be shorter or longer than 3 seconds.

[0072] In addition, the guidance control unit 54 may provide a pause period in which no announcement is made as shown in step S61 only when the announcement made in any of steps S53 to S56 is different from the announcement made last time (i.e., for example, when the announcement made last time was announcement A in step S53 but announcement D is being made this time in step S56).

[0073] In the above embodiment, the escalator 10 is taken as an example of a passenger conveyor, but the present invention may also be applied to a moving walkway.

[0074] The present invention can be implemented in various forms, including improvements, modifications, and variations based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the invention can be implemented in a form in which any of the features of the invention are replaced with other technology, as long as the same action or effect is achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 Escalator (passenger conveyor) Platform 12 14 Drop-off point 20 Endless conveyor 22,22A,22B,22C Steps 24 Electric motor 31,32 Parapet section 34,36 Support part 34A, 36A Skirt guard 42A Left side detector (first passing detector) 44A Right side detector (first passing detector) 42B Left side detector (second passage detector) 44B Right side detector (second passage detector) 50 Control device 52 Operation control unit 54 Guidance control unit 56 Usage status determination unit AP detection area DS distance (predetermined distance) S1~S61 steps SB1~SB4 Flowchart SP, SP1, SP2 speakers

Claims

1. A passenger conveyor having an endless conveyor consisting of a plurality of steps that transports passengers along a passenger passageway from a boarding area to a disembarking area, a first passage detection unit disposed in the passenger passage and configured to detect the passage of a passenger; a second passage detection unit that is provided downstream of the first passage detection unit at a predetermined distance from the first passage detection unit and detects the passage of a passenger; a usage status determination unit that determines that a passenger is walking on the steps constituting the endless conveying body when a time required from when the first passage detection unit detects the passage of a passenger to when the second passage detection unit detects the passage of the passenger is shorter than a preset time; and A passenger conveyor comprising:

2. the predetermined time is set based on the length of time required for a passenger standing still on the endless conveying vehicle to be transported by the endless conveying vehicle over the predetermined distance.

2. A passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

3. The plurality of steps are configured to allow a plurality of passengers to board while lined up in a width direction of the passenger passageway, the first passage detection unit and the second passage detection unit are provided to be able to detect passengers passing through one end side and the other end side in a width direction of the passenger passage, respectively; the utilization status determination unit has a function of providing preset voice guidance in accordance with utilization status of passengers passing through the one end side and the other end side, 2. A passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

4. the utilization status determination unit measures the elapsed time from the timing when the first passage detection unit detects the passage of the passenger, and calculates the required time using the longest elapsed time measured when the second passage detection unit detects the passage of the passenger that is within a predetermined time limit.

2. A passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

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