Emergency stop system and emergency stop method for passenger conveyors

Abstract

This will allow users to initiate an emergency stop of the passenger conveyor belt themselves in the event of an emergency. [Solution] The passenger conveyor has a portable terminal that is carried by the user and has a position measurement function to measure the user's current location, and an emergency stop function that transmits an emergency stop signal by operation by the user when an emergency occurs while using the passenger conveyor, and the portable terminal can activate the emergency stop function when the user is staying on the passenger conveyor based on the position measurement function, and a cloud server that relays the emergency stop signal from the portable terminal and outputs it to the passenger conveyor control panel to stop the passenger conveyor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an emergency stop system and an emergency stop method for a passenger conveyor.

Background Art

[0002] Multiple safety switches for stopping the operation of a passenger conveyor (collectively referring to escalators and moving walkways) for accident prevention are installed at multiple locations. For example, there are safety devices at the inlet of the handrail, devices for detecting abnormalities in the steps, and safety devices for skirt guards. Furthermore, an emergency stop button is also installed near the boarding and alighting areas.

[0003] However, despite the installation of these safety devices, accidents still occur frequently. The causes of accidents include problems such as the safety devices not operating due to some reason, no people being around at the time of the accident, and the users involved in the accident not being within reach of the emergency stop button.

[0004] Conventionally, there are technologies for stopping the passenger conveyor by the operation of a safety switch and then restoring it after confirmation by a surveillance camera, and technologies for providing sensors at predetermined intervals on the railing and stopping the passenger conveyor when the sensor detects an impact force above a reference value.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] As mentioned above, in the event of an accident on a passenger conveyor belt, various safety devices may fail to activate for some reason, and the person involved in the accident may not be able to reach the emergency stop button, making it impossible to stop the passenger conveyor belt using the emergency stop switch. In particular, if the user is elderly, an infant, or a person with a disability, it may be difficult for them to escape on their own after an accident. There are also cases where self-rescue is difficult, such as when there are no third parties on or near the passenger conveyor belt at the time of the accident, and rescue by a third party cannot be expected.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an emergency stop system and method for a passenger conveyor that enables users to stop the passenger conveyor themselves in the event of an emergency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An embodiment for achieving the above objective is an emergency stop system for a passenger conveyor, comprising: a portable terminal that is carried by a user of the passenger conveyor and has a position measurement function to measure the user's current location; an emergency stop function that transmits an emergency stop signal by operation by the user when an emergency occurs while using the passenger conveyor, and which enables the activation of the emergency stop function when the user is on the passenger conveyor based on the position measurement function; and a cloud server that relays the emergency stop signal from the portable terminal to the passenger conveyor control panel and outputs it to stop the passenger conveyor. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the control configuration of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 3A] A flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 3B]A flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] <First Embodiment> Configuration of the First Embodiment Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In the following embodiments, an escalator including a moving walkway as a passenger conveyor will be used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to escalators and can be applied to all passenger conveyors.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the escalator 1 moves users 5 on the steps 2 by circulating them between the lower floor entrance / exit 3 and the upper floor entrance / exit 4. The machine room 6 houses the drive wheels 7 that drive the steps 2 by a chain, and the motor 8 that rotates these drive wheels 7. Emergency stop buttons 9D and 9U are installed on the outer deck near the entrance / exit 3 and 4 of the escalator 1, and pressing these buttons in the event of an accident will stop the drive of the steps 2. An escalator control panel 10 is installed in the machine room 6, which controls the driving and stopping of the escalator 1.

[0012] In this embodiment, a smartphone 20 owned by user 5 is connected to a cloud server 30, and this cloud server 30 is connected to the escalator control panel 10 and the remote monitoring center 40.

[0013] The smartphone 20 includes a terminal position determination unit 21, an emergency stop activation unit 22, and an emergency stop signal transmission unit 23. These terminal position determination unit 21, emergency stop activation unit 22, and emergency stop signal transmission unit 23 are each a block of the functions of an application (hereinafter referred to as an app) installed in the smartphone 20. This app is made available only when there is a user who has the smartphone 20 within a predetermined range for the purpose of preventing mischief. Also, even within the available area, as a measure to prevent mischief, the app shall operate only when there is one smartphone 20 connected to a predetermined Wi-Fi using a known MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution.

[0014] The terminal position determination unit 21 has a function of measuring the current terminal position from GPS.

[0015] The emergency stop activation unit 22 activates an emergency stop by a user's button operation when the user 5 who has the smartphone 20 is boarding the escalator 1.

[0016] The emergency stop signal transmission unit 23 transmits an emergency stop signal when the emergency stop activation unit 22 is operated.

[0017] The cloud server 30 includes an emergency stop signal reception unit 31, a determination unit 32, a history unit 33, and an emergency stop signal output unit 34.

[0018] The emergency stop signal reception unit 31 receives the emergency stop signal transmitted from the smartphone 20.

[0019] The determination unit 32 determines the validity of the received emergency stop signal.

[0020] The history unit 33 accumulates the history of the received emergency stop signals.

[0021] The emergency stop signal output unit 34 transmits the emergency stop signal to the escalator control panel 10 when the received emergency stop signal is valid.

[0022] The escalator control panel 10 includes an emergency stop signal input unit 11 and an emergency stop unit 12.

[0023] The emergency stop signal input unit 11 inputs the emergency stop signal output from the cloud server 30.

[0024] When an emergency stop signal is input, the emergency stop unit 12 activates the brake unit 14 of the motor 8 and outputs a power-off signal to the power supply unit 13 of the motor 8 to stop the escalator 1.

[0025] The remote monitoring center 40 is connected to a plurality of cloud servers 30 and remotely monitors each escalator 1 under the cloud server 30. The remote monitoring center 40 checks the operating state of the escalator 1 and determines the validity of the emergency stop signal transmitted from the smartphone 20. If it is a valid emergency stop signal, it outputs an emergency stop signal to the corresponding escalator 1 to the cloud server 30. If it is determined that the emergency stop signal is invalid, it does not relay the emergency stop signal. When the cloud server 30 is not connected to the remote monitoring center 40, the validity of the emergency stop signal is determined within the cloud server 30. <​An application with an escalator emergency stop function enables emergency stopping of escalators. When an escalator emergency stop instruction is sent via the application, the escalator control panel receives the emergency stop signal and stops the passenger conveyor. The application and the escalator control panel are connected using a cloud connection interface and a dedicated cloud. To prevent tampering, the application will only operate when a smartphone or other device is within a predetermined range, and to improve GPS accuracy, radio waves will be transmitted to passengers from a wireless LAN point where a location information database for the escalator or building is built. Furthermore, as a measure to prevent tampering within the area, a known MDM solution will be used, and the application will only operate when connected to a designated Wi-Fi network and only when there is one device connected to that Wi-Fi network. If GPS does not work correctly, the building's Wi-Fi will be used, or Wi-Fi will be transmitted from the escalator to improve GPS accuracy.

[0027] <Operation> Figures 3A and 3B are flowcharts showing the procedures from the occurrence of an escalator accident to the emergency stop.

[0028] The cloud server 30 or the escalator control panel 10 monitors whether or not an escalator accident has occurred. If an accident occurs on escalator 1, such as a user 5 falling or getting caught in the steps 2 (S1YES), the operation confirmation process determines the status of the pre-installed safety device (S2). If the safety device is activated (S2YES), the escalator 1 will make an emergency stop (S4).

[0029] If the safety device is determined to be inactive after the safety device operation check (S2NO), it is determined that the situation is dangerous as the escalator is still operating after the accident, so the system starts checking for the activation of an emergency stop signal for escalator 1 (S3). First, the number of connected smartphones 20 within the area of ​​escalator 1 is checked. If multiple devices are connected (S5NO), it is determined that there is a third party in the same area, and the application on smartphone 20 is not activated. Then, the system waits for rescue by a third party, and the user is rescued (S7).

[0030] If the number of connected devices in the area is confirmed to be one (S5NO), it is determined that there is one user, and the user (accident victim) 5 starts the application himself (S6). When the application is started, a check is performed to see if there is a history of multiple application starts in the past as a prank check. If there is a history of multiple starts (S8YES), it is determined that there is a high possibility of prank, and escalator operation continues (S9). If no history of multiple starts in the past is confirmed during the prank check (S8NO), an emergency stop signal is sent. In addition, a notification (communication signal) and the emergency stop signal are sent to the remote monitoring center 40 (S10).

[0031] The remote monitoring center 40 checks the operating status of escalator 1 to determine if it has been vandalized. If it is determined to have been vandalized (S11YES), operation of escalator 1 continues (S12).

[0032] If the prank check does not determine that it is a prank (S11NO), the cloud server 30 receives the emergency stop signal transmitted from the app on the smartphone 20 (S13). Furthermore, the cloud server 30 transmits a stop signal to the escalator control panel 10 (S14), and the escalator control panel 10 receives the emergency stop signal (S15) and brings the escalator 1 to an emergency stop (S16). After the escalator 1 stops, the process ends when user 5 exits the escalator 1 (S17).

[0033] Thus, according to this embodiment, even if the safety device fails to activate for some reason when an accident occurs on the escalator 1, and the emergency stop buttons 9D and 9U cannot be pressed, the escalator 1 can be brought to an emergency stop by activating the app on the smartphone 20. Furthermore, if the app is activated multiple times, its legitimacy can be determined, preventing the escalator 1 from being stopped due to tampering or other reasons.

[0034] <Other Embodiments> The maintenance personnel of escalator 1 may install an application similar to that on a smartphone 20 on a portable maintenance terminal or on a computer in the control room where the manager of escalator 1 is stationed. This may enable an emergency stop function that allows the maintenance personnel or manager to send an emergency stop signal when an emergency occurs while user 5 is using escalator 1.

[0035] Additionally, the device may be configured to emit warning sounds or operating sounds when an application is being operated on the smartphone 20.

[0036] Furthermore, if GPS does not work correctly when confirming the location of user 5, the building's Wi-Fi can be used, or Wi-Fi can be transmitted from the escalator 1 side to improve GPS accuracy.

[0037] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented 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 variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...Escalator, 2...Steps, 3...Lower floor entrance / exit, 4...Upper floor entrance / exit, 5...User, 6...Machine room, 7...Drive wheel, 8...Motor, 9D,9U...Emergency stop button, 10...Escalator control panel, 11...Emergency stop signal input unit, 12...Emergency stop unit, 13...Power supply unit, 14...Brake unit, 20...Smartphone, 21...Terminal location determination unit, 22...Emergency stop activation unit, 23...Emergency stop signal transmission unit, 30...Cloud server, 31...Emergency stop signal reception unit, 32...Determination unit, 33...History unit, 34...Emergency stop signal output unit

Claims

1. A portable terminal carried by a passenger conveyor has a location measurement function to measure the user's current location, and an emergency stop function that transmits an emergency stop signal when an emergency occurs while using the passenger conveyor, and which enables the activation of the emergency stop function when the user is on the passenger conveyor based on the location measurement function. An emergency stop system for a passenger conveyor, comprising: a cloud server that relays the emergency stop signal to the passenger conveyor control panel and stops the passenger conveyor when the emergency stop signal is transmitted from the mobile terminal; and a cloud server that relays the emergency stop signal to the passenger conveyor control panel.

2. The passenger conveyor emergency stop system according to claim 1, wherein the cloud server has a function to determine the validity of the received emergency stop signal, and if an emergency stop signal has been transmitted multiple times from the same mobile terminal in the past, it is not considered a valid emergency stop signal.

3. The emergency stop system for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, comprising a remote monitoring center connected to the aforementioned cloud server, wherein the remote monitoring center determines the validity of the emergency stop signal.

4. The passenger conveyor emergency stop system according to claim 1, wherein the cloud server disables the emergency stop function when multiple mobile terminals equipped with the location measurement function and the emergency stop function are recognized within the same area.

5. The emergency stop system for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein if the emergency stop function is operated multiple times from the mobile terminal, the transmission of an emergency stop signal from the mobile terminal is suppressed.

6. The passenger conveyor emergency stop system according to claim 1, wherein a portable terminal carried by a passenger conveyor maintenance worker or a computer in a monitoring room where a passenger conveyor manager is stationed has an emergency stop function that transmits an emergency stop signal when an emergency occurs while the passenger conveyor is in use, by operation by the maintenance worker or manager.

7. An emergency stop system for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein an emergency stop signal is transmitted from the mobile terminal, and a warning sound is emitted from the mobile terminal.

8. The handheld devices carried by passengers on the passenger conveyor include a location tracking function to measure the user's current location and an emergency stop function that transmits an emergency stop signal via user operation in the event of an emergency while using the passenger conveyor. Based on the aforementioned position measurement function, the emergency stop function can be activated when a user is staying on the passenger conveyor belt. An emergency stop method for a passenger conveyor, in which, when an emergency stop signal is transmitted from a mobile device by a user using the passenger conveyor, the passenger conveyor control panel receives the emergency stop signal and stops the passenger conveyor.

Images