Man conveyor

Abstract

To provide a man conveyor that can reliably detect when a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the floor, while reducing false detections. [Solution] The man conveyor comprises a transport section for transporting people forward, a disembarking section located at the front end of the transport section, an annular handrail belt that rotates endlessly and is located on the outside in the width direction of the transport section, and a load detector embedded in the floor of the disembarking section at a position where at least a portion overlaps with the handrail belt in a plan view, and which acquires and outputs load information regarding the applied load, with the entire load detector located behind the front end of the handrail belt.

Description

Technical Field

[0006]

[0001] This application relates to a man conveyor.

Background Art

[0002] In a man conveyor, an endless rotating annular handrail belt provided on the railing part enters the inlet of the descending part while approaching the floor at the semi-circular folding part. Conventionally, a safety device using an infrared sensor is known for detecting the approach of a person to the inlet (Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, since an infrared sensor detects the amount of infrared rays emitted by the human body and temperature changes, it may not be able to detect a person depending on the surrounding environment and the like. Therefore, a method for reliably detecting that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the floor is desired.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the problem is to provide a man conveyor that can reliably detect that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the floor while reducing false detection.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] [1] The man conveyor includes a conveying part that conveys a person forward, a descending part disposed at the front end of the conveying part, an endless rotating annular handrail belt disposed outside the conveying part in the width direction, The floor of the aforementioned descent section is embedded in a position where, in a plan view, at least a portion of the handrail belt overlaps with the floor, and includes a load detector that acquires and outputs load information regarding the applied load, The entire load sensor is positioned behind the front end of the handrail belt.

[0007] [2] Furthermore, in the man conveyor described in [1] above, The entire load detector overlaps with the handrail belt in a plan view. This configuration is also acceptable.

[0008] [3] Furthermore, in the man conveyor described in [1] or [2] above, The system includes a processing unit that determines whether or not a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the load detector based on the load information. The load detector has a first detection area and a second detection area located behind the first detection area, and acquires the load information in each detection area. The processing unit determines that a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the first detection area when the load obtained from the load information in the first detection area exceeds a first threshold, and determines that a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the second detection area when the load obtained from the load information in the second detection area exceeds a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold. This configuration is also acceptable.

[0009] [4] Furthermore, in any one of the man conveyors described in [1] to [3] above, The system includes a processing unit that determines whether or not a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the load detector based on the load information. The load detector has a first detection area and a second detection area located behind the first detection area, and acquires the load information in each detection area. When the processing unit determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the first detection area based on the load information in the first detection area, it instructs the output unit to output an alarm, and when it determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the second detection area based on the load information in the second detection area, it stops the handrail belt. Such a configuration may be adopted.

[0010] [5] Also, in any one of the man conveyors of [1] to [4] above, it includes a processing unit that determines whether a person has entered between the handrail belt and the load detector based on the load information, when the processing unit determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the load detector, it stops the handrail belt and reversely rotates the handrail belt after a predetermined time has elapsed since the stop of the handrail belt. Such a configuration may be adopted.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] Overall view of the man conveyor according to an embodiment [Figure 2] Enlarged view of the main part of the man conveyor according to the same embodiment [Figure 3] Partial cross-sectional view with the III area in FIG. 2 enlarged [Figure 4] Plan view of the main part of the man conveyor according to the same embodiment [Figure 5] Partial cross-sectional view according to another embodiment [Figure 6] Partial cross-sectional view according to another embodiment

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] In each drawing, for example, for ease of understanding, the dimensions of the components may be shown enlarged or reduced with respect to the actual dimensions, and the dimensional ratios between the drawings may not match. In each drawing, for example, for ease of understanding, a part of the components may be shown omitted.

[0013] Terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but this term is used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another, and the components are not particularly limited by this term. Note that the number of components including ordinal numbers is not particularly limited, and for example, there may be one. Also, the ordinal numbers used in the following specification and drawings may be different from those described in the claims.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the man conveyor will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Note that the following embodiments are exemplified to assist in understanding the configuration of the man conveyor and do not limit the configuration of the man conveyor.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the man conveyor 1 may include, for example, a structure 2 installed on the body, a conveying unit 3 that conveys a user (person) forward in the D21 direction, a pair of railing units 4 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) arranged so as to sandwich the conveying unit 3 in the first direction D1, a driving unit 5 that drives the conveying unit 3 and the railing units 4, and a processing unit 6 that controls the entire apparatus.

[0016] In each figure, the first direction D1 is a first lateral direction (also referred to as the "width direction") D1 that is parallel to the horizontal direction, the second direction D2 is a second lateral direction (also referred to as the "front-rear direction") D2 that is parallel to the horizontal direction and orthogonal to the first lateral direction D1, and the third direction D3 is a vertical direction that is orthogonal to the first lateral direction D1 and the second lateral direction D2, which is the up-down direction D3. Also, one direction of the front-rear direction D2 is referred to as the front D21, and the other direction is referred to as the rear D22.

[0017] The man conveyor 1 according to this embodiment is an escalator with a staircase-shaped tread for transporting users, but it is not limited to this configuration. For example, the man conveyor 1 may be a moving walkway with a flat tread for transporting users. In this embodiment, the man conveyor 1 is configured to transport users diagonally downwards, but the man conveyor 1 may also be configured to transport users diagonally upwards.

[0018] The transport unit 3 may, for example, as in this embodiment, include an annular traveling unit 3a that rotates endlessly when driven by a drive unit 5, and a plurality of steps 3b that are connected to the traveling unit 3a and travel together with the traveling unit 3a, and have a tread surface on which the user stands. The traveling unit 3a is not particularly limited, but for example, it may be a roller chain.

[0019] Furthermore, for example, the travel sections 3a may be provided in pairs, separated in the first lateral direction D1, and the multiple steps 3b may be arranged between the pair of travel sections 3a, 3a. The steps 3b may be rotatably connected to each travel section 3a with respect to the first lateral direction D1 as an axis.

[0020] The drive unit 5 may, for example, as in this embodiment, include a pair of rotating parts 5a, 5a around which the running part 3a is wrapped so that the step 3b is reversed and which rotate around the first lateral direction D1 as an axis, and a drive source 5b that rotates the rotating parts 5a. Although not particularly limited, the rotating parts 5a may be, for example, sprockets, and the drive source 5b may be, for example, a motor.

[0021] The railing section 4 may, for example, comprise an endlessly rotating annular handrail belt 4a, a railing body section 4b that supports the handrail belt 4a, and a cover section 4c that covers the lower part of the railing body section 4b. For example, the handrail belt 4a may be driven by the drive unit 5, and the movement of the handrail belt 4a may be synchronized with the movement in step 3b.

[0022] The structure 2 may, for example, include machine rooms 2a and 2b located at each end in the front-rear direction D2, as in this embodiment. The machine room 2a located above is referred to as the first machine room 2a, and the machine room 2b located below is referred to as the second machine room 2b. The structure 2 may also be, for example, a truss structure or girder structure composed of multiple frame members.

[0023] The man conveyor 1 may, for example, include a floor plate portion 1a attached to the structure 2 so as to cover the machine rooms 2a and 2b from above, as in this embodiment. In this way, the floor plate portion 1a constitutes the floor of the boarding and alighting sections 1b and 1c, which are located at each end of the transport section 3 in the front-rear direction D2 for boarding and alighting.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the floor plate section 1a may include, for example, a floor plate (lighting plate) 11 and a comb plate 12 with a comb attached to its end.

[0025] Furthermore, the floor plate portion 1a may include a floor plate reinforcing member 13 connected to the lower surface of the floor plate 11 in order to reinforce the floor plate 11. The floor plate reinforcing member 13 is in partial contact with the lower surface of the floor plate 11, and the portion of the floor plate 11 that is not in contact with the floor plate reinforcing member 13 will flex due to a load from above.

[0026] Furthermore, the floor plate portion 1a may include a position-changing portion 14 that can change the vertical position D3 of the floor plate 11 relative to the structure 2. The configuration of the position-changing portion 14 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the position-changing portion 14 includes a nut fixed to the floor plate reinforcing member 13 and a bolt that screws into the nut and rests on the structure 2. By changing the length of the bolt protruding downward from the floor plate reinforcing member 13, the vertical position D3 of the floor plate 11 relative to the structure 2 is changed.

[0027] In this embodiment, the man conveyor 1 is configured to transport users diagonally downwards. Therefore, the first boarding / alighting section 1b located above becomes the boarding section 1b, and the second boarding / alighting section 1c located below becomes the alighting section 1c. Alternatively, the man conveyor 1 may be configured to transport users diagonally upwards as described above.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the handrail belt 4a has arc-shaped folded portions 4d at both ends in the front-rear direction D2. That is, the tip of the folded portion 4d of the descending section 1c becomes the front end 4e of the handrail belt 4a.

[0029] The floor plate section 1a is equipped with a load detector 7 embedded in the floor of the descending section 1c. The load detector 7 is positioned below the floor plate 11 and may detect deformation due to the sinking or bending of the floor plate 11. In this embodiment, the load detector 7 detects deformation due to the bending of the floor plate 11. The load detector 7 can detect a load applied to the floor plate 11 from above.

[0030] The load detector 7 is embedded in a position where it overlaps with the handrail belt 4a in a plan view (vertical direction D3 view). This allows the load detector 7 to reliably detect the load applied to the floor plate portion 1a directly below the handrail belt 4a.

[0031] The load detector 7 is, for example, a sheet-shaped (or film-shaped) surface pressure sensor 7a. The sheet-shaped surface pressure sensor 7a is placed under the floor plate 11 and acquires data on the pressure distribution of the load applied to the floor plate 11. As in this embodiment, the surface pressure sensor 7a may be supported on its lower surface by the floor plate reinforcing material 13 and its upper surface in contact with the floor plate 11 to detect deformation due to the deflection of the floor plate 11.

[0032] The load detector 7 outputs the acquired pressure distribution data to the processing unit 6. Specifically, the surface pressure sensor 7a is composed of multiple cell surface pressure sensors arranged in a grid, for example, when a person steps on the surface pressure sensor 7a, each cell surface pressure sensor changes from the OFF state to the ON state, and the position information and ON information of the cell surface pressure sensor are output to the processing unit 6 as sensor information.

[0033] The processing unit 6 determines whether a person has entered the space between the handrail belt 4a and the load detector 7 based on the input pressure distribution data. Specifically, the processing unit 6 examines the pressure distribution and determines that a person has entered the space between the handrail belt 4a and the load detector 7 if a load is applied to the load detector 7 directly below the handrail belt 4a. This allows for direct detection of a load being applied to the floor plate 1a directly below the handrail belt 4a, thus ensuring reliable detection of a person entering the space between the handrail belt 4a and the floor plate 1a.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the load detector 7 is positioned entirely behind the front end 4e of the handrail belt 4a, at a distance D22. This makes it difficult for the load detector 7 to detect loads from, for example, a person passing in front of the handrail belt 4a. Therefore, the man conveyor 1 can reliably detect when a person enters the space between the handrail belt 4a and the floor plate 1a while reducing false detections. Alternatively, the load detector 7 may be positioned entirely in front of the cover portion 4c, at a distance D21.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the load detector 7 may overlap the handrail belt 4a in a plan view. This makes it difficult for the load detector 7 to detect the load of a user getting on or off the transport section 3, for example. Thus, the man conveyor 1 can reliably detect when a person enters the space between the handrail belt 4a and the floor plate section 1a while further reducing false detections.

[0036] Based on the above, the man conveyor 1 is as in this embodiment. A transport unit 3 that transports a person forward to D21, The lowering section 1c is located at the front end of the transport section 3, An annular handrail belt 4a that rotates endlessly is positioned on the outside of the width direction D1 of the transport section 3, The floor (floor plate portion in this embodiment) 1a of the descending section 1c is embedded in a position where at least a portion of it overlaps with the handrail belt 4a in a plan view (vertical direction D3 view in this embodiment), and includes a load detector 7 (surface pressure sensor 7a in this embodiment) that acquires and outputs load information (pressure distribution data in this embodiment) related to the applied load, It is preferable that the entire load detector 7 is positioned rearward D22 from the front end 4e of the handrail belt 4a.

[0037] With this configuration, it is possible to directly detect when a load is applied to the floor directly below the handrail belt 4a, thus reliably detecting when a person enters the space between the handrail belt 4a and the floor. Furthermore, the load detector 7 is less likely to detect loads from, for example, a person passing in front of the handrail belt 4a, thus reducing false detections.

[0038] Furthermore, in the man conveyor 1, as in this embodiment, It is preferable that the entire load detector 7 overlaps with the handrail belt 4a in a plan view.

[0039] With this configuration, the load detector 7 becomes less likely to detect the load applied by, for example, users getting on and off the transport unit 3, thus further reducing false detections.

[0040] It should be noted that the man conveyor 1 is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment described above, nor is it limited to the effects and benefits described above. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the man conveyor 1 can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, one or more of the configurations and methods described below may be arbitrarily selected and adopted in the configurations and methods of the embodiment described above.

[0041] (A) In the man conveyor 1 according to the above embodiment, the entire load sensor 7 is configured to overlap with the handrail belt 4a when viewed in the vertical direction D3. However, the man conveyor 1 is not limited to this configuration. For example, a part of the load sensor 7 may be configured not to overlap with the handrail belt 4a when viewed in the vertical direction D3 (it may be positioned outside the handrail belt 4a).

[0042] (B) In addition, in the man conveyor 1 according to the above embodiment, the processing unit 6 determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt 4a and the load detector 7 if a load is applied to the load detector 7 directly below the handrail belt 4a. However, the man conveyor 1 is not limited to this configuration. For example, in the man conveyor 1, as shown in Figure 5, the load detector 7 has a first detection area 71 and a second detection area 72 located D22 behind the first detection area 71, and acquires load information in each of the detection areas 71 and 72. The processing unit 6 determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt 4a and the first detection area 71 when the load obtained from the load information in the first detection area 71 exceeds a first threshold, and determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt 4a and the second detection area 72 when the load obtained from the load information in the second detection area 72 exceeds a second threshold which is smaller than the first threshold. With this configuration, for example, it is possible to appropriately detect when a person enters the second detection area 72, which is close to the inlet, while preventing false detections when a person simply passes through the first detection area 71.

[0043] (C) Alternatively, in the man conveyor 1, the load detector 7 has a first detection area 71 and a second detection area 72 located D22 behind the first detection area 71, and acquires load information in each of the detection areas 71 and 72. The processing unit 6, based on the load information in the first detection area 71, determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt 4a and the first detection area 71 and instructs the output unit (e.g., buzzer, speaker, etc.) to output an alarm, and also determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt 4a and the second detection area 72 based on the load information in the second detection area 72 and stops the handrail belt 4a. With such a configuration, by outputting an alarm when a person enters the first detection area 71, it is possible to suppress a person from entering the second detection area 72 which is closer to the inlet. Furthermore, by stopping the handrail belt 4a when a person enters the second detection area 72, even if a person enters the second detection area 72, the handrail belt 4a can prevent the person from being pulled further to the rear D22.

[0044] (D) In ​​addition, in the man conveyor 1, the processing unit 6 may be configured to stop the handrail belt 4a when it determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt 4a and the load detector 7, and to reverse the rotation of the handrail belt 4a after a predetermined time has elapsed since the handrail belt 4a stopped. With such a configuration, even if a person is pulled backward D22 by the handrail belt 4a, the person can be quickly released.

[0045] (E) Alternatively, the processing unit 6 may be configured such that when it determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt 4a and the load detector 7, it stops the handrail belt 4a, announces via speaker that it will reverse the rotation of the handrail belt 4a, and then reverses the rotation of the handrail belt 4a. With such a configuration, passengers are notified in advance that the handrail belt 4a will be reversed, thus increasing passenger safety.

[0046] (F) In the man conveyor 1 according to the above embodiment, the surface pressure sensor 7a is configured such that its lower surface is supported by the floor plate reinforcing member 13 and its upper surface is in contact with the floor plate 11, thereby detecting deformation due to the deflection of the floor plate 11. However, the man conveyor 1 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the surface pressure sensor 7a may be configured to detect the sinking of the floor plate 11. In this case, a part of the floor plate 11 is a separate plate separated from its surroundings in a shape that overlaps with the handrail belt 4a in a plan view, and is capable of sinking. The surface pressure sensor 7a supports this separate plate from below. As a result, the surface pressure sensor 7a can effectively detect that a load is applied to the floor plate portion 1a directly below the handrail belt 4a.

[0047] (G) In addition, in the man conveyor 1 according to the above embodiment, the load detector 7 is a surface pressure sensor 7a, and the surface pressure sensor 7a is configured such that when a person steps on the surface pressure sensor 7a, each cell surface pressure sensor changes from the OFF state to the ON state, and the position information and ON information of the cell surface pressure sensor are output to the processing unit 6 as sensor information. However, the man conveyor 1 is not limited to this configuration. The surface pressure sensor 7a may also be configured such that when a person steps on the surface pressure sensor 7a, each cell surface pressure sensor measures the pressure in real time, and the position information and pressure value of the cell surface pressure sensor are output to the processing unit 6 as sensor information.

[0048] (H) In the man conveyor 1 according to the above embodiment, the load detector 7 is a surface pressure sensor 7a. However, the man conveyor 1 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the load detector 7 may be a load cell 7b, as shown in Figure 6.

[0049] (I) Alternatively, for example, the load sensor 7 may be configured to be a switch (not shown) that is pressed by the sinking or bending deformation of the floor plate 11. When pressed, the switch changes from the OFF state to the ON state and outputs the ON information to the processing unit 6 or the output unit (e.g., buzzer, speaker, etc.).

[0050] (J) In addition, the man conveyor 1 may be configured to include a load detector 7 embedded in the floor of the riding section 1b at a position where at least a portion of it overlaps with the handrail belt 4a in a plan view, and which acquires and outputs load information regarding the applied load, with the entire load detector 7 positioned D21 in front of the rear end of the handrail belt 4a. This allows for reliable detection of a person entering between the handrail belt 4a and the floor, while reducing false detections, even when the transport direction of the transport section 3 is reversed. The processing unit 6 may also be configured to ignore the load information from the load detector 7 on the riding section 1b side.

[0051] (K) Alternatively, in the man conveyor 1, the processing unit 6 may be configured to determine that a person has entered the space between the handrail belt 4a and the floor when a load is continuously applied to the load detector 7 for a predetermined time. With such a configuration, if a load is applied to the load detector 7 for a short time, it can be determined, for example, that a person has simply passed through, thus appropriately detecting that a person has entered the space between the handrail belt 4a and the floor. The predetermined time here is, for example, about 5 to 10 seconds. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1...Man conveyor, 1a...Floor plate section, 1b...Riding section, 1c...Disembarking section, 2...Structure, 2a...First machine room, 2b...Second machine room, 3...Conveying section, 3a...Traveling section, 3b...Step, 4...Balustrade section, 4a...Handrail belt, 4b...Balustrade body section, 4c...Cover section, 4d...Folding section, 4e...Front end of handrail belt, 5...Drive section, 5a...Rotating section, 5b...Drive source, 6...Processing section, 7...Load detection section, 7a...Surface pressure sensor, 7b...Load cell, 11...Floor plate, 12...Comb plate, 13...Floor plate reinforcement, 14...Position change section, 71...First detection area, 72...Second detection area, D1...Width direction, D2...Front-back direction, D3...Up-down direction, D21...Front, D22...Rear

Claims

1. A transport unit that transports people forward, A dismounting section is positioned at the front end of the conveying section, An annular handrail belt that rotates endlessly is positioned on the outside in the width direction of the conveying section, The floor of the aforementioned descent section is embedded in a position where, in a plan view, at least a portion of the handrail belt overlaps with the floor, and includes a load detector that acquires and outputs load information regarding the applied load, The entire load sensor is positioned behind the front end of the handrail belt on the man conveyor.

2. The man conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the entire load sensor overlaps with the handrail belt in a plan view.

3. The system includes a processing unit that determines whether or not a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the load detector based on the load information. The load detector has a first detection region and a second detection region located behind the first detection region, and acquires the load information in each detection region. The man conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing unit determines that a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the first detection area when the load obtained from the load information in the first detection area exceeds a first threshold, and determines that a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the second detection area when the load obtained from the load information in the second detection area exceeds a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold.

4. The system includes a processing unit that determines whether or not a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the load detector based on the load information. The load detector has a first detection region and a second detection region located behind the first detection region, and acquires the load information in each detection region. The man conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing unit instructs the output unit to output an alarm when it determines, based on the load information in the first detection area, that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the first detection area, and stops the handrail belt when it determines, based on the load information in the second detection area, that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the second detection area.

5. The system includes a processing unit that determines whether or not a person has entered the space between the handrail belt and the load detector based on the load information. The man conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing unit determines that a person has entered between the handrail belt and the load detector, stops the handrail belt, and reverses the rotation of the handrail belt after a predetermined time has elapsed since the handrail belt stopped.

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