Passenger conveyor inspection display device and passenger conveyor system using same

Abstract

To provide a passenger conveyor inspection display device capable of automatically displaying that the passenger conveyor is undergoing inspection, and a passenger conveyor system using the same.SOLUTION: A passenger conveyor inspection display device has an opening 42 having a rectangular planar shape opened in a boarding / alighting plate 18, a cover member 48 having a rectangular planar shape closing the opening 42, a link member 58 that raises the cover member 48 from the opening 42 to a predetermined height and lowers it from the predetermined height to the opening 42, and a foldable sheet-like banner 62 hung from the cover member 48. On the banner 62, letters or symbols indicating that an inspection is underway are displayed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an inspection and display device for a passenger conveyor and a passenger conveyor system using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to maintain the performance and safety of passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways, regular maintenance inspections are required, but traditionally inspections have been performed manually by maintenance personnel.

[0003] In recent years, the automation of inspection work has been promoted to reduce the workload of maintenance personnel, and automated inspection work using robots is sometimes carried out as a countermeasure to labor shortages. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-140298 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-26692 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-97376 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when maintenance personnel carry out the work, there is a problem in that it is time-consuming to set up a sign indicating that an inspection is in progress. This is also the case when inspection work is carried out by a robot, and a worker is required to display a sign indicating that an inspection work is being carried out by a robot.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a passenger conveyor inspection display device that can automatically display that the passenger conveyor is undergoing inspection, and a passenger conveyor system using the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention is a passenger conveyor having boarding and alighting boards provided at the entrance and exit of the passenger conveyor, steps moving in a front-rear direction from the boarding and alighting board at the entrance to the boarding and alighting board at the exit, an opening having a rectangular planar shape opened in at least one of the boards, a cover member having a rectangular planar shape closing the opening, a vertical movement device for raising the cover member from the opening to a predetermined height and lowering it from the predetermined height to the opening, and a foldable sheet-like banner hung from the cover member, and the banner displays characters or symbols indicating that the inspection is being performed. the up-down movement device closes the opening with the lid member in a vertically contracted state, and extends upward from the vertically contracted state to move the lid member above the board, causing the banner hung from the lid member to appear above the board, and displaying characters or symbols indicating that inspection is being performed. This is a passenger conveyor inspection and display device characterized by the above. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a simplified explanatory diagram of the escalator as viewed from the right side. [Diagram 2] This is a plan view of the area near the boarding and alighting board on the lower floor side. [Diagram 3] This is a front view of the lower floor entrance / exit. [Figure 4] 1A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view from the rear when the cover member is stored in the opening of the boarding and alighting plate, FIG. 1B is a rear view of the cover member in the raised position, and FIG. 1C is a longitudinal cross-sectional view from the rear when the cover member is raised. [Diagram 5] 1A is a plan view of the cover member, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the cover member. [Figure 6] 6(a) is a plan view of the opening of the boarding / alighting board, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6(a). [Figure 7] 1A is a plan view of the state in which the opening of the board is closed by the cover member, and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the state in which the opening of the board is closed by the cover member. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the escalator and the robot. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for inspection by a robot. [Figure 10] This is a plan view of the area near the boarding and alighting board on the lower floor side of modified example 1. [Figure 11] 1A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view from the rear of the cover member of modified example 2 blocking the opening of the boarding and alighting plate, FIG. 1B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view from the rear of the cover member in a raised position, and FIG. 1C is a longitudinal cross-sectional view from the rear of the cover member in a raised position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An inspection display device 40 for an escalator 10, which is one of passenger conveyors according to one embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9. In this embodiment, the escalator 10 and an inspection robot 100 for the escalator 10 form a passenger conveyor system. When describing the front-rear direction of the escalator 10, it is assumed that the upper floor side is the rear side and the lower floor side is the front side when looking down from the upper floor. Also, as an example, the description will be given when the escalator 10 is in a descending operation.

[0010] (1) Escalator 10 The overall structure of the escalator 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a simplified explanatory vertical cross-sectional view of the escalator 10 as seen from the right side, with the members on the right side omitted.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, a truss 12, which is the framework of an escalator 10, is supported in the front-to-rear direction by using support angles 2 and 3, spanning the upper and lower floors of a building 1. A control device 32 for the escalator 10 is installed inside the upper floor side of the truss 12. A communication device 34 is also connected to this control device 32 (see Fig. 8).

[0012] Within the truss 12, a plurality of steps 14 connected in an endless manner are lowered by a driving device (not shown).

[0013] A pair of left and right balustrades 20, 20 are erected on both the left and right sides of the upper part of the truss 12. A handrail rail 24 is provided on the upper part of this handrail 20, and an endless handrail belt 22 is attached to this handrail rail 24 so that it can run freely, and the handrail belt 22 moves in synchronization with the steps 14. A plate-shaped skirt guard 30 is provided on the lower part of the pair of left and right balustrades 20, and the steps 14 run between the pair of left and right skirt guards 30, 30.

[0014] At the entrance on the upper floor side, a boarding and alighting plate 16 is placed horizontally on the truss 12. At the entrance on the lower floor side, a boarding and alighting plate 18 is placed horizontally on the truss 12. A comb-tooth-shaped comb 26 is provided at the tip of the boarding and alighting plate 16 on the upper floor side, and the steps 14 enter and exit this comb 26. In addition, a comb-tooth-shaped comb 28 is also provided at the tip of the boarding and alighting plate 18 on the lower floor side.

[0015] (2) Inspection display device 40 Next, an explanation will be given of the inspection display device 40 that displays, at the upper and lower floor boarding / alighting gates, that the escalator 10 is currently under inspection and that passengers are prohibited from entering when inspecting the escalator 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the inspection display device 40 is provided on the upper floor boarding / alighting gate 16 and the lower floor boarding / alighting gate 18, respectively, and displays on a banner 62 that the escalator is under inspection and that entry is prohibited. Since these two inspection display devices 40 have the same structure, the following will explain the inspection display device 40 provided on the lower floor boarding / alighting gate 18.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, an opening 42 having a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction in plan view is provided in the central portion near the rear of the boarding / alighting board 18. That is, the opening 42 is opened so that the longitudinal direction is the left-right direction of the boarding / alighting board 18. The position where this opening 42 is provided is on the lower floor side of the balustrade 20 in a plan view, and is the position where the handrail belt 22 is reversed. That is, the opening 42 is provided at a position that is a predetermined distance away from the com 26 at the position where the step 14 advances or advances in the front-rear direction, and is provided between the pair of left and right balustrades 20 in the left-right direction.

[0017] 6(a) and 6(b), the opening 42 is a rectangle whose long sides run in the left-right direction of the escalator 10, and inclined surfaces 44, 44 are formed on the left and right sides of the opening 42 (i.e., on both sides along the traveling direction of the escalator 10). The shapes of the inclined surfaces 44, 44 are symmetrical, and they are inclined in directions approaching each other as they go downward. Furthermore, a horizontal placement surface 72 is provided at the upper end of each of the left and right inclined surfaces 44, 44, at a position slightly lower than the upper surface of the boarding and alighting plate 18.

[0018] As shown in Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), the opening 42 is closed by a cover member 48 having a rectangular planar shape. As shown in Figs. 5(a) and 5(b), the cover member 48 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped cover body 50 and a cover plate 52 provided on the upper surface of the cover body 50, which is slightly longer in the left-right and front-rear directions than the cover body 50. The cover plate 52 is made of the same material as the boarding and disembarking plate 18. A horizontal groove 56 extending horizontally in the left-right direction is provided on the rear surface of the cover body 50. Sloping surfaces 46, 46 are formed on both left and right sides of the cover body 50. The shapes of the sloped surfaces 46, 46 are symmetrical and slope in a direction approaching each other as they go downward. As shown in Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), when the cover member 48 closes the opening 42, the sloped surface 46 of the cover member 48 covers the sloped surface 44 of the opening 42, and both sides of the cover plate 52 are placed on the placement surface 72.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 4, one motor 64 consisting of a servo motor is provided below the opening 42 of the boarding / alighting plate 18 and below the cover member 48. A link member 58 consisting of a link mechanism with multiple four-link links is provided between the motor 64 and the lateral groove 56 of the cover member 48. The left and right ends of the upper end of this link member 58 engage with the left and right sides of the lateral groove 56 (see Fig. 5(b)), and the lower end of the link member 58 is attached to the motor 64 via an expandable member 60 that expands and contracts in the left and right direction (see Fig. 4).

[0020] The motor 64, the expandable member 60 and the link member 58 constitute a vertical movement device that moves the cover member 48 in the vertical direction, and in FIG. 4, other members are omitted in order to show its role in a simplified manner.

[0021] When no inspection is being performed, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the opening 42 is closed by the cover member 48, the expandable member 60 is at its widest in the left-right direction, and the link member 58 is contracted in the up-down direction.

[0022] When the motor 64 rotates to start the inspection, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the expandable member 60 moves in a left-right contracting direction, and the link member 58 accordingly extends upward, with the left and right ends of the upper end of the link member 58 moving inward toward each other within the lateral groove 56.

[0023] When the motor 64 rotates further, the expandable member 60 contracts to its fullest extent, and the link member 58 also extends to its fullest extent, lifting the cover member 48 to a predetermined height and then stopping, as shown in Fig. 4(c). This predetermined height is, for example, 1m.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the upper end of a rectangular sheet-shaped banner 62 is attached to the front of the cover member 48. The banner 62 has a description that the escalator 10 is under inspection written on it by letters or symbols as shown in Fig. 3. The lower end of the banner 62 is fixed to an elastic member 60 below the opening 42. The banner 62 is a cloth or sheet-like film, and has a display on its front that reads "No entry during robot inspection" and also displays a no entry mark. As the cover member 48 rises, the banner 62 rises from inside the opening 42 and hangs down as shown in Fig. 3. The banner 62 may be a foldable display if it is foldable. The inspection display device 40 is connected to the control device 32 of the escalator 10 as shown in Fig. 8.

[0025] When the inspection is completed, the motor 64 is rotated in the reverse direction to lower the cover member 48 from a predetermined height to the position of the boarding and alighting plate 18. At this time, the hanging curtain 62 is also lowered at the same time and stored inside the opening 42 while being folded.

[0026] An upper floor inspection and display device 40 having a similar configuration to the lower floor inspection and display device 40 is also provided on the upper floor board 16, and is connected to the control device 32 of the escalator 10 as shown in FIG.

[0027] (3) Robot 100 Next, the robot 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 8. This robot rides on the steps 14 of the escalator 10, and automatically inspects the handrail belt 22, balustrade 20, steps 14, etc. of the escalator 10 while moving from an upper floor to a lower floor.

[0028] 1, the robot body 102 of the robot 100 is sized so that it can be placed on one step 14, and is formed, for example, in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Four wheels 104 for movement are provided on the bottom of the robot body 102.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 8, a power unit 106 for moving four wheels 104 is provided inside the robot body 102. The robot body 102 is also provided with an inspection device 108 such as a sensor and a camera for inspecting the escalator 10. The power unit 106 and the inspection device 108 are controlled by a robot control device 110. The robot control device 110 transmits and receives signals to and from the communication device 34 of the control device 32 via a robot communication device 112.

[0030] (4) Operating state when inspecting escalator 10 The operating states of the robot 100, the upper floor inspection and display device 40, and the lower floor inspection and display device 40 when inspecting the escalator 10 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0031] In step S1, the escalator 10 is in normal operation, and the process proceeds to step S2.

[0032] In step S2, it is detected whether or not the robot 100 has notified the control device 32 to switch to the robot inspection mode, and if there has been a notification, the process proceeds to step S3 (if y), and if there has been no notification, the process returns to step S1 (if n). This notification is made, for example, by a remote maintenance sensor (not shown) of the escalator 10 at regular intervals (for example, every three days) for carrying out maintenance work.

[0033] In step S3, in response to the notification to transition to the robot inspection mode, the robot 100 prepares to execute the robot inspection mode, and then proceeds to step S4.

[0034] In step S4, the control device 32 of the escalator 10 detects whether or not there is a passenger, and if there is no passenger, the process proceeds to step S5 (in the case of y), and if there is a passenger, the process continues with step S4 (in the case of n).

[0035] In step S5, the control device 32 stops the escalator 10 since no one is present, and then the process proceeds to step S6.

[0036] In step S6, the control device 32 instructs the robot 100 to move to the entrance / exit of the escalator 10 on the upper floor side, and the process proceeds to step S7.

[0037] In step S7, when the robot 100 reaches the boarding platform 16 at the entrance on the upper floor side, it notifies an inspection signal indicating the completion of movement, and if the control device 32 receives this, the process proceeds to step S8 (if y). If the control device 32 does not receive the inspection signal indicating the completion of movement, the process continues with step S7 (if n).

[0038] In step S8, in response to receiving the inspection signal, the control device 32 operates the upper floor inspection display device 40 and the lower floor inspection display device 40. Then, the cover members 48 rise from the upper floor board 16 and the lower floor board 18, respectively, and stop at a predetermined height. When the cover members 48 rise, the banner 62 attached to the cover members 48 also appears above the board 16, indicating that the robot is undergoing inspection and that entry is prohibited (see FIG. 3). Then, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0039] In step S9, when the robot 100 moves from the boarding / alighting plate 16 on the upper floor side to the com 26 and onto the steps 14, it notifies the control device 32 that it has stepped onto the steps 14, and starts executing the robot inspection mode (see FIG. 1). At this time, the control device 32 lowers the steps 14. While moving from the upper floor side to the lower floor side, the robot 100 inspects the escalator 10 using the inspection device 108, and proceeds to step S10.

[0040] In step S10, when the robot 100 arrives at the boarding / alighting board 18 on the lower floor, it notifies the control device 32 of the end of the inspection, and if this notification is received, the process proceeds to step S11 (if y); if not, the process continues with step S10 (if n).

[0041] In step S11, in response to this notification of the end of inspection, the control device 32 lowers the cover member 48 and moves the curtain 62 inside the opening 42 while folding it, thereby storing the cover member 48 of the inspection display device 40 on the upper floor and the cover member 48 of the inspection display device 40 on the lower floor, and then proceeds to step S12.

[0042] In step S12, the control device 32 issues a command to move the robot 100 to a standby position outside the escalator 10, and the process proceeds to step S13.

[0043] In step S13, if a notification of completion of movement to the standby position is received from the robot 100, the process returns to step S1, and if no notification of completion of movement is received, the process continues to step S13 (in the case of n).

[0044] (5) Effects According to this embodiment, before the robot 100 starts the inspection, the inspection display device 40 on the upper floor side and the inspection display device 40 on the lower floor side can raise the banners 62 at the entrances and exits on the upper and lower floors to inform passengers that the escalator 10 is under inspection and also to prohibit passengers from entering.

[0045] Furthermore, even if the robot 100 falls off the steps 14 during inspection for some reason, the curtain 62 and link member 58 on the lower floor side can catch the robot 100 and prevent it from jumping out of the escalator 10.

[0046] In addition, except during inspection, the curtain 62 is stored and the cover member 48 closes the opening 42 and is positioned at the same height as the upper surfaces of the boarding and alighting boards 16, 18, so that passengers passing through the boarding and alighting boards 16, 18 are not obstructed.

[0047] Also, since inclined surfaces 44, 44 are formed on both the left and right sides of the opening 42, and inclined surfaces 46, 46 are also formed on both the left and right sides of the cover member 48, when the cover member 48 descends by the link member 58 to close the opening 42, this inclined portion allows for smooth closing. Also, since these inclined portions engage and both the left and right sides of the cover plate are placed on the support surface 72, even if a passenger moves across the top surface of the cover member 48, for example by shuffling, the cover member 48 is prevented from moving downward or horizontally, and is stable. Modified Example

[0048] Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0049] (1) Change Example 1 In the above embodiment, the inspection display device 40 is provided on both the upper and lower floors of the escalator 10, but if the main objective is to prevent the robot 100 from falling, the inspection display device 40 may be provided only on the lower floor.

[0050] (2) Change Example 2 In the above embodiment, one opening 42 is provided in the left-right direction at the rear of the boarding and alighting board 18 and closed with a cover member 48, but instead, as shown in Fig. 10, one inspection display device 40 may be provided in the front-rear direction on each of the left and right sides of the boarding and alighting board 18, and further inspection display devices 40 may be provided in the left-right direction at the front end of the boarding and alighting board 18. This surrounds the boarding and alighting board 18 on three sides, making inspection work safer.

[0051] (3) Change Example 3 In the above embodiment, the link member 58 is moved up and down by one motor 64 in the up and down movement device for the lid member 48. However, instead of this, two motors may be used as shown in Figs. 11(a) to (c). That is, in this modified example, motors 64, 64 are provided on the left and right below the opening 42 in the boarding and alighting plate 18, rod-shaped upper link bodies 66 are attached to both sides of the lid member 48, and a lower link body 70 is attached to the upper link body 66 via a shaft 68. The lower end of the lower link body 70 is rotated by the motor 64. When the motor 64 rotates, the lower link body 70 also rotates, and the upper link body 66 rotates around the shaft 68 via the shaft 68, and the lid member 48 rises. That is, the link member is composed of a pair of left and right upper link bodies 66, 66, a pair of left and right shafts 68, 68, and a pair of left and right lower link bodies 70, 70.

[0052] (4) Change Example 4 In the above embodiment, the escalator 10 is inspected by the robot 100. However, even if a maintenance person inspects the escalator instead, the inspection display device 40 on the upper floor side and the inspection display device 40 on the lower floor side can be manually operated to place banners 62 at the entrances and exits on the upper and lower floors, thereby informing passengers that the escalator 10 is currently under inspection and prohibiting passengers from entering the area.

[0053] (5) Change Example 5 Furthermore, when the escalator 10 of the above embodiment is installed outdoors, in order to prevent water from entering through the gap between the cover member 48 and the opening 42, a sealing member made, for example, of rubber is provided on the outside of the cover body 50 of the cover member 48, or a sealing member made, for example, of rubber is provided on the inside of the opening 42.

[0054] (6) Change Example 6 In the above embodiment, the escalator 10 is used as the passenger conveyor. Alternatively, the inspection display device 40 may be provided at the entrance and exit of a moving walkway, and the robot 100 may inspect the moving walkway.

[0055] (7)Other 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 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 modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10 escalator, 14 steps, 16 board, 18 board, 32 control device, 40 inspection display device, 42 opening, 48 cover member, 58 link member, 62 banner, 64 motor, 100 robot

Claims

1. A boarding and alighting board is provided at each entrance and exit of the passenger conveyor; A step that moves in a front-rear direction from the boarding / alighting board at the boarding entrance to the boarding / alighting board at the exit; An opening having a rectangular planar shape that is opened in at least one of the boarding and alighting plates; a cover member having a rectangular planar shape that closes the opening; a vertical movement device that raises the cover member from the opening to a predetermined height and lowers the cover member from the predetermined height to the opening; a foldable sheet-like curtain hung from the lid member; having The banner displays letters or symbols indicating that the inspection is underway, The vertical movement device closes the opening with the lid member in a vertically contracted state, and extends upward from the vertically contracted state to move the lid member above the board, causing the banner hung from the lid member to appear above the board, and displaying characters or symbols indicating that inspection is underway. An inspection and display device for a passenger conveyor.

2. The up-down movement device is A link member that expands and contracts in the vertical direction; A motor that expands and contracts the link member; having The cover member is horizontally provided on an upper end of the link member. The inspection and display device for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

3. The rectangular opening has a longitudinal direction of: The opening is in the left and right direction of the boarding and disembarking board. The inspection and display device for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

4. The rectangular opening is The board is opened at both left and right sides so that its longitudinal direction is in the front-rear direction, and at a position opposite to the position where the step advances or enters, it is opened so that its longitudinal direction is in the left-right direction. The inspection and display device for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

5. The rectangular opening has two ends in a longitudinal direction, each end being formed with an inclined surface that approaches the other toward the bottom, Both ends of the rectangular cover member in the longitudinal direction are formed with inclined surfaces that approach each other toward the bottom. The inspection and display device for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1.

6. The passenger conveyor inspection and display device according to claim 1 ; A robot that rides on the steps and inspects the passenger conveyor; A passenger conveyor system comprising: When an inspection signal is output from the robot, the inspection display device uses the vertical movement device to raise the lid member to the predetermined height and hang the curtain from the lid member. A passenger conveyor system comprising:

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