Emergency stop system and emergency stop method for passenger conveyor

Abstract

To enable a user to bring a passenger conveyor to an emergency stop by himself / herself when an emergency occurs. [Solution] The system is equipped with a portable terminal carried by a passenger conveyor user, which has a position measurement function that measures the user's current location, and an emergency stop function that sends an emergency stop signal when operated by the user if an emergency occurs while using the passenger conveyor, and which enables the emergency stop function to be activated when the user is on the passenger conveyor based on the position measurement function, and a cloud server that, when an emergency stop signal is sent from the portable terminal, relays the emergency stop signal and outputs it to a passenger conveyor control panel, stopping the passenger conveyor.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an emergency stop system and an emergency stop method for a passenger conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] Passenger conveyors (a general term for escalators and moving walkways) are equipped with safety switches in multiple locations to stop the operation of the passenger conveyor in order to prevent accidents. For example, there are safety devices at the inlet of the moving handrail, devices that detect abnormalities in the steps, and safety devices for the skirt guard. In addition, emergency stop buttons are installed near the boarding and alighting doors.

[0003] However, despite the installation of these safety devices, accidents continue to occur. The causes of these accidents include the safety device not working for some reason, there being no one around when the accident occurred, or the user who was involved in the accident was not within reach of the emergency stop button.

[0004] Conventionally, there are technologies that stop the passenger conveyor by activating a safety switch and then restart it after confirmation by a surveillance camera, or technologies that install sensors at specified intervals on the railing and stop the passenger conveyor when the sensors detect an impact force above a standard value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-35339 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-9057 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, when an accident occurs on a passenger conveyor, various safety devices may fail to operate for some reason, and the person involved in the accident may not be able to reach the emergency stop button and therefore may not be able to stop the passenger conveyor with the emergency stop switch. In particular, elderly, young children, and people with disabilities may find it difficult to escape on their own after an accident occurs. In some cases, it may be difficult to escape on one's own, such as when no third party is on or near the passenger conveyor at the time of the accident, and rescue by a third party is not possible.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an emergency stop system and an emergency stop method for a passenger conveyor that enable users to bring the passenger conveyor to an emergency stop when an emergency occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An embodiment for achieving the above object is an emergency stop system for a passenger conveyor, which comprises a mobile terminal carried by a user of the passenger conveyor and which has a position measurement function that measures the user's current position, and an emergency stop function that sends an emergency stop signal when operated by the user when an emergency occurs while using the passenger conveyor, and which enables the emergency stop function to be activated when the user is on the passenger conveyor based on the position measurement function, and a cloud server that, when the emergency stop signal is sent from the mobile terminal, relays the emergency stop signal and outputs it to a passenger conveyor control panel, thereby stopping the passenger conveyor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 3A] 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 3B]3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an escalator system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF 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. Note that, in the following embodiment, an escalator including a moving walkway as a passenger conveyor will be described 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, escalator 1 moves users 5 on steps 2 by moving steps 2 in a circular motion between lower floor entrance / exit 3 and upper floor entrance / exit 4. A machine room 6 is provided with drive wheels 7 that drive steps 2 via chains, and a motor 8 that rotates drive wheels 7. Emergency stop buttons 9D, 9U are also provided on the outer deck near entrances 3, 4 of escalator 1, and pressing emergency stop buttons 9D, 9U will stop the operation of steps 2 in the event of an accident. An escalator control panel 10 is provided in machine room 6, which controls the operation and stopping of escalator 1.

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

[0013] The smartphone 20 includes a terminal location determination unit 21, an emergency stop activation unit 22, and an emergency stop signal transmission unit 23. The terminal location determination unit 21, the emergency stop activation unit 22, and the emergency stop signal transmission unit 23 are blocks of the functions of an application (hereinafter, "app") installed in the smartphone 20. To prevent tampering, this app is only available when the user carrying the smartphone 20 is within a predetermined range. Furthermore, even if the app is within the available area, as a tamper prevention measure, the app will only operate if there is one smartphone 20 connected to a specified Wi-Fi network using a known MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution.

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

[0015] The emergency stop activation unit 22 activates an emergency stop when a user 5 carrying the smartphone 20 operates a button while riding on the escalator 1.

[0016] The emergency stop signal transmitting 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 receiving unit 31, a determining unit 32, a history unit 33, and an emergency stop signal output unit .

[0018] The emergency stop signal receiving unit 31 receives an 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 stores the history of received emergency stop signals.

[0021] The emergency stop signal output unit 34 transmits the emergency stop signal to the escalator control panel 10 if 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 receives an 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 cutoff 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 multiple cloud servers 30 and remotely monitors each escalator 1 below the cloud servers 30. The remote monitoring center 40 checks the operating status of the escalators 1 and determines the validity of the emergency stop signal sent from the smartphone 20. If the emergency stop signal is valid, the emergency stop signal is output to the cloud server 30 for the corresponding escalator 1. If the emergency stop signal is determined to be invalid, the emergency stop signal is not relayed. Note that if 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.

[0026] An application with an escalator emergency stop function enables an escalator to be stopped in an emergency. When an emergency escalator stop command is issued via the application, the escalator control panel receives the emergency stop signal and stops the passenger conveyor. The application and escalator control panel are connected via a cloud connection interface and a dedicated cloud. To prevent tampering, the app operates only when a person with a smartphone or other device is within a specified range. To improve GPS accuracy, the app transmits radio waves to passengers from a wireless LAN point where a location database for the escalator or building is built. To further prevent tampering within the area, a publicly known MDM solution is used, ensuring that the app operates only when connected to a designated Wi-Fi network and when only one device is connected to that Wi-Fi network. If GPS is not working properly, the building's Wi-Fi can be used, or Wi-Fi can be broadcast from the escalator to improve GPS accuracy.

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

[0028] Cloud server 30 or escalator control panel 10 monitors whether an escalator accident has occurred. If an accident occurs on escalator 1, such as user 5 falling or being pinched between steps 2 (S1 YES), the operation confirmation process determines the operation status of the safety device that has been installed in advance (S2). If the safety device has been activated (S2 YES), the escalator 1 comes to an emergency stop (emergency stop) due to the activation of the safety device (S4).

[0029] If the safety device operation check determines that the safety device is not activated (S2 NO), it is a dangerous situation as the escalator continues to operate even after an accident has occurred, so a check is started to send an emergency stop signal for the escalator 1 (S3). First, the number of smartphones 20 connected within the area of ​​the escalator 1 is checked. If multiple smartphones 20 are connected (S5 NO), it is determined that a third party is present within the same area, and the application on the smartphone 20 is not started. Then, the user waits for rescue by a third party, and is rescued (S7).

[0030] If the number of connected devices within the area is checked and there is only one connected device (S5 NO), it is determined that there is only one user, and the user (person involved in the accident) 5 himself / herself starts the application (S6). When the application is started, a check is made to see if there is a history of the application being started multiple times in the past to check for tampering. If there is a history of multiple start-ups (S8 YES), it is determined that there is a high possibility of tampering, and the escalator continues to operate (S9). If the check for tampering does not find that there has been multiple start-ups in the past (S8 NO), an emergency stop signal is sent. Furthermore, a notification signal to that effect and an emergency stop signal are sent to the remote monitoring center 40 (S10).

[0031] The remote monitoring center 40 checks the operating status of the escalator 1 in the tamper check and determines whether or not tampering has occurred. If it is determined that tampering has occurred (YES in S11), the operation of the escalator 1 continues (S12).

[0032] If the tamper check does not determine that tampering has occurred (S11 NO), cloud server 30 receives an emergency stop signal sent from the app on smartphone 20 (S13). Furthermore, cloud server 30 sends a stop signal to escalator control panel 10 (S14), which receives the emergency stop signal (S15) and brings escalator 1 to an emergency stop (S16). After escalator 1 stops, the series of processes ends when user 5 exits escalator 1 (S17).

[0033] As described above, according to the embodiment, even if the safety device does not operate 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 validity can be determined, and stopping of the escalator 1 due to mischief or the like can be prevented in advance.

[0034] <Other embodiments> By installing an application similar to that of smartphone 20 on a mobile maintenance terminal carried by the maintenance staff of escalator 1 or on a computer in the control room where the manager of escalator 1 is stationed, the escalator may be configured to have an emergency stop function that sends an emergency stop signal when operated by the maintenance staff or manager when an emergency occurs while a user 5 is using escalator 1.

[0035] The smartphone 20 may also be configured to emit a warning sound or an operating sound when an application is operated.

[0036] Furthermore, if the GPS does not work properly to confirm the location of the user 5, the building's Wi-Fi may be used or Wi-Fi may 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 and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...escalator, 2...step, 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 position 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 user of the passenger conveyor, the portable terminal having a location measurement function for measuring the user's current location and an emergency stop function for transmitting an emergency stop signal when an emergency occurs while the user is using the passenger conveyor, the portable terminal enabling the user to activate the emergency stop function when the user is on the passenger conveyor based on the location measurement function; and a cloud server that, when the emergency stop signal is sent from the mobile terminal, relays the emergency stop signal and outputs it to a passenger conveyor control panel, thereby stopping the passenger conveyor.

2. 2. The passenger conveyor emergency stop system of claim 1, wherein the cloud server has a function of determining the legitimacy of a received emergency stop signal, and if an emergency stop signal has been sent from the same mobile terminal multiple times in the past, the cloud server does not consider the emergency stop signal to be a legitimate emergency stop signal.

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

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

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

6. 2. The passenger conveyor emergency stop system according to claim 1, wherein a mobile terminal carried by a passenger conveyor maintenance staff 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 operated by the maintenance staff or manager when an emergency occurs during use of the passenger conveyor.

7. 2. The passenger conveyor emergency stop system according to claim 1, wherein when an emergency stop signal is transmitted from the portable terminal, an alarm sound is generated from the portable terminal.

8. The portable terminal carried by a user of the passenger conveyor includes a location measurement function for measuring the current location of the user and an emergency stop function for transmitting an emergency stop signal in response to an operation by the user when an emergency occurs while using the passenger conveyor, The emergency stop function can be activated when the user is on the passenger conveyor based on the position measurement function, This passenger conveyor emergency stop method includes, when a user using the passenger conveyor transmits an emergency stop signal from a mobile terminal, a passenger conveyor control panel receives the emergency stop signal and stops the passenger conveyor.

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