Passenger conveyor operation control system

Abstract

The present invention provides a passenger conveyor operation control system that allows users to safely disembark from the passenger conveyor when a hold-up occurs at the disembarkation point. The operation control system comprises: a detection unit (20) that detects a user of the passenger conveyor; a speaker (30) that outputs sound directed at the user of the passenger conveyor; and a control device (40) that controls the running of the passenger conveyor and controls sound output from the speaker (30). While operating in a predetermined direction, the control device (40) determines a user hold-up at a disembarkation point of the passenger conveyor on the basis of information from the detection unit (20), and upon determining that a hold-up is occurring, stops the operation of the passenger conveyor, causes sound directed at the user to be output from the speaker (30) to encourage the user to face toward the embarkation point of the passenger conveyor, and operates the passenger conveyor in the reverse direction.

Description

Passenger conveyor operation control system

[0001] The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor operation control system.

[0002] In passenger conveyors, if people are stranded near the landing area when users disembark from the conveyor while it is in operation, there is a concern that the users may accidentally collide with or fall. To prevent such accidents, Patent Document 1 discloses a passenger conveyor equipped with a safety device that stops the operation of the passenger conveyor when people are stranded near the landing area. Patent Document 2 also discloses a passenger conveyor equipped with an entry prevention device that prevents users from entering the passenger conveyor when people are stranded near the landing area.

[0003] JP 2000-109282 A JP 2019-043710 A

[0004] As described above, when people are stuck near the passenger conveyor's landing area, preventing collisions and falls among users is an important issue. In the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, users who have already boarded the passenger conveyor cannot dismount until the congestion at the landing area clears. Furthermore, if a user who has already boarded the passenger conveyor walks in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the passenger conveyor in an attempt to dismount, there is a risk of collisions and falls among users.

[0005] The passenger conveyor operation control system of the present invention comprises a detection unit that detects passengers on the passenger conveyor, a speaker that outputs audio to passengers on the passenger conveyor, and a control unit that controls the operation of the passenger conveyor and also controls the audio output of the speaker.When the passenger conveyor is operating in a predetermined direction, the control unit determines whether passengers are staying at the passenger conveyor's disembarkation area based on information from the detection unit, and if it determines that passengers are staying, stops the operation of the passenger conveyor, outputs audio from the speaker to encourage users to face the passenger conveyor's boarding area, and operates the passenger conveyor in the opposite direction.

[0006] According to the passenger conveyor operation control system of the present invention, when congestion occurs near the disembarkation area, passengers already on board can safely disembark from the passenger conveyor while preventing collisions and falls between passengers at the disembarkation area.

[0007] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation control system according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. It is a flow diagram showing a flow of operation control according to an embodiment.

[0008] Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the present invention, an operation control system for an escalator, which is one form of passenger conveyor, will be described. In this embodiment, an escalator is assumed as the passenger conveyor, but this is not limiting. The passenger conveyor may be, for example, a moving walkway. Furthermore, the escalator of this embodiment is assumed to be installed in a commercial facility such as a department store or a shopping mall, but this is not limiting. The escalator may be installed in, for example, a station or an office building.

[0009] 1, the operation control system 1 of this embodiment includes an escalator 10, a detection unit 20 that detects users of the escalator 10, and a speaker 30 that outputs audio to users of the escalator 10. The operation control system 1 also includes a control device 40. The control device 40 controls the speed and direction of operation of the escalator 10, as well as the audio output of the speaker 30. The control device 40 also determines whether or not congestion is occurring at the exit point, based on information from the detection unit 20.

[0010] The operation control system 1 is a system that stops the operation of the escalator 10 when a buildup occurs at the landing area, ensures the safety of users of the escalator 10, and then operates the escalator 10 in the reverse direction. This prevents users from colliding with each other or falling at the landing area when users are stuck at the landing area, while allowing users already on the escalator to safely get off the escalator 10. The determination of whether a buildup occurs at the landing area and whether the safety of users of the escalator 10 is ensured is made by the control device 40 based on information from the detection unit 20.

[0011] The escalator 10 travels to transport users and includes a stepped elevator shaft 11 that moves between upper and lower floors of a building. The elevator shaft 11 includes a plurality of steps (not shown) that are connected endlessly and move in a circular motion to carry users, and balustrades 12 erected on both ends of the steps. Entrance and exit doors 13 are provided at both ends of the elevator shaft 11.

[0012] The boarding and alighting entrances 13 include a lower boarding and alighting entrance 13A provided on a lower floor and an upper boarding and alighting entrance 13B provided on an upper floor. When the escalator 10 operates from a lower floor to an upper floor, the lower boarding and alighting entrance 13A serves as the boarding area and the upper boarding and alighting entrance 13B serves as the disembarking area. When the escalator 10 operates from an upper floor to a lower floor, the upper boarding and alighting entrance 13B serves as the boarding area and the lower boarding and alighting entrance 13A serves as the disembarking area.

[0013] The escalator 10 has a drive device 14 that drives the escalator 10. The drive device 14 is composed of an electric motor, a reducer, an electromagnetic brake, etc., and is installed, for example, below the upper boarding / alighting entrance 13B.

[0014] The detection unit 20 detects users of the escalator 10. The detection unit 20 may be, for example, a camera, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), or millimeter-wave radar. The detection unit 20 may use only one device, or multiple devices. For example, a camera and LiDAR may be used in combination. Using multiple devices in combination can improve the accuracy of user detection. The detection unit 20 may also be installed in multiple locations. For example, the detection unit 20 may be installed above the hoistway 11, the lower entrance / exit 13A, and the upper entrance / exit 13B of the escalator 10. Installing the detection unit 20 in multiple locations can improve the accuracy of user detection. From the viewpoint of accurately determining the body orientation of users in the hoistway 11, the detection unit 20 that detects users in the hoistway 11 preferably includes a camera.

[0015] In this embodiment, one camera 20 is used as the detection unit 20. The camera 20 is a small surveillance camera and has an imaging element such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor. The camera 20 is installed at the top near the center of the hoistway 11 and captures images of the hoistway 11, the lower entrance / exit 13A, and the upper entrance / exit 13B of the escalator 10. The camera 20 constantly captures images of users of the escalator 10 and transmits the images to the control device 40 in real time.

[0016] The speaker 30 is a device that outputs audio to users of the escalator 10. The speaker 30 has a function of converting signals transmitted from the control device 40 into audio messages. The speaker 30 may also be provided with an amplifier that amplifies the electrical signal.

[0017] In this embodiment, the speakers 30 include a lower speaker 30A installed at the bottom of the lower boarding / alighting entrance 13A and an upper speaker 30B installed at the bottom of the upper boarding / alighting entrance 13B. Also, hoistway speakers 30C, 30D, and 30E are installed on one of the left and right balustrades 12. Hereinafter, when simply referred to as speaker 30, this includes all of the lower speaker 30A, the upper speaker 30B, and the hoistway speakers 30C, 30D, and 30E.

[0018] The control device 40 controls the speed and direction of the escalator 10 and the audio output from the speaker 30. Specifically, when the escalator 10 is traveling in a predetermined direction and a backlog occurs at the landing area, the control device 40 stops the operation of the escalator 10. The control device 40 then outputs audio from the speaker 30 to prompt users to turn toward the landing side of the escalator 10, and then starts the escalator 10 traveling in the reverse direction. The control device 40 is equipped with a CPU as an arithmetic processing unit that controls the system, ROM, RAM, and a hard disk drive (HDD) as storage devices connected to the CPU, and a communication device that transmits and receives information. In this embodiment, the control device 40 is installed below the upper entrance / exit 13B, but the installation location is not limited thereto. The control device 40 may be installed, for example, within the building where the escalator 10 is installed or in a remote monitoring center.

[0019] The functional configuration of the control device 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 40.

[0020] Control device 40 is connected to camera 20 as a detection unit, speaker 30, and drive device 14. Control device 40 includes a determination unit 41 that acquires and analyzes images captured by camera 20 and determines whether or not a person is staying there, an operation control unit 45 that controls the speed and direction of operation of escalator 10, and a speaker control unit 46 that controls the audio output of speaker 30.

[0021] The determination unit 41 analyzes the image captured by the camera 20. The determination unit 41 includes a landing determination unit 42 that determines whether a user is staying at a landing, an elevator shaft determination unit 43 that determines whether a user is present in the elevator shaft 11 and the orientation of the user's body, and a landing determination unit 44 that determines whether a user is present at a landing.

[0022] The alighting point determination unit 42 analyzes in real time the image of the alighting point taken by the camera 20 and determines whether or not users are staying at the alighting point. If the alighting point determination unit 42 determines that users are staying at the alighting point, the operation control unit 45 stops the escalator 10. This makes it possible to avoid collisions between users near the alighting point.

[0023] The disembarking area determination unit 42 may determine whether a person is staying at a disembarking area by, for example, detecting moving objects from a captured image, recognizing the moving objects as users, and determining that a person is staying at a disembarking area if the number of recognized people exceeds a predetermined number or if the same person stays at the disembarking area for a predetermined period of time. Alternatively, the number of users may be calculated using machine learning to determine whether a person is staying at a disembarking area. In this embodiment, the image captured by the camera 20 is used to determine whether a person is staying at a disembarking area, but other methods may also be used to determine whether a person is staying at a disembarking area. For example, the number of people staying at a disembarking area may be calculated using LiDAR or millimeter-wave radar to determine whether a person is staying at a disembarking area.

[0024] The elevator shaft determination unit 43 analyzes images of users in the elevator shaft 11 captured by the camera 20, and determines whether or not there are users in the elevator shaft 11 and the orientation of the users' bodies. When the operation of the escalator 10 is stopped due to congestion at the landing area, and the elevator shaft determination unit 43 determines that users in the elevator shaft 11 are facing the landing area, the operation control unit 45 causes the escalator 10 to run in reverse. This allows users to safely descend from the escalator 10 without losing their balance when the escalator 10 runs in reverse. Furthermore, when the escalator 10 is running in reverse, if the elevator shaft determination unit 43 determines that there are no users in the elevator shaft 11, that is, all users have descended from the escalator 10, the operation control unit 45 stops the reverse movement of the escalator 10. This prevents users from accidentally entering the escalator 10 while it is running in reverse and falling.

[0025] As a method for the elevator shaft determination unit 43 to determine whether or not there is a user in the elevator shaft 11, for example, there is a method in which the entire elevator shaft 11 is photographed by the camera 20, a moving object is detected from the image, and this moving object is recognized as a user, thereby determining whether or not there is a user in the elevator shaft 11. Another method for determining whether or not there is a user in the elevator shaft 11 is to photograph the landing (the landing when the escalator 10 is running in the reverse direction) by the camera 20, and if no user is detected in the image for a predetermined period of time, to determine that there is no user in the elevator shaft 11.

[0026] As a method for the elevator shaft determination unit 43 to determine the body orientation of a user in the elevator shaft 11, for example, there is a method of recognizing the user's face through machine learning and determining the body orientation from the face orientation. Another method is to recognize the user's posture through machine learning and determine the body orientation from the user's posture. In this embodiment, the body orientation of a user in the elevator shaft 11 is determined using an image captured by the camera 20, but other methods may also be used to determine the body orientation.

[0027] The platform determination unit 44 analyzes the image of the platform captured by the camera 20 and determines whether or not there are any passengers at the platform. When the operation of the escalator 10 stops due to congestion at the landing, and the platform determination unit 44 determines that there are no passengers at the platform, the operation control unit 45 reverses the escalator 10. This makes it possible to avoid collisions between passengers already on the escalator 10 and passengers near the platform.

[0028] As a method for the hall determination unit 44 to determine the presence or absence of a user at the hall, for example, there is a method of detecting a moving object from a captured image, recognizing this moving object as a person, and determining the presence or absence of a user. Note that in this embodiment, the presence or absence of a congestion at the disembarkation hall is determined using the image from the camera 20, but the congestion may be determined using other methods. For example, the presence or absence of a user at the hall may be determined using LiDAR or millimeter wave radar.

[0029] In this embodiment, the control device 40 includes the function of the determination unit 41, but the determination unit 41 may be provided independently from the control device 40. For example, the detection unit 20 may be provided with the function of the determination unit 41, and the determination result of the determination unit 41 may be transmitted to the control device 40.

[0030] Determination unit 41 may transmit the determination result to a monitoring center in the building where escalator 10 is installed or in a remote location. Then, a monitor stationed at the monitoring center may confirm the accuracy of the determination result of determination unit 41 based on images captured by camera 20. Determination unit 41 may also transmit only a portion of the determination result to the monitoring center. For example, only the determination result of dismount determination unit 42 may be transmitted to the monitoring center.

[0031] The operation control unit 45 adjusts the operating speed of the escalator 10, stops the operation, and controls the operating direction by transmitting commands to the drive device 14. When stopping the operation of the escalator 10, the operation control unit 45 preferably slows down the operating speed of the escalator 10 in stages before stopping the escalator 10. By slowing down the operating speed of the escalator 10 in stages, it is possible to prevent users riding on the escalator 10 from falling or colliding with others. The operation control unit 45 may also have a function of transmitting the current operating direction and operating speed of the escalator 10 to the determination unit 41 and the speaker control unit 46.

[0032] The speaker control unit 46 controls the audio output of the speakers 30. The speaker control unit 46 may output announcement content previously stored in the speaker control unit 46, or may output audio within the building in which the escalator 10 is installed or within a remote monitoring center. The speaker control unit 46 may output audio from all the speakers 30, or may output audio from only some of the speakers 30.

[0033] For example, when guiding a user in the hoistway 11 to face the landing side, the speaker control unit 46 selects the hoistway speakers 30C, 30D, and 30E provided on the balustrade 12. Then, the speaker control unit 46 causes the hoistway speakers 30C, 30D, and 30E to output a message saying, "The escalator is going in reverse. Please face the landing side." This allows users on the escalator 10 to safely get off the escalator 10 without losing their balance when the escalator 10 goes in reverse.

[0034] For example, when the platform determination unit 44 determines that there is a person at the platform when the escalator 10 is operated in the reverse direction, the speaker control unit 46 selects the lower speaker 30A or the upper speaker 30B provided at the platform. Then, the speaker control unit 46 outputs a message saying "The escalator will reverse. Please move away from the platform" from the lower speaker 30A or the upper speaker 30B. This makes it possible to prevent collisions between users on the escalator 10 and users near the platform.

[0035] In this embodiment, guidance is provided to users of the escalator 10 using the speaker 30, but other guidance devices may also be used. For example, a display device may be provided that displays a message urging users to turn around or a message indicating that entry to the platform is prohibited. Also, for example, a Patrol Light (registered trademark) may be provided to indicate that congestion is occurring at the platform.

[0036] The operation of the operation control system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the operation control system 1 from the occurrence of congestion at the landing area to the stopping of the operation of the escalator 10 in the reverse direction, and shows the processing operation of the control device 40.

[0037] Assume that escalator 10 is descending from an upper floor to a lower floor. In this case, upper boarding / alighting entrance 13B is the boarding area, and lower boarding / alighting entrance 13A is the alighting area. While escalator 10 is in operation, camera 20 continuously photographs the alighting area and transmits the photographed images to control device 40 in real time. When alighting area determination unit 42 receives an image from camera 20 (step S11), it analyzes the image and determines whether a congestion is occurring at the alighting area (step S12).

[0038] If the disembarking determination unit 42 determines that congestion is occurring at the disembarking area (step S12: Yes), the operation control unit 45 gradually slows down the operating speed of the escalator 10 (step S13). After the operating speed of the escalator 10 has sufficiently slowed down, the operation control unit 45 stops the operation of the escalator 10 (step S14). If the disembarking determination unit 42 determines that congestion is not occurring at the disembarking area (step S12: No), the disembarking determination unit 42 continues to monitor the disembarking area.

[0039] After the operation of escalator 10 is stopped, speaker control unit 46 selects upper speaker 30B provided at the landing and outputs a voice to users around the landing to guide them away from the landing (step S15). Then, landing determination unit 44 receives an image from camera 20 (step S16) and determines whether or not there is a user at the landing (step S17).

[0040] Here, when the hall determination unit 44 determines that there is no user at the hall (step S17: Yes), the speaker control unit 46 selects the hoistway speakers 30C, 30D, 30E provided on the balustrade 12, and outputs audio to users in the hoistway 11 guiding them to face the hall side (step S18). On the other hand, when the hall determination unit 44 determines that there is a user at the hall (step S17: No), the process returns to step S15, and the speaker control unit 46 again outputs audio to users near the hall guiding them to move away from the hall.

[0041] When a voice is output to guide a user in the elevator shaft 11 to face the landing side (step S18), the elevator shaft determination unit 43 receives an image from the camera 20 (step S19) and determines whether the body of the user in the elevator shaft 11 is facing the landing side (step S20).

[0042] If the elevator shaft determination unit 43 determines that the user in the elevator shaft 11 is facing the landing side (step S20: Yes), the operation control unit 45 causes the escalator 10 to move in the opposite direction to the initial traveling direction, that is, from the lower floor to the upper floor (step S21). If the elevator shaft determination unit 43 determines that the user is not facing the landing side (step S20: No), the process returns to step S18, and audio is output again to the user in the elevator shaft 11 to guide them to face the landing side.

[0043] When the escalator 10 reverses from a lower floor to an upper floor in this manner, the elevator shaft determination unit 43 receives images from the camera 20 (step S22) and determines whether or not there is a user in the elevator shaft 11 (step S23).

[0044] If the elevator shaft determination unit 43 determines that there is no user in the elevator shaft 11 (step S23: Yes), the operation control unit 45 stops the reverse movement of the escalator 10 (step S24). If the elevator shaft determination unit 43 determines that there is a user in the elevator shaft 11 (step S23: No), the process returns to step S22, and the operation control unit 45 causes the escalator 10 to continue the reverse movement.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the disembarking determination unit 42 determines that congestion is occurring at the disembarking area, the operation control unit 45 gradually slows down the operating speed of the escalator 10, but the determination result of the disembarking determination unit 42 may be transmitted to a monitoring center in the building where the escalator 10 is installed or in a remote location. Then, if a monitor stationed at the monitoring center checks the images captured by the camera 20 and determines that congestion is occurring at the disembarking area, the operation control unit 45 may gradually slow down the operating speed of the escalator 10. This makes it possible to prevent the operation of the escalator 10 from being stopped due to a false detection by the disembarking determination unit 42.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination by the disembarking determination unit 42 as to whether or not congestion is occurring at the disembarking station is performed only before the operating speed of the escalator 10 is decelerated, but the disembarking determination unit 42 may determine whether or not congestion is occurring at the disembarking station while the operating speed of the escalator 10 is being decelerated or after the operation of the escalator 10 has stopped. Then, when the disembarking determination unit 42 determines that the congestion at the disembarking station has been resolved, the operation control unit 45 may return the escalator 10 to its original operating speed. This allows the operation of the escalator 10 to resume smoothly when the congestion at the disembarking station is resolved.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination unit 41 does not make a determination while the escalator 10 is running in reverse, but the determination unit 41 may make a determination while the escalator 10 is running in reverse. For example, the platform determination unit 44 may determine whether a user is entering the escalator 10 while the escalator 10 is running in reverse. If a user is entering the escalator 10, the operation control unit 45 may slow down the operating speed of the escalator 10 or stop the operation of the escalator 10. Also, for example, while the escalator 10 is running in reverse, the hoistway determination unit 43 may determine the orientation of the body of a user in the hoistway 11. If a user in the hoistway 11 is facing the landing side (the landing side when the escalator 10 is running in reverse), the speaker control unit 46 may output a sound to the user in the hoistway 11 to guide them to face the landing side (the landing side when the escalator 10 is running in reverse).

[0048] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other modified examples, and it goes without saying that various changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the matters described in the claims of this application.

[0049] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation control system, 10 Escalator, 11 Hoistway, 12 Handrail, 13 Entrance / exit, 13A Lower entrance / exit, 13B Upper entrance / exit, 14 Drive device, 20 Detection unit (camera), 30 Speaker, 40 Control device, 41 Determination unit, 42 Departure determination unit, 43 Hoistway determination unit, 44 Landing determination unit, 45 Operation control unit, 46 Speaker control unit

Claims

1. A passenger conveyor operation control system, A detection unit that detects a user of the passenger conveyor; A speaker that outputs audio to users of the passenger conveyor; A control device that controls the operation of the passenger conveyor and controls the audio output of the speaker; Equipped with The control device includes: while operating in a predetermined direction, determining whether users are staying at the disembarking area of ​​the passenger conveyor based on information from the detection unit, and when it is determined that users are staying there, stopping the operation of the passenger conveyor and outputting a voice from the speaker to urge users to face the boarding area of ​​the passenger conveyor; An operation control system that determines the orientation of the user's body in the elevator between the landing and the disembarking area based on information from the detection unit, and operates the passenger conveyor in the reverse direction if it determines that the user is facing toward the landing.

2. 2. The operation control system according to claim 1, wherein the control device determines whether or not there is a user at the landing based on information from the detection unit, and when it is determined that there is no user at the landing, causes the passenger conveyor to operate in a reverse direction.

3. 2. The operation control system according to claim 1, wherein the control device determines whether a user is staying at the disembarking station based on information from the detection unit, and if it determines that a user is staying there, outputs a voice from the speaker urging the user to leave the station.